Even if you promote affiliate programs, you need to write your own sales materials. One reason is that you want to make yourself different from other affiliates. By being different, you are more likely to getting the attention of your market. You also add value to the product provided your sales materials answer potential customers' questions.

Another reason is that if you are getting into an affiliate program after its initial launch, and many do, the available sales materials will already have been seen many times by others. This reduces the effectiveness of those marketing materials. If you want to create an effective campaign for the affiliate program, you need something new.

You don't have to reinvent the wheel though. You may start by simply rewriting what has been provided by the vendor.

Some of the materials you get you won't be able to rewrite, like articles. With articles, you will have to decide if the information is valuable enough to publish on your site. You want to serve your readers first and the search engines second.

With prewritten materials, you want to write them in your own words. Before doing this, carefully read over the site you want to promote. Buy the affiliate product if you can, and then read through any affiliate marketing materials provided by the vendor.

Don't write like you're in English class; keep it conversational. The important thing is to keep it in your own words. Make it personal so you connect with your readers.

If the affiliate program really doesn't have any marketing materials, you will need to create your own. The problem with affiliate networks like Commission Junction and Linkshare is that about all they give you is banners and links.

You will need to do the same thing I recommended above and carefully read through and study the site you are promoting to get a better "feel" for what the product is about.

There are two types of sales materials you may write: the pre sell, and advertising. Pre sell materials include articles and reviews. Advertising includes ads, pay per click ads, and emails.

When writing your pre sell, avoid selling the product. You want to focus on giving your readers as much information as possible.

With sales materials, you want to focus on the benefits of the product instead of the features. The features tell you something factual about the product; a benefit tells readers what the product will do.

With both types of materials, focus on writing a good headline. Include the major benefit of the product here. If you want to get readers to read your sales materials, you will need to put a lot of effort into your headline.

With pre sells, outline the problem and then show how the product will solve the problem. Tell what you like and don't like about the product and be honest. Tell readers something about the product they won't find in the sales letter.

With short sales materials like ads, you only focus on one benefit. Focus on the major benefit of the product and how it will help your readers.

With both types of materials, it is crucial to get readers to take action. Tell them to sign up for your list, click on the link, or take whatever action you want them to take. This is the step that is most frequently left out in a lot of advertising.

If you want to make a lot of money from affiliate programs, focus on the needs of your readers. Show them them problem, and then show them how to solve it. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, but you do need some originality in your promotions. Give your readers what they want, and they will become customers.