New to Affiliate Marketing, need help getting off the ground

Why are you giving 'advice' in other threads if you are this 'new'?

You have to decide what you want to do: affiliate marketing, build a list, PPL, CPA - whatever.

Please STOP 'recommending' MailChimp when talking about affiliate marketing. MailChimp does not accept affiliate marketers. If also does not provide customer service for the 'freebie' offer.

As for the $1 - that's ridiculous. It's not up to the internet to 'prove' to you that success is possible - it's up to you to figure out how to earn online. Starting for 'completely free' is not the best option. I'd advise saving up some money to use for monthly expenses for the tools/services needed. The concept of 'spending nothing and earning money' is not easy in today's IM space.

If 'free' is your only option - consider offering a service as a freelancer - very little cost involved if you have some skills to offer others.

Use the search option on this forum - use advanced search and look up previous discussions of starting for free, affiliate marketing, list building, etc. The less money you have to spend on a startup business - the more time you will need to spend learning and doing on your own.

Mailchimp doesn't allow affiliate links.

Your post is a good indication of the misinformation/ conflicting information that clutters the net. One "guru" says one thing and the next says the complete opposite. Then you have the completely clueless acting as if they know but just adding to the confusion.

You can build a free site on https://www.blogger.com/ but the key to success with affiliate marketing is targeted traffic and if you have no money to invest then it requires creating some form of content.

There is no quick and easy answer.

Most people who start with $0 to invest do some kind of freelance work while they continue to learn.

This is Mailchimp's stance on affiliate marketing and affiliate links. There's a distinction.

https://mailchimp.com/help/about-aff...-in-mailchimp/

Key points from the page:

"Affiliate marketing as an industry is prohibited under our Terms of Use, but affiliate links are usually fine to use in Mailchimp campaigns."

"Affiliate marketers are generating business for someone else, so there's no real obligation to maintain relationships with contacts they may have in Mailchimp. This isn't the type of marketing Mailchimp is meant for.

Affiliate links, on the other hand, are commonly used in marketing of all kinds. For example, if you're a blogger, you might link to, or promote, the website of one of your sponsors. As long as the URLs you use aren't blacklisted and your main message isn't centered around affiliate links, you shouldn't run into issues using them in Mailchimp campaigns."

you dont run a business with $0. all the "free traffic" you get to your business should be a bonus, not your primary source of traffic. if your business cannot profit with paid advertisements, you dont have a business. you have a hobby

Ah. Thanks for the advice everyone, and for clearing some things up with mailchimp. Seems like there is indeed misinformation, I'll probably have to stay away from mailchimp. I'll have to continue to do more research, including on things I can do online other than affiliate marketing. Any people you would recommend I watch on youtube with good information?

You need to decide if you want to start in CPA marketing or affiliate marketing first.
Also, you said you just want to make your first $1, why you want to start affiliate or cpa in the first place?

I think there are many other methods easier than CPA or affiliate marketing to make your first $1.
Maybe you have some skills like content writing, seo related jobs or any other skill which you could sell on fiverr ,upwork, freelancer?

Hello ayakamea!,

Over the past 7 years+ I been online I have learned a lot online and been through a lot(in life and online), while working many jobs. I spent hundreds and thousands buying courses that would only provide me pieces of the puzzle, I have learned from many top coaches with the minimal I had to work with. Let's just say it hasn't been an easy ride for me but my experience and knowledge you cannot replace over all these years. My last job I worked was at a big coporate call center (lots of experience there my 5th one) and although it paid me a livable wage and benefits (better then all the past jobs I worked at) I produced the most sales ever there for the company yet I was barely getting by and felt hardly appreciated, and that's when I realized that corporate america is not going keep me for long because of how underdeserving of me these places were. I didn't see myself kissing up and climbing the corporate latter. I did not like getting micromanaged by people less qualified then me, getting paid less then I deserve and college? I stopped going along time ago. I knew working for someone else would never provide me the life I wanted even if I got a degree what I was seeking was freedom and I had a burning desire despite my obstacles and lack of opportunity I've had. I knew what I was worth so a week prior to the 4th of July 2019 (June 30th im off that week and I was supposed to come back Friday July 5th), I wrote my boss a letter , letting him know after the 4th of July he will never see me there ever again, caught by surprise they did everything they could to try keeping me but it was already too late. I knew I wanted to continue to pursuing internet marketing because I knew what I was worth and when you know what you are worth you go after it no matter how hard it gets! Now I work completely independently (no boss) I have been online 7+ years and the reason I tell you some of my many struggles is because those 7 years for me were never easy years in fact my life has never been easy. I had nobody to reach out to, nobody to help me, family wouldn't believe me when I would talk to them about building my own business and they acted like I was crazy, but one thing is for sure, Eric Thomas has a quote that says "When you wanna succeed as bad as you want to breath that is when you will be successful". I believed in myself despite my circumstances I made a promise that I would never give up on this matter how difficult it gets for me. I am not where I want to be in my business 100% but I have come a long ways from when I started and let me tell you when you that is what makes you strong! Embrace your failures and make the decision that this is what you want to do focus whole heartly! Never give up! be willing to work, educate yourself, invest in your business. Don't listen to the naysaers and when you do make that FIRST sale online you are NEVER going to look back and you are going to realize what everyone else thought never really mattered! In the end your burning desire to succeed is what matters! If I could go back in time and reassess all my years online I would say finding some guidance is crucial to your success, having a "compass" will always be better then being lost trying to figure it all out alone. Be willing to invest in tools and education, it's possible to succeed with very little but at least be willing to invest in your education and resources and avoid the mentality of "get rich quick". Be prepared to work and treat this like a REAL business. Find a niche you are passionate around and focus on HELPING others. Making your first sale online is nice and what is even better is when you can actually help others in the process solve their problems, take it for me there is nothing like waking up one morning and you have earned money while you were sleeping! Remember this: Go after what you are worth, align yourself with great people and never look back! Try not to overcomplicate online marketing and even with a shoestring budget be willing to invest in education and tools and resources (autoresponder, web hosting,) know who you are trying to reach out to know your market, build an email list who knows, likes and trusts you. Treat your email list with respect, value your list, and you will be on your way! I hope this inspires you as well as others that no matter what obstacles you face ( in life and in business) that you remain humble, focus on having a strong mindset, and don't jump from one program after another! It will not happen overnight but in the end, it will all be worth it! One thing you cannot take away is the burning desire to succeed!

You have to keep your attention and focus on one thing at a time . You can't expect to come online and learn 2 0r 3 different things because things will not work out. I would say learn a skillset and focus on giving people solutions to their problems as opposed to looking for affiliate programs etc..

try with Fiverr.com and start making some decent amount and then invest in other places.

Very good advices you receive here .Firstly with mailchimp you dont have a business ,if they see affiliate links then you cannot use them .At least keep some money for an autoresponder like aweber or getresponse where you can make promotion

Starting with $0 with no website, no domain.. I can't imagine that if you'd like to build a serious online business!

Marian

p.s. getting your own domain and a good web host is so cheap nowadays... so no reason to skip that part.

Go to Fiverr and start putting some gigs and that will get you some money to get started.

Thanks for information
AI was usefull as well as it was harmfull too.

I started online with 0$, got into paid to click programs that didn't cost anything, built up a little bit of cash doing this and reinvested my money into affiliate programs, what i'm saying is we all have to start somewhere but if your willing to put in the work and time then maybe this could be your starting point.

Like all other businesses in real world you need start capital and have to invest. $ 0 means you are looking for job there you will get money without investing money (time on the other hand). I also had this 0 $ kind of thinking at the start but it does not work for business.



The best advice you got above is to start with freelancing, earn some "free money" and invest on your business.

There is a standard way to succeed in the affiliate marketing space and that is really simple but most people just want to take short cuts and spam their links everywhere,

Step 1 Find a good product that you really believe in that can help other people. Don't focus on the money if you help enough people the money will come later.

Step 2 Create a landing page or a Squeeze page and start building your list.

Step 3 learn the skills to paid advertising forget all this SEO unless you happy spend your life churning out articles and waiting years to make a sale

Step 4 Pick one, for example, Youtube, Facebook. Bing PPC etc and master one of them before you move on

Hope that helps and good luck

the problem is obviously the overload on information nowadays..not easy who to trust,,who to follow, which way to go, hm?


I was searching for a very long time and was loosing a lot of money on my way before I was able to make my first $1..


However you can do it faster and better than me without loosing so much..


the greatest advice I can give is work on your mindset, your way of thinking, your lifestyle, start to live like you are rich, every single day and soon you will see that the confusion stops and all the solutions and this first $1 finds the way into your pocket


the universe is on your side if you allow it to be


good luck

I am in the same boat as you. I try to focus on Clickbank and Facebook Ads only. I can't do so much with many marketing methods else they only distract me and overwhelm me. I have seen marketers implement this and make a lot of money with just Facebook Ads because Facebook can bring laser-targeted audiences to you. This is what I learn. If others can make so much money for themselves, why not you too.

Try to signup webinars here and there. Some pitch can give you some ideas too. You can even ask questions in webinars.