Are you able to make a living as an affiliate?

**bongGbong** · May 3, 2002 09:06

Hi!

Just trying to find out how many of you out there can really make a decent living as an affiliate?

Is the situation getting better or worse?

**Husain** · May 4, 2002 08:51

You should not have affilates as your only source of income. Plus, I don't think anyone can really get a good amount of income through affiliates (unless of course your website receives as many hits as Yahoo!).

As for the situation getting better or worse, it really depents how you put your message across to your visitors. I feel the situation is getting worse. This is the reason so many website are beginning to charge for membership. Affiliates is not a promising source of "survival" any more. Some people may think otherwise

**bongGbong** · May 4, 2002 09:55

Husain,

thanks for your input.

In the past, I have heard of many people making it big as an affiliate... refer to the article below...
http://www.workz.com/content/1774.asp

But is it a thing of the past now?
Can one really make a living as an professional affiliate? ...no matter whether one is marketing for one or more affiliate programs....

But logically speaking, with pay-per-click dying, pay-per-sale should be even more popular now...
Just like to hear some comments from experienced affiliates out there....

It appears to me that nobody else seems interested to comment on this topic...
Either the situation is really bad... or the established affiliate marketeers are really too busy making tons of money to comment.

**aspen** · May 4, 2002 10:31

If you have enough traffic and you do it right you can. See the article in my sig.

**Husain** · May 4, 2002 10:53

Originally posted by bongGbong
It appears to me that nobody else seems interested to comment on this topic...
Either the situation is really bad... or the established affiliate marketeers are really too busy making tons of money to comment.

I hope this is not the case!

Originally posted by aspen
If you have enough traffic and you do it right you can.

I agree with you, but I feel you still would not earn enough to make a living. Affiliates should never be your main source of income. At least that is how I feel.

**aspen** · May 4, 2002 12:43

I make about as much as a starting public school teacher from affiliates.

**bongGbong** · May 5, 2002 00:12

Chris...

See the article in my sig.

That's a great article you got there... Thanks.. it is very informative...

I make about as much as a starting public school teacher from affiliates.

Seriously speaking... I have no idea how much that would be... because I am not from USA nor UK....

Does a starting public school teacher have a 6 figure income?

One more question... are you saying "make... from affiliates"? or "make... as an affiliate"?
Because I believe there is a difference here... making money from affiliates would mean that you are the one operating the affiliate program...and making money as an affiliate (which is what i am refering to..
) would mean that you are the one joining the affiliate programs...

Husain....

but I feel you still would not earn enough to make a living. Affiliates should never be your main source of income. At least that is how I feel.

The fact is there are still some websites that claim that affiliates are earning quite good money from their programs.... Therefore I just like to find out what is reality...

**johnn** · May 5, 2002 00:37

It depends on each state. I think the average salary for starting public teacher is around $40,000 a year.

**bongGbong** · May 5, 2002 01:51

Personally, I feel that is good money...
Way to go Chris!

Hope you will tell us more of your secrets in your articles next time.

**aspen** · May 5, 2002 06:15

heh, those are some rich public schools, teachers where I'm from don't make close to that. I make more like the equivalent of $10 an hour if it was a full time 40 hour a week job.

Also its as an affiliate.

**mjames** · May 5, 2002 09:48

Unfortunately, I haven't had any moderate success with affiliate programs - I've tried selling sports magazines, books, shirts, etc. My revenue comes from advertising, not affiliates.

**eljefe3** · May 6, 2002 02:42

There are many affiliates who are doing really well in competitive industries. Just scan the yahoo what's new sites in the area below and look over the past week or two of submissions to this page http://dir.yahoo.com/new_additions/20020501/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/

Once you see a pattern you will also see which areas are making good $$ for affiliates. Two areas in particular are the Financial Services and Health areas on these pages. I know of a number of affiliate/SEO people who are doing well over 10K per month in earned commissions.

**bongGbong** · May 7, 2002 10:00

eljefe3...

I choose to believe you!
Judging from the current results of my poll, there are still a number of affiliates who are satisfied with what they earn... even though they are not the majority, the number is still significant...

Hope there will be more experienced affiliates posting their views here...

Thanks!

**maxitel** · May 8, 2002 18:25

Originally posted by eljefe3
...<snip>... I know of a number of affiliate/SEO people who are doing well over 10K per month in earned commissions. [/B]

Nice work if you can get it!

Do you know what kind of uniques/day they have? I guess a much better question would be: can you share some of their URLs? I, for one, would be very interested in finding out what it is that they are doing right... and that I'm doing wrong!

**maxitel** · May 8, 2002 18:48

Originally posted by aspen
heh, those are some rich public schools, teachers where I'm from don't make close to that. I make more like the equivalent of $10 an hour if it was a full time 40 hour a week job.

Also its as an affiliate.

All right, I can do the math ;-). Now, if it's not a trade secret, would you mind sharing the number of uniques/day. I feel that may be a little too much to ask, but, man, I'm dying to know!!!

**eljefe3** · May 8, 2002 22:51

>>Now, if it's not a trade secret, would you mind sharing the number of uniques/day. I feel that may be a little too much to ask, but, man, I'm dying to know!!!

In the area that makes the biggest $$ that I know of, the average per unique visitor is $1.50 so if you do the math that adds up to 6,667 visitors per month for 10K. Mind you this is on extremely targetted traffic.

**aspen** · May 9, 2002 07:33

Originally posted by maxitel

All right, I can do the math ;-). Now, if it's not a trade secret, would you mind sharing the number of uniques/day. I feel that may be a little too much to ask, but, man, I'm dying to know!!!

My sites in total get around 50,000 impressions a day (probably around 10,000 uniques) - but that should drop by about 30% in june-aug because my one site is tied very closely to the school year.

**Silverado4x4** · May 9, 2002 20:51

When I had my joke website, I earned a living (for a teen, that is).

It's not too hard to make a living as an affiliate, you just have to play your cards right.

In fact, I personally know of one person who makes an incredibly nice living with 4-5 million uniques monthly.

And as someone once said...
"Advertising isn't going dying...it's getting smarter."

**eljefe3** · May 9, 2002 21:12

Psstt Silverado4x4, please check your pm.

**bongGbong** · May 12, 2002 01:52

Originally posted by Silverado4x4
In fact, I personally know of one person who makes an incredibly nice living with 4-5 million uniques monthly.

wow! 4-5 million uniques monthly? how does this guy do it?

**bongGbong** · May 16, 2002 20:05

Hi Everybody,

if you were to look at the poll results...
you will notice that about 10% who voted felt that their income from being an affiliate is FANTASTIC!
Looks like there's still hope in the world after all.

Isn't it similar in the brick and mortar business world? where only 1 out of 10 business will make it?

Let's hope that those 10% who felt it was fantastic are not mischievous people voting for the opposite...trying to trick the rest of us

**tmax** · May 21, 2002 13:57

Hi BongGBong - could you post that article you were talking about if you have it? The article has been moved from the link you posted. Thanks....

tmax

**Azam.net** · May 21, 2002 15:42

We are in the category of 'dying' which 45.16% of people have currently selected. We sure as hell are not on most of our sites with the pitiful amount of commission offered by most affiliate programs and the collapse in rates offered by banner networks!

**bongGbong** · May 24, 2002 04:58

Originally posted by tmax
Hi BongGBong - could you post that article you were talking about if you have it? The article has been moved from the link you posted. Thanks....

tmax

Sorry tmax... they have taken the whole website down since... supposedly to be relaunched soon... I do not have any copies of it with me...

However, if I come across that article again... will notify you...

Cheers

**SWD** · May 24, 2002 14:57

Originally posted by Silverado4x4
When I had my joke website, I earned a living (for a teen, that is).

It's not too hard to make a living as an affiliate, you just have to play your cards right.

In fact, I personally know of one person who makes an incredibly nice living with 4-5 million uniques monthly.

And as someone once said...
"Advertising isn't going dying...it's getting smarter."

I know that guy