When you are looking for an affiliate program to market, you’re better off starting with a product you know about and are familiar with. When the time comes to start writing your ads, personal knowledge of the product or service you are marketing is a big advantage.

Which product or service to choose to market? As you search for potential affiliate programs to join and market, keep in mind that the more you know about the products or services offered, the better. This is especially important when you are new to the business. The more you know about the product what people like or dislike about it, how it compares to competing products in price, performance, and value, and what sets it apart from the competition the easier it will be for you to write effective ad copy and identify the appropriate keywords and phrases to trigger these ads. As you become more familiar with this process, you may eventually be able to rely on your own research to educate yourself on potential new affiliate programs, but in the beginning, when you have so much else to learn, it will pay to focus on products and services you already know quite well.

Research you affiliate company Make sure you have a clear understanding of all aspects of the affiliate programs you advertise before you start running ads. Commission structures, payment methods, and a host of other concerns should be addressed before you actually start paying to promote any affiliate program.

The commission system in the program

The most important of these concerns is, of course, the commission structure itself. Make sure you know what your goal is. More specifically, make sure you know what the affiliate program will pay you for, and how much. Will you receive a percentage of sales or just a percentage of revenue? (Revenue is the net profit on the sale, not the entire sale price.) Are you paid for downloads, form completions? Are your commissions tied to paid memberships or free registrations? Speaking of registrations, will you be paid for each registration or only for those that go on to become active members? Does the program have performance tiers or bonuses, and, if so, what must you do to trigger them?

Commission Payment Methods and Terms

The standard in the industry is for advertisers or affiliate networks to issue payments every 30 days. If you see terms that specify 60 or 90 days, you should be aware that you will be spending on advertisements for up to three months before you ever see a dime in return, and you need to plan accordingly. Do the companies with whom you do business charge for payment by check? Do they offer direct deposit? As a general rule, search marketers, including myself, prefer to receive payments in the form of electronic fund transfers that go directly into their checking accounts. Most advertisers and networks will allow this, as well as the option of receiving a check in the mail, but they generally charge extra for mailing a paper check.

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