5 Key Steps To Boost Your Affiliate Commission

August 13, 2010 - Last Modified: August 13, 2010 by Tran Tinh

Affiliate marketing is among the most difficult methods to generate income online. The most challenging part of the affiliate marketing is how to convert your readers’ clicks into sales. Only sales and leads will help you earn commissions from advertisers and vendors.

There are several factors that affect your readers’ decision whether they will proceed to checkout page and pay the bill or not. It is not easy like many other bloggers usually think. It is a very long & complete process that you cannot miss any steps in the between in order to boost your sales.

Here are some fundamental steps that will possibly help you convince your readers not only clicking on your affiliate links but also paying the bill happily.

1. Your blog design:

Many of you can be against to this point but frankly, your blog design will definitely help skyrocket your affiliate marketing campaigns. Why? If you have a professionally-designed theme, you must be a real blogger and you are serious about what you are doing. Your readers will trust you from what they see.

When your readers trust you, they will likely click on your affiliate links and proceed to checkout page.

2. Personal reviews from your own experiences:

You cannot tell your readers that “Oh, this is a good product, you should buy it blah blah blah…”. Is that convincing enough to encourage your readers buy products or services? I do not think so.

I will never trust any reviews that are not coming from author personal experiences. If you have used that product and you write a review about it, you must know well about what is the good and what is the bad. With that said your readers would surely love it and buy if they need it.

3. Discount coupon codes for extra value:

All of us love freebies and discount. It can help us save a lot of money shopping online. You can base on this common characteristic to boost your sales. I have done this way successfully by requesting a special coupon for my readers and I have made over $500/month for just a single plugin.

You should contact vendors/advertisers asking for a special coupon to offer your readers. That is win-win strategy and most of vendors are willing to do so.

4. Your personal branding:

Many of your readers use your affiliate links to buy products and services, not because of its high quality but of your branding. They love you as you have provided them with added values through many articles on your blog and they would like to reward you by this way.

Don’t promote bad quality products with high commission just because you are famous and you think your readers are always generous. They will be just in case you provide them high quality services and products.

5. Your willingness to support:

When I introduce any products or services to my readers, I always offer my personal support for FREE even they use my affiliate links or not. This will remind your readers that they will get your free support now and then.

You can disclose this in your affiliate policy page to notify your readers and give high priority to those who buy with your affiliate links. I am sure that you will get more sales from this strategy too.

If you have followed all those steps strictly, I can guarantee that your readers will likely click on your affiliate links and pay the bill. Therefore, your sales will be boosted and your commission will increase accordingly.

Your comments and feedbacks are always welcome!

About Tran Tinh

Follow @azblogtips

Tran Tinh is a disabled blogger from Vietnam who can make over $2,000 per month from blogging. He is blogging at Affiliate Marketing Tips and you can visit his blog to see how he has done a great job with affiliate marketing.

{ 82 Responses }

Lord James Cavendish says:

I manage thousands of affiliates, all earning the best incomes and I am also the Chief Executive of a UK based International Employment/Jobs Company and I love this post. I don’t have a journalism degree, but I do have an English degree and I am writer by passion and by trade. I can’t tell you how often I am infuriated by people who fail at writing but think they are great at it.
Shariq says:

Affiliate marketing is a very important source of online income. Your tips are really effective. I think choosing a proper brand to promote is most important.
Salman says:

Being a marketing student i always put emphasis on building up your brand as it gives you credibility. Everyone does what pleases their heart but i'd rather build up a community based website and then promote products than creating small keyword based sites which will eventually die out
- Tinh says:
  
  Thanks, you are right as relationship is very important
Thina Doukas says:

Thanks Vanessa for your reply. I agree also, build yourself as being credible in your profession. I can think of a half dozen big internet marketers who i feel are all BS! Not to name them on this blog post. These guys claim to be credible but all they are doing is selling garbage online. I have also been to affiliate / internet marketing seminars in Sydney and can read straight through all the presenters. These guys never offer to sit there followers down in a classroom to coach them how they make their $$$ online. Forgive me if im skeptical but i really need to trust a person fully before i would even look at their products. Cheers reg Perry
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Skeptical sometimes is necessary @Thina and you are not wrong for that point. We should have trust of someone before checking out their recommended products :-)
Thina Doukas says:

I feel branding your name in a specific niche will improve your chances of making sales with affiliate marketing products. Personally, its a hard slog and can be a complete waste of time and energy. There are far too many hyped programs online that have lost so many people money. The ones with the databases will JV with another one with a mass email list and send out a sales letter to millions of unsuspecting people. The way i see it, the ones who claim they make millions blah blah should hold tutorial classes offline and show people proof of sales withing a 2-3 week period. By the way great post like to add my input also. cheers from Perry in Sydney
- Vernessa Taylor says:
  
  Good point, Thina! I have to agree that "branding your name in a specific niche will improve your chances," especially when the affiliate products you recommend are aimed at those who know and trust you. I'm thinking of clients in particular. Since they already associate you with a brand -- whether a brand of writing, or a specific type of service -- they are likely to continue to trust your judgment in making recommendations around other things they need, whether tangible or intangible.
  - Tran Tinh says:
    
    Vernessa, you are right too and I can not agree more on this. Thanks for the follow up comment!
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Hi @Thina. Thanks for your very specific comment. I do agree that branding works very well in boosting sales. Like John, Jeremy or Darren and I am sure that each review from them got a lot of signups or sales too :-) Email marketing seems a very potential as a lot of internet marketer is doing this way but I have not done it yet but most of ebooks that I have read have similar contents in terms of formulas or system and there have been no real secrets. Further offline marketing only works when you have good reputation :-)
Dave George says:

one of the best ways is to test the product by yourselves before promoting.
- Tinh says:
  
  You are right, most of advertisers offer demo and you can easily test it for free :-)
mijie says:

when people find product of course they will look for customer review to make them confidence so personal review from you can make a confidence and buy from your link
- Tinh says:
  
  Uhm yeah, again personal reviews will make our readers confidently clicking on buy it now button :-)
Stan Cole says:

Personal reviews from your own experiences: This one is the most important tip. If you used the product and you can write a complete and unbiased review, chances are that your visitors will buy the product. Is also important to review only the products that delivered what promised, not some bogus products.
- Tinh says:
  
  You are right, personal experiences are very important as you knew its advantages and disadvantages then it is much easier to guide your readers on how improve it :-)
  - Stan Cole says:
    
    @Tinh: That is why I don't recommend products I wouldn't buy. Is not fair and I don't do it, though I probably lose some money but in the long run, I build a relationship based on trust with my readers :)
    - Tran Tinh says:
      
      That is right strategy as we think for long run rather than short term purpose :-)
Ian says:

I just started to get into affiliate marketing. I really like the coupon idea. I never thought of it before. But you're right. If I'm doing research about a product and see that there is one person offering a discount I'm more likely to buy through them.
- Tinh says:
  
  All of us love coupons and discount and me too :-) You should use coupon to boost your sale easily. Thanks for your comment!
Vernessa Taylor says:

Tran, I really like your idea of securing a special discount coupon just for your readers. That's real relationship marketing! I agree it's important to offer your readers reviews based on your own experiences. One thing that has worked for me is to add my recommendations to a downloadable ebook (I call it my Personal SwipeFile because I use almost everything I am affiliated with). I put the reviews in it, the pros, cons, and my personal experiences with various products and services. But there are also times I recommend a product or service that I don't own or use. I try to demo it (as you suggested further down in the comments), letting the readers know that's how the review was derived. And sometimes I do what I call a "non-review," providing a bit of information while asking a lot of questions about a product. Otherwise, I use a prominent disclaimer that says I recommend it for whatever reason, but I do not personally own it or use it.
- Tinh says:
  
  Thanks Vernessa for your ideas and I love your suggestions on downloadable ebooks too. I am planning to write a small ebooks from my own experiences sooner and follow your guide too :-) The disclaimer page will make our reviews safe but we also need to clarify that our reviews do not mean we are using it :-) Thanks for your comment
Laura Davis says:

I think many people go into blogging without really considering design, despite it being one of the most important things about your blog, especially because its so difficult to change after you become established.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  You are right @Laura. Simplicity is good as it can help you improve your loading speed but it must be exclusive and help you build your brand too. Don't make "simplicity" too simple lol :-)
Kharim says:

Thanks for the tips in this post. I think I am gonna have to apply some of these to boost my affiliates
- Tinh says:
  
  Thanks @Karim. I am happy as you liked it. Good luck friend!
Dennis Edell says:

I agree, personal reviews from your own experiences is the #1 BEST way to offer reviews, but, I think not trusting ANY other kind is a bit unfair. It would be nearly impossible for the average marketing to purchase and play with every product they want to review. It is totally possible for a blogger/marketer to do huis/her due diligence in researching the hell out of a product, and give a perfectly legit review without actually owning the product itself. You don't agree?
- Tinh says:
  
  You are right, however, the reviewers should carefully provide information about what they want to offer. They can ask for advertiser to access DEMO version to have in-depth reviews. It is possible to that extent. However, I meant in the article is that some bloggers hear only good things about products and share with his/her readers, they should provider both good and bad things, therefore, readers can decide whether to buy or not. Thanks
  - Kathy says:
    
    Dennis, It is possible to sell affiliate products that you have not personally used, but it is much harder. How are you going to gain the trust of your visitors if you have no personal experience with the product? You will need trust to make the sale. If they don't trust you, they might go buy the product without your affiliate link. This is very common in the MMO niche. If you are recommending things that you have not personally tested, then you are gambling with the trust of the people who currently do trust you. If you accidentally steer them wrong, they will hold you accountable for it. They aren't going to give you another chance. Trust is like a reputation. It takes a lifetime to build and only one event to destroy it. If you are recommending things that you have no personal experience with, you better make sure that you are getting your info about them from some really reliable and trustworthy sources.
    - Tran Tinh says:
      
      Thanks Kathy for your info and I can not agree with you more on this. Trust is reputation and it is long term strategy, not just by one review :-)
    - Dennis Edell says:
      
      Honestly, I think you're blowing it up little bigger then it needs to be. 100% agreed reputation and the trust of your following is life and death; I've written it many times and will always do so. 100% agreed again, "If you are recommending things that you have no personal experience with, you better make sure that you are getting your info about them from some really reliable and trustworthy sources." I recommend in 3 ways: 1. Personal use of product. 2. Know and fully trust the creator. (Plus in these cases it's pretty easy to get a review freebie.) 3. Like we both stated, research the hell out of it...twice. ;)
      - Tinh says:
        
        Dennis, I can not agree more on this as we should not limit to personal experiences only. We have more resources to digg in to have reliable reviews. However, we should carefully choose what sources of pick to supplement out posts too :-)
        
        Dennis Edell says:
        
        Absolutely, glad we agree! ;)
  - Dennis Edell says:
    
    Yes indeed, getting a freebie to test drive (and hopefully keep lol0 is the and best option. Again, not always doable, but it is in the best interest of the owner. This is usually done if your list is big enough to catch the product creators attention. Absolutely right again, the good bad and ugly...when writing the bad and ugly, you should always provide solutions as well, not just bash it.
    - Tinh says:
      
      You are right @Dennis. The good, bad and ugly should be disclosed to our readers but we should give them the balance and solutions to fix it. That can be a value-added benefit too. Sometimes creator or advertisers come to us and offer a great deal for our readers like I have got from Magic Members for eblogtip :-)
      - Dennis Edell says:
        
        I've turned away a number of review opportunities when the advertiser asked me not to add anything in the negative.
Mike says:

Hey Tinh, I totally agree to what you are saying and thanks for the nice tips btw. I often see people who blindingly copy the whole promotional material and make up a blog to convince his readers try a product without using that product first. It not only hurts his readers but also hurts his income and reputation. So I totally agree with you.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Hi Mike, thanks for your comment. I do agree with you as many bloggers use that way and I am sure they earned some money from that way too. However, can they convince readers buy other products? I guess "NO" :-)
Cindy says:

great post Tran... affiliate marketing is tough especially if you need to buy these products in order to make a good review of them. Lucky if you get to buy them using a discount coupon before selling them.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  It is ideal to use it as it can help you write a great reviews. But it is not a MUST. Some products and services that offers free admin account as DEMO, we need to login and see what it is really about to supplement our reviews. Thanks for your comment @Cindy
Colleen says:

I wonder how you steps coincide with Squidoo. Our only affiliate sales is with Squidoo, so I am curious.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Hi Colleen, actually Squidoo has not helped much and I have not made any from it so far, however, there are a lot of bloggers who make a lot from it. That is why I said, no size fits all. I am happy to see your experiences about squidoo :-)
  - Colleen says:
    
    I agree with the 'not one size fits all' approach. In Squidoo, we've managed to average about $300-350 per month. It's a nice little bit a cash to receive every month.
    - Tinh says:
      
      That is good income. I am eager to learn about Squidoo if you do not mind to share your own experiences. Thanks :-)
      - Colleen says:
        
        Well Tinh, Squidoo is relatively easy, but there is still a learning curve involved. If you are interested in starting, simply Google, "how to start on squidoo" and you will find a few lenses and/or articles that will give you a primer on Squidooing. The beauty of a Squidoo lens is once it is made, it is forever! If it is a good lens, you will keep earning from it month after month. To wet your appetite, here is a friend named Joe (Loyalis) who has made $1000 in one month from one lens: http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-lens-profit
        
        Tinh says:
        
        I am still learning about it and your example is cool. Is all earning from adsense? or even affiliate networks?
        
        Colleen says:
        
        Both, sorta. You can use your own affiliate accounts in your lenses, but the adsense part is a profit sharing with Squidoo. They do the adsense and the Squidoo community shares in the profits. Generally allocated using the lensrank tiers. The highest ranking lenses receive more than lower ranking lenses.
    - Hieu Martin says:
      
      Hi Colleen. i just want to know how make money with squidoo. can you help me some tutorial for it?
      - Colleen says:
        
        See my comments above Hieu. ;)
chandan says:

Hi Tihn, I have read one nice post from you here on famousblogger blog. Here one thing I like while you mentioned personal branding. Yes before selling it is matter who is selling products. If you are one reputated person obviously people will buy from you.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Thanks @Chandan for the comment, fame will help you gain more sales too :-)
Hieu Martin says:

# Discount coupon codes for extra value. I think this step will help boost your affiliate commission very well
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Yes, it has helped make over $2k/month then friend :-) Thanks for your comment
  - Hieu Martin says:
    
    Every people here want make money as you :)). I guest that
    - Tinh says:
      
      Thanks @Hieu but my earning is still small :-)
Gina Jennings says:

I hadn't considered the tip about discount codes before, but that's something to think about. I also agree with you about not promoting junk products just because you're famous. I can ruin your relationship with your fans. These are good tips. Thanks for sharing.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  You are right! as your fame can be ruined for promoting bad products or services :-) Thanks
Lennart heleander says:

Hi Tran Great article, all 5 tips was good, but I like best the part about discount coupon, it works well in the supermarket and similarly so way not on internet.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Thanks for your comment. The coupon part takes time but it really help to boost your sales :-)
Nabeel says:

Hi, Great tips. You are right, affiliate marketing can be tough sometimes. These tips will surely increase your sales and commissions. Thanks for sharing! Kindest, Nabeel
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Thanks @Nabeel as you liked my post, it is indeed tough at the beginning but it will be awesome later on :-)
Mani Viswanathan says:

Discount coupons are the most vital I would say as people always look around for low cost products. So a huge discount would certainly be appreciated & inturn we would get the commission.!
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Yes, it has helped me pass $2k/month from affiliate marketing and adsense is no more my priority anymore, at least now on my personal blog. Everyone love freebies and disacount :-)
Aminul Islam Sajib says:

Hey Tinh! Nice article. This definitely is going to help me because I've always neglected affiliate marketing and thought it took too much effort and result was not as much as expected. However, recently I've taken affiliate marketing seriously. My blog has an extra page for Recommended Services, where each link is affiliated. :D
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  I am happy as my post has reminded about the importance of affiliate marketing. I am in love with it as it bring me a lot of cash :-) Your recommended page looks awesome and hope it convert well too :-)
The Bad Blogger says:

I agree with the first 4, as for the 5 I agree and also disagree, because if I agree, I might have no time to do other work and moreover there are people who might take the advantage out of you. If I disagree, some people might not buy through your affiliate link, but you doesn't had to too much work and also getting other people to take advantage of you. I still prefer if they buy through my affiliate link, I will give them a free support.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  That is why we should think about the sustainability and personal branding. if you provide something wrong that can lead to failure of your affiliate marketing later on. I want to refer my readers to as many products as I can with little commission with trust rather than selling one thing and no more :-) I think that there are a lot of competitors out there that can take advantage of that but readers are now aware of what it is wrong and what is right :-) Thanks for your great comment
Thomas Sinfield says:

I think the second point is absolutely integral. When I search of a product to learn more about it, I don't want another sales pitch. What I want is someone elses opinion (who has actually used it) - so I know if it is really worth purchasing.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  You have to use it, then you know what it is really about. Sale pitch is sometimes fake that tell only good things about product or service that you will never know from the backend :-) Thanks @Thomas for your comment
Julius says:

Nice post Tran. I haven't earned much through affiliate marketing but I will be sure to implement your tips. I totally agree with you. I don't think that product promotions like "Well this product is so good go ahead and buy it" work anymore. You have to provide value to your readers. Just write about whether you liked the tool or not and then give your readers the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want to buy it or not.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Leave the decision for your readers after listing out the benefits and disadvantages of the product or service is a great way that can convince your readers to buy it rather than saying that way. You are totally right as our readers now are smart and there is no more "buy it here to support us...". Thanks @Julius for your great comment
Harsh Agrawal says:

One very aspect of affiliate marketing is adding value...and more over pitch only those product which add value to your readers else it will be a big fail... Like always Tinh I love your posts :)
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Yes, it is a MUST. Thanks for your comment @Harsh :-)
Ana says:

I think you have some great thoughts here, Tran. I actually find it that making money through affiliate commissions is the easiest way to monetize your blog. I think the main priority here is providing value to your list and your readers. Consistent engagement does that, whether through replying to comments or staying in touch several times a week via emails. People get used to you providing value and when you recommend a product, they trust it to be a great one. The key point here is not to break the trust by offering everything under the sun what pays commissions! Thanks for food for thought, Tran. Best, Ana Hoffman
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Yes, @Ana. Each blogger has its own curtain strengths and weaknesses, some are good at affiliate like zacjohnson, john chow but others are great at PPC. Providing values to readers is a MUST that would both keep them stay for long and convince them to buy through your affiliate links in a happy way :-) Your comment reminds me one thing that I really missed is that we can provide rebate as many bloggers are doing now as added value. Thanks
Brian says:

Great article about affiliate sales. I haven't gone too far down the road of affiliate advertising, but I think one of the most important aspects is to sell the products that you personally use and believe in. I use a Thesis theme and BlueHost for my blog. I have been extremely satisfied with the product and customer service of both. When i start getting into affiliate programs they will probably be the first two I work with because of that very reason.
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  You are right @Brian. I believe that only using the product and service that would help you write a good and right reviews. Readers love it for sure and it will definitely convert well :-)
TriNi says:

Definitely some good tips that would help with affiliate marketing. Especially the part about building a relationship with your readers (customers). People are generally emotional, and they need to be able to connect to you emotionally, if they would purchase or trust anything that you say. By the way, to the owner of this blog "Hesham". I just wanted to say congratulations and keep up all the hard work you put into this blog. I see your name almost everywhere, especially in comments, and that goes to show that you're very dedicated about making money online. Nice work!
- Tran Tinh says:
  
  Thanks Trini for your comment. Building good relationships with readers is the key that can boost our commissions too. When someone like you, they are likely clicking on your affiliate links and proceeding to the checkout page right away :-) P/S: Hesham is a dedicated and great blogger I have ever known, that is why I guest post here :-)

5 Key Steps To Boost Your Affiliate Commission

1. Your blog design:

2. Personal reviews from your own experiences:

3. Discount coupon codes for extra value:

4. Your personal branding:

5. Your willingness to support:

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