Monetizing: Becoming Affiliated

What an amazing thought to think you can make money by blogging. There are so many ways to do so wether it’s through ads, affiliated or sponsored tweets. I am bringing this to you today to show you what has worked for me! I have been blogging since October 2015 and it took me about 6 months to actually start seeing some income. 

I read so many different posts about how to make money blogging and they all seem to have tons of traffic coming in to their blog making it easy to make money. Plus, at the beginning it was so much info to take in I didn’t quiet understand how most of it actually worked. 

Once you’ve started your blog you can become affiliated!

What it means to be affiliated: 

You are able to promote products via referral code on your blog. For example, If I write a gift guide and name 5 different items I found through my amazon affiliate links, I can get my unique code to link back to amazon and if someone purchases I receive a credit. 
Let’s say someone clicks on your link and ends up buying something you didn’t refer, you will still receive credit for the purchase. Most affiliates have a 30 day cookie, meaning if someone clicks your link today but decides they don’t want to buy it until 2 weeks from now you will still get the credit for the purchase! You get a percent of the purchase made. 

How to start:

When it comes to being affiliated you have two ways you can do this. You can go straight to the companies websites ( i.e Target, Amazon) to become affiliated or become affiliated through marketplaces / affiliate networks (Commission Junction, Flex Offers) 

When I first started out I became affiliated by going directly to each companies website and applied. My very first affiliate was Target, but I quickly realized this was soooo much to keep track of. So I tried affiliated networks and got so intimidated by their set ups – now they’re all I use. 

I like affiliate networks because they are  one stop shop. You can apply to multiple companies and keep track of them through one site. 

Where to go: 

Target: You can go to the affiliate section directly to start to promote directly from Target.com

Commisions Junction CJ.com is an affiliate network that works with tons and tons of companies. Generally, you go through and apply to the branch you want to work with and get approved. This is much main network. They offer top brands like Pier One for you decor bloggers, Priceline for the jet setters and tons of clothing brands for the fashionistas. 

Amazon Amazon is probably the biggest affiliate amongst bloggers. Amazon is the Walmart of online shopping – you can almost find everything for your blog.

 Go to the website to apply directly. 

Share A Sale This is an affiliate network that I just started using. Very similar to commission junction. Works with brands like Warby Parker and Domino.

Skimlinks I don’t personally use skim links, however I am very familiar with how it works. You apply this to your blog and it turns anything that can be affiliated into a clickable link for your readers to click. 

Socialix This one is pretty easy to navigate. It’s an affiliate network thats clearly outlines the requirements for each program. There are tons of companies in their market place, just go through and find the ones that work for you, your numbers and niche.

i’m sure there are tons more that I could name, but I haven’t tried them yet!

Also, this is just grazing the top of the monetizing subject. The options are endless!  I will be going into more detail on monetizing your blog, be on the lookout! 

Other Blogger Resources:

How to become self-hosted for WordPress

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