Cookie Life:
Cookie Life – is how long your prospective buyer, who clicks your affiliate link, has to purchase. For instance, let’s say a company sets the cookie life to 14 days. This means that the person who clicked your link has exactly 14 days to purchase. After 14 days, if they decide to purchase, you don’t get paid.
Their algorithm is set on the customer’s IP address, so if they re-click your link two months later you probably won’t get a commission. The clock starts new with each new customer. You could easily have 3 customers click your link on day one, 5 on day two, 2 on day three, etc. Each one has a different “time clock” (cookie) based upon day and time of day they clicked.
Affiliate Networks:
As mentioned, affiliate networks are companies that ‘house’ other company’s affiliate programs, including their links, banners, text, etc. Examples are: ShareASale, CJ, Impact, Partnerize, Awin, PartnerStack, and FlexOffers, to name a few (see ‘Join‘ for a list). There are others, but these are the most popular. On our sheets we’ve indicated what affiliate network, if any, represents the listed company’s affiliate program. There is no need to join any until you’re ready to promote. Keep in mind, some take up to 48 hours to approve your request and so are very strict about who they’ll allow to join. This is why you need to post often so they can see you have an active, engaging FB or IG page (it doesn’t have to be a business page). A personal page is fine as well as groups.
All and all, we’ve made it simple. No more scouring the internet or watching TikTok videos to find companies that are looking for affiliates. Just purchase the affiliate Niche Sheets you’re interested in. Then:
- Join the company that interests you and sign up to become an affiliate for them. Click the convenient link (no, we haven’t put our affiliate links on the niche sheets, just the company’s) to go directly to the page for you to apply or to go directly to the company’s website to check them out.
Please make sure that you read the affiliate terms and conditions for every product or service you want to promote. There are some that state you cannot be an affiliate with other competing companies. Most say you can’t use certain keywords. So read. The affiliate TACs are not long and can save you a ton of headaches.
- Promote the product or service. Start off with social media (free) before buying ads. Keep track of when and where you’ve posted by using the bonus spreadsheet. Use one of several automated social media management softwares to make your life easier (there are low-cost ones like the one we use – mentioned on the ‘Promote‘ page). Just make sure it contains an analytic section.
- Start earning an extra income. Whether recurring or not. By following your passion, you can’t go wrong. Start small. That first win is exhilarating.
Why use email for affiliate marketing?
While there are many different platforms for affiliate marketers to use, email is one of the most effective. Why?
- Email has a ROI (return on investment) of $36 for every $1 spent, making it the most profitable. This is why they say, “The Money is in the List”.
- Subscribers have already opted in to receive your product or service. You already know they’re interested in the content you have to offer.
- You can segment audiences by interest and deliver specific content and recommendations for each niche. This means your affiliate links reach highly qualified leads who are most likely to convert.
- Email service providers (ESPs) offer valuable data insights into your campaigns’ performance. You can use this information to sharpen your affiliate marketing campaigns. Which can improve your open and click-through rates.
How do you use email for affiliate marketing?
3 main ways:
- You can add your affiliate link to your existing email sequence. If you’re already sending out weekly newsletters with product recommendations then this is a great place to include your affiliate link. Just don’t forget to add an FTC disclosure about your affiliate links.
- You can create specific emails for your affiliate campaigns. If your affiliate links don’t fit within your existing email sequence, you can create a separate campaign that would make more sense. You can create a newsletter dedicated to product reviews or deals. Just make sure the primary focus of each campaign is to provide valuable content to your subscribers, not just to promote your affiliate links. And remember to add the FTC disclosure.
- You can use a solo ad company (I recommend Udemi – (my affiliate link)). You’ll write one email and send it to a ‘seller’. The seller (who has thousands of email addresses on their list) will review it, check the links, the site, funnel, etc. to determine if your product aligns with their loyal customers. If it does, they will blast it to their list (you choose how many addresses you want it sent to and pay accordingly). This lets your product link be seen by the most eyes and by people who would be interested in what you’re promoting.