To create a thriving affiliate business, you should understand how to start affiliate marketing with no audience. In today’s article, I’ll show seven ways to help you craft a stable passive income from different sources in the next 6–8 months. Let’s dive!
Affiliate marketing without followers – 7 simple ways to promote affiliate links!
Affiliate marketing business takes time and regular expansion of your knowledge. To become a successful affiliate marketer, you should mainly learn SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and social media marketing, like Facebook Ads. Another good way to generate income from promoting affiliate products is Google paid search advertising (Google Ads) and influencer marketing.
Additionally, I truly recommend posting (no spamming) on industry forums and creating viral & trending YouTube videos to build engagement. The last but not the slightest idea is to craft free video courses on Udemy (if you specialize in some market).
You would probably want to learn how my methods work and how to implement them with your affiliate business.
Check the details below!
1. Put SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in your affiliate marketing strategy
Search Engine Optimization is one of the most helpful skills you can learn when starting your affiliate program.
Having a well-optimized website and a lot of SEO blog posts, you can generate a satisfactory amount of traffic and maximize your affiliate commissions.
Firstly, your website will be efficient and mobile responsive. To check page load time, interactivity, and responsiveness score, go to GTMetrix, PageSpeed Insights, or WebPageTest.
Photo 1. GTMetrix test b4content. Source: www.gtmetrix.com
Aim for 60-80 mobile and desktop performance and 4 seconds LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) or less. It’s the average score for Elementor sites. To have 1.5 LCP (or less), hire a web developer to create a website with an individual template with HTML coding from scratch. Don’t worry – it’s not required if you’re just starting your affiliate business. WordPress Elementor website will be sufficient.
You should create many SEO blog content to monetize your affiliate website. To start, go to text editors like Google Docs, implement Grammarly (free or premium version), and do keyword research with, e.g., Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or Google Keywords Planner (it’s completely free).
When you use Ahrefs, go to the Keywords Explorer and enter a few keywords related to your affiliate industry.
Photo 2. Affiliate keyword research. Source: app.ahrefs.com
Then, hit one of your keywords and look at the matching terms.
Photo 3. Keywords ideas Ahrefs. Source: app.ahrefs.com
Click View All, set KD (Keyword Difficulty) from 0 to 35 and DR (Domain Rating) up to 20, and enter Show Results.
Photo 4. Long tail SEO ideas Ahrefs. Source: app.ahrefs.com
And now you have good long-tail SEO keywords to write your first blog posts. If you find a fitted keyword to your strategy, click them and dive deeper.
Remember!
The best affiliate strategy for beginners is looking only for low-competition keywords. Without backlinks, your DR (Domain Rating) is zero, so you must set a maximum of 20 DR in Ahrefs filters.
To create a well-optimized blog post, use Surfer SEO or Neuron Writer (the cheapest alternative to Surfer SEO). Focus on one main keyword in one article.
2. Try social media marketing
Use social media to build trust in your brand. Start with a Fanpage on Facebook, and create high-quality viral & engaging posts. If you can craft exciting content, you’ll get more potential customers for affiliate sales.
A handy way to most straightforward posting on Facebook is using content recycling. You create a blog post and use the same but fitted sentences for social media. It’s also a good idea to create newsletters and online courses.
To boost your marketing efforts, try PPC campaigns, e.g.:
- Facebook Ads,
- LinkedIn Ads,
- Twitter Ads,
- and others.
You can configure PPC Ads independently or with a PPC specialist’s help. From my point of view – you should buy an hourly social media consultation and learn how to set up PPC campaigns. This is not only cheap from a long-term perspective but also more developmental.
Photo 5. Facebook Ads campaign. Source: www.facebook.com
3. Generate income from Google Ads (AdWords)
You don’t need followers to make excellent income from Google Ads. All you have to do is configure AdWords marketing campaign or pay anyone to set it up. As before, I recommend getting an hourly consultation or buying a Udemy course to set up Google Ads campaigns.
Successful affiliate marketing should mainly resist SEO and social media marketing. Google Ads advertising is usually a relatively expensive way to get more affiliate sales, but sometimes it’s effective.
Low-competition keywords cost from $0.30 to $1.5 (or more) per click. Before you start Google Ads, calculate and start acting (as long as it’s profitable).
To predict CPC and keyword volume, use Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
Photo 6. CPC checking in Google Ads. Source: ads.google.com
4. Start promoting your affiliate products with influencers’ help
Another way to be successful with affiliate marketing without any audience is by working with influencers. Find prominent people in your industry and offer to cooperate. You can give them a small commission for each sale or pay to create a post or video with the best products.
5. Posting on industry forums
Many affiliates without a website post on industry forums, but if you want a good commission from a long-term perspective, take care of your blog and social media. Treat other ways to generate traffic to your affiliate links as additional sources.
Don’t be a spammer and scammer when you post on industry forums. You should create high-quality, worthy content that helps your potential customers live better.
Industry forums can be an excellent way to generate affiliate sales but try to promo your affiliate links on websites such as:
- Quora,
- Reddit,
- Pinterest.
Photo 7. Quora affiliate links. Source: www.quora.com
6. Creating viral & trending YouTube videos to build engagement
To diversify your sources of making money online, you can use YouTube videos. If you’re a good content creator, you’ll gather an audience to earn money from the YouTube Ads system and affiliate links. This requires good communication and presence skills, but it’s possible even for beginners. Try it!
7. Craft free video courses on Udemy
Many affiliate marketers specialize in specific niches. If you’re like them, craft free video courses on Udemy and include your affiliate link in the description.
How to get started with affiliate marketing without social media?
There are many ways to do affiliate marketing without any social media channels. You should get organic traffic from SEO and put your affiliate links on thematically related blog posts. You can also use Google Ads, but from a long-term perspective, this solution is relatively expensive (CPC in many high-competitive industries is very high).
Would it be possible to start affiliate marketing work with no audience?
You don’t need followers to start affiliate marketing. You can get your first $500 income without any audience, but to create a full-time scaling affiliate business, you must implement solutions that allow you first followers.
One of the best ways is blogging or creating a YouTube channel. Additionally, build an e-mail list of potential customers and send high-quality offers encouraging them to use your products or services. Email marketing isn’t king in affiliates, but it’s a helpful source to diversify your affiliate marketing income.
How to start affiliate marketing with no audience – FAQ
What is the best affiliate marketing program?
The best affiliate marketing program depends on your niche, target audience, and the types of products you want to promote. Programs like Amazon Associates, ClickBank, and ShareASale offers a wide range of products to promote, but specialized programs may offer higher commissions in specific niches like technology, fashion, or digital services.
How to earn money with affiliate marketing?
Earning money through affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services and making a commission for each sale through your unique affiliate link. You can promote these products on your website, blog, or social media. The key to success is choosing products relevant to your audience and providing valuable content that naturally includes affiliate links.
Can I get passive income in affiliate marketing without a website?
You can earn passive income through affiliate marketing without a website using social media platforms, email marketing, or even word-of-mouth. However, having a website can provide more opportunities for content marketing and SEO, which can result in higher, more consistent earnings over time.
How to use social media for affiliate marketing?
Social media can be an effective channel for affiliate marketing if used correctly. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter allow you to engage with your audience and share valuable content. You can include affiliate links, stories, or direct messages in your posts. Remember to disclose that you’re using affiliate links to maintain trust and adhere to legal guidelines.
Does it make sense to promote affiliate links without a website?
Promoting affiliate links without a website can work but often comes with limitations. Social media platforms and email are alternatives, but their reach and effectiveness might be restricted compared to a well-established website. Without a website, you also miss content marketing and SEO benefits, which can provide more consistent traffic and income.
