A lot of times when we start a niche blog we have to think about what income streams we are going to use in order to make money. Now I won’t be talking about Adsense, but purely affiliate products and programs. I see a lot of internet marketers making the same mistake time and time again. They are promoting crap. Let me go into a little more detail about promoting products on your affiliate driven sites.
Buy It & Test It
First, make sure you buy the product yourself if it’s an eBook, plugin, etc. As long as it’s not something that is several thousands of dollars you should actually try out the product before you start promoting it. Not only does this help you review the product it will protect the integrity of your website. However, if you are not really able to buy it, another option is to contact the affiliate manager for a possible review copy
Do Your Research
Next, look around on the Internet if it’s a product that has been floating around for awhile. Are people stating scam? If so then you might want to think twice about promoting a product that has a lot of dirt already on it. For instance, promoting an affiliate marketing course that is really just a MLM scheme wouldn’t provide people much value and you’ll look like a fool.
Build Relationships with managers
Additionally, make sure you have a good relationship with whoever or whatever you’re promoting. I can’t count how many times I have signed up as an affiliate and learned that this affiliate program could care less if I exist or not. Build a relationship with your affiliate managers and owners of the products that you are promoting. It’s a business and a two way street.
Keep an eye on your refunds. Even if you tried the product yourself but people are just getting refunds then you shouldn’t be promoting the product in the first place. Honestly, you should read the policies of the affiliate products TOS because you might see something in there that will warrant a red flag for a high risk of refunds.
Keep blog current. Say such and such just came out with a new feature, special offer, etc. Jump on these and write about them. People like to see that you are actually keeping up with the products and making modifications to reviews about products.
NB: Don’t forget to also read 2 Top recurring commission affiliate offers to promote for a reliable passive income!
Get Some Real Feedback
Lastly, make sure that you get feedback from real people that use the product. You can go about this a number of ways. For instance, just asking your affiliate manager to send out an email to their happy clients to your site and leave some feedback is a great way to get real feedback. Write on the forums or blogs to push people over to your site. Make sure you don’t come off as a spammer though. Another great tactic is just contacting them through Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
In conclusion, a long lasting relationship with your affiliates will take you a lot further than promoting something that pays a ton but is getting horrible feedback from the consumers.
What do you think? How do you personally decide on products to promote? I’d like to hear your opinion in the comment box 
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About Enstine Muki
Hi and welcome to my blog. My name is Enstine Muki. I'm developer and owner of 
Affiliate marketing is not easy and deciding what to promote is even harder. I think a lot of research is required into it. Buying the product and testing is the best thing to do to create that level of trust among the readers.
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Shalu recently posted..Types of ghosts and haunted places in India
Hi Shalu,
You stroke the point. It requires a lot of research to settle on which product to product. You don’t just pick them at random. Thanks for your comment and contribution
I’m always getting people emailing me wanting me to promote their products and I always let them know that unless I’ve used it myself I’m not promoting it. I don’t care how much commission I can make from it. I prefer actually using the product so I can be a testimonial. I think that’s one of the key elements that’s missing Enstine.
Doing your research to see what other people are saying about the product before you waste a whole heck of a lot of your time promoting something that doesn’t have a very good reputation. If it does then connecting with the affiliate mangers is another very important point. One I totally missed early on and now realize how important that can really be.
All very excellent points Enstine so thanks for being so thorough.
~Adrienne
Hey Adrienne,
Sometimes it looks easy to just grab a product and paste the banners on ones blog but that a risky thing to do. Like you said, being a testimonial is the best posture. You are able to sell and still maintain a healthy relationship with your readers.
Thanks for your comment and contribution. Hope you have a great week
Hi Enstine,
Affiliate marketing is really quite a job. Your first idea caught my attention. To be able to promote a product or service and convince potential customers, it is really best if you’ve tried or used it yourself.
Hey Sarah,
It’s quite true you can promote any product without a thorough knowledge of what it is. That’s the mistake most of us affiliate make.
thanks for your comment and contribution. I wish you a great week
Enstine, you make some great points here. Great value!!
Buy & Test … firm believer of this! How can you promote a product if you haven’t used it, read it, etc. – I like Adrienne’s comment about being a testimonial for the product.
Research – If your niche blogging, promote something related to your niche. Of course their are those products we all need as bloggers – Autoresponders, Hosting, WP Themes, etc.
Great point about creating relationships with affiliate managers. I have dumped a couple affiliates for their lack of customer service and willingness to connect.
As always keep bringing the value to the table Enstine!!
posted by Galen Morgigno
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Galen Morgigno recently posted..My Lead System Pro Culture
Hey Galen,
Thanks man for reading and commenting. I’m always very exited to read your comment on my blog. May you have a great week
It is good to promote affiliate products where you have adequate support. Some times you require the product manager to provide you with materials that would enable you succeed in promoting the product. The best person to give you the first hand information about the product is the product owner, and then those who have used it and perhaps forum users.
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Efoghor Joseph Ezie recently posted..Business Success Guide To Migrate to WordPress
Hi brother,
One needs a proper knowledge of any product to be able to succeed in its promotion. You can either get this by testing the product yourself or getting closer to its author or affiliate manager.
Thanks for your comment and contribution !
Enstine,
This is another great post. I especially agree with actually buying and testing the product our for yourself first before you promote it. There’s some affiliate marketers that don’t do this and I think that’s in poor taste and lacks integrity. I always review and try the products I promote because I want to make sure that my I’m providing my honest feedback and opinion. Whether it’s negative or positive and not just to get commissions off of it.
Thanks for sharing this post with us on BizSugar. Great stuff!
Ti
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Ti Roberts recently posted..4 Hidden Traffic Tips to Spike Your Traffic Stats
Hy Ti,
Really excited to see you hear today. Yes, I shared this on BizSugar and thanks for following up and commenting. Your contribution have added more value to my post. I’m grateful and hope to see you again
This is really not that hard of a decision for me. I have learned over the years to not promote anything that you don’t use personally! This gives you a better reputation with your readers too.
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Wade recently posted..Buy Facebook Likes Pro
Hi Enstine,
I think the first point (buy and use it) is the most important one. This way you can have three benefits, profit, credibility, and trust. It’s all important in blogging business.
Or in other way, if we are not personally use it we still can promote it passively using banners or links on the sidebars.
But the first option work best.
Thanks
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