If your target audience is webmasters.......

[Onyxline]

Well, i'm a webmaster with a site who caters to the "cash opportunity" of the internet. I use an affiliate program, as well as my own message board for members. I also have a banner exchange for all to use.

What i'm trying to get at is this...they all have there ups and downs. I have had a little traffic from the banner exchange, almost no traffic on my message board, but a lot from my affiliate program. I think affiliate programs are the key. Most people joining these such programs will advertise their heart out if A. they like your site's content, opportunity, etc. and B. It makes it worth their while (ie. they make something).

I have dabbled with safelists, link exchanges, etc. but with no avail. The only true "promotion" technique I trust, is one that I get results from. The one that i get the most results from is start page exchanges. I advertise my affiliate program on start page exchanges, as well as my "whole" site. I get tremendous traffic, and I know someone is actually seeing my page. If they decide to sign-up, join, buy, etc. it will have because they have seen your page, and not just a link or banner (those only offer so much info). Well i'm done now.. I think. I hope my advice has helped.

Check out the startpage exchange I use, you can also earn money with it! (see below)
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[Jeremy W.]

Affiliate links of any kind are illegal on SitePoint. If this was a truly valuable service you were trying to inform us about, a simple link in your post without the affiliate link would have been fine.

Please do not use SitePoint as a method of advertising your affiliate program as it may result in being banned.

[Archbob]

Of course affiliate links work the best, but the point is you have to pay. The other methods are free. I find that reciprocal links and topsites on template pages bring me alot of traffic for my webmaster site. Also traffic comes in from my main site.

[exhale81]

It really depends on the sites, you can't say affiliates links are the only viable solution. For some sites having an affiliate program doesn't bring any visitors.

[w3exit]

Startpages may be good only if they are not trashed with get rich schemes .. almost every other startpage shows one