Want to know what living the dream looks like?
It looks like you sipping mai tais on a tropical beach while your bank account swells with the proceeds from all your affiliate links.
But it’ll take some time before you can just quit your day job and earn a passive income online. First, you need to do the hard legwork of building up an online presence, amassing followers, and learning how to advertise affiliate offers the right way.
Link posting is a big part of this, and to do it the right way, you need to figure out where to post your affiliate links to generate traffic. So, without further ado, here’s a list of twenty tried and true methods to promote your affiliates:
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1. Blog Posts
Creating a blog is one of the easiest ways to generate traffic and share affiliate links. There’s nothing especially difficult about creating one, so if you’re serious about affiliate marketing, then you need to start up a blog immediately.
Obviously, it’s best to blog about topics in which you have some interest or expertise. But getting started with a blog is simple, affordable, and there is enormous SEO potential for your website.
Another plus about blog posts is that they’re a means of building up a loyal audience. This creates a bond of trust between you and your readers, which in turn makes it easier for you to promote links.
2. Guest Posts
Creating a blog, and continuously updating it with new content, might be a little daunting to you.
In that case, it’s worth considering guest posting. Writing guest posts for other, established blogs is a good way to place your affiliate links without all the hassle of maintaining your own blog.
Also, it exposes your links to a potentially wider audience than you could assemble on your own. It’s also a win-win for you and the blog’s owner: they get free content, you get free access to their audience.
So email some of the more popular bloggers that produce content related to your affiliate offers, and see if they’re willing to partner with you.
3. Contests
Prizes and contests are a great way to make money posting links. People love winning prizes, and hosting a contest is a fantastic way to generate interest in your website or brand.
There are plenty of different contests you can set up. Social sharing contests are very popular, as are sweepstakes or photo-sharing contests. The point is to get very creative here—you’re only limited by your imagination.
And sneaking an affiliate link into the contest is pretty simple.
Insert it into the contest itself so that people share it on their networks. Or there’s always the old standby of requiring the purchase of the affiliate’s product or service as a precondition for entering the contest.
4. Facebook Page
This is another easy and cost-effective way to post affiliate offers.
If you haven’t done so already, you need to create a Facebook Business Page. These Facebook pages are perfect for communicating updates and information about your business. It’s also an ideal space for sharing photos and videos, as well as sharing your affiliate links.
Consider purchasing Facebook ads to funnel more traffic toward your Facebook page. And don’t just let your business page languish. Keep it updating with new posts and photos, and be sure to pepper it with your referral links.
5. Facebook Profile
Okay, this one might be a little mercenary. But it’s definitely worth a shot.
Tempting strangers into clicking on affiliate links is not easy. It’s all about salesmanship and earning their trust.
But here’s a possible shortcut. It’s much easier to sell your friends and family on your product recommendations. Your Facebook profile is full of people who might be more than willing to follow your links and purchase whatever they’re selling.
So don’t neglect this potentially very rich source of leads.
6. Facebook Groups
Joining various Facebook groups, which are devoted to particular interests, is a perfect way to promote affiliate links.
Bear in mind that you can’t simply join a group and then spam the community with your links…that’s a fast track to being banned. Be cool and subtle about it.
Join groups that reflect your interests and your expertise, and participate often in group discussions. Contribute meaningfully to these discussions, and demonstrate your sincerity.
Then, every so often, slip in an affiliate link where it seems natural. Only use one where it will actually help someone, or is germane to the conversation. And don’t make it too obvious that you’re promoting your links.
7. Craigslist Ads
Craigslist is essentially a giant classifieds sections on the internet. As such, it is an ideal forum for affiliate advertising.
The trick to Craigslist is that the platform prohibits directly posting affiliate links on the site. Nevertheless, this can be easily circumvented. Just route your leads to a landing page, which promotes your products or services.
Then, you can add as many affiliate links as you need. Using Craigslist will take some creativity and hard work, but it’s a great platform to get your links out there.
8. Ebooks
Ebooks are another good way to promote links.
The thing about ebooks is that they are stuffed with valuable information about particular topics. Though they take some time to create, they’re the perfect places to include affiliate links.
You can sell your ebook on your website or Amazon, or you can require customers to fill out a form or subscribe to a newsletter, for instance, in order to get it. This latter option is an especially good way to get affiliate links out there to potential customers.
9. Dribble
Dribble is an option for the artistically minded. It’s an online community that is meant as a space for artists and designers to promote their artwork.
In that way, Dribble serves as a twofold means of promotion. If you have some sort of artwork, or perhaps logos or web designs, then it’s a good place to assemble and promote them.
But it’s also a perfect forum to share your affiliate links with the world. It will take some work and creativity…but if you’re artistically inclined, that shouldn’t be a problem!
10. Infographics
Infographics are a popular means of presenting data and information in a brief and visually attractive format. They’re also easily shareable, which means they often get reposted to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
Now, the catch is that they’re not something just anyone can create. But if you have designer chops, or if you have the resources to hire designers, infographics are an excellent option.
Make sure your infographic covers an interesting topic, and does so in a simple and easy-to-follow format. And include your link, probably at the bottom, so viewers can quickly find it.
11. LinkedIn Group
LinkedIn is a good site for building professional and business relationships.
A LinkedIn group is like a Facebook group, and it’s a great platform to find professionals who are eager to connect and network. So look for a good LinkedIn group to join, preferably one that’s up your alley and to which you can contribute good content.
Especially if your affiliates cater to businesses and professionals, you might find a ready-made customer base on these LinkedIn groups.
12. Instagram
Like Facebook, Instagram is one of the most popular and most extensive social networks out there.
Instagram began as a photo-sharing platform, and has since grown to become the social media juggernaut that it is. But it still means you need to post quality photographic content on your feed in order to attract and build a following.
Naturally, if you have an extensive feeling, you’re in good shape. If you don’t have one, that’s okay too. But you’ll want to consider investing in a Facebook Ads campaign in order to attract followers.
And it certainly won’t hurt to have unique and interesting content that people actually want to share.
Once you’ve built up an adequate following, start sharing your affiliate links as often as possible.
13. Pinterest
Pinterest is perhaps less widely utilized than it should be.
It has a way of flying under the radar, but Pinterest is actually a fantastic resource to promote links. As one of the largest search engines, it’s a good way to generate views.
If you’re already posting pics on Instagram and Facebook, then it’s a good idea to curate them on Pinterest as well. Write up a good description of the images, and then include affiliate links where relevant.
14. Podcasts
This one’s not for everyone, but it has a great deal of potential that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Podcasts have exploded in popularity in recent years, with half of all US households listening to them. The best podcasts have acquired devoted followings, and this loyal audience frequently translates into a ready-made customer base for affiliates.
Obviously, creating a popular podcast takes a degree of talent and just plain luck. It doesn’t require much to start one: just a good microphone, some audio software, and a decent computer.
Plus it’s a good idea to have an interesting topic that sets you above the crowd. But if you can make a success of podcasting, you have a built-in customer base for your affiliate links…and that’s priceless.
15. Reddit
Making a go of it on Reddit requires a little finesse. A ham-handed approach of spamming the community with your affiliate links will get you ejected quickly.
But if you spend the time and effort to provide useful information to people on Reddit, you’ve got a better than decent chance.
Also, bear in mind that Reddit, like Craigslist, strictly prohibits posting affiliate links. But again, if you redirect people to a landing page with your info and affiliate links, you can easily bypass this restriction.
16. Twitter
Don’t underestimate the power of Twitter. With some 152 million daily users, it’s the perfect place for affiliate advertising.
Twitter is the go-to site for those looking for bite-sized info, opinions, and content, which makes it a great site to use for posting your links. The issue with Twitter is that it has a character restriction, which limits your ability to describe your affiliate offers in detail.
So, as with Reddit and Craigslist, it’s probably a good idea to provide a link to a landing page that contains all of your affiliate links and other information.
17. YouTube
Producing video content is kind of like breaking into podcasting—only much tougher.
This one is definitely not for everyone. Of course, if you can make it as a content producer on YouTube, then you’re pretty much set. We’ve all heard about YouTube influencers and the vast amounts of money they can make off affiliate revenue.
Of course, it’s not easy being a YouTuber. You’ll need to have expensive equipment to make your videos looks professional. Charisma doesn’t hurt, either…and unless you’re an attractive eighteen-year-old girl, you can pretty much forget it.
But don’t let that discourage you. Give it a shot if you’re willing and able to, but don’t expect a windfall anytime soon.
18. Website
This one might seem obvious, but it bears repeating.
If you don’t already have a website, you need to get one. Make sure it’s professional-looking and takes steps to get your affiliate offers out there.
That means ensuring your website has plenty of content with good SEO rankings, and gathering email addresses from your visitors.
19. Quora
Quora, like Reddit, is another potential source of leads. It helps if you have a degree of expertise in a certain topic, and don’t mind helping others with your advice.
Again, like Reddit, blatantly posting affiliate links is a strict no-no. But using the old landing page workaround to get users to leave Quora and see your links should do the trick.
20. Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a kind of social network for neighborhoods, and is extremely focused on local communities.
Read about what your neighbors are interested in, and try to get to know them while you’re at it. Much as with Quora or Reddit, provide helpful information when you can, and slip in an affiliate link now and then.
Use These Methods to Promote Your Affiliate Offers
By now, you’ve seen that there are many different ways to advertise your affiliate offers. Not all of them will work for you or conform to your needs.
That’s okay. But once you’ve figured out how to get affiliate links, you can settle down to the business of promoting them in as many different ways as you can. See what works for you, and concentrate on the most successful practices.
If you’re looking for more tips on how to make money online, be sure to check out my free affiliate marketing guide to help set you on the path to success.
