I’ve learned one big lesson: Trust is everything - My Approach to Affiliate Marketing

After reading the last few editions affiliate marketing sounds simple, right?

Just find a product, promote it, and earn money.

But if you’ve tried it before, you’ll know there’s more to it. Most guides will tell you to do this:

1. Pick a product you like.
2. Sign up for the affiliate program.
3. Share your affiliate link on your website or social media.
4. When someone clicks on your link and buys, you earn a commission.

This process is correct, but here’s the thing it’s not enough!

If you want to succeed, you must first?build trust with your audience. People will only buy from you if they trust you.

That’s the foundation.

My Approach to Affiliate Marketing

I'll be sure to share my approach with you.

From 2012 - 2014, working with US and UK clients, I’ve learned one big lesson:

Trust is everything.

If you don’t have your audience’s trust, no matter how great the product is, they won’t buy it. So, my method for affiliate marketing always starts with relationships.

Here’s how I do it:

1. Build a connection with your audience first.
2. Find a product that fits their needs.
3. Test the product yourself. Make sure it’s good enough to recommend.
4. Show proof that the product works through blog posts, videos, or case studies.
5. Then, recommend it to your audience and start earning commissions.

This way, I’m helping my audience find what they need, and they trust me because they know I’ve done the homework.

Audience first, always.

Building Trust—The Foundation of Affiliate Marketing

I earn over $1,000 - $2000 every month from affiliate marketing. How? By sticking to two simple rules:

• I only recommend products that I’ve used and trust. If I don’t believe in it, I won’t promote it.
• I never force anyone to buy. I just share my experience and let them decide.

When you follow these rules, your audience knows that you have their best interests in mind. They don’t feel pressured, and that builds trust.

Sadly, many affiliate marketers don’t follow these rules. They promote anything just to make money. That’s why affiliate marketing sometimes has a bad reputation.

But we can do better. You can do better.

My “Soft Pitch” Strategy

I call my approach (No, I was inspired by Patt aka SPI) to affiliate marketing the Soft Pitch Pipeline.

Instead of pushing people to buy, I gently guide them through a process that builds trust. By the time I recommend a product, they’re already convinced, because I’ve shown them how useful it is.

Here’s how the pipeline works:

1. Relationships: Build a strong connection with your audience.
2. Products: Choose the right products that solve your audience’s problems.
3. Experience: Use the product yourself and understand it fully.
4. Proof: Show how the product works through real examples.
5. Pitch: Finally, recommend the product, but without pushing too hard.

When you do this, you don’t need to aggressively sell the product.

The trust you’ve built will do the work for you.

6 Step-by-Step Guide to Affiliate Marketing Success

Now, let me break down the steps to make this work:

1. Know Your Audience: Understand who your audience is and what they need. Don’t just focus on products; focus on solving their problems.
2. Create Helpful Content: Before promoting anything, give your audience valuable content blogs, videos, or social media posts that help them. Build a relationship by being helpful.
3. Find the Right Products: Once you understand your audience’s needs, find products that can help them. Don’t just go for products with high commissions. Choose products that genuinely add value.
4. Test the Products: Use the products yourself. If they don’t work, don’t promote them. Your audience will appreciate that you only recommend what you believe in.
5. Show Proof: Whether it’s through blog posts, videos, or case studies, show your audience how the product works. Let them see the results for themselves.
6. Make It Easy to Buy: When you’re ready to promote, don’t push. Just provide a clear way for your audience to click and buy, whether it’s through a blog post, email, or social media.

The Benefits of Doing Affiliate Marketing the Right Way

When you follow this approach, you’ll see amazing results:

• Higher conversions: Because your audience trusts you, they’re more likely to buy when you recommend something.
• Long-term income: Instead of one-time sales, your audience will keep coming back for more recommendations.
• Strong brand loyalty: By putting your audience’s needs first, you’ll build a brand they love and trust.

If you’re ready to start affiliate marketing, focus on building relationships first.

Trust me, when your audience trusts you, promoting products becomes much easier. Don’t rush into promoting; take the time to understand your audience and provide value.

Let me ask you what’s one product you’ve used that you love and believe in?

Start by sharing that with your audience, and see how you can help them with it.

Affiliate marketing is not just about earning commissions. It’s about helping your audience find solutions. And when you help them, the commissions will follow.

This is how I approach affiliate marketing, and it’s worked for me for years.

In the next edition, I am going to talk about this topic:

• Affiliate marketing examples

Note: If you miss something about affiliate marketing, Please read my previous editions.

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