The document is a comprehensive guide to affiliate marketing for beginners, emphasizing its benefits such as low startup costs and the ability to work from anywhere. It outlines key steps including choosing a niche, finding affiliate products, earning commissions, driving traffic, and creating a sustainable system for passive income. The author also highlights popular affiliate programs and emphasizes the importance of building an audience before promoting products.

1. Affiliate Marketing: A Complete Step By Step Guide For
Beginners- TheBasicStrategy,TheImportantDetails AndThe
Hidden Tricks That Will Change Your Life
What Is Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is action based or performance based marketing. Companies pay affiliates
commissions based on referrals. This means you can earn money by simply referring traffic
(people)totheircompany.It’skindof like youbecome afreelance digital marketer.Referralsare
trackedthroughunique URL’s(links) thatare assignedtoyouasanaffiliate.Whensomeone clicks
on your link and then makes a purchase you earn a commission!
Figure 1Affiliate Marketing For Beginners

2. Why Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the bestonline businesses for beginners and experts alike withthe
following benefits:
 Easy to get started
 Allows beginners to get started with little to no investment
 Provides the opportunity to scale well into the 6 or even 7 figure per year range
 You do not have to worry about customer service,product fulfillment or processing any
potential refunds.
 Youdo nothave tocreate a productyourself,setupashoppingcartorprocesspayments.
 You can do this anywhere in the world as long as you have your laptop and an internet
connection.
 Most affiliate marketing programs are free to join
Step 1: Choosing Your Niche
Your niche (pronounced “neesh”) is your topic and dictates the type of affiliate products you
promote.Yourniche shouldbe inline witha passionor interestof yours.Itis importantthatyou
resist the temptation to go after something because it “seems like a profitable idea.”
The categories with the highest earning potential are calledevergreen niches.These are health,
wealthandlove/relationships.Health,wealthandlove are importanttousonan emotional level.
Asa result,whensomethingisnottoour likingwithinone of these areas,we are willingtospend
money and take action to rectify the situation.
If youand yourspouse/partnerwerefightingalotbutdeepdownyoureallylovedeachotherand
wantedtostaytogether,thenyouwouldbehighlylikelytosearchforasolution.Thiscouldinvolve
purchasing a program designed to help you overcome your struggles. The same can be true for
couples looking to spice it up. Or parents who are having trouble with their children (i.e.
behavioral issues).
The wealthniche couldbe mainlyabouthow tomake moneyonline,how tostart an e-shop,real
estate flipping, investing, selling on Amazon, etc.

3. The health niche could be “how to lose weight” or “how to eat healthy.”
The most importantthingisto remembertofollow yourpassionor interestandthat moneystill
comes from other people. If you are consistent, you will become a leader in your space and
continue toprofitfor many years. Too manymarketersburn themselvesoutbecause theychase
the money instead of following their passion.
Step 2: Finding Affiliate Products
After you decide that affiliate marketing is the smart way to go, you have to find products to
promote.The goodnewsis,there isnoshortage of productsandserviceswithaffiliate programs.
A quickgoogle searchof“Productinmynicheaffiliateprogram”canleadyouintherightdirection.
If you have a product in mind,one of the easiestwaysto see if theyhave an affiliate programis
to scroll downtothe bottomof theirhome page.Usually,thisiswhereyouwillfindalinktotheir
affiliate sign up page and commission structure.
Popular Affiliate Marketing Programs
Amazon
Many people donotrealize thatAmazon(that’sright,the world’slargestecommerceretailer) has
an affiliate program.

4. As youcan see onthe UnitedStatesversionof theirhome page downatthe bottomyouwill find
the link to become an affiliate. Once again, this is free to join. After approval, you have the
opportunitytoearn acommissiononpurchasesmadebyyourreferrals. Since Amazonsellsnearly
everything you can find relevant products to your niche that you prefer and you are passionate
about.
Clickbank
ClickBank is another popular and trusted affiliate opportunity. ClickBank is a marketplace for
digital productproducers.Essentially,theyconnectdigital productproducerswithaffiliates.The
best part is that ClickBank processes all of the transactions for the product producers and pays
the affiliates. There are 3 Reasons why you want to promote ClickBank products:
● They are beginner friendly. It’s easy to get approved to promote ClickBank and nearly all the
products have affiliate tools to help you with the promotion.
● They offer mostly digital products which means there is almost no fulfillment costs, allowing
companies to pay 75% commissions!
● ClickBank has a huge selection. In their marketplace you can find a digital product to fit any
niche. They have everything from woodworking plans to survival strategies and forex trading.
💡Tip: When searching for products, sort by “Gravity” or “Popularity”.
Software (SAAS) and Web Hosting
Software As A Service (SAAS) and website hosting are highly lucrative affiliate marketing
opportunities that can be easy to promote. Online businesses need tools to run their business.
You can earncommissionsbyconnectingnew businessesinneedof the softwarerequiredtorun
their business. No selling necessary.
● Bluehost for example is a web hosting company that is great for people who want to start a
blog. They pay a $65 commission for every customer referred.

5. ● Clickfunnelsisan all-in-one solution(theyhostthe webpages,capture the emailsandprocess
the transactions) and they pay a 40% monthly recurring commissionon a product that starts at
$97 a month.
Step 3: Earn Big Commissions
In general, it is much easier to earn one $1000 commission than it is to earn one hundred $10
commissions. The problem for most beginners is that it takes a lot more skill, experience and
technique tosell a product that will earn a $1000 commissionthanit doesto sell a product that
will earnyoua$10 commission.That’swhybeginnersshouldpartnerwithcompaniesthathave a
proven “Value Ladder.”
The Value Ladderisthe affiliate marketer’ssecrettomassiveearnings.Typically,you(theaffiliate)
will promote alow-ticketentryproduct.Insome cases,itcouldactuallybe free.These low-ticket
products can sometimes be referred to as “Trip-Wire Offers.” Examples include:
● Free Trial
● Low Monthly Membership Fee
● Free + Shipping Book
Thisallowsthe affiliate tomore easilygetcustomersintotheirpartners’pipeline.Once thatfirst
“Trip-Wire Offer”isset,thatcustomeristhenattributedtoyourearningsforlife.Thismeansthat
if they purchase a $2000 product 6 months from now, you still earn the $1000 commission
(assuming a 50% commission structure.)
When you join an affiliate partner with a proven Value Ladder, you leverage the capability and
experience of professional marketers with a sizable advertising budget.
Let’stake a lookat 2 programsyoucan start promotingtoday,thathave lucrative value ladders.
Clickfunnels
ClickFunnelshasnumerousaffiliatemarketingopportunities,however,inthe followingexample
you can see how giving a book away for free can earn you $264.40 in total commissions.

6. Asan affiliate,yousimplypromotethe DotcomSecretsbook.Thisbookisatremendousresource
thatyoucanfeel greataboutrecommending.Plusit’sfree(buyerssimplyhavetopayforshipping)
so it convertsat a highrate. Then ClickFunnelswill follow withupsellsandback end offersall of
whichwill earnyoua40%commission.Thisiswithoutadoubt,oneof the bestwaysforbeginners
to start earning big commissions fast.
Legendary Marketer
Much like ClickFunnels, the Value Ladder put together by LegendaryMarketer has the potential
to change the game very quickly.Let’stake a quicklookat the earningpotential withLegendary
Marketer:

7. As you can see,massive potential.If one of you referralspurchasesa ticketto the Entrepreneur
Mastermind, that earns you a $4,800.00 commission.
Remember,ittakesalotof time and resourcesto buildouta value ladderof thismagnitude.Yet,
in partnering with a company like Legendary Marketer, you can instantly leverage:
● their product line
● their back end sales processes
● their phone sales team
● their years of experience closing sales When you join Legendary Marketer, you learn how to
promote Legendary Marketer. This can benefit you in 3 ways….
First: Clarity. A lot of times whenyou sign up to promote an affiliate offer, the affiliate partners
will give youtools.But theywill generallyrelyonthe affiliatesto“figure outhow to connectthe
dots.”Thismaybe because agoodaffiliatewhoknowswhathe/sheisdoingcandrivemore traffic
than 10,000 beginners. With Legendary Marketer, they focus on teaching you the system that
allows you to earn commissions.
Second:Earn While YouLearn. You can absolutelyhitthe groundrunning.Asa matterof fact, in
some cases, brand new affiliates are able to implement the system and earn their first
commissions in 15 days or less.
Third: Self Validating System. When you recommend a product that you use, you become a
trusted ambassador for that product and people are likely to trust your recommendation.

8. Shopify
If youraudience islookingtostartanew businessorgetinvolvedin e-commercethenShopifyhas
all the necessary support, education, tracking,reporting and resources. It is free to join and has
nominimumsalesrequirementsandnomonthlycharges.Youcanearnanaverage of 58$foreach
userwhosignsupunderyouraffiliate linkandeachof yourreferralswill benurturedtohelpthem
transition from trial to paid plan so as to maximize your earnings.
Step 4: Getting Traffic
Traffic(peopleclickingonyourlinks) isobviouslyone ofthe keycomponentsof affiliatemarketing.
There are two types of traffic in the digital marketing world.
● Paid Traffic (e.g. Facebook Ads, Google Adwords)
● Free Traffic (Also referred to as Organic Traffic) Each has their pros and cons. Let’s dive in…
Paid Traffic
Paid traffic has two main advantages over organic traffic. Paid traffic is fast and controllable. If
you have an offer that you wish to promote on Facebook, simply pay for the space and choose
your target market.
You can almostinstantly getyour offerin front of as many people as yourbudget will allow.If a
campaign is profitable, scale up. If not, turn it off.
The Challenges of Paid Traffic with Affiliate Marketing
There are two factors that make it difficult for beginners to use paid traffic in their affiliate
marketing efforts.Unfortunately, some “gurus” in the space will tell you otherwise (in hopes of
selling a course probably) because paid traffic sounds easier.
The first factor is that paid traffic only works for the best affiliate marketers. And there is a
perfectly logical reasonfor this. Advertising is sold on an auction basis (meaning the space goes

9. to the highest bidder) and everyone has access to the same affiliate products. So in theory,the
profit margins will always go to zero.
Only those with complex funnels& systems will earn the competitive advantage necessary to
make this model profitable.
The second reason why affiliate marketingbeginners will struggle with paidtraffic is the payout
schedule.
If you are selling a product where you take the payments, then you receive that money almost
instantly.Let’ssay that today you spend $100 on ads to make $200 back. That meanstomorrow
you can spend$200 to make $400...etc. Withaffiliate marketing,commissionsare oftenheldfor
30 days.
Asa result, youcannotimmediatelyre-investthoseearningwhichmakesitdifficultforbeginners
to sustainlongenoughto make thismodel work.For thisreason,the bestmethodforbeginners
is organic traffic
Organic Traffic
You may have heard of a number of ways you can generate free organic traffic. Social Media
(Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok) and blogging are two examples of ways people
make money with affiliate marketing using organic traffic. However, hands down, the 2 best
organic traffic sources are…
● YouTube
● Facebook Groups
YouTube is king.Everythingelse issecondary.Yourfirstreaction mightbe “YouTube is too hard”
but honestly, the opposite is true. YouTube is the second largest search engine (only trailing
Google). Because of the “discovery” nature inherent to search engines, beginners have just as
much of a chance at “ranking” as established channels.
Now, it would be foolish to think that established channels with huge followings and authority
don’t have an advantage. However, with the right combination of content and keywords, it is
100% possible for a new channel to rank well and rank fast.

10. The result of ranking on YouTube is floods of highly targeted traffic. One “highly ranked” video
can change your life. This is why YouTube holds such an advantage over “blogging.” Google is
more established. Ranking can take months or even years. On YouTube, videos can rank within
hours.
The beststrategiesforgrowingyourYouTube channel fastisto eithereducate ormotivate.Both
strategies crush it in affiliate marketing. Let’s look at 2 specific examples.
💡A great way to educate on YouTube is to create “how to” videos or tutorials. This can be
anythingfromhow tobrewbeerorhow tomake moneywithAirbnbtohow tocreate the perfect
smokey eye. Remember, YouTube is a search engine which people use to find solutions where
Google is the search engine people use to settle a bet or find a restaurant. When people are
looking for solutions, this is where the money is made.
💪Motivationalsoworks well.People love tobe motivatedor inspired.If youhave the abilityto
inspire people to take action, you will never run out of affiliate product opportunities.As you
continue to create content,focuson growing your brand,buildingyouraudience,andproviding
value.Thiswill future proof yourbusinessandbringaboutexponentialincreasestoyourincome.
☝ Rememberthe #1rule...It’ssomucheasiertohave anaudienceandthenfindproductsforthem
to buy thanit is to have a product and try to findsomeone whowill buyit.Startby buildingyour
audience and then simply feed the machine.
Step 5: Assemble the machine
Bynowyoualreadyknowwhataffiliate marketing is.Youknow howtofindtheofferstopromote.
Andyouknowhowtodrive traffictothe offersforfree.Now it’stimetolearnhow youcancreate
a system that can deliver consistent commissions and passive income. In simple terms, the
formula is the following:
VALUE > VALUE > OFFER > FOLLOW UP
You have mostlikelyseenthissame formulaorpatternrepeatedthousandsof times,evenif you
haven’t yet realized it. The initial value builds your audience.

11. Take for instance the YouTube & ClickFunnelsexampleswe discussedearlier.Youcouldbuildup
your YouTube channel by offering mini-tutorials for beginners. Using a free tool like
Keywordtool.io you can see what questions people are actually asking.
Asyoucan see inthe image above bysimplyentering yourmainkeywordintothe searchbar,you
can get a list of keywords and questions that represent what people are actually searching on
YouTube. Then simply make videos addressing these keywords and questions:
 you could make a video that compares Clickfunnels and Leadpages
 you could make a video that compares Clickfunnels and Builderall
 you could make a video that talks about Clickfunnels’ pricing
 you could offer your review of Clickfunnels...etc.
The key to YouTube is not being super professional. It’s about being relevant, honest and
relatable. Make yourface,yourvoice,yourcharacter,yourcompetitiveadvantage. Soonce again,
this is your first piece of value that builds your audience.
The next step in the formula is once again value. Sticking with this same example, your second
piece of value wouldbe aClickFunnelssetuptutorial.Youcouldofferthisforfree inexchangefor
email addresses.

12. Thisfree course will give people confidence andgetthemto take action and because theyare in
your system,theyare likelytoclick on your affiliate link. Youraffiliate linkrepresentsyouroffer
which is to sign up for Clickfunnels and when people sign, you earn a monthly recurring
commission, plus 40% of any back end sales.
VALUE > VALUE > OFFER > FOLLOW UP
Looking at that formula again we can see the last step is the follow up. People are resistant to
change.Especiallywheneffortisrequired.Thisistrue in weightlossor self-improvementjustas
it is in startinga newbusiness.Butbecause youcapturedtheiremail address,youcan follow up
with them, nudge them and encourage them which will increase your conversions.
Itisthisfollowupthatturnsagoodbusinessmodel intoagreatbusiness.Yet,itdoesn’tendthere.
FollowUpisactually two-fold.Because youhaveacquiredemail addressesyoucanactuallyfollow
up with subsequent and related affiliate products.
For instance,someone lookingtostarta businesswithClickFunnelsmightsomedaybe interested
in running ads to promote their business. You as the affiliate can find a reputable Facebook
advertising course with an affiliate program and by simply making a recommendation, you can
easily increase the lifetime value of your list.
Final thoughts
Affiliate marketing is a real, amazing opportunity. As advertising costs continue to increase, I
believe more businesses will rely on affiliate marketing as a way to control their marketing
budgets. One of my favorite quotes is the following by Robert Bennet. “Affiliate marketinghas
made businesses millions and ordinary people millionaires.
Thisistrue and canbe usedas anintuitionbyaffiliatemarketerswhoare juststartingtheironline
journey.The verynature ofaffiliatemarketingallowsordinarypeople likemetopartnerwithhuge
companies and leverage their systems.
For thisreason,an affiliatemarketingbusinessiseasytostart,yethasthe potential toscale well
into the 7 figure range.
Thanks for reading, I hope you found value. Now go out there and crush it!!

13. Cheers,
John Makris