Finding affiliate programs in your niche can be a pain in the ass.
It really can.
Even knowing where to start can be a struggle. On top of that, not all affiliate products are created equal by any means.
Plus...
You really want to make sure that the affiliate products you promote are effective and actually generate sales.
So how do you find killer affiliate products in your niche that crush it?
Well that's what this whole post is about!
Plus, I'll show you the sneaky hack I use to find affiliate programs in my niche :) More on that later...
So, lets get stuck in.
In this post you will learn:
- How to find affiliate programs that actually make money.
- My sneaky hack for finding affiliate products in your niche.
- Why affiliate stacking works.
- What makes a killer affiliate product/program.
How to find affiliate opportunities
1. Email the business direct.
Many businesses don't shout about the fact that they have an affiliate program, but this doesn't mean they don't have one. If you can't find any links anywhere on their site, then the next step is to send them an email.
Here's a template I've used in the past:
"Hey guys.
I've been using your product for a while now and I love it.
I write a blog about [Your Blog Topic} and I think my readers would really love your product too.
I'd love to write a detailed post about [Your Product] and was just wondering if you had an affiliate program I could sign up with before I get started.
Thanks for your time.
Speak soon.
Rowan."
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2. Google the shit out of it
Google is a good place to start.
Just enter your niche followed by "affiliate programs". For example: "web hosting affiliate programs".
Play around with this technique and you should soon have a bunch of affiliate opportunities to investigate.
To get even more refined results you can use the Google parameter :inurl
Searching with this parameter will refine your results even more as it only returns search results with that exact sequence of characters.
Here's an example:
inurl:web hosting affiliate
Searching with this parameter is a quick hack to get super targeted search results.
3. Affiliate marketplaces
There's a tonne of affiliate marketplaces out there, each with their own unique twist.
Below is a list of the top marketplaces IMHO:
4. My SNEAKY hack for finding the best affiliates in your niche
Steal from your competitors!
The top bloggers in your niche will undoubtably have already done the hard work for you by finding the best affiliate opportunities.
Some will even create a list for you like this.
Most blogs won't do an income report like above, so you'll need to go through each of their posts and follow the trail of their links to the different affiliate products.
You can tell if they're promoting an affiliate product when the URL looks something like this:
www.example.com/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EHKAJAK&linkCode
It's that muddle of code at the end that's the giveaway. Rather than sending you straight to www.example.com they're redirecting you there via their affiliate link.
Now that you know how to follow the tracks of your competitors affiliate programs, you've now got to get your ass organised and start building a list.
Your list needs to record the name of the affiliate product, website URL and a short description of what the product/service actually is.
As you're list builds you'll find new ways to integrate these products into your articles.
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Affiliate stacking. What is it, and why is so damn good?
As you build produce more content and your digital footprint increases, so too will the opportunities to drive affiliate sales. Over time all of this will compound.
All the forces are aligned and moving in the right direction.
Here's how...
As you produce more quality content your digital footprint will increase, and the number of affiliate opportunities will increase too. Over time Google will index more and more of your content and your authority within your niche will increase.
And, as your authority increases, Google will trust your website, and rank your pages higher on their search results pages.
Everything is aligned to drive more traffic and more sales your way.
And don't worry if you don't already have an audience or any affiliate income to speak of right now, that's ok. Everyone has been there at some point.
It's about starting.
You have to start with zero. Everybody does.
In the beginning, progress will be slow, and you've got to be ok with that.
You'll really start to see the crazy potential of affiliate stacking after about 6 months or so, that's when Google begins to start trusting your website and the compounding effects really start to kick in.
So put your head down. Get productive, and get started.
How to choose a killer affiliate product
Not all affiliate products are equal. In fact there's actually a whole load of factors to consider when deciding which products you're are best to target.
Let me explain...
Every affiliate program you join has their own unique terms and conditions. Some far better than others.
Here are the most important things to consider:
1. Does it fit your values?
If it's not a product your proud to promote, don't do it!
It's as simple as that.
The biggest mistake most newbies make is selling without integrity. Your readers can see straight through it and it'll do more harm than good.
Your reputation and integrity are everything!
2. Do they offer a fair commission rate?
As you analyse more and more affiliate products you'll become well accustomed to the huge variations in commission rates and structures.
Each affiliate product needs to be analysed on a case by case basis and compared to competing products and services.
A few things to look out for:
- What percentage commission is paid per sale?
- Is it a one off payment or subscription model?
- How long do the affiliate tracking cookies last?
- Do they have a minimum sale amount before you get paid? If so how much?
- Is there a delay between a sale and when you get paid? If so how long?
- How long has the company/product been trading for?
- Is the price point within your audiences range?
Once you get familiar with all of the above you'll be able to analyse each product within a few minutes.
3. Is their Affiliate dashboard easy to understand and navigate?
When you sign up to a new affiliate program you'll usually gain access to an affiliate dashboard where you can monitor your sales and check your progress. However that's not always the case.
I've worked with some affiliate programs in the past where the whole process was manual. There was no affiliate dashboard to monitor, therefore no way for me to monitor my sales progress.
This is far from ideal.
It's far, far better to be tracking your sales from a good affiliate dashboard with sales stats, commissions accrued, performance analytics etc.
It's not a deal breaker, but it's definitely worth your consideration.
4. Do they provide awesome promotional material?
Professionally managed affiliate programs will save you a tonne of time and energy by making things super simple for you. They'll basically provide you with everything you need.
This is the type of info you'd expect from a well managed affiliate program:
- Multiple banner images.
- Product logo's in multiple sizes.
- Sales documents.
- Pre built social media templates.
- Loads of information and support.
5. They pay their commissions on time.
If you're working with an affiliate and they don't pay on time or they make it very difficult to get your money, you may need to reconsider your position.
As with every industry there are multiple products competing for the same market. So it's a good idea to have a back up (or even multiples), should an a working relationship turn sour.
It's all about the decentralisation of risk. You don't want any single point of failure.
That's the whole ethos of the Income Stacking Method.
6. Will it be a crushing offer for your readers?
As you've probably learned already, not all affiliate programs are equal.
The best affiliate programs that offer the best value for your readers are the ones that offer crushing discounts.
Let me explain...
If you can save money for your readers as well as recommending amazing products then they'll be far more inclined to buy through you. The best affiliate programs have super compelling commission structures that make selling a breeze.
Here's an example:
Let's say affiliate product XYZ sells on the the open market for $1000
However, if they buy it through your unique affiliate link plus your personal coupon code, they'll get a whopping $200 off!
It's a no brainer for your readers. If they want the product/service, they're going to be making sure they buy it through you.
7. Up-sells?
Up-selling is a sales technique used to get a customer to spend more by buying an upgrade or premium version of what's being purchased.
Up-Sell Examples
Example 1: Getting offered to upgrade to business class by an Airline.
Example 2: McDonald's "Would you like fries with that?"
Example 3: Buying a book on Amazon you get offered the Audiobook or Ebook for a one time only discounted price.
Example 4: Car salesman recommends buying the car with better amenities e.g. A/C, Heated seats etc.
Example 5: Freemium model. An app offers basic version for free, but unlocking premium involves a fee.
An affiliate that adds up-selling to your existing sales funnels builds new income streams and drives more revenue.
Some affiliate programs (the clever ones) will offer up-sells through the checkout payment process. It could be by bundling your products, adding extra support, or add-ons.
Keep an eye out for affiliate programs with up-sells, they can be awesome.
8. Any freebies for you?
This isn't a biggie, more like a bonus, but it sure is nice when you get access to an affiliates product at a discount or even better, free.
The bigger your audience, and the more of an authority you have within your niche, the more likely you are to be offered these freebies :)
Promote time-tested products
The percentage of businesses that go under in the first 3 years is staggering.
So if you're choosing to promote a new businesses then many will fall by the wayside.
This is why it's so important to choose affiliate products that will stand the test of time, have a proven use-case (solves a real problem), and actually makes money.
If they make money, you'll make money.
Also, the whole ethos of Income Stacking is to continuously be building multiple income streams, so it makes sense to back a winner for the long term. Otherwise, you'll find your all the income streams you've built will slowly die away over time.
Conclusion
You should now be armed with everything you need to know on how to find affiliate products in your niche.
Some words of advice...
Whatever affiliate products you choose to promote, make sure they align with your values.
I ask myself these questions every time I recommend a new affiliate product my audience:
If I answer YES to all of the above, then I know I'm doing it for the right reasons and not for a quick buck.
I advise you to do the same.
Now go out, affiliate stack your heart out.
Peace out.
Rowan.
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How are you going to get started?
Do you have a sneaky hacks that you use to find affiliates in your niche? If so, I want to hear from you in the comments below.
Never really thought about quite how effective affiliate stacking could be. Inspired to do much, much more on this front. Thanks for the post.
Thanks Ian. It was a game changer for me that’s for sure. Let me know how you get on 🤙