The Affiliate Playbook: How to Earn Your First $100
Welcome to Module 1! Maybe you’ve never earned a cent as an affiliate. Maybe you’re already promoting a handful of programs and still waiting on a real payout. Wherever you’re starting from, this course is designed to give you the knowledge and practical strategies you need to get started as a successful affiliate in any industry. 💛
By the end of this course, you’ll know how to evaluate affiliate programs, find the right opportunities for your audience, create content that drives conversions, and start working toward your first $100.
What Is an Affiliate? (And How Is It Different From an Influencer?)
There’s a common misconception that affiliates and influencers are the same thing, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
An affiliate earns a commission by promoting another company’s product or service with a unique tracked link or code. When someone clicks that link and takes an action the company pays for, usually a purchase or a signup, the affiliate earns a percentage or a flat fee.
Affiliates
Influencers
That’s the real difference between the two. Affiliate programs are open to anyone willing to put in the work and earn their way in, while influencer partnerships tend to be more exclusive and harder to break into.
Your Learning Journey
Explore the module and what’s next. You’re in control of your progress!
How the Affiliate Model Actually Works
Every affiliate program runs on a few core pieces, here are the terms you need to know.
Your unique link or code tells a company a sale or signup came from you. Use it every time you post, so every sale traces back to you.
The cookie window is how long a company will still credit you for a conversion after someone clicks your link. Here’s how the tracking actually works: when someone clicks your link, their browser stores a small file called a cookie. That cookie remembers where the click came from, so if that person buys later, even on a separate visit, the sale still traces back to you. The cookie window is simply how long that memory lasts. Windows vary by program, some run 24 hours, others run 90 days. If a program has a 30 day window and someone clicks today but buys three weeks later, you still get the credit.
Commission structures are simply the different ways an affiliate can get paid. You might earn a percentage of a sale, a flat fee for a lead, or a recurring share of a subscription, among other models. Check out this module’s resource for a breakdown of each one along with sample payout calculations. In Module 2, we’ll look at which structures tend to offer the most earning potential.
Payouts typically run on a schedule, monthly is common, once you clear a minimum threshold and any refund window has closed.
Well-Known Affiliate Programs
Affiliate marketing is everywhereee, and you might not even recognize it. Here are a few of the most popular affiliate programs.
Amazon Associates lets you promote nearly any product sold on Amazon. Commissions vary widely by category, from around 1 percent up to 20 percent for select categories, with a 24 hour cookie window.
Shopify’s affiliate program pays a flat $150 for every merchant who signs up for a paid plan through your link, a common setup for software companies.
Canva’s affiliate program pays a one time amount for each new Canva Pro subscriber you refer, rather than an ongoing share of their subscription.
Booking.com’s affiliate program pays a commission on completed travel bookings made through your link, with a 30 day cookie window. Rates vary depending on the specific program you’re accepted into.
Sephora’s affiliate program pays roughly 5 to 10 percent commission on beauty product sales, with a 24 hour cookie window.
Metricool also has an affiliate program you can join. Right now, unlike most other companies, there’s no application required.
Grab This Module’s Resources
Before you move on, grab these two resources to keep on hand.
Quick Recap
You’ve completed Module 1 💛 Here’s a quick look back at what this module covered: