Discover How Much You Can Make With Affiliate Marketing

 Affiliate marketing is touted as a great way to make recurring, passive income. With affiliate-focused brands like Wirecutter selling for about $30 million, it’s easy to see why. But how much money does the average affiliate marketer make, really? Is it actually a good business model?

Today, we answer these questions and discuss how you can tap into the lucrative world of affiliate marketing.

Read our beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing.

How Do Affiliate Marketers Make Money?

Affiliate marketers make money by earning a commission for promoting other people’s products or services. For example, if you have an affiliate link on your blog that directs people to purchase a product from Amazon, you’ll earn a percentage of every sale that happens through your link.

However, it’s not limited to physical products. You can also earn money as an affiliate for online courses or software. You may have seen videos on YouTube that are “sponsored by Skillshare” or “sponsored by Fiverr.” These platforms also have affiliate programs. Additionally, you can make money as an affiliate marketing manager for a company.

How Much Do Affiliate Marketers Make?

The average salary of an affiliate marketer, according to Glassdoor, is $59,060 per year, ranging from $58K to $158K, including additional pay options like cash bonuses, commissions, tips, or profit sharing. However, this figure is for salaried employees. What about freelancers or business owners doing their own affiliate marketing?

According to a survey by the Influencer Marketing Hub, here’s the breakdown:

• More than half of all affiliate marketers make $10K or less per year.
• About 33% make $10K or more per year.

This indicates that many affiliate marketers do not engage in affiliate marketing full-time. The majority of full-time affiliate marketers make between $30K–$50K annually after expenses.

Revenue vs. Net Profit

When discussing affiliate marketing earnings, it’s important to consider net profit, not just revenue. Revenue is the total money a business makes before expenses, while net profit is the amount left after expenses. Most affiliate marketers make between $30K–$50K annually in net profit.

How to Get Started in Affiliate Marketing

If these numbers sound appealing and you’re ready to start affiliate marketing, here’s how to get started:

1. Choose a Niche: Your niche is the topic you focus on. It could be a hobby, lifestyle, science theory, or anything else. As long as there are products, services, or courses to promote, you can make money from it.
   To find your niche, ask yourself:
• What am I good at?
• What do I like doing?
• What am I curious about?
• What do others tell me I’m good at?
2. The overlap of these questions often reveals a great niche.
3. Decide on a Content Channel: Once you’ve chosen a niche, decide how to promote your affiliate links. Options include creating a niche website, YouTube channel, social media accounts, or an email list. Building a website and using search engine optimization (SEO) to rank on Google is a popular method for gaining recurring, organic traffic and sales.
4. Produce and Promote Your Content: Create high-quality content and promote it to attract viewers. This may involve writing blog content, creating videos, or taking pictures. You also need to learn how to promote your work effectively to build backlinks and increase visibility.

How to Maximize Your Affiliate Profits

To ensure you make the most money, consider the following strategies:

1. Find the Best Affiliate Programs: The easiest way to increase profits is by finding affiliate programs with higher commission rates. Programs offering 5-10% commissions are common and significantly better than Amazon’s 1-3%.
2. Improve Your Conversion Rates: Optimize your website to increase the number of visitors who click on your links and purchase your recommendations. This can be done by using high-quality images, creating call-to-action boxes, displaying comparison tables, and building your brand to establish trust.
3. Go for Quick SEO Wins: Improve your internal link structure, fix website speed issues, reclaim lost backlinks, optimize title tags, and refresh your content. These actions can quickly boost your SEO rankings and increase traffic.
4. Negotiate for Better Rates: If you’re already sending good traffic to your affiliate partners, negotiate a higher commission rate. This is more effective with smaller brands and can significantly increase your profits.

Join Our Affiliate Program

Ready to start your affiliate marketing journey? Sign up for our affiliate program today and learn how you can maximize your earnings with expert guidance and support from Big Picture Strategies.

By following these steps and strategies, you can tap into the true earning potential of affiliate marketing and achieve substantial income through your blogging efforts.