Affiliate Marketing Programs for Bloggers

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So you’re interested in making some money from your blog?  Ok! 

When I first started our blog I really had no idea what affiliate marketing was.  I mean, I started blogging to share my love and passion for travel.  I started researching affiliate programs for bloggers. 

The more I learned about blogging, I quickly realized that I could continue to share my passion and make money off of my blog at the same time.  Eureka!  So this guide is for you if you are looking for an affiliate marketing program for beginners.  

If you’re new to blogging and need a simple step by step guide, then first read 10 Steps to Starting a Blog.  This post breaks down the steps in an easy to follow order where you can have your blog up and running in about 15 minutes!

*This post contains affiliate links.  By purchasing through these links, we get a small commission at no additional cost to you. That Texas Couple is also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.  As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Affiliate Programs for Bloggers

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is when advertisers (companies, brands, etc.) pay publishers to promote and sell their products to consumers.  To keep it simple, bloggers, like us, sign up and agree to promote a company in exchange for a commission.

Affiliate programs for bloggers are quite simple.  You put links in your posts that contain your unique tracking code.  Your readers click on these links, make a purchase (at no additional cost to them), and then you get a commission. 

Voila!

Why Should I Try Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing allows you to make money off of your blog!

I mean, you’re already investing time and money into your blog, so you might as well benefit from it.

Don’t get me wrong, it takes time and effort to design posts where your readers don’t feel like you are just trying to sell them something. 

That’s why you should always ensure that the advertisers you become affiliated with truly match your niche and are companies that you are passionate about.  We never recommend products or companies that we don’t personally know, use, and trust!

Always be selective in the placement of your links.  Don’t paste 100 banner ads all over your posts.  This turns people off. 

I know if I am on a sight and it is taking forever to load because of ads, I immediately exit.  Instead of placing ads everywhere, I will link to a hotel that we stayed in and loved or an awesome tour that we took. 

This creates trust with my readers, and that is PRICELESS!  By embedding my affiliate links in this manner, I get to be myself and only promote products that I love and use!

When Should I Start?  Are There Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners?

NOW!!!

Even if your blog is in the beginning stages, you can still get started with affiliate marketing. 

There are several affiliate marketing programs for beginners.  Trust me when I tell you that it is so much easier to write a well-optimized post from the beginning than to try and go back a redo that post for affiliate links. 

That being said though, once you do get started, it never hurts to revisit your old posts to see if there are opportunities to add links and if so, add them!

How do I Get Started With Affiliate Programs?

1) Join Affiliate Programs

There are several affiliate companies that you can choose from, and you can be associated with all of them if you would like.  Marty and I are affiliated with CJAffiliates, ShareASale, and AWin just to name a few. 

Each of these are brokers, meaning they act as a middle man between you and the advertisers.  They are great to work with, and accept beginner bloggers!

Once you are approved for their program, you can select the companies that you wish to work with and apply with that specific company.  Most of the merchants review the applications manually, so it will usually be a few days before you hear back from them. 

Don’t be discouraged if you are not accepted to every program you apply for.  Most programs have minimum requirements.  If you are told no, you can always apply again at a later date.

Again, don’t go crazy and apply for everything-only apply for what fits your blog’s niche.

2)  Embed Links Into Your Posts

While there are tons of companies to choose from, I recommend only promoting companies that you use and that truly match your niche.  Since our blog focuses on couples travel, I only work with companies that are travel or lifestyle related.

Once you sign up and are accepted, you can begin embedding your personal links into your blog posts.  There are tons of videos that teach you to embed links if you aren’t sure how. 

Now, remember, don’t be spammy!  Embed items that genuinely match your blog and the specific post that you are writing.  Your readers don’t want to feel like they are constantly being sold to.

Use your codes actively.  You can put them in your blog posts, e-mail campaigns, and on your social media.  Just be sure you are properly disclosing the affiliate relationship (like we did at the top of this post).

As you can see, getting started with affiliate marketing is pretty easy.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.  We are always here to help!

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