This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and purchase something I recommend, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps keep my website up and running and is very appreciated. Thank you for your support!
When I started my blog 3 months ago, I did not expect to make my first affiliate sale so fast.
Sure, a lot of bloggers on Pinterest claim they made their way sooner, some even on their first weeks of blogging! I, however, consider 3 months to be a good amount of time to make the first affiliate sale.
For one, my posts have improved dramatically since I started blogging. Every now and then I will go to my older posts to optimize them for SEO and cringe at how they used to be.
I used to think that blogging was just writing. That was a huge misconception of mine.
When I learned about affiliate marketing, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Get paid to promote things and services I love? It sounded great!
However, it’s not that simple.
If you are still trying to figure out affiliate marketing, this post outlines many the high-paying affiliate programs for bloggers. Read that before continuing this post, to have a better idea of how these programs work.
In order to promote something on your blog, you need to sign up for affiliate programs. I, currently, am signed up to 10 different affiliate programs. I apply to many of them. Some of them I have been accepted to, and others declined me for whatever reason.
This post contains affiliate links. I only promote what I have tried and loved, and if you choose to buy anything through my links, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you which lets me continue to produce new content on this blog. You can read my full disclaimer here.
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How to add affiliate links in your posts?
There are a couple of things you need to do.
First, you need to make sure that every post of yours that has affiliate links has a disclaimer. Mine is right above the section, in italics, if you’d like to see how it should look.
The reason for this is that certain countries require affiliates to disclose that they are going to be paid. You also want your readers to know that in them purchasing anything you recommend, you will receive commission.
How to properly promote affiliate links?
To promote affiliate links in a way that will make your readers click on them and actually buy them, you need to be promoting things you use/have used and enjoyed.
When you include an affiliate link in your posts, you will need to explain why you like the product/service you’re recommending. Be convincing! That’s the key to affiliate marketing.
How did I make my first affiliate sale?
I have a post all about how to create a brand new blog. It is titled How To Start A Money Making Blog.
In this post, I explain how to start a blog using Bluehost, which is the platform I use for my blog. I go step-by-step, include screenshots, and explain why I chose Bluehost, and why I stuck around with them.
I joined their affiliate program a month ago, and thankfully, got accepted on my first try. In writing this post, I pasted my affiliate link anywhere that I have mentioned Bluehost, like I’m doing in this post.
The reason why I made the sale is because of how much I promote it on Pinterest.
Pinterest has become my biggest source of traffic ever since I started implementing the strategies from The Pinterest Ninja.
Before reading the ebook, I would pin sporadically here and there, not really generating much traffic to my blog. Most of my traffic then came from Twitter.
Ever since I started taking the advice I read about in The Pinterest Ninja, my pins have been doing SO much better, and finally started generating decent traffic to my blog.
What I’ve been doing with my posts which contain affiliate links is promoting them every week on Pinterest using new pins.
I make new pins for those posts every week, and pin them to all my boards over and over (different pins for the same post). That ensures that many people click on my links, and end up in those affiliate posts.
It’s also worth mentioning that I have Tailwind do all my pinning for me since it’s a little too much to pin 80 pins daily, which is the current number of pins a day I’m on.
If you’re a blogger and want to build up your audience, Tailwind is a great tool for scheduling your pins and reaching a wider audience.
How much did I make with that one sale?
I made $75 from that one blog post which is only not even a month old yet.
Because I want to be specific with you all and help you make sales yourself, the sale happened only 2 weeks after I’d written my post. That, to me, is amazing progress.
Last thoughts
If you want to make sales from your affiliate links, promote them constantly using Pinterest. Unlike Twitter and Instagram, the posts you pin will be circulating Pinterest forever, making it super easy for you to get views and eventually, sales.
It also really helps if you specify in your posts why you are recommending whatever your affiliate link is for, in order to build trust with your readers.
I really believe that my sale happened because of how much I gushed about Bluehost. It honestly was genuine gushing, which I think translated in my post.
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I have heard so much about affiliate sales and have been very interested in how to do it. My only concern is that I am primarily a mental health blogger, if I am going to make a sale I want the product to fit my brand, and that is kind of difficult to find in the mental health niche. What are your thoughts?
I did some digging and there are definitely a number of affiliate programs for mental health bloggers! This is just one website I stumbled upon on Google https://highpayingaffiliateprograms.com/mental-health-affiliate-programs/
Congratulations. So well deserved and I hope there’s many more to come.
Thank you so so much!
Great article. I’m getting ready to add my first affiliate link. I’ll definitely refer back to this article.
Awesome!! Best of luck in your affiliate marketing journey!
I always find it so interesting how people successfully make money from blogging. Great post x
It definitely is possible for most bloggers! Have you thought about monetizing your blog at some point?
I have I just don’t really know how to completely go for it and have the time to do it properly!
If you’re willing to give it a try, sign up with Amazon Associates first. The process is super quick, takes a couple of minutes, and you don’t have to wait to start promoting their products. 🙂
Oh that’s interesting I will take a look thanks so much x
Great tips and well done on making sales so quickly!! I used to think blogging was just writing too but it is so much more than that! Thank you for sharing xx
I definitely didn’t expect to make it so quickly! Thank you for reading!
Congratulations on your first big affiliate sale! That is absolutely awesome 😀
Thank you so much! It definitely was a pleasant surprise!
Congratulations! That is a huge achievement and I am positive you will be making alot more money from them. Your blog is great!
Thank you for sharing.
Alyssa
THESACREDSPACEAP.COM
Thank you so much love! 🙂
That’s amazing that you made that! I’ve made a couple of sales through Amazon but that’s it (fro now). I think your advice on pinning will prove useful so I’ll up my pinning game for affiliate links!
Thank you! Definitely invest more time into Tailwind and make sure to use all its features!
This is such a helpful and insightful post!!
Rosie
I’m glad you think so!
Congrats on your affiliate sales! Being consistent and promoting on Pinterest are great tips! I love Pinterest and need to work on creating newer images for my posts frequently to help circulate my links.
Looking forward to following you and your blogging journey. Your doing great and thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much! It definitely helps get your content out there if you keep creating fresh pins. I’ve also recently gotten into Tribes on Tailwind and those have been helping as well!
That’s amazing that you managed to make your first $75 within two weeks – after only two months! Thanks for sharing -I’ll have to keep Pinterest and Tailwind in mind if I ever want to monetize 🙂 x
Thank you so much! Definitely utilize them both if you ever do decide to monetize. 🙂
Really informative post. I’ve never properly delve into the world of affiliate links – which I know, 6 years in and I can’t believe it either!
Jenny!! What have you been doing girl?! 😂
This post was so inspiring. Keep writing x
Thank you for reading!:)
Thanks so much for these tips! I am struggling with this sales for sure.
Question, I am not very creative artistically and struggle to create fabulous pins. Any suggestions?
I find that my simple pins are the ones that have the most click-throughs! You can also use Canva for pin templates- they have a ton to choose from!
Great advice! I feel like I haven’t explored affiliations enough and now I’m definitely inspired to do more research.
Best of luck to you! 🙂
Congratulations! As someone new to blogging I love reading success stories.
Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
Congrats on your success! I know there will be a lot more to come too! I find Pinterest to be such an amazing tool for bloggers to use. My favorite point you made is about making multiple pins for the same link. Some do much better than others, and that is how I keep my engagement up. Speaking of that, that is actually my task for today, to create new pins for older content. Thank you for reminding me that it is time!
Absolutely- I usually make the most pins for the posts with affiliate links so there’s a higher chance of me making sales! Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
Thanks so much for the tips!!
My pleasure!
Thats amazing! And youre right, it sounds kinda simple at first but its really not. Im 7 months in and still havent made a sale but i also haven’t really been linking. Thata a good idea to post through Pinterest all the ones that contain affiliates! I definitelly wanna start implementing this. Thanks for the tips!
Definitely utilize Pinterest! It will help keep those posts circulating and you’ll have a bigger chance of making sales 🙂
Congratulations. I’m sure it will be the first of many, but first times are always exciting, and well worth celebrating!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I’ve not really done much or any affiliate work in three years of blogging but it is definitely something to be looking into after reading this post. Congrats!
Kayleigh Zara | http://www.kayleighzaraa.com
Thank you so much! It definitely is something to consider as a blogger! 🙂
Love the inspiration here mixed with your excitement, and the honesty that shows even new bloggers can do this. Congratulations on your first big sale, and may there be many more.
Thank you so much! It definitely is possible for every blogger, but it does take a lot of work for sure!
That’s so great! You were able to make that so fast! I definitely slack a bit with affiliate programmes I definitely need to sign up to a lot more! Great post x
I was pretty surprised if I’m being honest! Good luck with your affiliate journey 🙂
Thank you for explaining it so well. Usually people just seems like the money comes walking through the door and “forget” to voice how much work actually goes into it.
Absolutely! In the beginning, I thought I was doing something wrong because the money was not rolling in! It definitely takes hard work and TIME. Thank you so much for reading!:)
New pins for each post weekly? Can’t believe I never thought of that! I usually wait several months. Definitely going to try that! Thanks for all of the great tips here
It definitely helps to get that content out there, especially if those posts have affiliate links in them! Glad you found this post helpful! 🙂
I have just now started to venture into affiliate posts and sponsored posts. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, thank you for sharing these awesome tips 🙂
It definitely takes time to figure out but you got this! 🙂
Such a great post! I will have to sign up for some affiliate links, thank you for the info. xoxo
My pleasure!
I just recently signed up for my first real affiliate program. I’m excited but also a little scared that no one is going to buy what I’m recommending—even though I *love* the product. eep!
Promote your posts with affiliate links in them the most! The more people read them, the more likely you are to make sales 🙂
Thank you for sharing and well done!
I love reading about people’s successes and how they did it. It makes it seem so much more achievable when you watch others succeed x
Thank you so much! 🙂
I’m a bit struggling with affiliate marketing so this blogpost comes right in time! Thank you for sharing!
I hope it could help you! 🙂
Tailwind is such a great tool! I don’t know how I even operated before I had it. It is even better that their affiliate program helps bloggers make money! Like you said, I love promoting things that I actually use!
Ashlee | https://www.maybeafterbrunch.com
I’m obsessed with Tailwind! Definitely one of my favorite blogging tools! And I completely agree about their affiliate program, it’s so handy!
This is incredible. Congratulations and here’s to you making more sales. I will keep working hard and persevering and hopefully will make my first sale soon.
Have an amazing day.
Thank you so much! Wishing you all the success! 🙂
I’m relatively new to blogging and never understood what ‘affiliate links’ were despite seeing them being mentioned all the time.
This was really helpful! Thank you! 🙂
Glad you found this to be helpful! 🙂
Well done, that’s really amazing! I’m an affiliate for a couple of products but I’ve not made that much money off them. I need to get more invested in Pinterest haha! 🙂
Beth x Adventure & Anxiety
Keep going and definitely pin your posts with affiliate links a ton! 🙂