Affiliate Summit Newbie

After attending my first Affiliate Summit in Miami last weeks, I had several questions racing through my mind.

– What makes a good affiliate?

– What makes a reputable publisher?

– How much money is actually made from these types of programs?

Being a “newbie” to these programs, I was surprised to learn the behind the scenes of the internet. To the everyday user, they surf, they purchase, and they get information and sometimes fill out requests forms to learn more. People are able to cash in on this business model and collect a commission for hosting a link or selling someone’s product or even information. It seemed so easy to just jump in and do this that I had to ask…what is the catch?
A key item that I was able to take away was to make sure you are offering products that you can relate to. If you are going to be an affiliate, and start attracting people to your site, don’t just throw up a link and expect people to click through. People want the right information that pertains to them. There were a few different models that I learned about to decide what to offer.
One, offer a niche product which may draw little traffic because it doesn’t apply to everyone, but offers the most rewards. And two, you can offer something that is open to anyone and everyone using the internet, but will pay the lowest commission due to competition.