I have been doing a lot of talking with folks lately on how to get started as an affiliate.   What is the best way to do it?  What tools do I need?  What skills do I need?   What does it cost?

I’m here to tell you that anyone out there can get started in affiliate marketing for close to free.  How?

Well, there are a few things that you need to get started in affiliate marketing.

1. a topic or topics that you care about
2. a platform for your marketing
3. a top level domain
4. a method for marketing to your visitors again
5. time to research affiliate offers to find the right ones for your site
6. time to write about your topic
7. commitment to write regularly

You’ll notice that I started with “a topic or topics that you care about.”  I should probably modify this to say a topic or topics that you are passionate about.   What does it matter?   It’s everything. The bottom line is this: being a successful affiliate takes time and effort and if you aren’t working in a topic that you are passionate about, and if you are just in it for the money, you will have a really tough time at putting in the time it takes to get traffic and more importantly, to get the trust of your visitors.

I’m passionate about promoting Christian merchants and building a niche market of affiliates who have access to the audience that the Christian merchants are looking to market to.  This makes it not just possible, but fun and inspiring to get on every day and write something about what I love.

I’m also passionate about food - so launching a site or blog that is centered on food and food related affiliate offers is easy to commit myself to as well.

What is your passion?   Have you studied the topic?  Are you someone your friends would consider an “authority” on it?

This is a great place to start.

Part 2 coming tomorrow - we’ll talk about a platform for your marketing effort that is super easy to get into in terms of both cost and technical skills needed.  We’ll also talk about top level domains and what I really suggest that you invest in one.

God Bless,

Wade