How to get started with affiliate marketing on YouTube

Imagine chilling on your sofa, watching the latest music videos on YouTube with half an eye, while your bank account fills up. Sounds too good to be true? Then I have news for you: With affiliate marketing on YouTube, you can do just that – Even without millions of subscribers.

We’ve all heard it before: “Make money while you sleep”.

But how exactly does it actually work?

And no, you don’t need to be a prodigy or have superhuman abilities.

All you need is a pinch of determination, a dose of passion, and the right guidance, and you’re ready to hit the ground running with affiliate marketing on YouTube.

In this article, we’ll learn together how to build your YouTube empire and make money with affiliate marketing. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started. Ah by the way, speaking of coffee, you really need to try a Greek Freddo Cappucino – it’s simply divine.

But ok, here we go!

How Affiliate Marketing Works: Basics

If you know me and my blog, you’re already very familiar with affiliate marketing and can skip this paragraph. But if you’re new here, here are the basics you should know about affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is basically a type of partnership.

You enter into an agreement with a company and become their “affiliate” or partner. This company gives you a special link or code to place on your website. Every time someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you get a commission. Simple, right?

So, here again are all the components of affiliate marketing:

• The Affiliate: this is the company that offers the product or service you want to promote.
• The affiliate: that’s you! You are the one promoting the product or service and placing the special link on your website.
• The customer: this is the person who clicks on your link and makes a purchase.
• The commission: This is the amount you earn every time someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase.

To put it in a nutshell:

Imagine you’re the middleman in a transaction. You connect customers to products or services and get rewarded for it. It’s a bit like being rewarded for playing matchmaker – only without the awkward blind dates and failed love stories.

It may sound simple – and it basically is – but to be successful it requires commitment, diligence and of course a website or platform where you can do your affiliate marketing.

Youtube as a platform for your affiliate marketing

I’m usually a big fan of affiliate websites, blogs where I promote different products as an affiliate and earn my living with it since 2017.

However, with the technological advancement and the affiliate revolution, Youtube is becoming more and more interesting for affiliates, no one can deny that.

That’s why in the following, we’ll take a look at how to make money online with Youtube and affiliate marketing.

Find your niche and create an attractive Youtube affiliate channel

YouTube is a powerful tool and should be in every affiliate marketer’s arsenal. Especially since Youtube shorts have been around.

It has the potential to get your message out to millions of people around the world – provided you can create an attractive YouTube channel that gets people to watch your videos(and click on your affiliate links).

The first thing tu should do even before designing your channel is to choose a niche in which you want to operate. Since it’s beyond the scope of this post, I won’t go into it, you can read all the details about finding a niche here.

After you have a niche and a product you want to promote, you should make your channel appealing.

Your YouTube channel images, including your profile picture and banner image, should be consistent and represent your brand. They should be clean, professional, and appealing – something that encourages people to click on your channel and find out more.

Fill your channel with content

Next, you should create high-quality videos. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people overlook this detail.

Your videos should be informative, engaging, and entertaining, and with each video you should try to add value for your viewers. Remember that not everyone browsing YouTube is looking for a product, so make sure your content is also educational and/or entertaining – depending on the niche you’re in, of course.

Tip: If you want to build a pure YouTube affiliate account, it’s better to choose niches that come with some purchase intention. Pure entertainment channels are more suitable for advertising revenue than affiliate marketing. And remember that the number of subscribers you have has nothing to do with affiliate revenue. I know channels with 300 views per video that earn 5 figures.

Once you have created your channel and also the first videos are ready, you should slowly post your first Youtube affiliate marketing links.

Attention: Since recently Youtube does not allow to post links in the short video descriptions or comments. But this doesn’t mean that affiliate marketing on Youtube is dead. Instead you have the possibility to highlight up to 5 links on your Youtube channel page. Kind of like what you would do on an Instagram profile.

The key to successful affiliate marketing Youtube is patience and dedication. It takes time to create a YouTube channel that is attractive and interesting enough to attract a large number of viewers. But if you’re willing to put in the work, you can use YouTube to build a profitable business that strives for your success.

Affiliate marketing on YouTube without getting in front of the camera.

Up to this point, everything is clear. but what if you don’t want to show yourself in front of the camera at all?

Well, that’s not a problem at all these days either. You can easily pull up a very successful Youtube channel without ever having to go in front of the kemera.

Here are some ways you can do that:

• Voice-over videos: The good news is that not every video has to be built around you being seen on camera. You can get away with voice-over videos. These are basically videos where you explain or comment on something and broadcast images, clips or animations to go with it. Simply put, people hear your voice but don’t see your face.
• Animation videos: There are many tools available today that make it easy to create professional animation videos. You don’t even have to stand in front of the camera as the animation takes over. It could be a wonderful way for you to implement affiliate marketing YouTube strategies effectively.
• Screen capture videos: Another way to stay away from the camera is screen capture videos. You can simply record your screen while doing something on the computer. This could be a software demo or tutorial, for example. It’s a great way to show viewers stuff without having to stick your head in the camera.
• Use voice actors or AI: It’s also an option to have someone else record the video for you. You could hire a professional voice actor or even let an AI do the voice-over. Elevenlabs, for example, is a particularly affordable tool for this.

Please remember that creating YouTube videos where you don’t show your face still requires a lot of work. You have to write the script, edit the video and of course make sure that your affiliate marketing YouTube link is well placed or you also point out exactly where the link is.

But with patience and dedication, you can build a strong YouTube presence even if you’re not ready to be on camera. And who knows? Maybe it will turn out to be your hidden talent!

Compelling storytelling and content creation for affiliate marketing on YouTube.

It’s no secret that stories have a powerful effect. They captivate us, stimulate our imagination, and make us see the world from a different perspective. And that’s exactly what we want when we try to create compelling content for our affiliate marketing on YouTube.

We need to not only inform our audience, but also entertain and engage them – and storytelling is a fantastic way to do just that – that’s just how YouTube works.

Instead of just listing facts and figures about a product or service, we should be telling a story that engages our audience and shows them why they should care.

Let’s take an example

You’re making an affiliate marketing video for a new piece of fitness equipment.

You could just say, “This thing has great features x, y, and z, and it’s only €59.99!”

Or you could tell a story: “I’ve always been a big fan of fitness, but I was having trouble finding the motivation to go to the gym every day. Then I discovered this great fitness equipment that has helped me stay in shape and motivated, all from the comfort of my own home! And the best part is that it only costs €59.99!”

See the difference?

By using storytelling, you’re building a connection with your viewers. You show them that you understand their concerns and interests, and you help them visualize how the product or service you’re promoting can improve their lives.

Creating content this way isn’t always easy. It requires creativity, empathy, and a good understanding of who your audience is and what they want. But if you can manage to use these skills and tell stories that really resonate with your audience, you can create really successful affiliate marketing videos.

So, get out the pen (or more accurately, the keyboard) and let the creative juices flow! I promise it will be worth it.

6 Useful Video Production Tips for Those Who Want to Get in Front of the Camera

Being in front of the camera for the first time is a nerve-wracking experience. Whether it’s personal or professional. But don’t worry, with a few handy tips, you’ll feel like a pro in no time.

Tip 1: Know your script

The better you know your script, the more confident you’ll feel in front of the camera. You don’t have to memorize it word for word, but you should know what you want to say and in what order. This will help you avoid embarrassing stutters and long pauses.

Tip 2: Practice in front of a mirror

If you’re not used to speaking on camera, it can help to practice in front of a mirror. Look yourself in the eye and practice speaking naturally. You’ll be surprised how much it helps you feel more confident!

Tip 3: Make sure you have good light

Good lighting can make the difference between an amateur and professional looking video. Try to work with natural light or invest in some inexpensive lighting equipment. A well-lit face is just more pleasant to look at and makes you look more professional.

Tip 4: Invest in good audio

The audio is just as important as the image. Make sure you have a good microphone and that there is no background noise to drown out your words.

Tip 5: Be yourself

The most important thing when making a video is to be yourself. Viewers are much more likely to follow an authentic person than someone who is trying to be something they are not. Admittedly, it took me a while to get rid of my nervous laugh and my weird habit of saying “uh” all the time, too. But at the end of the day, you are your own brand, so be proud of it!

Tip 6: Take frequent breaks.

This may seem counterproductive, but actually taking breaks while filming can be your best friend. They give you time to think and prevent you from talking too fast, which could lead to viewer confusion.

Working in front of the camera can be daunting at first, but it gets easier with practice and patience. Remember, no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. So keep your head up, smile, and have fun doing it – because if you’re having fun doing what you’re doing, that will translate to your viewers!

How to gain more views and subscribers through search engine optimization (SEO).

I can see you rolling your eyes at this one. But yes, SEO does exist on YouTube. And especially if you want to do affiliate marketing on Youtube.

SEO, is namely a powerful tool that can help you increase the visibility of your YouTube channel and gain more views and subscribers.

But how can you use it for your affiliate marketing Youtube?

Basically, SEO is a set of strategies and techniques designed to make your content more attractive to search engines.

If you do it right, these techniques can result in your videos ranking higher in search results and more people finding and watching them.

Here are some basic SEO techniques you can use to draw attention to your channel:

• Keywords: keywords are the words and phrases people type into search when they are looking for something. By using relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags, you can help search engines understand your content and show it to the right people.
• Description: The description of your video is the perfect place to tell more about your video and include relevant keywords. Make sure you pack your description full of relevant information, but be careful not to spam.
• Thumbnail: An appealing thumbnail can get people to click on your video when they see it in search results. Try to use an eye-catching image and add some short, meaningful text that lets viewers know what to expect.
• Subtitles: subtitles can help make your videos more accessible to a wider audience and can also improve your SEO. Make sure your subtitles are accurate and include relevant keywords.
• Social Sharing: Share your videos on social media and encourage others to do the same. The more people who share your video, the more exposure it will receive, which can lead to higher search rankings.

Good SEO practices can help you stand out from the crowd and give your YouTube channel a boost.

It’s definitely something you should include in your affiliate marketing YouTube strategy. And remember, SEO is not a one-time thing – you need to constantly work on and adjust your strategy to get the best results.

Read here why you should definitely learn SEO if you’re an affiliate.

Strategies to monetize YouTube channels through affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing on YouTube is an easy and effective way to monetize your channel. Namely, you can start making money online with your first subscriber and you don’t have to rely on YouTube’s affiliate program.

But as with anything else, it requires the right strategy to be successful. Below you will find some effective techniques that can help you get the most out of your affiliate marketing efforts.

Choose the right products: Determine which products or services are most relevant to your audience. There’s no point in promoting a product that has nothing to do with your channel’s content. Instead, choose products or services that fit seamlessly into your content and offer real value to your viewers.

Use the video content to showcase the product: Instead of just putting an affiliate link in the video description, you can also use the video itself to showcase the product or service. Show how it works, share your personal experience with it, and explain why it might be useful to your viewers.

Be transparent about your affiliate links: Most people appreciate honesty and transparency. So inform your viewers that the links you provide are affiliate links. This can help build trust while preventing you from breaking any rules or regulations.

Optimize your videos for SEO: As we discussed earlier, improving the SEO of your videos can help drive more views and clicks to your affiliate links.

Promote buying through your link: This can be done by offering exclusive discounts or bonuses that are only available through your link. You could also include a call-to-action at the end of the video that encourages viewers to click on your link.

Ultimately, affiliate marketing on YouTube comes down to adding value to your viewers while promoting products and services that will earn you a commission.

With the right products, a well thought out strategy, and a little hard work, you can secure a significant amount of extra income.

It’s like bowling – it may be difficult to knock down all the pins at first, but with a little practice you’ll soon be landing strike after strike!

Case studies of successful YouTubers who use affiliate marketing

Let’s take a look at some inspiring examples of YouTubers who have effectively used affiliate marketing YouTube to monetize their channel.

It’s always good to get some tips and tricks from the pros, right?

• Linus Tech Tips: Linus Sebastian is the owner of the Linus Tech Tips channel, which has over 10 million subscribers and specializes in high-tech products, especially computer hardware. Linus links his honest and thorough product reviews to affiliate links to earn commissions. His easy-going style and expertise make him very credible to his viewers, which certainly helps him get more clicks on his affiliate links.
• Think Media: Sean Cannell, the man behind Think Media, is another great example of how to use affiliate marketing on YouTube. His channel offers video production advice and equipment recommendations, and he uses his videos to promote affiliate products. In addition to adding affiliate links to his video descriptions, he often does detailed reviews and tutorials that show how to use the products he promotes.
• The Health Nerd: This fitness channel uses a clever approach to affiliate marketing. Each post contains science-based tips for healthy living and fitness exercises, and at the end of all videos there are direct affiliate links to recommended fitness equipment or health-related products. And guess what? No one is in front of the camera on this channel, it’s run completely faceless!

What all these successful YouTubers have in common is that they create authentic content that adds value to their viewers. By promoting products that are relevant to their audience, and by providing honest and thorough reviews of those products, they are able to build trust with their viewers while generating revenue through their affiliate links.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved – for the viewers who receive helpful information and product suggestions, for the YouTubers who generate revenue by referring customers, and for the companies who sell their products.

Conclusion

So that’s it, a jam-packed journey into the world of affiliate marketing on YouTube. I hope this guide has given you a deeper insight into the many aspects and opportunities of affiliate marketing YouTube and spurred motivation to tackle it yourself.

It’s a fascinating field that requires a mix of creativity, strategy and technique, and when done right, it can be quite rewarding.

In summary, affiliate marketing on YouTube isn’t just about simply putting a link in the video description. It’s about creating quality, relevant content that is authentic and adds real value to your viewers.

And don’t forget to use SEO techniques to make sure your videos are seen by the right people. With patience, dedication, and a touch of humor and charm, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an affiliate marketing YouTube master.