How Bloggers Make Money with Affiliate Sales
Interested to learn how bloggers make money with affiliate sales? I was, but now I’m making money from affiliate sales, too! Isn’t it fascinating how many bloggers make full-time incomes, working from anywhere? How bloggers make money is definitely one of my favorite topics!
Blogging is not easy work, but it’s perfect for people who want to work from anywhere, enjoy and understand social media and marketing, love writing, and know their way around the internet and computers.
One of the main ways that bloggers make money blogging is by affiliate sales. This means that the blogger has partnered with other companies to promote the company’s products. Usually, it’s within the bloggers niche and are products she already uses, so its a natural relationship that is mutually beneficial! A blogger legally must have a disclaimer that they are using affiliate links (like the thumbnail size, black and white image I have at the bottom of this post). This is part of all large affiliate programs policies as well. You’ll see links or images inside posts and on the sidebar of blogs. There isn’t a ton of income that comes from when you click these links, so when you actually buy something the blogger makes a commission.
Affiliate sales are actually pretty easy to understand. Now that you know how bloggers makes money with affiliate sales, your next step is to find programs that match your blogs’ niche that you want to partner with, then write posts where you mention the products in a genuine and natural manner, and include the affiliate links!
Want to get started making money on your blog with affiliate links?
I’ve gone ahead and listed the top affiliate programs I partner with below (and buying anything and/or signing up as an affiliate yourself through these links will result in a commission for me, so thank you so much for supporting this blog so I can keep working from anywhere and help you do it, too!) Hopefully seeing which companies I partner with will give you some ideas on who might be good affiliate companies for you to partner with on your blog, too:
WHO: Elite Blogging Academy to learn how to blog.
WHY: It changed my life. Blogging heavyweight Ruth and her super easy-to-follow ecourse showed me the ropes of blogging. My blog was tiny when I started the class, but it’s my honest belief that her course helped me increase my traffic by nearly 4000% in 6 months. Hands down, I recommend this ecourse for starting a blog over any of the others. And Ruth is a all-around incredible, likable person with a wonderful story. Just a forewarning, this class is limited in how often it’s open and I had to wait almost a half a year to get into the course, so if it’s open, it’s a good idea to sign up while you can. If you want to learn how bloggers make money blogging full-time, you will not regret taking this ecourse.
WHO: Shareasale for finding affiliate programs.
WHY: This is how bloggers make money. Companies like Shareasale, an Affiliate Marketing Network, can expose your blog to some of the most popular online merchants, so that’s why I joined them. Oh, and because their team has an amazing group of people and has been in business for 16+ years.
WHO: eBay to promote household products like books.
WHY: Real talk. It’s a straight-up shame that Amazon doesn’t allow me to be an affiliate. I unfortunately have my business in a state that’s banned from their affiliate program for a political issue over taxing and the state. But it’s cool! Fear not, if you live in one of those banned Amazon states – Arkansas, California, and Colorado, plus Illinois, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, Ebay has got a great affiliate program that is a super alternative.
WHO: Bluehost for my web hosting AND my domain name!
WHY: The down time is one of the lowest of the big host companies, and customer service is either phone or chat and is generally pretty responsive. I’ve had to speak with them twice, and it was a mistake I made in my WordPress dashboard that honestly had nothing to do with my hosting, but they helped me out anyway and instructed me on how to fix it. Also, the name of your blog should depend on if the domain is available. So check into the availability of your blog name via Bluehost. BONUS Commissions you get as an affiliate for having someone pick a domain name for you are fantastic, and they have a very organized affiliate program, which makes bloggers HUGE fans of Bluehost.
WHO: PicMonkey for my graphics (posts, social media headers, logos, emails, etc).
WHY: I have the biggest crush on PicMonkey. I’m really proud of my super vibrant blog post images, and I owe it all to the incredibly easy to use and affordable PicMonkey software program. They have an awesome free program that really gets it done, too! I owe it to them for my beautiful freelance writer business cards.
WHO: Moo for my business cards.
WHY: My love for Moo runs deep. From the moment I read about them in Entrepreneur mag, I was in love. They have some wickedly cool stuff too, including itty-bitty mini cards and thick, luxe business cards, like you saw above (I ordered them myself!)
WHO: Pretty Darn Cute Designs for my website template, Modern Blogger Pro.
WHY: Every time I get to talk about my love for PDCD I get really giddy. Because honestly, genuinely, and truly I love this company and their incredible support team. I LOVE my theme, and the fact that I did everything myself, even the little tweaks (with the help of their incredible support forum) all for $99 is out of control.
WHO: Freelance Writers Den to learn about the business of freelance blogging.
WHY: If you are new to freelance writing, you want to check this out. You’ll soon discover that in the work from anywhere world, Carol Tice is THE go-to for making a full-time income freelance writing over the internet.
WHO: Best Buy for my clearance electronics.
WHY: It’s a big-box giant that does price-matching on electronics. They’ve also got killer customer service and I’m able to pop in any major US market if I need help with anything I bought from there, and that’s important when you work from anywhere. I bought my latest laptop from them. My favorite thing about Best Buy is you can always shop your local Best Buy store for open box and clearance deals (even online!)
WHO: HP for my awesome wireless printer that goes with me anywhere.
WHY: I’ve been really into HP since I was a teenager, especially because of their epic warranty plan (and I’ve used it, a lot.) I’m a huge fan of their wireless printers, which are great for working remotely.
WHO: FedEx Office to ship things to friends and family
WHY: Like Best Buy, it’s easy to find a FedEx Office in most major metropolitan cities. They’ve saved my butt on more than one occasions, especially when it comes to shipping things ground. If I had it my way, they’d handle all of my mail (and for anyone that knows me, they know I am serious about my love for FedEx when it comes to shipping.)
WHO: FranklinCovey for my planner.
WHY: When I was first learning how bloggers make money, I quickly realized that being a blogger requires an insane amount of organization. I didn’t have it when I started, so I had to learn it, and I’m still learning every day how to be more organized as a blogger. One thing is for sure, having one of the best planners from one of the most well-known planner companies made it a LOT easier to get organized.
WHO: Moleskin because moleskin.
WHY: Since we’re on the topic of planners, let’s talk about the giant difference between a planner and a notebook. There is on, OK? Just trust me. If you aren’t a super nerd for Moleskins then you must not know that they are LITERALLY THE EMBODIMENT OF OUR SOCIETY’S ICONIC CREATIVES AND I LOVE THEM. People like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway all used them. I do too. So does my boyfriend (maybe because I bought him one). I think you should too.
WHO: Monster for the work from anywhere job hunt.
WHY: They’ve got professional resume writing help and will tailor it toward your work from anywhere resume. The name is synonymous with massive job postings, so you know they have a ton of great work listings. It’s up to you to go and find it. Plus, how real is that quote below What Were You Born To Be for some for some of you right now?
WHO: Lynda.com, Udemy & Coursera for easy-to-complete career transforming classes
WHY: I know ecourses are all the rage right now and I get it (I’m obsessed with them and would take one in every subject if I won the lotto). They are incredible because you can do them 100% remote, and I’m obviously all about location independence. They’ve got a ton of classes that will help you land a work from anywhere job from coding to WordPress.
WHO: The Container Store for staying organized at my work from home office
WHY: Even though it seems unconventional for me to talk about The Container Store here, it’s not. I actually do have a lovely little home office! And this store is my go-to for all things organizational on my desk. I can hardly CONTAIN how giddy shopping on this site gets me.
WHO: La Quinta Inn & Suites and Extended Stay America for hotels when I’m on the road.
WHY: Both of these awesome hotel chains give super deep discounts to those who may be staying a little bit longer or who book early. I can find them in a ton of cities, so I feel comfortable with the brand recognition.
WHO: Register.com for your blog SEO services to build website traffic.
WHY: If you’re thinking about starting a blog, learning about SEO can be daunting. This company can help increase your traffic with SEO tips!
WHO: Fiverr for freelance creative work.
WHY: You should hire someone to help you build your blog. Again, you should hire someone to help you with your blog. This is one of my BIGGEST regrets. I spent months and months of full-time work building my website, logos, organizing social networks, tinkering to graphics and SEO etc etc. And I’m pretty sharp with computers and technology. So if you aren’t (or even if you are) I highly suggest you hire some affordable freelancers to help you out. Trust me, it’s super cheap and once you do it, you’ll fall in love with Fiverr. If you’re a blogger, focus on being a blogger. Leave the other stuff to people who are REALLY good at each and every of the many things you need to do to get a blog up and running. (and it will look way better and more professional, to boot).
WHO: Earth Class Mail for turning my mail digital when I’m on the road.
WHY: The people at Earth Bound Mail have a very simple, but genius idea. You pick an address (they have awesome ones in 17 cities like Park Ave in NYC and Santa Monica Blvd in LA). Then, you can travel without ever missing anything, because your mail is scanned and emailed to you. I LOVE how efficient this is, and it’s an incredible idea for digital nomads who work from anywhere.
WHO: Grasshopper for your business cell phone
WHY: To keeping everyone in your small business in the loop (or for entrepreneurs who want a local number in every new place they travel, but really just want to keep their own number). It’s actually a brilliant idea. Want to give your readers a way to connect with you and like to chat on the phone? You can get an 800 number with forwarding service!
So there you have it. That’s my awesome list of my favorite affiliate partners that I work with. I hope this post gave you some good ideas on partners you might be able to work with, too! Also, if you’re going to sign up as an affiliate or buy anything through these links, I’ll make a small commission and that would be a HUGE thank you to me since now you know how bloggers make money on affiliate sales!
Bloggers know how bloggers make money with affiliate sales, so if you’re a fellow blogger, what’s your favorite affiliate program? Share with us what works for you in the comments below!
Ready to get serious about your work from anywhere job search? I whole-heartedly recommend Flexjobs, the site where I found my first freelance writing gig. There are zero scams on their site and they have their own 100% remote team, too!
Hi Lisa! Thanks for sharing this list of options. It definitely inspired me to dive in deeper for affiliate marketing 🙂
Of course, Shay! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! I used the BlueHost link to get started on my site, and I will be coming back as I build more and more. XOXO
Hi, I am just getting started, literally just posted my first and your site is so helpful. Thank you. Hairbendertales.com
You’re so welcome, Ellen! Good luck to you and thank you for reading 🙂 I love hearing that anything I write is helping.