Affiliate Marketing Blog

Affiliate marketing news and opinion from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

Is Affiliate Marketing Still Profitable?

by

Q: Is affiliate marketing still profitable?

Shawn's first affiliate management job

A: Affiliate marketing started back in 1994 when CDNow launched the first affiliate program, and ever since people have been wondering if they can still make money with it. The answer is and always has been yes.

The picture with this article is me at my first affiliate marketing job, which I started back in 1997. Prospective affiliates I pitched then were unsure and people new to the industry are still skeptical.

James Marciano, who founded Refer-It (my next affiliate marketing job), the first affiliate program directory back in the ’90s, said it best when he dubbed affiliate marketing a “recession-proof marketing channel.”

“When the economy tanks, the CEO cuts the marketing budget first. The sales budget doesn’t get cut. With these programs, you’re out there already making money for nothing,” continued Marciano.

We saw this play out when the dot com bubble burst, as well as in 2008 when the economy was in bad shape. Through it all affiliate marketing has persevered.

And you know how there are always articles around Christmas-time how the latest year had the highest sales in the history of E-commerce? Well, as E-Commerce grows, so does affiliate marketing and the opportunities around it. Virtually every big brand has an affiliate program, and they are commonplace with small and medium-sized businesses, too.

So, yes, it’s still profitable, but not for everybody. Lots of people want to be affiliates and they are lazy about it and don’t add any value to a transaction. Strive to provide a solution or solve a problem as an affiliate and keep at it and you can make money.

Multiple Topics vs One Topic for an Affiliate Blog

by

Q: Should I have one blog with multiple topics or one domain per topic?

Shawn Collins ASE19

A: There is no correct way to set up and run a blog. But one key thing is that if you cover multiple topics I would recommend that they have something that ties them together.

For instance, if you wanted to blog about the city you live in and promote related affiliate links, it would make sense to cover news, sports, politics, etc all on that site.

But a blog that tries to be everything, without some overall theme tying it together, will not have an audience.

Do you know the old saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none”? That’s not a good approach for a blog, because you can essentially replace “master” with “audience”.

My blogs typically have one clear topic and then posts are broken down to five or so different categories.

For instance, my site 512.soccer was created as a fan site for the upcoming Major League Soccer team, Austin FC. So, a lot of my links are for Austin FC merchandise on MLSsoccer.com.

But I also mention other soccer-related products and news, so I’ll link out to Amazon and other places, too.

Affiliate Sites Focused on One Product

by

Q: Do you create an affiliate site based on 1 product that can be purchased at a place like Amazon? I’m an amazon affiliate.

Captain Shawn CollinsA: There is no one correct way to create an affiliate site.

I have lost track of the number of affiliate sites that I have created over the years, but I am pretty sure there was only ever one that was focused on a single product.

My site was called BallFourBook.com and it was a fan site about the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton. I still have the domain, but I’ve been pointing it straight to the Amazon page for the book for quite a while.

Anyhow, it’s a strategy that can work, but there are so many variables, such as the size of the audience, the commission, the price, etc.

The commission for a book on Amazon is 4.5%, so on a book that costs $15 you’re going to get $0.45 per sale. With a typical conversion rate of 2%, you’d have to send 100 clicks to make nearly $1.

When I was doing it I had a passion for the book and was generating a lot of unique content related to the book. It became pretty popular and the author even included the URL in the last edition of his book.

But it was never a huge success. It was one of lots of affiliate sites that would generate some money here and there. And that’s the key – don’t count on one niche site to make you a fortune. Experiment with a bunch of different topics and methods as an affiliate.

The First Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas was a Little Bumpy

by

The first Affiliate Summit West took place on June 13-14, 2005 at the long-gone Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. But we didn’t call it Affiliate Summit West back then because it was our only event that year.

Affiliate Summit West 2005

Before arriving in Las Vegas for this show I’d never been there before, and we were still pretty new to organizing conferences. That plus not a whole lot of money in the bank meant we were handling everything ourselves – the outsourcing of things didn’t happen until later.

So the day before the conference check-in was opening we enlisted the help of a bunch of friends to stuff the bags for the 550 or so attendees. We were in a suite at the Riviera all day with drinks and an assembly line going.

One of my favorite pictures from that conference was Missy laying on the hundreds of bags after we’d finished up.

Missy and the attendee bags at ASW05

After the last bag was stuffed, I went on an odyssey in Las Vegas that included taking a nap on the Strip and various versions of how I ended up back in my room at some late hour. You can hear the gory details in my video recap of the conference.

The check-in process was way more primitive back then, but we had smaller crowds and it worked.

ASW05 check-in

Affiliate Summit West 2005 was the first time we had an exhibit hall, but that may be too generous of a term for what was going on there – we had 15 booths in a room. You can see the “exhibit hall” and other entertaining Affiliate Summit relics in the Affiliate Summit West 2005 program, which was lovingly created in Microsoft Word.

ASW05 exhibit hall

While we were at the Riviera there was also a group of rugby fans, and one of the things many people remember from that conference was that a boozer from the rugby crowd threw up in the pool and it had to be closed.

Towards the end of Affiliate Summit West 2005, there was a big scare after a panel on blogging. One of the panelists, Wayne Porter, collapsed and had to be hospitalized shortly after the panel.

Blogging panel at ASW05

Thankfully, Wayne recovered from that fall and was later anointed as the first Affiliate Summit Legend.

It’s hard to believe Affiliate Summit West 2020 will be the 16th year in a row that Affiliate Summit is in Las Vegas. Looking forward to seeing lots of the old-timers who were there at the start, as well as the youngbloods.

Check out the pictures from Affiliate Summit West 2005.

The Things I Use to Podcast in 2019

by

I started podcasting in 2006 with a show called Affiliate Thing that was co-hosted by Lisa Picarille.

We started out on a service called BlogTalkRadio, and the first episode was an interview with Lily Shen, who was then the senior manager of eBay’s U.S. Affiliate Program.Shawn Collins wants to interview you

After we stumbled through a dozen episodes on that platform we moved on to WebmasterRadio, where we co-hosted the show for a year or so.

At that point, I decided it would be nice to host and own the shows, so GeekCast.fm was started as a division of Affiliate Summit. We made it available as a place for any business podcast to get free hosting and promotion. Affiliate Thing went on for a bunch of years there.

Since then I’ve hosted a handful of podcasts solo, and the latest is This is Affiliate Marketing, which I started in 2016 to interview people who have some kind of tie to affiliate marketing. But I didn’t want to interview them about affiliate marketing, because those podcasts are boring to me at this point. Instead, I go through their social media and ask them questions about themselves.

Anyhow, the way I’ve recorded, edited, and published podcasts have changed a lot over time, and I figured I’d share what I’m using currently for anybody looking to start their own podcast.

So here’s what I use…

Recording the Podcast

I use Ringr to record the podcasts – this platform enables my guests to call in either from a phone or their computer. Ringr is a paid service and they have a few levels to choose from – this has been the most reliable tool for recording that I have used over the years, and when there is a glitch they have a responsive support team.

As far as the microphone, I have the Logitech Stereo Headset H110, which is less than $15 on Amazon and I’ve used the same one without any issues for over 5 years.

Editing the Podcast

My podcast editing is done with a free software program called Audacity. It’s an easy, intuitive program, and if you have any trouble there are plenty of videos on YouTube to help you along the way.

In order to give my podcasts a more professional flair I wanted to have an intro and outro done by somebody else, so I went to Fiverr and got some quality sound files for cheap to open and close the podcast.

Hosting the Podcast

I learned about Libsyn as a podcast hosting service years ago at Social Media Marketing World, and I’ve been very happy with the service. They have packages starting at $5/month and in addition to the hosting you also get stats on your podcasts, and the service enables you to easily distribute to the main podcasting apps and platforms.

Also, they provide code for a variety of players so you can put your show up on a blog post, website, etc. And they offer the option of using your own domain to point to a page where they have all of your podcast archives.

That’s it – it’s pretty easy to get up and running, and then all you need is original content and consistency to build your podcast audience.

When You Talk, Does Anybody Listen?

by

I thought I was good for a long time. Over ten years. But as the days went by, I realized I wasn’t.

One of the biggest catalysts in my entrepreneur journey was also my greatest burden… the memories of working in New York City on 9/11.

I didn’t die. I was only really scared that day, so I had a hard time accepting that it brought me pain and sadness and anxiety. It made me feel guilty. When I brought up what happened that day it seemed to make people uncomfortable. I got that, and it also made me wary of mentioning it. So I bottled it up.

It was around six years ago that I finally got to a point where I thought I needed some help. It was my first visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and I was overcome. I felt really irritable and claustrophobic.

It really bothered me how jovial some people were in what I thought should be a very solemn place. And then I saw a bunch of people mugging for the camera in front of a destroyed fire truck. I had to get out of there.

Damaged fire truck in the 9/11 Memorial Museum

I verbalized to myself shortly after that I was going to find somebody to talk to about it. I went to Yelp to look up therapists who dealt with PTSD.

My choice was a psychotherapist because I just wanted someone to talk to about things vs. a psychiatrist, who could also prescribe medications.

It felt so good to have somebody to talk to about things I felt like nobody wanted to hear, or I wasn’t comfortable talking about. As I worked through lingering 9/11 feelings, I also began to talk to a lot about work and the toll it took on me.

That whole entrepreneurial story that people idealize, but that can be isolating and scary more often. The failures and self-doubt, while putting on a brave face, and the tricky balance of being an entrepreneur with healthy relationships and outlets.

As I spoke to a therapist about personal and professional struggles, I found it beneficial in a number of ways.

First, there was having a safe and private place to talk about sensitive issues. No judgment, nobody taking offense. It was a foreign feeling to have somebody just listen and share their perspective without their feelings or biases intruding.

Second, it was an avenue to discuss how to improve sleep, nutrition, and physical activity patterns. These new, healthy behaviors and habits all had quick impacts on my physical and mental well-being.

Third, my relationships became more satisfying with an understanding of the need for better communication and fewer assumptions.

Finally, I became more mindful, less stressed, and more relaxed. I always heard the phrase “stop and smell the roses,” and I finally started doing it.

Our toughest struggles are just that – they are ours and the toughest things we are dealing with. Don’t worry about measuring them against others or worrying yourself about the stigma of getting some help. We all need somebody who will listen.

The Making of a Quality Conference Speaker Proposal

by

Speaking at a conference can benefit you in a lot of ways, and there are dos and don’ts when it comes to submitting a speaker proposal. You only have one opportunity to make your case for speaking, so make the most of it.

Shawn Collins speaking at Affiliate Summit APAC 2019

Pay attention to the details and invest time in a quality speaker proposal.

Don’t rush through it.

Typos, lack of clarity in your writing, and failing to follow the instructions send a very clear message that this is not a priority for you.

I’m guessing you don’t want to send that message since you’re bothering to read this.

Based on the thousands of speaker proposals I’ve seen over the years, I’ve compiled the following on what to do to improve your chances of being selected.

Read the Guidelines and Follow Them

This should be basic advice – so basic that it doesn’t need to be included here.

However, every time we put out a call for speakers, I see lots of talented, successful people turn in proposals that show they’ve paid no attention to the guidelines.

If there are character or word constraints, be sure to follow them.

It’s that simple.

Failure to follow simple instructions can disqualify a good session, so read the guidelines like they matter… because they do.

Check Your Schedule

Are you sure you do not have a conflict on your schedule with the conference day(s)?

Check and double-check your schedule to see if you have any other obligations.

If you realize you have to cancel after being accepted to speak, it could hurt your credibility and cause trouble for the conference organizers.

Adhere to the Deadline

There is inevitably a deadline to turn in a speaker proposal. If you want to speak at a given conference, make it a priority to get the proposal in on time.

Lots of successive dates hinge on that deadline, and if that doesn’t work for your schedule, so be it.

But your failure to meet the deadline is just that – your failure.

Don’t Be Lazy

When you are submitting your speaker proposal, provide the requested information in full.

Don’t cut corners with comments like “I will provide this later,” because there will likely not be a later.

Exhibiting such arrogance, that you think the conference wants you to speak so bad that they’ll accept your incomplete submission, may well result in your submission being declined.

Proofread!

There seems to be a theme here about attention to detail, right? Right.

Run spellcheck, read through your material for clarity, and have somebody else look it over before you send it.

People with typos on their resumes don’t get hired.

Don’t Be Too Broad

Are you one of those people who hopes to give a 30,000-foot view of your chosen topic?

If so, stop with the buzzwords and focus on a topic.

The big picture can be nice for a keynote, but if you’re interested in giving a presentation at a breakout session, broad is bad. People want specifics.

Sell the Topic

Your speaker proposal should focus on the benefits, takeaways, etc. of your proposed session.

Don’t talk about yourself. That is the function of your bio.

Review Past Agendas

One of the best ways to get a feel for the type of content that is typically featured at a conference is to review the past agendas.

Then, come up with a new, unique, interesting topic that draws some inspiration from past, recurring themes.

Don’t Recycle

It’s really nice to recycle paper, plastic, and grass clippings, but don’t recycle content.

Nobody wants your greatest hits from the past few years. Respect your audience and propose new, quality content.

Focus on Clarity

Be clear about what you want to cover in your presentation. It should be something you can sum up in a sentence.

A string of buzzwords is annoying to read, has little meaning, and will likely help to put your proposal in the reject pile.

Have You Attended the Conference?

While there are certainly first timers speaking frequently at conferences, it is in your best interest to first attend conferences where you hope to speak at beforehand.

Know the conference culture and types of attendees, so you’re not going into it blind.

Find Out What They Want

Do your homework as to which sessions have been most popular in the past, so you know what attendees like.

Also, read blog posts on the past conferences to gain insight.

Don’t ask the organizers what they want – they want quality, original content.

Know Your Limits

It can be tough to carry an hour-long session by yourself.

Are you ready? If not, try proposing for a shorter time slot, or submit a proposal for a panel.

Running a long session shouldn’t be your first step. It’s really helpful to get some experience by speaking at meet-ups and other smaller, professional get-togethers.

OK, now you’re ready to submit that killer speaking proposal.

Dr. Julie Gurner on Negatives of Perfectionism, Hot Dogs, and Dog Dogs

by

Dr. Julie Gurner, Executive Performance Coach, podcast host, and angel investor joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Dr Julie Gurner

I wanted to learn more about the real Julie, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • A seeing-eye dog statue
  • Negatives associated with perfectionism
  • Speaking French
  • Entrepreneurs and relationships
  • Hot dogs
  • Being awesome
  • Adopting an older street dog

Links from this episode

I Ran a Background Check on Myself

by

I saw an ad online somewhere about background checks through BeenVerified, and I was curious what would be there in my own background check.

Private detective

Well, I had a good idea of what would be in there.

I was surprised when I got results, and also there were some items in there that were for another guy who shares my name.

One area that seemed funny to me was their list of possible aliases for me. Some were logical with including my middle name or initial, but then others were odd like Mickey Collins. That was one of my past dogs, but I never went by that name.

My list of previous phone numbers goes fairly far back – not as far back as my childhood home phone or my college number, but some records around 20 years old. I didn’t recognize some, but with lots of house phones and Google Voice over the years I’m not sure if they were errors or forgotten memories.

The email addresses include emails I had as far back as the mid to late 90s, including a couple on AOL.

My list of past addresses went far back, but there were some addresses in places I’ve never lived. I gave a thumbs down on those items where it says “Is this accurate?”. I am not sure if that eventually removes it from the record.

I am not sure why they provide a list of current and past neighbors, but that was interesting to me, because I didn’t know most of the names, so it probably wouldn’t benefit anybody knowing they currently or in the past lived near me.

The part that surprised me was the “Criminal & Traffic” section. I’ve had a handful of moving violations in my life and figured those would turn up, but they didn’t. Not sure what traffic infractions make the cut.

But I was surprised by an arrest that came as I result of a frat prank when I was in college. It was a misdemeanor and at the time I was told it would clear my record if I fulfilled the terms in my PBJ (probation before judgment). Well, I completed it and was off the hook, but apparently clearing the record doesn’t include the initial arrest. Doh!

My jobs and education have mostly good information, but a lot of the items are repeated in the list. I don’t know how they sourced this information, but it’s a bit of a mess.

They were spot on for my educational background – maybe that’s pulled from LinkedIn? Social media & websites were very partial for my sites, but they included lots of my social accounts.

When I got down to the assets there were properties and vehicles I’ve never owned, but they had my information, too.

Overall it was a neat process to see what others see in my background check.

Chris Park on Rugby, Why He Likes the Mets, and KISS Mini Golf

by

Christopher Park, Senior Affiliate Manager at JEBCommerce, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Chris Park

I wanted to learn more about the real Chris, so I asked him a variety of questions I figured he had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • How he ended up in marketing after studying English, economics, and religious studies
  • Riding on a mobile bar
  • Which pro sports teams he likes
  • Playing guitar with a Neil Diamond tribute band
  • Playing rugby in college
  • Serving on the city council

Links from this episode