AUGUST 27, 2024

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Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-weekly newsletter for content entrepreneurs.

Non-Sleazy Affiliate Revenue Program

Audiences don’t like to be sold to. After all, ad-free streaming services attract viewers because they don’t want to watch commercials.

So, you think if you participate in affiliate marketing, your audience will leave. It’s just not worth it to your content business.

But that doesn’t have to be the case. You can create a “non-sleazy” affiliate program with this helpful advice from Michelle Martello, digital strategist and founder of Minima Designs. She shared how during her Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX) presentation.

“I love affiliate marketing as an additional revenue stream,” she says. “This is about 30% of my income right now.”

Michelle says content entrepreneurs don’t need large audiences to reap the benefits. “If people listen to you, you can sell stuff. You can make a good amount of money selling products you truly believe in.”

In addition to earning money, Michelle’s affiliate marketing has led to invitations to events, networking opportunities, and speaking engagements. However, through every affiliate program experience, she keeps the need to protect her newsletter audience at the forefront of her mind.

Starting: Think about the products and services you already use. What software do you use? What programs have you taken? What products have you tried and loved?

Go to their websites and scroll down to the footer. Look for the words “partner” or “affiliate” program. If they don’t have an obvious link, contact the business because they may have an affiliate program but don’t advertise it publicly.

You also should visit affiliate network or aggregation sites. Michelle cites Impact.com, Commission Junction (www.CJ.com), and ShareASale.com. And don’t forget to ask your fellow entrepreneurs if they have an affiliate or referral program.

It is important to understand the compensation structure when you make affiliate marketing a revenue stream. You generally earn a commission – a flat rate or a percentage of the sale. It could be a one-time framework – make a sale, get a commission. Or the commission could be earned by tiers (achieve predetermined sales levels) or recurring (every time they buy or renew the product).

Working as an affiliate: Being an affiliate isn’t a passive income strategy, Michelle says. You must have a plan and work to become an expert so people think of you first when considering a purchase.

You also must foster an atmosphere to establish trust with your audience so they see your recommendations as reliable. How do you do that? Share the real pros and cons of your experience with the product or service so they can see if it’s right for them.

“I want people to make an informed decision,” Michelle says.

Make it easy for your audience to sign up or buy the product or service using your link. Michelle suggests using the WordPress PrettyLinks plugin or a link shortener like Bitly to make friendly URL versions.

Not only do these help your audience, but they also help your business because you can track them easily and change the linked affiliate URL if necessary without changing the promoted URL.

Michelle recommends creating a spreadsheet of your affiliate programs to track estimated and actual payments. Also, include the links so you can test them regularly to ensure they still work. Michelle suggests you create unique affiliate links for your channels and referral sources to better understand what works well and what doesn’t work at all.

Being transparent: Entrepreneurs who operate non-sleazy programs don’t hide that they earn revenue through affiliate programs. When sharing content with affiliate links, say that they’re promotional. Add a disclaimer to your blog, newsletter, and social media that reveals you receive compensation if your audience makes a purchase.

Michelle says you also shouldn’t go for the hard sell or promote products that aren’t a good fit. Instead, develop an affiliate program that gives more to the audience. Take the time to answer their questions. Create a bonus training for pre- or post-sale to help them understand and use the product or service.

Make it easy for the audience to opt out of these offerings by placing an opt-out notice at the top or bottom of the emails. Send them to an opt-out landing page that lets them indicate they’re not interested in the offer (and remove them from future content about this offering.)

Make the offer sound like it’s coming from you. You could even create a custom bonus for people who buy through you. “People want to know what you use to be successful,” Michelle says.

Share real images, stories, and testimonials of how people use the product or service. Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look, and don’t be afraid to include the messy bits of making stuff.

Doing more: Develop a promo calendar with emails, social posts, and graphics, and schedule time to implement it. Create a resource or shop page on your site where you give visitors quick access to a variety of products. Incorporate the affiliate link in your welcome-to-my-business email sequence, website footer, and link-in-bio pages.

You can also incorporate the affiliate promotion in your blog content. Michelle suggests targeting keywords, such as “pros and cons” of product, “best tool for [insert year], and “how to use [product].” Develop roundup posts about similar products.

YouTube videos, particularly tutorials and before-and-after content, can also work for discoverability. These videos also can be repurposed for social channels. Just don’t forget to include the affiliate link in the description.

– Ann Gynn

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Entrepreneur: Nate Ranallo

Biz: Nate the Hoof Guy

Tilt: Trimming cows’ hooves

Scene: ​YouTube (1.57M), Facebook (1.6M), TikTok (2M), merch​

Snack Bites:

• Nate is a bovine podiatrist who started videos of his work to clear up misconceptions about cow hoof trimming, such as it doesn’t hurt and is akin to nail trimming on humans.
• Though he created the content for educational purposes, the audience watched for entertainment value. That growth garnered the attention of The New York Times, Wisconsin Public Radio, and industry trade publications such as Ag Daily.
• Nate spends 45 to 50 hours in his bovine podiatry business and another 30 to 50 hours on the content business.

Why We Stan: Nate started his YouTube channel as an educational channel and marketing tool for his business. But he leaned into the wider audience appeal, creating a full-fledged content business.

– Ann Gynn

​Read Nate Ranallo’s story.​

Know a content creator who’s going full tilt? DM us. Or email tilt@thetilt.com.

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• ​Do What 'N Sync Just Did (Content Inc.)
• ​Pain Point Solutions for Your Ecommerce Store (Publish & Prosper)
• ​What Content Marketers Can Learn from the DNC (This Old Marketing)
• Tune in at 12 p.m. (US EDT) Tuesday for another edition of ​Tilt Your Business: A Weekly Mastermind for Content Entrepreneurs​ with Ann and Michelle.
• ICYMI: Working the Workbook​

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