How Do I Choose between Affiliate Products?

Q. Hi Alice, my question is how do I choose which affiliate products or programs to promote?

A. This is something I’m asked over and over again and it’s no wonder people get confused. The list of products and programs available is huge and everywhere you turn someone is saying “try mine, it’s the best one”. Here are some tips to help you choose which ones are right for you:

Remember Your Target Market

When comparing affiliate products or programs make sure you consider your target market. What type of products do they want? If your ads are about baseball equipment but your target market is moms with infants, you probably aren’t going to get many sales.

Choose Products You Believe In

It doesn’t matter if everyone else says a product is great; if you think its crap, you shouldn’t be trying to sell it. Choose products that you would feel comfortable selling to your friends.

Earnings per Sale, Click or Lead

Some affiliate programs pay you a commission on the sale of an item and some pay per lead or per click. Make sure you know which you are getting paid for and do the math. You may think you will earn more with a pay per lead deal because it’s easier to get people to click ad vs. buy a product. However, you could actually earn more by promoting a product that pays per sale. For instance, if you earn $1 per lead, you will need 100 people to take action to earn $100. If you earn 10% commission on a $100 product, you only need 10 people to take action in order to make the same $100. Make sense?

Understand Your Commission Rates

Don’t be fooled when looking at commission rates. A commission of 20% on a $50 product is $10 while a commission of 50% on a $10 product is only $5. You will earn more by promoting the product that pays a lower commission.

Know When and How You Get Paid

Companies have different ways of paying you. Some require you to earn a certain amount before they will send you payment; others pay at certain times of the month. The same holds true about how they pay. Some will only mail a check through standard mail where others will have the option of paying via PayPal or other program. Know when and how the company pays and ensure it is right for you before signing up.

Further Resources

My Affiliate Marketing course teaches you how to find a profitable market for your affiliate marketing efforts.