In this post we are going to go over why your affiliate links may be getting a good amount of clicks, but aren’t converting into sales.

Getting clicks on your affiliate links is exciting… right up until you realise those clicks aren’t actually turning into any sales lol.

The good news here is that if people are clicking your links then they’re obviously interested in what you’re recommending. It means they have read your content, clicked your link and gone to have a proper look at that product… but then haven’t bought anything at the other side.

This is where affiliate marketing can feel a little frustrating initially. Because getting the initial click through is only one part of the process of making money through affiliate marketing.

There are a few things that can get in the way between someone clicking your link and actually deciding to buy whatever it is you are promoting on the other side of that link.

The important thing is that those clicks are telling you people are interested, and interested enough to look at the product more closely, which gives you something to work with.

So let’s get into the most common reasons your affiliate links are getting clicks but no sales, and what you can actually do to turn more of those clicks into real commissions.

Is It Normal To Get Clicks Without Sales?

Yep.

No fluff here lol.

Getting lots of clicks before getting any actual sales is completely normal. Especially when you’re first starting out and you’re still figuring out what works for your audience.

Think about how you shop online yourself. How often do you click on something and immediately buy it without giving it another thought? Probably not that often! May happen occasionally, but not all the time.

Your readers are doing exactly the same thing. They might click your affiliate link because they’re genuinely interested in your recommendation but then:

• Check if they can find it cheaper somewhere else
• Look at a few reviews first
• Save it to come back to later
• Wait until they get paid
• Get distracted and forget all about it
• Decide they don’t want/need it after all

So while seeing those clicks come in is a good sign (of course)… a click doesn’t automatically equal a sale.

There’s usually a little more going on between someone thinking “Ooh, that looks good” and actually purchasing it.

(In part this will of course vary depending on your niche, audience and the price of the recommendations within your links.)

Why People Click Affiliate Links But Don’t Buy

They Were Just Curious

Sometimes people click simply because something has caught their attention and they want to have a nosey at what you’re recommending lol.

They might like the sound of the product, want to check the price or just want a bit more information before deciding whether it’s for them.

We all do this!

They may have absolutely no intention of buying it there and then… and that’s absolutely okay.

Not everyone who clicks an affiliate link is going to be ready to spend money straight away.

They could even come back and buy later once they’ve had time to think about it. So a click without an immediate sale doesn’t necessarily mean your recommendation didn’t work.

Remember that a lot of affiliate links/products have a long cookie period (average 1-90 days) so if someone goes back to that product 2 weeks later and decides to buy it then, you may still get the commission for recommending it initially.

The Product Wasn’t What They Expected

This is one of the easiest mistakes/issues to avoid.

Being 100% transparent about prices, pros, cons, who it’s for etc etc can make a huge difference when it comes to people buying what you are recommending.

Do not try and hide information such as pricing as they will see the price anyway and it just makes you look as if you are hiding it. 

Even if a product is (in your opinion) “expensive”, everyone has a different budget and if it’s worth the cost then THAT is the part that matters.

You want to make sure what you’re saying in your content/about the product actually matches what someone finds when they click your affiliate link and goes through to the product website.

If you’ve made a product sound super affordable and they click through to find it costs $500, they’re probably going to click off and disappear pretty quickly!

Being upfront that something costs $500 and is worth it means only those who are happy with that price are going to click through initially. 

This way you aren’t wasting their (or your own) time.

Plus it stops you looking shady lol.

The same applies to the product features, results, who the product is for or anything else that might have encouraged them to click your link in the first place.

No one product is right for everyone. So don’t act as if it is. Be honest in who it is actually for, as those are the people you are going to get the commission from (potentially).

You don’t need to convince people that a product is something it isn’t, just to get the click. It’s honestly pointless.

Clicks themselves do not pay you. 

Give them a good idea of what to expect beforehand and the people who do click are much more likely to be genuinely interested in buying it. 

THESE are the readers you want clicking through.

They Still Have Questions

Sometimes someone can be interested enough in a product to click your link, but still have questions they want the answers to before they’re actually ready to buy it.

This is where more detailed information/content can really help them.

Try and pre-emptively answer the questions you’d want answered about a product or service before you’d actually commit to spending your own money… and make sure you’re answering/going over as many of them as possible!

The more useful and helpful information you can give someone before they click, the more informed they can feel about deciding whether the product is right for them initially, without having to dig around for the answers they wanted initially.

They Need More Time

Not every affiliate sale is going to happen five minutes after someone clicks your link.

In fact this isn’t the common way it works at all.

Some purchases need a bit more thought, especially if they cost more money, or involve signing up for a subscription.

Someone could click your link today, think about it for a few days and then come back and buy it next week. This is normal and happens a lot.

It could be that they were looking at it late at night and fell asleep and don’t re-find the tab for a few days… anything can happen!

This is also why it’s worth checking the cookie duration for the affiliate programmes you use. As I mentioned above, depending on the programme, you might get commission for a product on a purchase made within:

• 24 hours
• 30 days
• 60 days
• 90 days +

So don’t automatically write off a click just because it didn’t turn into a commission that same day or at that exact moment. That sale could still appear later on for you.

(Or someone could come back and click a second time the following month and then buy… no sales doesn’t mean never, it can also just mean “not now”.)

The Price Put Them Off

Sometimes there isn’t anything else going on other than that they clicked on the link, saw the price and was instantly put off.

If you are transparent about pricing in your content,, this one shouldn’t be as much of an issue. In saying that there are of course still reasons why price would put someone off….

The product was maybe more expensive than they expected/remembered, the price had increased since they last looked, or they literally just can’t justify spending that amount right now.

All are completely valid reasons.

That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your content or even the product itself. They were interested enough to click; the price just wasn’t right for them. And that’s okay.

They know the price for if they decide to make it work, and if not then it wasn’t for them anyway.

Being as clear as possible about costs/pricing can help reduce this as a reason fairly dramatically though.

They Need a Little More Confidence in the Recommendation

Sometimes people are interested in what you’re recommending but they just want a little more information before they’re ready to spend their money on it.

This is where creating genuinely helpful content can make such a difference. 

A mistake people often make is that they will just tell someone a product is great and add their affiliate link with no explanation.

What actually gets conversions and sales is to explain why you recommend it, who you think it’s best for and what you actually like about it.

Go over pros AND cons.

You will be surprised how often the CONS list is the one that sells people on something….

A con about a course could be “it feels too slow/too simple”, yet for some people they maybe prefer a simpler approach/things slowed down a little as that’s how they learn best.

The opposite could also be true for a course that feels fast-paced and over-filled… for a lot of people that would mean it’s not for them. Yet there will be people who LOVE learning that way in which case it is actually perfect for them.

If you’ve used the product yourself, share your own experience. Good and bad. If you haven’t, make sure you’ve done enough research (and trust in the company/product enough) to give your readers real, useful information rather than simply repeating what they could find on the sales page themselves.

The more useful and honest your content is, the more familiar people become with your recommendations too. The more people trust you and your recommendations, that can make clicking that BUY button feel like a much easier decision too.

How To Increase Your Affiliate Sales

Recommend Products You’d Actually Recommend Anyway

One of the easiest ways to make your affiliate content feel more genuine (to you and your readers) is to promote products you’d happily tell someone about even if there wasn’t a monetary commission attached.

That doesn’t mean you have to personally own every single product you ever mention.

Depending on your niche, that wouldn’t always be possible (or affordable!). If (for example) your content is based around lawn mower reviews, there would be no expectation to buy 300 lawn mowers to talk about lol.

But you should know enough about what you’re recommending to understand why those products specifically could be useful to your target audience.

If you’ve used it yourself then even better as people know and can tell.

You can then share what you liked, what you didn’t, how you used it and anything you think someone should or would want to know before buying.

Those little details are often far more useful than simply listing features from the product page lol.

Answer the Questions Someone Might Have Before Buying

If you think about the last time you were considering buying something online. Chances are, you had a few questions you wanted answered before actually buying it lol.

Your readers are obviously no different.

Instead of simply telling them a product is great, give them the information they actually need to decide whether it’s right for them.

Depending on what you’re recommending, they might want to know things like:

• Is it actually worth the money?
• What did you like about it?
• Was there anything you didn’t like?
• Who would you recommend it to?
• Is it easy to use?
• Did it actually do what you expected?
• Would you buy it again?

The idea is simply to answer the questions someone is likely to have before they need to go looking for those answers somewhere else.

As an example… If your content is beauty based, telling someone a lipstick looks nice is great, but what you want to be saying is notes on the colour, texture, longevity, the smell, the packaging, if it bleeds or transfers, how the colour fades down…. Etc etc.

Answer questions BEFORE people have them.

Create Content for People Who Are Already Looking for a Solution 

The type of searches bringing people to your content can make a big difference to your affiliate sales.

For example, someone searching for “What is Semrush?” might only be trying to find out what the tool does.

Someone searching for “Semrush review” or “Semrush vs Keysearch”, on the other hand, probably already knows they need an SEO tool and is now trying to decide which one to use and which one is right for them.

That’s the kind of traffic you want to attract to your affiliate content – the people who are looking to buy, more than those just curious what it is.

The curious people may well come back and buy down the line too – so the more helpful the info the better, but with higher priced products, intent to buy will help speed up your conversions.

When you’re planning new content, think about what someone might be searching for when they’re closer to making the decision to buy.

Another example would be a post called “What Are Running Sneakers?” could be incredibly helpful, but in terms of affiliate clicks, a post called “Best Running Sneakers for Women Over 40” is what people would aim for if they were looking to BUY. Not just for info.

On the topic of keywords… If you’re still getting to grips with keyword research (and how to structure posts like I mentioned above), I’ve also put together a full breakdown of what Semrush is and how bloggers can use it for keyword research, including how it can help you find the best keywords for you and plan content around what people are actually searching for which is half the battle lol. 

Give People a Reason to Come Back

We have talked about this a bit, but someone may find your blog content today without being ready to buy anything, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back when they are ready.

This is why it’s worth creating genuinely helpful content around the topics and products you talk about.

If someone gets a useful answer from one of your posts, clicks through to another and then comes across your blog again later, your site starts becoming somewhere they recognise rather than a page they visited once and immediately forgot about lol.

Having an email list is the ideal option for this because it gives you a way to stay in touch with people who already enjoy your content (or people who want to be able to come back). You can share new posts, send useful tips and bring people back to your blog without relying on them remembering to check for something new.

If you haven’t started your own list yet, I have a full beginner’s guide to email marketing post that takes you through how to get started, build your list and what you can actually send once people subscribe to you.

My own email list is with MailerLite and I genuinely love using it. Especially as you can start out completely for free lol.

I make my emails look how I want them to, setting up forms and automations is nice and straightforward, and I’m not constantly fighting with the platform just to do something simple which would drive me mad lol.

If you’re still deciding which email marketing platform to use, it’s definitely one I’d recommend having a look at.

Don’t Expect Every Click to Turn Into a Sale

Even when you’re doing everything right, you’re never going to see one sale for every affiliate click… and you don’t need to lol.

From Google: “The average click-to-buy affiliate conversion rate typically ranges from 1% to 3%. This means that for every 100 people who click an affiliate link, 1 to 3 complete a purchase.”

This sounds low, but that’s completely normal. Some will do better, some will be slower. 

The more relevant/interested people you get seeing your content, the more will click, the more have the chance to buy.

Do not get discouraged every time you see clicks without commissions. It can be really helpful information.

Which posts are getting the most affiliate clicks? Which products are people most interested in? Are certain links getting clicked far more than others?

Then you can use that information to decide what to work on/update next.

If one product is getting a good amount of clicks, you could create more content around it or add in more information so people are even more informed before clicking to the product page.

If an affiliate post is getting traffic but hardly anyone clicks the links, that shows that your content/links/affiliate info needs updating or rewording.

And – of course – if something is already generating sales, that’s a pretty good sign you should be doing more of whatever worked there lol.

You don’t need every click to convert. This will never happen. Do not expect it to lol. You need to keep growing the amount of readers on your blog, updating helpful info, and then that can improve what happens between someone finding your content/the product and deciding to buy for themselves.

What’s Actually Working for Me

One thing I’ve found really useful with affiliate marketing is paying attention to which products and posts are already getting the most interest/clicks.

When I look through my own dashboards, there are naturally some links that get a lot more clicks than others. Often the higher click through rate the higher the conversion rate – but not always!

Rather than constantly looking for something new to promote, I use that information to work out what my readers are interested in and where it might be worth creating more, or updating, content.

Here are a few examples of how I’m currently using affiliate links across my own blog: 

• BSL Courses – which I recommend in my Perfecting Blogging Course Review
• HostGator – which you can find in my HostGator Review
• SemRush – which I talk about in my What is Semrush? post
• Shopify – where you can find ALL the ins and outs in my Shopify Post

If you’re already getting affiliate clicks or sales, have a look through your own analytics/numbers and see if you can spot any patterns.

You might find that one particular product gets far more attention than you thought, or that a certain type of post sends more people to your affiliate links.

You don’t always need to keep finding new products to promote. Sometimes there’s a lot more you can do with the ones that are already getting results!

Should You Remove Affiliate Links That Aren’t Converting?

This is a slightly trickier one to answer as it will depend on a few factors.

If an affiliate link is getting clicks but hasn’t made you any money yet, I wouldn’t remove it. The fact it’s getting clicks is important info. It’s more likely that there is a disconnect between your content, the reader’s expectations and the product itself.

Have a look at what you could improve around the link before deciding to remove it!

It’s also worth remembering that different products can have completely different buying journeys for people (on average).

A $10 product is a very different decision from signing up for a $400 course or paying for software every month.

Some products are also more popular at certain times of the year. So comparing every affiliate link purely by how quickly it makes a sale won’t always tell you much unless you look at overall numbers over a long period of time.

If something is getting regular clicks, I’d take that as a reason to investigate and improve it before removing it!

If a link is new and hasn’t had a good chance to gain traction, that’s also a reason to leave it alone. 

On the other hand if you have links where you have lost trust/faith in the product, you prefer a different product, links have sat there for months with ZERO clicks etc then yes, absolutely remove them.

You can update your content and swap your links out for better/more relevant product links and then assess how those do.

Turning Those Affiliate Clicks Into More Sales

Getting the click initially is actually a pretty important part of the process.

Your reader has noticed and liked your recommendation and they’re interested in it and they’ve chosen to find out more/look to potentially buying it.

So if the sales aren’t following your clicks yet, don’t automatically assume the affiliate link isn’t working. 

Make sure you’re recommending products that make sense for your content and audience, answer the questions someone is likely to have before buying and give them enough useful information to decide whether the product is actually right for them.

You can also look at which of your posts, products and links are getting the most attention/people are finding the most helpful, and use that to help you decide what to focus on next in terms of products and content.

Remember, you don’t need every single person who clicks an affiliate link to buy something. It won’t happen lol.

You want the people who genuinely want or need what you’re recommending to feel happy clicking through and spending their money after trusting your word.

Those clicks (without sales) aren’t something to write off. They’re proof that you’ve already got people interested… and now you can work on turning more of that interest into commissions!

Speak soon!

Katherine

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The post Affiliate Links Getting Clicks But No Sales? Try These Simple Fixes appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post we are going to go over Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) to simplify it.

If you’re new to blogging or making money online, there’s a high chance you’ve seen people talking about email marketing.

You’’ have heard people say that it’s one of the best ways to grow your business.

Apparently “the money is in the email list.”

Apparently you should start building one as soon as possible.

Great…

But then what? 

Because most people tell you that you need an email list, but they don’t really explain what happens after that lol.

How do people actually get subscribers onto their list?

What are you supposed to send once someone signs up?

And do you really need all these fancy automations, systems and funnels everyone keeps talking about?

When I first looked into email marketing, it felt like one of those things that everyone else seemed to understand apart from me lol.

The good news is that it really isn’t as complicated as it sounds.

Once you strip away all the confusing email marketing jargon, it’s actually pretty straightforward. And you definitely don’t need a huge audience or loads of complicated systems or automations to get started.

In this post, I’ll show you how email marketing works, how to start your first email list, what to send your subscribers, and why it’s one of the best things you can do if you’re looking to grow a blog or online business.

Let’s get into Email Marketing for Beginners.

What Is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is as simple as it sounds. You market your content to your audience via emails.

The easiest way to think about email marketing is this…

Someone enjoys your blog, freebie, or content enough to give you their email address because they’d like to hear from you again.

From there, you simply send them emails every so often depending on your business/strategy.

That’s it.

It doesn’t have to be daily.

It doesn’t have to be complicated.

And it definitely doesn’t need loads of fancy automations when you’re just getting started. 

I had my email list for months before even thinking about setting up automations.

The reason so many bloggers and online business owners recommend building an email list is because it gives you a way to stay in touch with people who’ve already shown an interest in what you do.

It means you have a “direct” line of communication with people who are already interested in your content/products/ideas.

Think about how many times you’ve visited a website, read one blog post, then completely forgotten it existed a few days later.

We’ve all done it

But if you’d joined that website’s email list, there’s a good chance you’d have gone back the next time they sent an email.

That’s why having your own email list can be so valuable.

Instead of hoping someone remembers to come back, you’ve got a way of reaching people directly whenever you’ve got something you want to share.

Maybe that’s some information, a new product, a blog post, a YouTube video, a special offer/discount, a course, a new service, or simply something you think your audience will find useful.

It’s one of the few things online that you actually own, which is why so many bloggers see it as such an important part of growing their business.

Social media accounts can get deactivated or banned, whereas you own your email list so always have that line of communication with your audience.

Why Is Email Marketing Important?

At first, it can be easy to wonder whether you even need an email list.

After all, if you’ve got a website, social media account, YouTube channel, or online shop, you’d assume that surely people can just find you there?

The problem is that people are busy.

They might enjoy your content today, then completely forget to come back next week.

Or they close your website/socials and forget your name/business name and can’t then find you even if they do remember.

Not because they didn’t like it…

…but because life gets in the way.

An email list gives you a simple way to stay in touch with the people who have already shown an interest in what you do.

This means that instead of hoping someone stumbles across your website or social media again, you can let them know when you’ve got something new to share and they don’t have to go looking for you.

That could be a new blog post, or maybe you’ve added a new product to your shop or maybe you’re launching a course, running a sale, uploading a new YouTube video, or sharing something you think your audience will genuinely find useful etc etc.

Whatever your business looks like, an email list helps you keep that connection going. And in such a simple way.

And over time, those connections can become one of the most valuable parts of growing an online business.

It’s really not a step to be skipped!

Step 1: Choose An Email Marketing Platform

Before you can start building an email list, you’ll need an email marketing platform.

This is simply the online website/tool that stores your subscribers’ email addresses and lets you send emails to them. It’s also where you’ll create signup forms, pop ups, set up automations (if you want to), keep everything organised and where you can check your analytics so you can see what’s working best.

There are quite a few email marketing platforms out there, including:

• MailerLite
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
• Mailchimp

The good news is that you don’t need to spend hours comparing every single one lol. They all do a very similar job, so the best one is usually the one you find easiest to use and is the one that fits your needs/budget the best.

Personally, I (still) use MailerLite because I found it really straightforward to set up, it’s really beginner-friendly, and it has everything I need without feeling complicated.

It’s also completely free to start on a starter plan and so easy to upgrade when your list grows/you feel like you want more features which is what I did in time.

Get Started On MailerLite Here

Step 2: Create A Freebie (Lead Magnet)

The next step is giving people a reason to join your email list.

This is why a lead magnet is so important…

If someone lands on your website for the first time, they probably don’t know you yet.

Asking them to hand over their email address without getting anything in return can be a bit of a big ask lol.

That’s where a freebie comes in.

A freebie (often called a lead magnet) is simply something helpful that people receive when they sign up to your email list.

It doesn’t need to be complicated or take weeks to create either.

You can get PLR products that are already pre-done which is an easy option.

Some popular freebie lead magnet ideas include things like:

• Checklists
• E-books
• Templates
• Content prompts
• Printables
• Planners
• Resource lists

The best freebies solve one small problem or help someone achieve something quickly.

For example, if you teach blogging, you could create a blog launch checklist. (This is exactly what my first one was and it did really well.)

If you help people with social media/marketing, you could give away a month’s worth of content ideas.

If you sell digital products, you could offer a free planner or template etc etc.

The goal isn’t to create the biggest freebie possible or anything hugely complicated lol.

It’s simply to give someone something genuinely useful that makes them think, “wow that was really helpful.”

Step 3: Create An Opt-In Form

Now that you’ve made/got your freebie, you need a way for people to actually sign up for it.

This is where an opt-in form comes in.

This can have a variety of different looks, but basically an opt-in form is simply a form where someone enters their name and email address to join your email list and receive your freebie.

This could be on a landing page, an embedded box, a pop up, a banner etc etc.

Often email marketing platforms (such as Mailerlite) make these really easy to create so you don’t need any coding or technical experience.

You can add your signup form to places like:

• Blog posts
• Your homepage
• Landing pages
• Pop-ups
• Resource pages

Etc etc!

They are really customisable too no matter which option/options you choose to go with. Plus you can start/stop them at any time.

The main thing is making it easy for people to find as people will rarely go looking for it.

If someone has to go searching for your signup form, there’s a good chance (as in, pretty much 100% chance lol) that they will leave your site before they ever find it.

Placing it somewhere really obvious/visible gives people the opportunity to join your email list whenever they’re ready to do so.

This could be for updates from you, or that they want your freebie/lead magnet. And sometimes people can see a pop up 10+ times before deciding to sign up, so having it in an obvious place helps with conversion rates.

The main thing to keep in mind is to make it easy to find.

A clear, easy-to-find signup form removes any extra friction/confusion and makes it much more likely they’ll subscribe which is a win for both you and the reader. 

Step 4: Set Up A Welcome Sequence

Once someone’s joined your email list, it’s a good idea to have a few emails ready to send to them.

This is usually called a welcome sequence/automation, but don’t let the name put you off lol.

It’s basically just a series of emails that are automatically sent to new subscribers over the next few days or weeks.

That way, everyone gets the same warm welcome without you having to send each email yourself to each new subscriber.

A simple welcome sequence might look something like this:

Email 1

• Deliver your freebie to their email
• Welcome your new subscriber
• Introduce yourself and what they can expect from your emails

Email 2

• Share some of your most helpful content or resources

Email 3

• Answer a common question or share a useful tip

Email 4

• Recommend a product, service, tool, or resource that you genuinely think they’ll find helpful

The idea isn’t to sell something in every email. Email marketing is connection first.

It’s really just to help new subscribers get to know you, understand what you do, and give them a reason to keep opening your emails in the future.

What Should You Actually Send?

This is probably the question I see people ask the most. Understandably lol.

“Okay… I’ve got people on my email list now. What do I actually send them?” 

The main thing to remember is that your emails don’t need to be long, complicated, or perfectly written.

Often some of the best emails are the simplest ones.

If you’re ever stuck for ideas, here are a few ideas of content topics you can send to your list:

Let People Know About New Content

Published a new blog post? Uploaded a YouTube video? Released a podcast episode?

Send your subscribers an email to let them know!

Remember that people have signed up because they (yes, wanted the freebie) but also because they wanted to hear from you or they would have unsubscribed lol, so don’t be afraid to share what you’ve been working on.

Share Helpful Tips

Not every email needs to promote something.

Not every email should promote something.

For some emails you can just share something like a quick/useful tip, or answer a commonly asked question, or teach your audience something useful they maybe don’t already know/need reminding of.

Those kinds of emails help build trust and give people a reason to keep opening your emails rather than thinking you are selling to them in every email.

Share Personal Stories

People love hearing about real experiences.

You could talk about a lesson you’ve learned, a mistake you made, something that’s worked well for you, or even something you’re currently trying to improve. Anything along those lines always goes down well.

These types of emails often feel more personal and help your audience get to know you a little better which is a nice connection to have.

Recommend Products Or Resources

If you’ve found a tool, product, or resource that you genuinely use and love, tell people about it.

Whether it’s an affiliate recommendation or simply something that’s made your life easier, your audience will usually appreciate recommendations that are honest and genuinely helpful.

Doesn’t have to be salesy or pushy or a high-ticket item, just something genuinely useful that you really do use and love and feel your readers may love too.

Share Free Resources

If you have made/bought a new checklist, template, guide, printable, or free download etc etc, you can share this with your readers too as your email list is a great place to let people know about it first.

Not only does it give your subscribers something else that’s valuable, but it also gives them another reason to stay subscribed.

(It also saves them putting their email in again to get a new freebie when they are already on the list.)

How Often Should You Email Your List?

One of the most popular questions people usually ask (after why they need a list and how to grow their list) is then how often they should email their subscribers.

And honestly, there isn’t really a right or wrong answer I can give you.

Some businesses send emails every day.

Others send one a week.

Some only need or want to email their readers a couple of times a month.

It literally depends on you, your business and what you are looking to get from it.

The important thing isn’t trying to copy someone else’s schedule. It’s choosing one that works for you or it won’t work lol.

If you know you’ll struggle to write and send three emails every week, don’t set yourself that target initially.

It’s much better to send one helpful email every week than to send loads of emails for a couple of weeks, get overwhelmed, and stop altogether.

Start with a schedule/target that feels manageable for you.

As you get more comfortable with email marketing and get quicker at it (or have more you want to share), you can always increase how often you email your list later on.

The main thing is showing up consistently so your subscribers know they can expect to hear from you, no matter what your emailing schedule looks like.

Common Email Marketing Mistakes

When you’re first getting started with email marketing, it’s so easy to overthink everything.

Here are a few mistakes I see people make all the time (and a couple I’ve definitely been guilty of myself lol).

Waiting Too Long To Start

A lot of people put off starting an email list because they think they need more traffic, more experience, or more content first.

The reality is, you can start any time, and you may well be surprised how fast you get your first sign ups.

Even if only a handful of people join your list at first, it’s much easier to grow it over time than to wish you’d started months ago.

It also means you can get your own confidence up in your email marketing platform and get used to sending emails when your list is a lot smaller so isn’t as scary lol.

With platforms like Mailerlite (the one I still use), their beginner plan is free anyway so costs nothing to start early.

Only Emailing When You’re Selling Something

This is one that’s easy to fall into when you are promoting genuinely good products that you WANT to recommend. But you need to be careful with it. 

Imagine only hearing from a friend when they wanted something…

It would feel a bit off-putting. And your email list works in a similar way.

To avoid this you can mix in helpful tips, updates, stories, or free but useful tools alongside any products or services you recommend.

It helps your reputation, helps your audience more and mixes it up a bit to get a higher chance of more people opening your emails. 

Trying To Make Every Email Perfect

Trying to make every email perfect is something we all do but will make your emails take a lot longer to write and send. 

It’s really easy to spend ages rewriting the same email over and over trying to make it perfect.

The thing to remember is though that your subscribers aren’t expecting perfection.

They know it’s a real person behind the emails (which is the point), so expect that human touch.

They’re often much more interested in receiving something genuinely helpful than reading the world’s most perfectly written email lol.

Expecting Results Overnight

Just like blogging, Pinterest, YouTube, or pretty much anything else online, email marketing takes time.

Your email list will most likely take a bit of time to grow. And that’s completely normal.

Flukes can happen and of course if you have more experience then it may grow quicker but on the whole, it takes time.

If you focus on showing up consistently and really helping your audience then your list will grow naturally over time.

Final Thoughts on Email Marketing for Beginners

If you’ve been putting off starting an email list because it all sounded a bit confusing, I hope this has made it feel a little simpler to get started!

You really don’t need a huge audience in the early days.

You certainly don’t need loads of fancy automations on day 1.

And you definitely don’t need to have everything figured out before you start.

Just choose an email marketing platform that’s easy to use, create a simple freebie, and start building your list, one subscriber at a time.

You’ll probably be surprised how quickly those first few subscribers start adding up!

Then you can always upgrade and add fancier downloads and automations as your list grows.

Hopefully you’re feeling a little more confident about getting started. If you’re ready to take that first step in building your own list, you can sign up here:

MailerLite Plans

Speak soon!

Katherine

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In this post we are going to go over Pinterest Marketing for Beginners in 2026.

Pinterest is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to driving free traffic to your site, but only if you use it properly.

If you’ve ever tried using Pinterest for traffic and felt like absolutely nothing is happening… you’re definitely not the only one.

A lot of people start posting pins (sometimes even really consistently), and then get so confused when the clicks just don’t come.

It’s not because Pinterest doesn’t work. 

It’s usually because it’s being used like social media, when it’s actually a search engine.

This means it works differently and looks for different content, to show to a different audience to social media platforms.

People go on there looking for ideas, inspo and answers.

This means that if your pins/content are set up properly from the start, it can keep bringing in traffic long after you’ve posted it as people can still search for those things years down the line

And that’s what makes it so powerful!

In this post I’m going to walk you through Pinterest marketing for beginners in 2026, step-by-step, in a way that actually helps you start getting traffic, instead of just posting and hoping something eventually sticks.

WHAT PINTEREST MARKETING ACTUALLY IS

Pinterest marketing is basically just using Pinterest to get your content in front of people who are already searching for it. 

A lot of people still think Pinterest is another social media, but at its core it’s actually a search engine. People usually go onto Pinterest looking for ideas, answers, inspiration, and solutions. This could be recipes, outfits, home decor, blogging tips, side hustle ideas, or ways to make money online.

Instead of relying on followers or posting content into a feed that can get buried over time, Pinterest mainly works through keywords and what people are searching for.

So if your content matches what someone is searching for, your pin has the chance to show up in search results and keep getting discovered over time. Even if it’s years later!

And honestly? That’s one of the best things about Pinterest and why it’s such an amazing tool for content creators.

Unlike platforms where your content disappears after a day, Pinterest pins can keep bringing traffic months or even years later. Unlike platforms where posts vanish from people’s feeds after a few hours, Pinterest content has a much longer lifespan.

That’s a huge part of why so many bloggers and online business owners use Pinterest to grow their traffic over time. 

This is a huge part of why Pinterest appeals to so many bloggers and beginners.

Instead of feeling pressured to constantly post social media content, stay online all day, or keep up with fast-moving social trends, you can focus on creating helpful content that has the potential to keep working for you over time. Literally the whole point of creating the helpful content in the first place.

That’s one of the biggest differences with Pinterest. Your content doesn’t just disappear after a few hours. It goes onto the platform and is then there forever. This then means the work you put in now can continue bringing traffic to your blog, website, or products long after you’ve published it.

WHY PINTEREST STILL WORKS IN 2026

Every year people start asking whether Pinterest is “dead” or if it still works for traffic, and honestly, people were asking the same thing years ago too lol. 

But the truth is, Pinterest absolutely can still work in 2026… if you understand how the platform actually works.

Of course over time things have changed but a quick Google can tell you as of 2026 Pinterest has an average of 631 million monthly active users.

Six hundred and thirty one million. A month.

Pinterest is not dead.

People (a lot of people) are still using Pinterest every single day to search for ideas, answers, products, and inspiration. No matter what they are searching for, Pinterest is still being used as a search engine by millions of people. 

That’s why keywords, helpful content, and fresh pins still matter so much.

You can get the right content in front of the right audience for free.

Pinterest wants to show users content that’s relevant, useful, and up to date. So when you combine strong keywords with aesthetic, bold pins and valuable content, your posts have the chance to keep showing up in search results over a long time.

And honestly, that’s what makes Pinterest so powerful.

It’s not just about getting clicks right now. It’s about creating content that can continue bringing in traffic long into the future. That’s especially valuable for bloggers, affiliate marketers, digital products, and anyone building an online business of any sort.

Then once that traffic starts coming in, the next step is learning how to turn those visitors into income.

The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners

STEP-BY-STEP PINTEREST STRATEGY

STEP 1: SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT PROPERLY

The first step is making sure your account is set up in a way that Pinterest understands what your content is about.

It needs to know what your account is about, to know who to show the content to.

Switch to a business account if you haven’t already, as this gives you access to analytics and more features which are super helpful.

Make sure your profile includes keywords related to your niche. Doing this means that Pinterest can start categorising your content correctly.

You’ll also want to claim your website so your pins are linked back to your content properly.

If you don’t already have a website to send traffic to, this is the easiest way to get started:

Start your Shopify store here

STEP 2: CREATE KEYWORD-RICH BOARDS

When you’re creating your Pinterest boards, try to think about what people would actually type into the search bar.

A lot of people make the mistake of using overly vague, random, or purely aesthetic board names, but clearer keyword-focused titles tend to work much better for Pinterest SEO.

For example, board names like:

Make Money Online Tips
Pinterest Marketing for Bloggers
Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

give Pinterest much more information about what kind of content belongs on that board.

Calling a board “Money Tips” sounds good, but is too vague and could mean so many things so Pinterest won’t know who to show your content to.

Doing this makes it easier for Pinterest to understand your content and helps connect your pins with people who are already searching for those topics.

STEP 3: CREATE PINTEREST-OPTIMISED CONTENT

Pinterest works best when your pins lead to content that people genuinely want to read, explore, or learn more about.

They need a good reason to click through the pin and leave Pinterest.

When someone clicks on a pin, they’re expecting to land on something connected to what caught their attention in the first place. That could be a helpful blog post, a product recommendation, a freebie, an affiliate page, or even a shop page for a specific product.

The important thing is making sure the content feels relevant and/or useful once they get there.

For example, if your pin is talking about blogging tips or ways to make money online, the page/post they end up on from that pin should continue providing information on that topic instead of sending them somewhere completely different as they will then be confused and not trust your pins in the future.

The better the connection between your pin and your content, the easier it is to build trust with readers and keep people engaging with your content over time.

STEP 4: CREATE CLICKABLE PINS

Your pin design (what they look like) is what helps stop people from scrolling and encourages them to actually click through to your content.

Bold pins in bright colours and clear, readable text often perform the best. This is especially true if they have relevant, clear photos added too.

The good news is that your pins don’t need to be overly complicated or professionally designed to work well. In most cases, simple and clear performs much better than cluttered or confusing.

You can design your own, get templates or do a mixture.

Etsy is a good place for Pinterest Pin Templates.

The main thing is making sure people can instantly understand what the pin is about and why they should care. Them liking the design is a bonus.

Titles like:

How to Start a Blog in 2026
How to Make Money with Pinterest
Side Hustle Ideas That Actually Work

work well because they’re direct, specific, and focused on something people are actively searching for.

If someone saw a pin titled “How to start a blog in 2026” there would be NO doubt in their mind what that pin was leading to, and that’s the important part.

This is exactly the same no matter the niche.

When someone is scrolling through Pinterest, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention.

The clearer your pin text is and the easier it is to understand the value of the content, the more likely people are to click through and read more/follow to the next page/step.

STEP 5: HELP PINTEREST UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTENT

Pinterest doesn’t automatically know what your pins are about just from the image alone. This is why the wording you use across your account matters so much.

The titles, descriptions, board names, and alt text attached to your pins all help to give Pinterest extra context about your content and who it should be shown to.

For example, if you regularly use phrases related to blogging, affiliate marketing, Pinterest tips, or making money online, Pinterest starts building a clearer understanding of the type of content you create and the audience you’re trying to reach.

This is why descriptive wording is so important on Pinterest.

Again, this is the same whether your niche is nail inspo, recipes, fashion, money or pets etc!

Instead of using vague titles or random board names, try to be as clear as possible about what your content is actually about. The easier it is for Pinterest to understand your content, the easier it becomes for the platform to show your pins to people searching for those topics and the more eyes on your pins, the more traffic you can get!

You also don’t need to force keywords into every sentence or make your descriptions sound robotic lol. A good rule is to simply write the way a real person would search.

Think about the words or phrases someone might type into Pinterest if they were looking for your content, then naturally work those into your titles, descriptions, board names, and alt text where they make sense.

Different people will search the same thing in different ways so covering as many of those options as you can will help broaden your reach.

For example you may be talking about “Spring Nail Inspo” and one may search exactly that, whereas someone else could search “Pastel Nail Design” or “Cute Floral Nails”. All could bring up nail content, but by only focusing on “spring nail inspo” you may find that the other people searching the other terms never see your pins.

STEP 6: STAY CONSISTENT WITH PINNING

If there’s one thing that matters on Pinterest, it’s consistency.

A lot of people assume they need to pin dozens of times a day to see results, but that’s not necessarily the case. What matters most is creating a schedule you can stick to long-term.

Or at the least, one you can stick to for now, which you can grow/expand on later.

For some people that might be 1 pin a day. For others it might be 4 or 5.

Pinterest prefers fresh pins. This means it prefers if EVERY pin published is a brand new pin image. It can be a variation of others, but not exactly the same.

You can pin a mix of new and existing content, this includes products, web pages, blog posts etc. This gives you a lot to work with.

Don’t post the same URL too close together to avoid getting caught in the spam filter. Aim for at least a few days between the same URL going out, even to different boards.

You can create multiple pin designs linking to the same blog post or page, again just remember to space them out.

As mentioned in step 5, it can take some time for Pinterest to understand what your content is about, who it’s relevant to, and where it should appear.

That’s why consistency is so important.

Every new pin you publish gives Pinterest another opportunity to test your content. At the same time, your older pins can continue circulating and bringing in traffic months or even years after they’ve been published that first time.

The goal isn’t to pin as much as possible. It’s to just keep creating fresh content and pins and then publishing them consistently, giving your pins the best chance of getting seen and in turn getting you traffic.

HOW TO BUILD PINTEREST TRAFFIC FASTER

While Pinterest isn’t an overnight traffic source, there are a few things that can help you see clicks and traffic a bit faster.

One of the biggest is creating content around topics people are already searching for.

Think about the questions your audience is typing into Pinterest and create content that answers those questions clearly.

This often includes things like:

• beginner tutorials
• step-by-step guides
• money-making ideas
• blogging tips
• content creation advice
• solutions to common problems

This would also work well with seasonal content such as crafts, recipes and nail designs.

It’s also always worth creating multiple pins for the same piece of content.

Different headlines, colours, layouts, and images can attract different audiences, so don’t be afraid to test new designs and see what resonates.

Sometimes the less “aesthetic” the pin design and colours, the more they stand out and the better they perform overall for you.

Over time, you’ll start noticing patterns in the topics and pin styles that perform best, giving you a much clearer idea of what your audience wants to see. Then you can use that info to create more pins of that style and for that content.

COMMON PINTEREST MISTAKES TO AVOID

If Pinterest feels harder than it should, there’s a good chance one of these common mistakes is holding you back.

Many beginners treat Pinterest like a social media platform when it’s actually much closer to a search engine. Instead of focusing on followers and likes, focus on creating helpful content around topics people are actively searching for.

Other common mistakes include:

• using vague titles instead of keywords
• pinning inconsistently
• creating only one pin per piece of content
• sending people to pages that don’t match the pin
• ignoring Pinterest SEO

Avoiding these mistakes won’t guarantee overnight results, but it can make a huge difference to how quickly Pinterest understands and distributes your content.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM PINTEREST

Pinterest isn’t really a money-making platform on its own.

It’s better to think of it as a traffic platform due to the fact it’s a search engine.

The goal is to use Pinterest to get people to click through your pins to your blog, shop, products, or offers.

Then from there you can make money through things like:

• affiliate marketing
• digital products
• ad revenue
• services
• online shops

That’s why so many bloggers and online business owners focus a lot of their marketing efforts on Pinterest.

A single pin can continue sending visitors to your content long after it’s been published!

If you’re planning to use Pinterest as part of your income strategy (highly recommended), I’d also recommend building an email list from the start.

That way when someone discovers you through Pinterest, you have a way to stay in touch with them and bring them back to your content again and again.

I personally use MailerLite for my email marketing, and it’s one of the first tools I’d recommend for beginners as their free plan is great until you feel you need to upgrade.

Get started for free with MailerLite here

IS PINTEREST MARKETING WORTH IT?

For many bloggers, creators, and online business owners, the answer is yes.

Pinterest gives you the chance to get your content in front of people who are actively searching for it. And unlike many other platforms, your content doesn’t disappear after a day or two.

Instead, it can continue showing up in search results and bringing people back to your website/content over a much longer time.

That’s what makes Pinterest so valuable and so worth it.

Every pin you create is another chance to be discovered by your target audience. 

The key is to focus on creating eye-catching pins, using relevant keywords, and staying consistent with it all.

You don’t need a huge audience, and you don’t need to spend hours on Pinterest every day. You can batch make pins and then pre-schedule them up to a month in advance to cut the time down significantly. What matters most is giving Pinterest quality content to work with and allowing enough time for your pins to gain traction and get traffic.

If you’re serious about growing your traffic, getting your content in front of more people and building an online business, Pinterest can be one of the best tools to use as part of your marketing/promotion strategy.

Then, once that traffic starts rolling in, it’s all about learning how to turn those clicks into income.

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000

Between Pinterest, blogging, and affiliate marketing, you don’t need to master everything overnight. Just focus on taking the next step and building momentum from there.

Speak soon

Katherine

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In this post we are going to talk about how you can get paid to post links online.

If you’ve ever seen people talk about getting paid to post links online and wondered how the heck that actually works (and if it’s even possible), then the good news is that it’s definitely doable, and is actually much simpler than it sounds.

You don’t need a huge audience to begin, or a complicated business setup, or years of experience, to get started. Many people begin earning money online simply by recommending tools, products, or services they already use and sharing your special link to those things.

People are always looking to buy things. If you are promoting the things they want, and you provide your own link, if they buy via you (at no extra cost to them), you earn a commission.

When someone clicks your link and decides to buy, you can earn a small (or not so small) commission. Over time it can become a really effective way to make money online.

Getting paid via those links is known as affiliate marketing. And it’s one of the most beginner-friendly and simplest ways to get started in making money online because you don’t need to create your own products, manage customer support, or deal with any inventory. You are just the link between a product and someone looking to buy. You’re simply connecting people with things that might help them or that they are already looking for lol.

In this post we will go over how getting paid to post links actually works, how you make real money, how beginners usually get started, and some of the different ways you can begin doing the same.

Let’s get into how to get paid to post links online, even as a beginner.

What Does “Getting Paid to Post Links” Actually Mean?

When people talk about getting paid to post links online, they’re usually talking about affiliate marketing. Which is exactly what we are talking about here.

Affiliate marketing is one of those things that sounds more complicated than it actually is lol. Sounds too good to be true if you will, but it’s not at all.

While it’s not “easy” in that it’s not a get rich quick scheme, it’s definitely really simple to get into and to do. 

As I mentioned, affiliate marketing is when a company gives you a unique link to their product or service, and if someone clicks it and ends up buying, you earn a commission.

Each company will have their own commission and payout structure so it’s always worth checking those out beforehand. But the overall premise is the same. (One company may offer 2% commission and have a $30 payout threshold, the next may offer 60% and have no threshold etc.)

You pick a product/service, get your own link for it, share it, someone clicks it and buys said product or service and you get paid.

(The reason I had said it wasn’t “easy” was that affiliate marketing is a numbers game. The idea and setup is really simple, but you need eyes on your content/links to be able to get people to click through and buy. That is the trickier part.)

If you are wanting more information on getting started with affiliate marketing, you can have a read of these posts here:

How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000

The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners (That Actually Convert!)

It’s not about randomly throwing links around the internet and hoping for the best lol. It’s about recommending related things in a way that actually makes sense to your audience.

That might look like mentioning a tool in a blog post that you use all the time, linking to something useful on Pinterest, sharing outfit details on your Social stories or dropping a recommendation into your email newsletter etc etc.

Then if someone wants that product, clicks your link and decides to buy it? You get paid. Ta dahh!

It’s one of those online income strategies that sounds almost too simple at first lol. But once you understand how it works, it makes a lot of sense. And it can grow into a really nice income stream over time.

When well executed and with a relevant and engaged audience, the idea is just to build the amount of eyeballs on your content/links. It’s a numbers game at the end of the day. The more eyes you have on your content, the higher the chance of people purchasing what it is you’re sharing.

How Affiliate Links Work

This is a huge part which is so simple yet seems to get over-complicated a lot.

You will see descriptions such as “affiliate links are special tracking links provided by companies through their affiliate programs”.

But to anyone new to online marketing, that sounds vague and confusing lol.

To simplify… when you are an affiliate for a company you will get access to your affiliate links. 

While some require links to be requested/built (don’t worry about those yet), most of them have one big button that says “Get Link” or something there abouts. And that’s the link you share. That’s it.

As an example of a couple of mine and how simple it is, this is HostGator through the Impact dashboard:

and Mailerlite directly:

Each link contains a unique identifier that tells the company the referral/sale came from you.

You will nearly always have to apply to be a part of a companies affiliate program but some have less requirements than others in terms of traffic or audience location etc.

Here’s how the process usually works:

1. You apply to join an affiliate program

2. You get accepted
   
3. You receive a unique affiliate link
   
4. You share that link in your content (check the rules for that program as to where you are and aren’t allowed to promote links)
   
5. Someone clicks the link
   
6. If they make a purchase within the cookie period for that program, you earn a commission
   

It means you can earn money simply by recommending products or tools that you genuinely find helpful and are already using.

As you get more into it you can think more about building links, and specialised tracking links etc, but initially, those base links are all you need.

Where You Can Post Links to Make Money

One quick note first here as this is important. You must ALWAYS disclose when something is an affiliate link. Whether that’s in a blog post, Instagram story, Pinterest pin etc. The disclosure has to be visible too, not hidden or out of sight. I won’t mention it through every point below but trust that it still stands for all of them lol.

The nice thing about affiliate marketing and only having to worry about sharing links or ads (if you choose) is that you have a variety of places to post about and share them.

As mentioned earlier, just be aware some programs don’t allow posting of links in certain places. Be cautious and check the rules for that program to make sure you are following the rules.

Examples of this would be Amazon not allowing any affiliate links in private Facebook groups or linked from Pinterest pins directly etc. A pin linking to a blog post which has those same links in is totally fine though!

Just something to be aware of, but there are multiple places you can share your links once you know which ones are allowed where.

Some of the most common include:

Blog Posts

This is a huge one, as you can put your affiliate links into your blog posts in a natural and helpful way, and then you share the blog post link, not the direct affiliate link. This way you can share your blog post wherever you link – just be mindful of always having that disclaimer visible at the top.

So many bloggers include affiliate links inside their content. This could be in helpful posts, reviews, tutorials or tools pages.

For example:

• tool recommendations
• product reviews
• step-by-step guides
• comparison posts

This is one of the most popular ways to earn affiliate income via a blog because blog posts can bring traffic for years.

People can be searching for reviews or tutorials years down the line so could come across your posts at any point.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a huge way to drive traffic to blog posts that contain affiliate links.

Just note that Pinterest doesn’t prefer you to link out to affiliate links directly, to the point is sometimes blocks them.

Amazon as mentioned does not allow you to link out to your affiliate links directly in standard pins (you can via Ad pins from memory but I find it safer not to lol).

What you absolutely can do though is add those links to a blog post or other form of content and then link that back to the pinterest pin.

Pinterest has a huge amount of daily users and the beauty of Pinterest is that it’s a search engine as opposed to a social media. This means people go onto the website or app looking for inspiration for specific things. 

Those things could well be what you’re offering!

Email Newsletters

If you have your own email list (highly recommended), then you can share your links in those emails too – again program and rules permitting.

Make sure any links are well disclosed too.

The other way to share your products or links through emails you are sending to your list is to not link directly to your affiliate offer in the email, but to send a helpful email, linking to a blog post/piece of content, that has the links embedded. 

Your email list especially is people who have signed up to your email list because they are interested in what you are talking about. This means they are the most likely to want your recommendations.

This doesn’t mean be pushy or salesy or you will lose trust. 

But because email subscribers already trust your content, they’re often more likely to click and explore your (honest!) recommendations.

Social Media

This is quite obvious but mentioning it to keep the list more accurate lol.

Affiliate links can also be shared on your social media platforms, carefully lol.

This might include:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Facebook groups

It can get a little tricker with social media as each affiliate program and each social platform can have different rules and requirements.

Things to remember are that you can’t link directly on Instgram or Tiktok (Instagram stories are good as long as it’s well disclosed), but you can use a LinkTree instead to house all your links.

As I touched on earlier, you aren’t allowed to post any Amazon affiliate links in a private facebook group etc. 

Either keeping it to insta stories, putting them in your LinkTree or linking back to a post with the links in keeps you above board.

Just check each affiliate program and the social media platform you want to use and it will keep you right.

Do You Need a Blog to Get Paid to Post Links?

Nope. You can technically start affiliate marketing without a blog.

You can begin by sharing your new affiliate links through your social media platforms, pinterest pins or even email newsletters if you have a list of email subscribers.

However as I mentioned earlier, having a blog can make affiliate marketing a lot easier in the long run for a few reasons.

A YouTube channel is also an amazing way where you can share content that can be found for years to come. 

Here are just a few of the reasons:

• Blog posts have the potential to rank in Google. This then means that people can discover your content when they’re actively searching for something related to what you’re recommending so your posts can pop up for people years after you wrote them.

• Pinterest can be fussy about pins linking directly to affiliate links. Linking your pins to your blog post links gets around this and can actually work out a lot more effective. As doing it this way sends readers directly to your blog posts, it helps more people find your content without you needing to constantly share links everywhere.

• Having a blog or a place where you can share all of your content (such as YouTube) gives you a hub where all of your recommendations live in one place. Instead of your links disappearing in social media posts or stories after a short period of time, your blog/channel acts like a list for your content where your audience can easily find things you’ve shared or search for specific topics.

How Beginners Start Getting Paid to Post Links

If you’re completely new to all this, the process of getting started is actually really straight forward.

1. Choose a niche

Start by focusing on a topic you enjoy talking about or have experience with.

You don’t have to be super specific, but it’s not likely someone is going to buy a lawnmower from someone who usually shares content around fitness tips lol. This just helps your audience to know what you’re about and know what they can trust your recommendations in.

This could be:

• Blogging
• Fitness
• Travel
• Beauty
• Productivity
• Online business

Etc etc.

Choosing a clear niche just helps you build that trust and attract the right audience which is important in helping be the bridge between products they may want, and them buying them so you get commission.

2. Join affiliate programs

Once you know your niche, you can join affiliate programs that match your content.

You can look for brands themselves or specific products.

Many companies offer affiliate programs for:

• Courses
• Physical Products
• Digital Services
• Digital Products

You can choose as many as you like of course, but the thinner you spread yourself the less attention each link will get which makes it a bit trickier.

Start with a couple and then you can always add more in later.

3. Focus on creating genuinely helpful content

The best kind of affiliate content isn’t about throwing links everywhere and hoping for the best lol. It’s honestly just about being helpful and sharing the things you use or believe in.

Have a think about the kind of things you would/do actually search for yourself. This could be needing to know how to do something, which option of a product is best for your reader between different options or brands, or whether something is actually worth the cost.

For you that could look something like:

• a reel showing how you use something
• a blog post comparing a couple of options
• a video sharing something that worked well for you
• or just recommending something you genuinely like

When your content genuinely helps someone, they’re naturally more likely to trust what you’re saying as it’s genuine. That’s what leads to clicks and sales without it feeling forced on either side!

How Much Money Can You Make Posting Links Online?

Ahhh the piece of string question lol.

There honestly is no exact answer, but there’s things that can improve your chances of earning a lot.

Affiliate income can vary widely. It really does depend on a number of factors, such as:

• How much traffic/how big your audience is
• What your niche is
• Affiliate program commission rates
• The type of products you promote

The option is there for people to earn a small side income, while for  others they can build full-time businesses purely through affiliate marketing.

Often people start by making their first few sales here and there before gradually increasing their income as their content grows.

Because your online content can continue bringing traffic over a long time, affiliate marketing often becomes more powerful the longer you do it. This is especially true for anyone with a blog or YouTube channel as people will be searching for reviews/tutorials/information on specific things for years to come.

FAQs About Getting Paid to Post Links Online

Can you really get paid just for posting links?

Yes, but as this post explains, this works through affiliate marketing. Companies provide special tracking links that allow them to see when a sale comes from your specific recommendation. If someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.

It’s not about posting random links everywhere and expecting to earn a fortune. It works best when you share links to things your audience are/would be interested in. 

Do you need a large audience to make money posting links?

Nope. While a larger audience can increase your earnings (as mentioned, it’s all a numbers game), many beginners start making affiliate sales with even small amounts of traffic.

What matters most is that you are sharing your links with people who are already interested in the topic you’re talking about.

If one person liked what they saw and wanted to buy it so did so, then that sale is yours. Whether you had just that 1 person see your content, or 100 people.

The amount of people seeing your content isn’t the deciding factor, but it can help the odds of those sales.

For example, a product recommendation of something relevant to you/your content can often perform a lot better than simply posting links without context lol.

How do beginners find affiliate programs?

So many companies and brands have affiliate programs now, so finding one (or a few) you like, shouldn’t be too hard.

The simplest way is to search on Google for “[company name] affiliate program”. For example “Amazon affiliate program”. You will be amazed just how many companies have them.

There are also lots of affiliate networks that have multiple programs in one place (often called a marketplace), making it easier to discover opportunities that match your niche.

Impact is one of my favourite ones.

With Impact for example, brands have their affiliate links via Impact, so they all have their own commission amounts, but they are all on the same dashboard making it a lot simpler to keep track. Especially when you have a good few products you are sharing.

How long does it take to make money posting links?

This can vary depending on how much content you create, how warm your audience is, how people discover your links and the cost of what it is you’re promoting.

Some people make their first affiliate sale fairly quickly, while others take longer as they build up content and traffic.

For example if you already have a larger following and do a lot of fashion content and then you share an affiliate link in your Instagram story to something you wore that was really affordable, chances are you will get a lot of sales fairly quickly.

On the flip side if you are brand new with no audience and are promoting services for $2,000 each, it may take a while longer lol.

As mentioned earlier though, you just need the right people at the right time. One of your first people may be someone who is looking for the exact thing you are sharing, and may buy it straight away.

You may average at 1 person in every 100 buys your shared product (very rough example). They could be reader number 15, 41, 84, or even number 1 or 100. The commission is the same, just the timeline is very different.

A note for bloggers specifically, one of the nice things about blog content is that it can keep bringing visitors in long after you hit publish. As your number of posts grows, many people find their affiliate income starts to grow with it. People can be searching Google for something specific, find your article (that had been written 2 years ago) and end up buying through you. This is when it starts to become more passive.

Final Thoughts on How to Get Paid to Post Links Online

Getting paid to post links online might sound complicated at first, but in reality it’s simply about recommending helpful products and earning a commission when people purchase through your links.

With the right content and a little consistency, affiliate marketing can become a flexible way to earn income online.

Many people start with just a few blog posts or recommendations and gradually build from there.

If you’re interested in earning money online, learning how affiliate links work is a great place to begin.

Speak soon!

Katherine

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Photo via Adobe Stock

Most readers don’t experience a blog the way its author does. They don’t land on the homepage, browse categories, or admire the archive. They encounter a post through a social feed, a shared link, or a preview image paired with a sentence or two of context.

That moment — not the blog itself — is where first impressions form. For bloggers, social media isn’t a side channel. It’s the primary way readers encounter, interpret, and remember your work.

The Short Version

For bloggers, a unified brand voice and visual identity on social media determine whether posts feel recognizable or forgettable. When social previews, captions, and visuals align with the tone of the writing itself, readers are more likely to click, return, and trust the work behind the link.

Why Social Media Shapes How Blogs Are Perceived

When a blog post is shared on social media, it’s compressed. A long argument becomes a headline. A nuanced idea becomes a caption. The design of a full page becomes a single image or frame. That compression is unavoidable, but how it’s handled makes a difference.

If social posts feel disconnected from the blog’s tone or visual style, readers experience friction. If they feel like a natural extension of the writing, recognition builds. Over time, readers don’t just remember individual posts — they recognize the blog behind them.

The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Sharing

Many bloggers write with clarity and intention, then promote content quickly and inconsistently. One post gets a thoughtful caption, another gets a rushed summary. One graphic matches the blog’s tone, another feels generic.

None of this breaks anything immediately. But over time, it weakens association. Readers may enjoy individual posts without ever forming a clear sense of the blog as a whole.

Tools Bloggers Use to Stay Consistent on Social

Consistency on social media isn’t about posting more. It’s about posting coherently. These tools help bloggers manage distribution and promotion without fragmenting their voice or visual identity.

• Hootsuite – Helps plan and space social shares so promotion feels intentional rather than sporadic.
• Mailchimp – Supports cross-promotion between newsletters and social posts, reinforcing the same voice in both places.
• Instagram – Acts as a primary discovery and relationship channel where consistent visuals and captions reinforce a blog’s identity over time.
• Bitly – Keeps shared links clean and trackable without cluttering captions or breaking visual flow.

These tools don’t define tone or style, but they reduce the friction that often leads to inconsistent sharing.

How Bloggers Turn Posts Into Social Media Touchpoints

For bloggers, social media isn’t about creating new ideas. It’s about reshaping existing ones so they travel well. Adobe Express supports that process by helping bloggers translate long-form writing into recognizable social moments.

In this workflow, social media doesn’t compete with blogging. It reinforces it.

A Simple Pre-Share Checklist for Bloggers

Before sharing a post anywhere, ask:

1. Would this caption sound natural if it appeared inside the blog post?
2. Do the visuals feel like they belong to the same world as the writing?
3. Would a returning reader recognize this as “ours” without seeing the name?

If the answer is yes, the post is doing branding work — not just promotion.

FAQ: Bloggers and Social Media Branding

Do bloggers really need to think about branding on social media?
Yes, because social media is often the first version of your blog that someone encounters. Readers form expectations about your writing based on how it’s presented and described in feeds, long before they ever scroll through the full article.

What if my writing style is informal or personal?
That can absolutely be part of your brand. Consistency doesn’t mean sounding polished; it means sounding like yourself in a recognizable way across posts, captions, and visuals.

How do bloggers stay consistent without posting constantly?
Consistency comes from tone and presentation, not frequency. A blogger who posts thoughtfully and repeats the same voice and visual cues will feel more cohesive than one who posts daily with no throughline.

Is it okay to reuse the same visuals or messaging when resharing posts?
Yes, and it’s often helpful. Reuse reinforces recognition, especially for readers who may not have seen the original post the first time.

For bloggers, social media isn’t an accessory. It’s the surface layer of the brand. When voice and visuals stay aligned from post to preview, readers form recognition naturally. That recognition is what turns scattered clicks into a lasting audience.

Guest post written and provided by Archer Ferrara on behalf of Adobe.

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In this post we are going to go over Affiliate Marketing for beginners, and how to make your first $1000!

Affiliate marketing can honestly sound too good to be true when you first come across it. As in, you’re telling me I can recommend something I already use or love and actually get paid real money for doing so? It feels like there must be a catch somewhere. But there really isn’t.

Affiliate marketing is one of the most beginner-friendly ways to start earning online once you understand how it works.

And here’s the best part: you don’t need a huge following, years of blogging experience, or some massive budget to get started. You can begin with the tools, audience and platforms you already have. Even if that’s just a basic blog or a small social media account!

That’s exactly how most people get to their first $1,000. They start small, are consistent, and focus on recommending things they genuinely use and love.

I know that $1,000 might feel like a huge amount if you’re just starting out. But when you break it down, it’s much more achievable than it looks! 

This isn’t me saying you will make that $1000 today. Realistically it will take time to get there, but it all adds up. You also don’t know when those sales will exactly happen!

As a personal example, I had joined a new affiliate program a while back and had no sign ups for the first few weeks (completely normal!), and then randomly one day I had 2 people sign up less than 10 mins from each other, out of the blue!

For you, it could be that you sell 10 products that pay you $100 each, or 100 products that pay you $10 each. This can be the same product over and over, it doesn’t have to be different products. It all depends on your niche, your audience, and what you’re promoting through your affiliate links.

When you break it down like this, suddenly the whole process feels less overwhelming and more exciting!

The trick is to find products you use or love and start with price points you are comfortable with. You can always build up from there.

Affiliate marketing is by far my biggest (and favourite) way of making money online. And I want to show you how it can work for you too! 

In this post, I’m breaking down exactly what affiliate marketing is, how it works, and the simple steps you can take right now to start working towards your first $1,000.

So grab a coffee (or your favourite snack), and let’s get into affiliate marketing!

What is Affiliate Marketing (And Why It’s Perfect for Beginners)?

Affiliate marketing is basically when you recommend a product or service you genuinely like, and when someone buys through your special affiliate link, you earn a commission. This could be as low as 2%, right up to 80% or more!

A real-life example would be that you purchase something, love it, rave about it to a friend, they see your excitement for it and decide to purchase it too. If you had your own link in the middle there, you would get paid for them making that purchase at no extra cost to them!

You connect people with things they need or want, and you get the commission for making the connection happen.

You’re not reaching out to sell people things, you’re just promoting or talking about the things you love, and if they want to click through your link to purchase, you get paid.

The reason it’s so good for beginners is that you don’t need to create your own products, deal with shipping or physical products, or handle customer service (as it’s not your product).

You’re simply sharing something you already believe in and love. Whether that’s a course that helped you, a tool you use every day, or a product you’d happily tell a friend about.

If you would share it or recommend it to a friend, you can recommend it to a larger audience and get paid to do so!

It’s low-risk (again, not your products), doesn’t need a huge budget to start, and can grow with you as your blog or online presence grows. That’s why so many people’s first income online comes from affiliate marketing. It’s simple, scalable, and really does work when you learn how to do it correctly.

How Affiliate Marketing Works (The Simple Breakdown)

Affiliate marketing might sound like a complicated or fancy term, but the actual process is super straightforward. It all comes down to three main steps:

1. Join an affiliate program: This could be for a course, a product, or even something like web hosting. You apply to the brand/company, and once approved, you’ll get your own unique tracking link that you can share.
   
2. Share your affiliate link: You can add this special link into your blog posts, emails, Pinterest pins, or social media. (Remember to check the rules as each program/brand can have different rules as to where you can share the links). When someone clicks your link, the brand knows that it was you that referred them. The link also takes the reader from your blog (for example) straight to their own shop/sales page, so that’s your part done!
   
3. Earn commission when they buy: If that person makes a purchase, you get a percentage of the sale. Some are larger commissions than others, but you will find that out when you apply. Some programs even give recurring commissions (meaning you keep getting paid as long as the customer stays subscribed).
   

(Important note: Always remember to put disclaimers where you post affiliate links. You may have noticed that every blog post where I share even 1 affiliate link has a disclaimer at the top. Check out the top of this post for an example!)

That’s literally it. You don’t need to overcomplicate it at all. Affiliate marketing is just about recommending something you’d already talk about anyway, but with the bonus of getting paid for it. Tell me that’s not an amazing set up lol.

How to Choose Affiliate Programs That Actually Pay

This is one of the important parts to get right, but you can adapt as you gain more experience! Not all affiliate programs are created equal. Not in a bad way, they just work slightly differently to each other.

For example (as mentioned earlier) some may offer 2% commission, some may offer up to 80%. Some will give you a 24hr cookie period (the time you have between someone clicking your link to making a purchase, even if they come back later/a different day), whereas some can be 365 day cookie periods. There are programs with no payment threshold, and others you need to have a certain amount of commission in your account before you get paid.

Choosing programs that fit the criteria you want or need can just help streamline that process for you!

You don’t want to water yourself too thin but you can apply to/join as many affiliate programs as you like. So if you find out one you have joined isn’t giving you what you would like back, you are completely free to join another!

A few tips for choosing affiliate programs that will actually make you money, you need to choose programs that are:

• High quality: Only recommend things you’d happily use or buy yourself. Trust is everything and people can tell if you’re promoting something you have no real knowledge of.
  
• Good commission rates: Look for 20–50% commissions on digital products or courses. Physical products often pay less as there’s more overheads, so they can be harder to scale, but if you would rather promote these then you absolutely can, but the commission will be a lot lower.
  
• In-demand: Make sure it’s something your audience already wants.This will depend on your content/niche and your audience. If you talk about blogging, a blogging course you took and love would be an amazing idea. If you talk about travel, a travel service or physical packing products would be a great choice for you.
  
• Recurring options: Some programs (like software subscriptions) pay you every single month as long as your referral stays signed up. That means one sale can turn into long-term passive income. You may get less each month than a one off sign up (for example you may get $5 a month instead of a one off $40 sale) but over just a few months, you’ve already made more back!
  

Good examples of affiliate products you can promote are things like:

Blogging courses, Pinterest/marketing courses, email marketing software, web hosting, legal bundles ect!

The other thing to keep in mind is that some programs do require a website to link back to in your application. For some they are looking for a blog/youtube channel, some want a pinterest account or instagram profile so again you can find the ones that suit your content best. 

How to Get People to See Your Affiliate Links

This is where most people get stuck. You can have the best affiliate products in the world, but if nobody’s seeing your links, you won’t make sales. 

The good thing is that there are multiple ways to get eyes on your content and your links. Here are some traffic sources that work brilliantly for affiliate marketing:

• Blogging: SEO (the clicks from search engines) takes a little time to build up to a good amount, but once your posts rank on Google, they can send you free, consistent traffic for years. Having a blog gives you that website link that a lot of affiliate platforms ask for in their application. It also gives you an amazing way to show off/talk about the products/services you are promoting.
  
• Pinterest: This is one of the fastest ways to get traffic as a beginner. Or for anyone! Once you learn Pinterest, it is an incredible source of blog traffic. With the right pin designs and keywords, you can drive so many clicks to your blog posts every month.
  
• Email list: This is what is known as your warm audience. These are the people who have chosen to give you their email address for something you offered. This could be a freebie, ebook, checklist, or a voucher if you have an online store. Once someone’s subscribed, you can keep building trust and share affiliate links in a way that feels natural and helpful to those people.
  

The key thing to remember is that you don’t need millions of views.

You just need the right people seeing your links. A small, targeted audience beats a huge, random one every time. It’s all well and good having thousands of viewers seeing your links, but only those who are truly interested in your products/tools will consider buying.

Ready to start earning from your content? Grab my free 50 Content Power Prompts to kickstart your ideas and grow your income!

Plus, you’ll get a special one-time offer on my Complete Social Media Content Toolkit!

How to Build Trust (So People Click & Buy)

Here’s the truth and another mistake people often make. People don’t just buy because you dropped a link in the middle of a blog post. They buy because they trust you. And building that trust is what makes your affiliate links actually convert to sales.

Affiliate income can be passive absolutely, but throwing some links into a post and then doing nothing with it isn’t likely to reap many rewards.

There are a few ways you can help people want to click on those links!

A few simple ways to do this:

• Be honest: This is honestly so important. Share your real experiences with the product or service. If something has pros and cons, mention them both. People aren’t daft, and it’s much fairer for people to be able to make an informed decision as to if something is right for them. Readers respect honesty more than a perfect sales pitch!
  
• Show your passion and excitement: People can absolutely sense (and tell) when someone genuinely likes and uses something. If you truly love something, why wouldn’t you want to tell people how great it is! This is the best way to do affiliate marketing as it’s all real, and natural.

• Be consistent: The more your readers see you showing up with valuable content, the more they’ll trust your recommendations. It takes someone an average of 7 times of seeing something they want, before deciding to actually purchase. This number is much higher if someone isn’t interested at all the first time they see it. Of course you don’t want to spam or push your links, but you can promote them as much as you want.
  

Remember, people buy from people they like and trust. If your audience feels like they know you, they’ll happily click your link over a stranger’s they have never seen before.

Conclusion: Your First $1,000 is Closer Than You Think

Affiliate marketing might seem like this huge, complicated world, but honestly? It’s one of the simplest (in terms of strategy/set up) and most beginner-friendly ways to start making money online.

You don’t need a massive audience, you don’t need to create your own product, and you don’t need years of experience. You just need to share the products, tools and resources you already love, use and believe in.

The first $1,000 might feel like a dream to you right now, but it’s much closer than you think. A few solid blog posts, some pins driving traffic, and building trust with your readers can get you there faster.

When you’ve built the systems, it’s rinse and repeat. If one blog post and one affiliate program can make $1,000, imagine what 10 posts and 5 programs could do.

Once you hit it, it’s proof to yourself that if you can make $1,000… you can scale to $5,000, $10,000 and beyond.

The quickest and best way to make money with affiliate marketing, is just to get started. You can literally start as soon as today. Don;t feel that you can’t do it, you absolutely can, you just need to go for it

If you want even more information on affiliate marketing, you can check out this post here!

If you don’t feel affiliate marketing is totally right for you, I have a list of 47 different ways to make $100 a day which you can find here!

For more information on Digital Marketing as a whole and how to get started, check out that post here!

Feel free to leave any questions or comments in the box below!

Speak soon!

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In this post we are going to go over if you can make money online but without any investment.

If you’re wondering whether it’s even possible to make money online without spending a penny upfront, then You’re definitely not alone. The answer is – quite simply – yes!

Of course there are many ways that require a bit of investment upfront, but if you have 0 budget, there are still options for you.

You can absolutely start earning online without any upfront investment or costs at all. There are free platforms, free tools, free resources and strategies out there that let you grow your income from nothing. And in this post, I’m going to walk you through exactly how it’s possible and ways to start.

The beauty of making money online is that there are SO many options and ways you can go about it.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or just want to try out a side hustle/idea before committing to anything long-term, you’ll see that low-budget/no-budget ways to make money are totally doable! 

For a full list of ways you can make $100 in a day, have a look at this post here!

So if you’ve ever been thinking, “Do I really have to invest money to start making money?” – This post is for you!

Making Money Online for Free

To answer the main question,: yes, you can absolutely make money online without investing any money upfront! You just need to go about it slightly differently! Instead of spending money, you’ll be focused on just trading your time, and putting in effort. Of course you would need to invest time and effort if you were putting money in too, but maybe in differing amounts.

One thing to be aware of is that free methods can often take longer to gain traction. They are however a perfect option if you’re just starting out, testing the waters in a particular area, or have little to no budget.

A couple of things to remember:

• You’ll most likely start small before you build up to your bigger months. This is also true if you were investing money!
  
• You will of course (as with anything) need to be consistent. Consistency and growth is key!
  
• You’ll grow faster if you treat it like a business. This includes right from the start, even when it’s not making too much income yet.
  

Success might not come overnight (it rarely does, despite what you see online lol), but it absolutely can (and will) come with consistency. Especially when you stay focused, keep learning and pivot as and when required.

Best Ways to Make Money Online Without Investment

The amazing thing about making money online  is that there are honestly SO many ways you can go about it. Whatever your skills are (either the ones you already have or want to learn), you can find an income idea that suits you. 

Here are some ideas of ways you can make money for free online:

Start a Blog on a Free Platform

Platforms like WordPress.com or Blogger let you have a blog for free. You won’t have full control (like you would with a self-hosted blog such as one on wordpress.org), but it’s a really good way to practice content creation (to see if you like it lol), grow an audience, and even add your own affiliate links. Just double check the rules of whichever platform you choose.

If you need more information on setting up a free blog, I have a full breakdown here!

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the best free income methods you can get. You can start with platforms such as Amazon Associates, or marketplaces such as Impact or ShareASale. Some you will need to apply for, and some have minimum requirements to meet but you can choose the brands/programs that suit you and your chosen products the best. You can then promote links through Pinterest, YouTube, or your free blog! 

I have a full guide to starting and building up your income with affiliate marketing here!

Sell Digital Products

Digital products can be an amazing way to make money online. There may be a teeny investment with this one but I will explain that in a second!

With selling digital products, you can sell ebooks, templates, courses, content or printables. 

The fastest way to sell digital products is to buy products with PLR/MRR where you buy products, rebrand them to your liking and then sell them on for 100% profit. 

I’ve recently started adding printable bundles to my Etsy shop (listed below). These are perfect if you’re just getting started and want something ready-made to sell or use!

Bundles such as this one give you a huge amount of ebooks, images and reels to edit/rebrand and sell as you please.

You can also get super affordable single products such as this planner which again is completely free to edit and sell as your own.

These sorts of products give you ready-made products, they just do require that little investment initially. Once purchased once you can re-sell as many times as you like though!

You can 100% create your own products for free with a free Canva account though if that’s not in your budget! It will take more effort and take longer but is 100% free to do.

You can then sell via your blog, gumroad, Etsy, or Shopify. 

If you’re really serious about it and want to use Shopify but can’t make your budget stretch, if you use THIS LINK HERE it will give you a free trial AND 3 months at just £1/$1 each!).

Freelance Your Skills

If you already have skills in areas such as writing, graphic design, social media management, or data entry, you’re in the amazing position in that you can start earning online right away!

No matter if you can write, edit, design, or manage tasks, there’s a market for you! Sites like Fiverr or Upwork are completely free to join and allow you to earn an income through skills you already have, no upfront investment needed at all.

This means you can create a free profile and then offer your services in whichever area your skills are in.

If you can offer services people need at a competitive price, build up your reviews and credibility, then there’s a lot of money to be made!

Start a YouTube Channel

When it comes to making money on YouTube, long-form content wins hands down over short-form content. YouTube itself is an amazing way to grow your audience and you can then monetize through ads, affiliate links, or sponsorships as your channel grows.

You can use your current phone or camera and use a free editing software to start off creating videos.

You can start off with videos that need less editing such as tutorials, product reviews or lifestyle vlogs. If you want to get into a niche topic, try and keep your videos around this so that you’re attracting the right audience from the start.

YouTube itself will (in 99% of cases), take a good amount of time to grow and get monetized with. BUT, the sooner you start, the sooner you can hit the criteria required and get yourself/your channel monetized!

Online Surveys

Online surveys is probably the “simplest” way to make money online for free but it can take a long time to get any reward back. Websites like Swagbucks (for everyone) or OnePoll (if you’re in the UK) pay you for taking short surveys.

It’s a great way to make money if you’re happy to keep checking back and doing surveys when they pop up, to get your account up to the payment threshold the quickest.

While online surveys are not a long-term income model, they are a free way to get started and build up some cash on the side – completely for free!

Want 50 ready-to-use content prompts to help you grow online faster?
Grab your FREE copy of 50 Content Power Prompts here, and get the option of a bonus toolkit for just £11 (60% off RRP)!

Skills That Can Help You Succeed (For Free!)

Let me first say, especially for things such as online surveys, you can get started without any skills or experience! 

For some of the other options you can either use or learn skills that will help. 

You certainly don’t need a degree or expensive software in the beginning (or ever if that’s what works for you)!

What you do need is to learn just a few key skills to help yourself get started.  

You can learn all of these basics for free through blogs, YouTube, and your own experience/practice.

Here’s a quick list of skills you can use/learn to get started:

• Writing & Communication: Helps you with blogging, freelancing, and social content.
  
• Basic SEO Knowledge: Not as scary as it sounds! SEO helps you get found on search engines like Google, YouTube, Etsy and Pinterest.
  
• Design Skills: Use can use completely free tools such as Canva to create graphics, pins, or even products and their covers if the PLR products aren’t for you.
  
• Social Media Strategy: Understanding how platforms work means better content and more clicks. Being a user is a good step, but understanding marketing and the algorithms makes a huge difference.
  
• Time Management: This is especially important when you’re building something from scratch around your day job or other responsibilities. Don’t panic if you have time blindness (hello lol), as you can have short bursts of focused time, use timers and fit in tasks where you can.
  

Of course if you do have a little budget and/or little to no time, the quickest way (by far) to learn the sorts of online skills that will actually make you money is a reputable and decent online course such as these ones by Sophia Lee!

Don’t worry about mastering everything at once! Actually don’t worry about mastering any at all just now lol. Just choose one or two areas to get stronger in and build from there. Start with the ones you either are best at initially, or the ones you want to learn/that fit your chosen business options the best.

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

When trying to make money online without spending money, there are a few common traps people fall into. They are all completely natural but also totally avoidable! Here are some of the most common ones: 

• Expecting instant results: Chances are, you won’t become rich overnight. Could happen! Not likely lol. Slow, steady growth is powerful and is where it’s at.
  
• Spreading yourself too thin: Focus on 1–2 strategies and go all in on those. It can be SO tempting to try 10 things all at once (we have all been there lol) but focusing on one or two things will get you a lot further, a lot faster.
  
• Not treating it like a business: Consistency, well thought out systems, and showing up for yourself and as your business are the key ways to turn your ideas from a hobby into your side income.
  
• Giving up too soon: This is the biggest one. Most people quit right before things start to take off so never see success. You will see success if you refuse to quit.
  

How to Scale Your Earnings Over Time

Starting to make money online for free doesn’t mean you have to stay small forever. You can absolutely grow your income with time (and down the line, money). Here’s a few examples how you can grow your business:

• Reinvest your earnings: Once you are making money, uou can then use some of that money you have made to upgrade your tools (a personalised domain, hosting, or e-commerce platform for full control, for example).
  
• Create systems: Batch-create content, reuse what works, and build habits that make content creation easier! This is the biggest game changer that lets you run things automatically and free up time to then work and grow other aspects of your business.
  
• Build an email list: Building an email list is so important and is something anyone with any sort of online presence (big or small) should have. You can use free tools like MailerLite (which has a fabulous free plan) to start getting subscribers and promoting your content/products through emails! You can try Mailerlite here!
  
• Double down on what’s working: If you’re seeing sales or traffic from a certain platform, do more of that! If a style of pin is working, do more of those. If an editing style is working, do more of that! You get the idea lol. Your analytics and stats will tell you what’s working, and what to focus more on.
  

Conclusion

So the question was, can you make money online without any investment?

Absolutely!

If you are aiming for a big income you can absolutely get there. The monetary investment can come when you have the income coming in from those free channels.

If you’re willing to trade (some of) your time, learn as you go, pivot when needed and stay consistent when others give up… you’re already ahead of most people. You don’t need to spend a single penny to get started! To start you just need to choose a method, commit to learning skills, putting in the time, showing up when needed, and take that first step.

Success starts small… but it grows!

If you found this helpful, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts below!

P.S. Need more beginner-friendly tools to start making money online?
Check out my full Tools & Resources page for my favourite platforms, bundles, and other resources that helped me grow my blog – all in one place!

For information on making money with Pinterest without a blog, have a look at this info here!

Speak soon!

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The post Can You Make Money Online Without Any Investment? appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post, we’re diving into 47 fun, easy, and realistic ways to make $100 a day online or offline. No matter whether you’re looking for quick cash, long-term income, or a creative side hustle you’ll actually enjoy!

Making extra money isn’t always instant, but it’s 100% possible if you stick with it!

The trick is finding side hustles or money-making ideas that you actually enjoy and want to keep doing.

When you focus on the ideas/methods that interest you, you’ll find that the journey becomes way more fun and rewarding!

With the tips I’m about to share with you below, you could start making extra cash fast – even $100 or more, in a single day!

If something doesn’t work out, don’t worry or panic – it’s normal! It just means that specific option maybe wasn’t the right fit for you. Go through the other options and move on to the next idea that sparks your interest.

Stay consistent, keep experimenting, and you’ll eventually find the perfect side hustle to hit your $100-a-day (or more) goal.

Let’s get into the top ways to make some extra money!

Quick Navigation

This post is packed with ideas, and not every method will be the right fit for everyone.

To make things easier to navigate, you can use the sections below to jump straight to the ideas that suit your situation, skills, or goals best.

→ Fastest Ways to Make Money
→ Sell What You Already Have
→ Easy Side Hustles
→ Passive Income
→ Online Businesses
→ High-Income Skills
→ Specialised Services
→ Creative Income

Fastest Ways to Make Money

1. Earn Money by Taking Surveys

Taking surveys online is one of the easiest ways to earn extra cash from your laptop or phone.

Many brands and companies are keen to gather consumer feedback to improve their products and services Sometimes it’s literally just for general information from the public. This means they are often willing to pay for your opinions.

Platforms such as Swagbucks, SurveyJunkie, and OnePoll (UK) offer paid surveys, ranging from quick polls to longer, more in-depth questionnaires. Each survey will offer a different monetary amount and will all add up the payout threshold.

This allows you to earn money or rewards like gift cards, completely at your own pace.

While the pay amount for each survey might not look like much, consistently completing surveys can add up over time. It’s an easy way to make some money while killing some time!

This makes it a great option for anyone looking to supplement their income in their spare time. 

Plus, there’s no specialized skill or qualifications required – just your honest input!

You can of course join multiple survey sites to maximize your earnings with this side hustle.

2. Secret/Mystery Shopper

Becoming a secret shopper, or mystery shopper, is a great way to earn some extra cash.

You basically get to shop, dine out, or try services as an anonymous customer. Then you get paid to share your honest feedback regarding your experience or any specific things you’ve been asked to check out.

It’s like being on a secret mission to evaluate businesses and help them improve.

If you enjoy shopping and have a good eye for detail, this could be the perfect side hustle for you.

Where you can do this will vary from country to country so check out local mystery shopping platforms near you if this option interests you!

3. Review Websites and Apps

If you are open minded and you enjoy trying out new websites and apps, you can literally get paid to share your feedback! 

Platforms such as UserTesting and PlaytestCloud pay users to test websites and apps and provide honest opinions on how usable and functional they are!

Usually these tests take around 10-20 minutes and can pay anywhere from $5 to $60, depending on complexity and requirements.

This side hustle is perfect for anyone already enjoying games/websites and apps, requires no special skills, and can be done from home in your spare time.

Plus, if you’re consistent, you can earn a decent stream of extra income just by sharing your thoughts on apps, games and websites!

Want 50 ready-to-use content prompts to help you grow online faster?
Grab your FREE copy of 50 Content Power Prompts here!

4. Make Money Doing Short Tasks / Micro Jobs

If you want a super quick way to earn money online, micro jobs are a great option!

Platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk, Clickworker, and even Fiverr’s “quick gigs” section pay users for small, simple tasks! These are things such as data entry, AI training, transcription, surveys, website testing, and loads more.

Many of these tasks take just a few minutes to complete and don’t require special skills which is amazing as it makes them accessible to almost anyone!

While each task might only pay you a small amount, they can add up quickly! This is especially true if you dedicate time to completing multiple tasks daily. Some platforms also offer higher-paying jobs as you gain experience, allowing you to boost your earnings over time. Which is another win-win!

5. Participate in Research Studies

Participating in research studies can be a simple way to make some extra cash while helping scientific studies and brands enhance their knowledge. 

Many universities, medical institutions, brands and market research companies pay individuals to take part in studies. These can range from medical trials to focus groups or surveys. 

The amount you get paid will vary based on the type of study and the time commitment involved. Some will pay their participants as much as $50 to $200 per session. 

You can find opportunities by checking local university websites, clinical research facilities, brand websites or online platforms that offer the studies near you.

Companies are constantly seeking participants for focus groups for fresh insights and information. You usually don’t need any special qualifications to get involved as they are looking for a range of participants.

Always make sure it’s through a reputable source and always read the study requirements carefully and ensure it’s something you’re comfortable with before committing!

6. Become a Virtual Friend in Your Free Time

This is one for anyone who is more of a “people” person.

If you enjoy chatting with new people and offering some companionship or friendship, becoming a virtual friend can be a fun and fulfilling way to make money.

Websites suuch as RentAFriend, Papa, and Fiverr allow you to connect with people who are looking for someone to talk to, play games with, or even offer advice. Some even look for a friend to accompany them to events etc!

There’s no romantic aspect – just friendly conversations and support. You set your own hours and rates, making it a flexible side hustle that fits into your free time and your schedule.

Some virtual friends make hundreds of dollars a month simply by being a kind and engaging presence for others online!

7. Data Entry Jobs

Data entry jobs are a simple way to earn $100 in a day.

It’s perfect for beginners as you only need basic computer skills!

The tasks often involve typing and organizing data, making it accessible for anyone who wants to do it. While the hourly pay isn’t as high as some other options, it’s flexible and can be done remotely on your own schedule which is a huge bonus.

You can improve your chances of making an income with data entry by learning through  online tutorials and courses. To find work in this area you can look for opportunities on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or research companies looking for this work directly.

8. Transcribe Audio Recordings

If you’re a fast (and accurate) typist with really good listening skills, audio transcription could be an excellent way for you to generate some additional income.

(This one isn’t great for anyone like me who is fast, but not always accurate lol).

This side hustle involves listening to audio recordings and converting them into written documents. This makes it a valuable service across many industries, such as legal, medical, and general business.

The beauty of audio transcription work is that it’s really flexible which allows you to choose your own hours and work from virtually anywhere!

With consistent practice and good attention to detail, you can refine your skills and turn this opportunity into a reliable income stream where you can work up to make that $100 in a day!

Sell What You Already Have

9. Sell/Return Unused Items from Your Home

I think we are all guilty of buying things we really didn’t need or thought we wanted but never ended up using/wearing. I know I am!

Instead of letting those purchases sit gathering dust, (if they are recent purchases) you can return them to the store for a refund!

This is a really quick and easy way to get some money back.

Make sure to always keep your receipts and return items within the store’s return policy period if they don’t fit/aren’t useful or aren’t what you wanted or expected. 

If returns are not an option due to closed return windows ect, consider selling the items online or through consignment shops if you have any local to you.

Does this sound like something you are interested in? If so, start by decluttering and getting rid of anything you haven’t used in the past year. If it isn’t used/useful or doesn’t bring you joy – you can sell it!

You of course may not get the full retail price, but it’s a good way to recoup some of your money rather than it sitting in your home costing you 100% of the money spent!

10. Sell Your Used Books

Selling used books is a fantastic option if you’ve got old books lying about and are looking to make that $100 in a day!

You can use platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Facebook Marketplace, and it’s then easy to connect with buyers who are looking to buy good-quality, second-hand books at a good price.

If you don’t have many used books at home, you can find cheap books from garage sales or thrift stores! If you focus on popular genres such as textbooks, rare editions, or trending novels, you can really increase your profit margins as people are always looking for good deals on those sorts of books.

This option is effective for both decluttering and making money online.

11. Sell Unused Gift Cards

Selling unused gift cards is an easy (and quick) way to declutter your home and make some quick cash!

Every single year, millions of dollars in gift cards go unused! Which is a scary statistic!

Different countries/areas have different companies that will buy gift cards back or offer other credits, so look for a credible one in your area!

Cards from popular retailers like Amazon or Walmart are in high demand and often fetch great rates!

Of course you may not get the full value of the card back, but it’s still better than the entire card being wasted!

12. Flipping Items

If you love finding a good deal, flipping items could be the perfect side hustle for you.

The trick here is to find and buy items at bargain prices that you can resell for a profit.

You can find items at flea markets, garage sales, boot sales, thrift shops, or even online marketplaces such as eBay! 

With some creativity and a little know-how, this can turn into a lucrative side hustle option.

The key here is to do a bit of research and focus on items that people are actively looking for. This could be vintage decor, niche pieces, or unique collectibles for some examples.

Easy Side Hustles

13. Deliver Food

Delivering food can be an incredibly easy and flexible way to make extra cash. 

Especially if you’re looking for a side hustle that fits around your schedule.

Whether you’re delivering pizzas, burgers or groceries, platforms such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, DoorDash or Deliveroo make it super simple to get started. You can work as much or as little as you like, depending on your monetary/work wants and your availability.

The best part for this income option is that you can sometimes earn tips on top of your delivery fee, boosting your income even more!

With this type of work you don’t need any special qualifications – just a reliable vehicle, a phone, and a willingness to work.

Some people even opt to deliver without a car. They may opt for riding a motorbike, push bike, or walking.

It’s an easy way to turn your free time into cash while helping others get what they need!

14. Become a Pet Sitter

Pet sitting is an ideal side hustle for animal lovers because it allows you to spend quality time with animals, all while earning money.

Whether you’re walking dogs, feeding cats, or providing companionship to pets while their owners are away, it can be a fulfilling experience for anyone who loves animals!

The beauty of pet sitting is that you can choose the hours that fit your schedule. This could be shorter, one off jobs, to regular recurring jobs.

Platforms such as Rover make it easy to connect with pet owners in need of trustworthy care for their precious pets.

This side hustle option often pays well, with pet sitters often earning $20-$40 per visit depending on the services and care required. 

For animal lovers, it’s a win-win: doing what you love while making extra income!

15. Start a Pressure-Washing Business

If you prefer a more hands-on and outdoorsy side hustle, starting a pressure-washing business is a fairly low-cost, high-profit way to make money!

You will always find people who need driveways, sidewalks, decks, and buildings cleaned. This makes demand steady year-round!

With just a pressure washer and basic supplies, you can start small and scale up as you like. Plus jobs can pay $100+ per hour when you get good at it. This means you can quickly earn a good income, without needing too many jobs booked in. Perfect for those who want flexibility, independence, and great earning potential!

Of course just remember to get insurance!

Passive Income

16. Cashback Apps

Cashback apps make it really easy to earn rewards or money back on your everyday purchases!

By using apps like Rakuten or Upside, you can receive a percentage of what you spend as cash or redeemable points.

It’s as simple as shopping through the app’s platform or uploading receipts from your regular purchases to the app.

You still shop at your standard places, you just go to the website via the app or upload the receipts!

The more you use these apps and take advantage of special offers, the faster your savings can add up.

Regular users/shoppers often reach $100 within a few months, making cashback apps a hassle-free way to stretch your spending and earn a little extra on the side.

While you may not make $100 in a day, over time you can be rewarded with fairly regular cashback payments or gift cards.

17. Earn Money from Cash Back Offers

If you love shopping, why not get paid for it? Cashback platforms like Rakuten make it really easy to earn money on purchases you’re already making.

The process is really simple too! You create an account for free, shop at your normal/favorite places but via their site, and you then earn a percentage back in cash or as rewards!

Rakuten often has special promotions and bonuses, meaning you can speed up your earnings too. It’s an amazing way to make an income without any extra effort! 

While you may not make $100 a day, using platforms such as Rakuten can certainly add up over time, for little to no extra effort.

18. Rent Out Your Stuff

A simple way to make some money is to rent out things you aren’t using that other people are looking to rent.

If you own a parking space but don’t have a car, consider renting it out to those who would happily pay to use it.

This can be really profitable in busy inner city/urban areas where parking is not only expensive, but hard to come by!  It won’t take long to find someone who’s willing to pay for the spot! 

You could also consider renting out garage space, large tools/machinery or other items that people may be looking for but aren’t wanting to buy.. 

You can advertise in online adverts or in neighborhood groups online.

19. Rent Out Your Car

Have you got an extra car that’s not getting much use? 

This could be a second vehicle or your main vehicle that you aren’t using currently.

Instead of letting it sit unused, consider renting it out through platforms such as HyreCar. These platforms make it easy to legally rent out your vehicle, whether you’re away or just don’t use it daily.

To start, check if your car meets the service’s requirements and you need to ensure your insurance covers car rentals.

Renting out your car through the right channels is an excellent way to turn an unused asset into steady, passive income!

20. Rent Out an Extra Room on Airbnb

If you have a spare room in your home, renting it out could be a fantastic way to bring in extra income. 

This could be a room, an attic conversion or a renovated basement/living space!

Platforms like Airbnb make it simple to advertise and list your space, whether it’s just for weekends, holidays, or for full-time.

Hosting not only lets you earn money but also gives you the chance to meet people from all over the world.

You’ll have full control over your availability, pricing, and house rules. This allows you to tailor the experience to fit your lifestyle.

It’s a flexible and rewarding side hustle for anyone with a little extra space!

Always make sure you use reputable platforms!

Loving these ideas? Get this FREE 50 Power Prompts for Content Creation eBookto keep your momentum going – plus get an exclusive bonus toolkit for just £11!

21. Buy and Sell Domains

Buying and selling domains (also known as domain flipping) is an excellent side hustle because it offers high-profit potential with minimal upfront investment.

You can purchase domain names for as little as $10–$50 and resell them for significantly higher prices. Sometimes in the thousands!

It’s flexible, allowing you to work from anywhere which is ideal for those looking to fit their income in around their daily schedule.

High-value domains, especially those with a .com extension, tend to attract the highest offers. 

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it does seem to go that way. 

Platforms such as GoDaddy Auctions and Flippa make it super easy to buy and sell domains.

With patience and a bit of strategy mixed with market insight, domain flipping can generate fairly substantial returns, making it both a profitable and engaging side hustle!

With the right effort, a successful domain flipping business has the potential to generate six-figure incomes annually.

22. Invest in The Stock Market

Investing can be a great way to make money if you are happy to be in it for the long game. It offers incredible potential for long-term growth if you stick with it.

Platforms such as Trading 212 (if you’re in the UK) are perfect for beginners because they are user-friendly, reliable, and provide a range of tools to help you get started. 

Trading 212 is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) so is a great one to start with and if you want some free shares to get started, click this link here.

With features like commission-free trading and helpful , beginner friendly resources, you can start building up your portfolio with minimal upfront costs.

Just remember that investing is a long-term game. While you can see daily profits if markets perform well, the real power of investing lies in compounding over months and even years.

Trading 212 and similar platforms make it easy to diversify your investments, whether you’re interested in stocks, ETFs, or fractional shares. 

The beauty of Trading 212 itself is that they offer a virtual account to practice without any risk!

If you are located outside of the UK you will need to find a platform where you are. Make sure they are highly reviewed and regulated by a Financial Body just as Trading 212 is!

Online Businesses

23. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when you earn a commission by promoting other companies’ products. 

The commission you receive will vary from brand to brand but there is a lot of money to be made!

For me, I focus on partnering with brands I trust—companies whose products I use and love. It’s so much easier (and way more fun) to share things you know your audience will genuinely find valuable.

The best part? Affiliate marketing has massive potential.

Many successful bloggers use it as a key income stream, with some earning six figures or more just by funding a way that works for them.

It’s all about being authentic and strategic!

If you want a step-by-step breakdown, start with my post: Affiliate Marketing for Beginners. It shows you exactly how to make your first $1,000 even if you’re starting from 0.

24. Start Your Own Blog

Here’s one that’s close to home for me!

If you’re looking for a creative and long-term way to make money, starting a blog is a brilliant option!

Blogs can generate income through ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, digital products, and more. The best part? You can build a blog around any topic you’re passionate about. No matter whether it’s travel, fitness, parenting, or even niche hobbies.

While blogging takes time to gain traction, once your content is out there it can work for you 24/7. This then can bring in passive income over time. 

And trust me, those little wins – like your first affiliate sale, makes all the effort so worth it!

For answers to the most commonly asked blogging-related questions, have a look at this post here!

If Pinterest feels easier than setting up a full blog, this post shows you how to earn by using pinterest with no need for your own blog if you would prefer that route.

25. Start a YouTube Channel

Starting a YouTube channel is an amazing way to earn income while sharing your passions with an audience from all over the world!

Whether you’re into tutorials, reviews, or lifestyle content, YouTube offers limitless creative freedom and several ways to monetize your channel and your brand.

Once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you can join the YouTube Partner Program to earn ad revenue from your videos. Beyond ads, there are many other income opportunities through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products or services.

One of the best aspects of YouTube is its potential for passive income. A single video can continue to generate views – and money – for years to come. 

Building a successful channel requires dedication and consistency, but it’s highly flexible – you set your own schedule and style!

Many creators now earn full-time incomes, with some making six or even seven figures annually. YouTube isn’t just a side hustle. It’s an amazing platform for personal expression, financial growth, and creating a lasting impact on your own channel on the internet.

26. Start a Podcast

Starting a podcast is a great side hustle because it offers you a creative outlet alongwith the opportunity to build a personal brand.

You only need minimal equipment to start. This includes things like a microphone and editing software. With these you can start producing episodes on topics you’re passionate about right away! Whether it’s storytelling, education, or niche interests, you will find an audience who enjoys listening to you.

Podcasts generate income through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, merchandise, and listener donations, making them a versatile way to earn.

While you can’t expect to make money instantly, sticking with it and being consistent is the best way to grow your brand and your audience, which in turn will grow your income! 

Platforms such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts make it easy to distribute your content and grow yourself an audience. While it will take time to gain traction, consistent, high-quality content can lead to long-term passive income and even open doors to other opportunities!

It’s a flexible, scalable side hustle option that fits well around daily life.

27. Create an Online Course

This is a fun one for anyone who has knowledge to share!

If you’re an expert in something, no matter whether it’s blogging, cooking, productivity hacks, or even niche hobbies – you can turn that knowledge into an online course!

(I am using the term “expert” but truly all you need is lesser-known information on your chosen topic!)

Platforms such as Teachable and Thinkific make it super easy to create and sell courses to people from all over the world.

Online courses are becoiming more and more popular as people are realising that investing a little money to save a lot of time is SO worth it!

I rave about this Blogging Course for exactly that reason. The amount of time this information provided me – all in one place – makes it such a good investment.

One of the best parts of this income option is that once your course is live, it becomes a source of passive income.

Of course it takes time upfront to script, plan and record, but after that, you can earn money over and over. 

The only things to really focus on then are any updates that may need adding, and marketing your course to those who would be looking to obtain the information you are sharing!

28. Publish a Book or eBook

Publishing your own book or eBook (especially via platforms like Amazon KDP) can be a great way to earn money!

As with any business model, it requires a thoughtful strategy, planning, writing, and marketing.

You can use tools to help you create planners, notebooks or colouring books, then have them published via Amazon KDP!

Once your eBook is live, it can generate passive revenue with minimal additional effort! This is down to the fact that you create them once, but can sell multiple times over as Amazon does the publishing/printing and shipping for you!

You can also sell digital downloads of the books on platforms such as Shopify or Etsy! This can include books you have written yourself, or books you have bought with PLR which are done-for-you books that you can sell as your own!

29. Sell PLR Done-for-you Products

Selling PLR (Private Label Rights) done-for-you products (just as the picture above) is a fantastic way to make money. This is because it’s a low-effort, high-reward business model/way to create an income!

You buy ready-made content such as courses, eBooks, downloads, templates, or graphics, and you then rebrand them and sell them as your own.

Here’s an example of done-for-you products you can re-brand and re-sell as your own!

There’s no need to spend hours creating products from scratch!

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to offer digital products without the worry or hassle of making them.

You can then sell them on platforms such as Etsy and Shopify!

If you need more info on Shopify or their free trial, check that out here!

Plus, digital products have no inventory or shipping costs. This means your profit margins are huge. The only cost needed is the one you paid for the item initially. Once set up, it’s a passive income stream that keeps bringing in sales even while you sleep! 

30. Sell Items on Etsy

No matter if you love making handmade crafts, designing printables, or selling PLR/done-for-you products, selling on Etsy is a great way to make money!

Etsy is an online market place which means it already has its own customer base. 

Whether you sell jewelry, home decor, digital downloads, or custom gifts, you can start as small as you like and can grow your shop over time.

Plus, with Etsy handling all purchases and payments, plus giving you built-in exposure to a ready-made audience, it’s easier than ever to reach customers worldwide!

Another popular option when it comes to selling items on Etsy is to use a platform such as Printify and you can sell Print-On-Demand products. This could be mugs, t-shirts, stickers, or anything else that appeals to you!

With Print-On-Demand you design your items in Printify, connect it to your Etsy store, and then whhen people order, the order goes directly through Printify so you don’t have to hold any stock/inventory and no worry about having to ship items out yourself!

Using Printify lets you design items you like, it lets the customer buy whichever variation you have advised is available, and you don’t have to do anything else other than collect the profit!

Definitely a good option!

31. Sell Items on Amazon

Do you have stuff lying around the house? Or maybe you’ve got an eye for finding bargains? Selling items on Amazon can be a fast and profitable way to make extra cash.

Whether it’s books, gadgets, or other products, Amazon makes it easy to list and sell to millions of potential buyers. You don’t need a full-blown business to start – just some products and a bit of time to get your listings set up.

Plus, with Amazon handling the tricky, fiddly stuff like shipping through FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), you can just focus on finding great items to sell!

Some sellers have made hundreds in their first month, so if you’ve got an eye for products, this could be a great side hustle for you!

High-Income Skills

32. Freelancing Your Skill Set

Freelance work is another fantastic way to earn extra money.

If you have specific skills, freelancing from home can be a great way to earn extra money.

You can easily sign up to websites such as Fiverr and Upwork. These platforms connect freelancers with clients who need specific skills such as proofreading, web design, writing, photography or social media management.

After setting up your profile and services, you can start taking on freelance jobs that fit into your schedule. 

Most often anyone can sign up to offer freelance platforms like the ones mentioned above.

However, be aware that some platforms may have application processes or require you to prove your skills before accepting you in. Once you’re approved, you can then start offering your services and set your own rates!

33. Sell Services on Fiverr

If you have an online service to offer, you can do so on Fiverr!

Fiverr is one of the easiest ways to start making yourself money online by offering your skills as paid services.

No matter whether your skill is in writing content or emails, graphic design, video editing, voiceovers, or social media management (just as a few examples – the list is endless), you will find that someone will be looking for those specific services.

People often start by creating simple, quick jobs at an appealing low price to attract your first few customers and then as your completed jobs, experience and positive reviews go up, you can then increase your rates and complexity of jobs!

Fiverr handles all of the marketing and brings clients to you through keywords, so you don’t have to spend time searching for work. Of course you can promote your services if you’d like though!

34. Become a Virtual Assistant

If you’re organized and good at multitasking, becoming a virtual assistant (VA) is a fantastic way to make money online!

Business owners, bloggers, influencers and entrepreneurs are always looking for help with the daily tasks that take time away from them creating content/products! These tasks could be things like email management, social media scheduling, data entry, help with Pinterest and customer support.

You can sign up and start on websites like Fiverr or Upwork, and you set your own rates based on your experience!

As for how much you can make, many new VAs earn between $15-$50 per hour, and as you gain clients and experience, it can turn into a full-time income. Plus, you get the freedom to work from anywhere!

35. Email Marketing Manager

Email marketing is one of the most powerful ways businesses connect with their audience. A lot will say that their email list is one of the most important and valuable things that they have! Because of this, they are willing to pay for experts who can help write and schedule engaging emails that drive sales or clicks!

As an Email Marketing Manager, you’ll create newsletters, automated sequences, and promotional campaigns to help brands connect more with their audience, and help drive clicks and sales back to whatever their business needs.

If you are looking to grow your email list or need ideas how to grow someone elses – grab this free cheatsheet on Lead Magnets for email growth!

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Remember to check your spam folder if you can’t see it!

Many businesses (especially e-commerce stores and bloggers) need this service, and you can charge per project or on a retainer basis – making this a great way to build a steady income online that suits you as well as the blogger/brand!

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, totally beginner friendly and affordable email marketing platform, MailerLite is a really good choice! It’s the platform I use and I can highly recommend it!

It’s beginner-friendly (super easy to work with and use), it’s got loads of automation features, and offers a free plan without any upfront or ongoing costs.

No matter whether you’re running your own campaigns for yourself, wanting to practice with email software or using it for clients, MailerLite is a really great tool to help maximize results while keeping things streamlined and simple!

36. SEO Specialist

This is a bit of a niche option to make $100 in a day, but if you’re good with keywords and analytics, offering SEO services is a great way to generate an income.

Businesses and bloggers need help ranking higher on Google as their whole business relies on having an audience, and many will pay well for services like keyword research and site optimization.

You can start with free online courses, and even beginners can charge $50 to $100 per project. With SEO in high demand, this side hustle has serious growth potential!

If you’re familiar with how Google works and love looking into keywords and the back-end analytics, becoming an SEO specialist is a fantastic way to make some money.

You don’t need a fancy degree or qualification to get started. There are plenty of free and paid resources/courses online to help you build your SEO skills.

As an SEO specialist, you could offer services such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and backlink building.

Rates will vary depending on your own experience and skill set, but even beginners can charge $50 to $100 per project.

The good thing about skills like this is that once you’ve got a few success stories behind you, your earning potential can skyrocket.

SEO is an always-in-demand skill that businesses and brands are constantly looking for, making it a great side hustle that can turn into a full career if you choose!

37. Social Media Manager

With the rise of influencers and online brands, many need help staying active on social media so they can focus on content! That’s where a Social Media Manager comes in!

Whether it’s help in creating engaging posts, scheduling content, responding to comments or other tasks to help grow their audience/followers, this role is perfect if you love spending time online and know how to keep an audience engaged and growing!

Depending on your skills/experience and the brands and content crerators you choose to work with, you’ll find people willing to pay hundreds or even thousands per month! 

It can be a lot of work but super enjoyable if you’re on social media anyway!

38. Facebook Ads Manager

Becoming a Facebook Ads Manager can be a really good way to make $100 in a day because brands and businesses are always looking for skilled people to help them get more leads and in turn, more sales!

With millions of people and businesses relying on Facebook ads, there’s always a huge demand for ad managers who can create, optimize, and scale campaigns for those businesses.

Plus, you don’t need a degree or any specific qualifications to get started. All you need is the right training/skills and some experience.

Once you really master it, you can charge hundreds or even thousands per month per client, making it a super effective and flexible side hustle or even full-time business!

39. Offer Video Editing Services

Video editing services can be an amazing way to make $100 in a day.

The popularity of platforms like YouTube and TikTok has heightened the demand for talented video editors, making it one of the best opportunities out there.

Every vlog, cinematic montage, or viral short video starts as raw video footage. It’s the editor who transforms it into something captivating and impactful!

And here’s the best part: you don’t need years of experience to get started!

You can pick up video editing skills in just 3 to 6 months with free or affordable online resources. YouTube tutorials are a great place to begin.

Once you’ve honed your craft, the earning potential is amazing.

Rates can vary depending on the type of videos you work on, but with dedication this could turn into a lucrative and creative career or side hustle.

40. Become a Content Re-purposer

If someone is creating content, chances are they are looking for ways to get more eyes on their work without constantly creating new content from scratch! That’s where content re-purposers come in.

Here are a couple of examples of the jobs you may get as as a content re-purposer: you might turn blog posts into social media graphics, you might change podcasts into blog posts, or break down/edit long form YouTube videos into short-form videos for platforms such as TikTok or Instagram!

It’s a high-demand skill that saves creators SO much time while also helping them grow their audience across multiple platforms.

If you enjoy organizing and editing content in streamlined, engaging ways, this could be the ideal side hustle for you!

41. Graphic Designer

If you’ve got a good eye, are creative, if you love designing logos, social media graphics, or website images, becoming a freelance graphic designer is a fantastic way to make extra money!

There are always people needing graphics and images created! With platforms like Canva, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop, you can create unique logos, banners and visuals – without the need for a big budget. 

Whether you sell custom designs, take on specific custom client projects, or even offer templates on Etsy or Shopify, designing graphics for brands and content creators can be a really fun way to earn if you’re good at it!

Specialised Services

42. Bookkeeping

If numbers, organization and attention to detail are your thing, bookkeeping could be the perfect way for you to earn some extra cash.

With businesses of all sizes needing help managing their finances, bookkeepers are always in demand.

You don’t need a formal accounting degree to get started either. There are plenty of online courses to teach you the basics!

Once you know how to track expenses, balance accounts, and generate financial reports, you can then offer your services to small business owners, freelancers, and even entrepreneurs. 

It’s a really flexible job you can do remotely and part-time, making it ideal for fitting around your daily life and other commitments. Experienced bookkeepers can earn $25 to $50 per hour, making it a profitable and reliable side hustle.

Plus as a bonus, it’s a skill that you can keep improving on, and that only gets more valuable with time!

43. Become a Translator

If you’re fluent in more than one language, you can absolutely put your skills to good use and try out becoming a translator!

It’s such a rewarding job where you get to help people communicate across different languages. You could be translating anything from important documents and audio recordings to books or creative writing!

If you have the skills, translating is an amazing way to use your talent while earning money.

Plus, you can often do this work from the comfort of your home or on a flexible schedule, making it a fantastic option if you’re looking for freedom in your career!

44. Teaching English Online

Teaching English as a second language online is a helpful and growing side hustle opportunity. It’s especially perfect for those looking for flexibility and more meaningful work!

Whether you choose to teach online or in person, this income option is incredibly versatile and flexible, making it again perfect for anyone wanting their income to fit seamlessly around family commitments and/or other responsibilities.

While you don’t necessarily need a degree, having a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification is essential to be accepted for most positions and in turn maximize your earning potential.

Platforms like VIPKID, Qkids, and Cambly connect you with learners worldwide and offer decent pay, often up to $22 per hour or more depending on your experience and which platform you choose.

If you enjoy helping others and want to work from anywhere, this could be the perfect income stream for you!

45. Start a Consulting Business

This is a side hustle/business idea for those who have a more specialised skill set!

If you have expertise in a particular field you could start your own consulting business. No matter whether your skills and expertise are in marketing, business strategies, or even personal development, you can use your knowledge and make it into a profitable business!

People (including brands and companies) are always looking for expert guidance to help them solve and overcome problems and achieve their goals.

You can start off small by offering one-on-one coaching or consulting calls so you get comfortable and in the swing of things. After that you can then scale up by offering services such as group sessions, digital courses, or even mentorship programs.

You of course set your own rates, choose clients to work with that you enjoy, and build a business that fits into your current daily lifestyle.

A consulting business is an amazing way to make $100 in a day, and in time you can easily scale it up to a full time income stream!

Creative Income

46. Photography

Photography can be an amazing way to make money! Whether your niche is portraits, product photography, or even selling stock images online, there are loads of opportunities to turn your photo skills into an income.

You can start small with just a camera or even a smartphone, build a portfolio, and grow your client base over time.

You can take courses and become more qualified as you become more experienced too. This in turn will reflect in the prices you then charge.

Plus, with social media and the internet in general, marketing your work has never been easier. You can sell stock images to stock image websites, or sell prints via Etsy or Shopify!

If you have a good eye for detail and are creative, photography can be a super flexible, and profitable side hustle to start. 

With time and effort it won’t be long before you’re up to making $100 in a day!

47. Personal Stylist

Becoming a personal stylist is a fantastic way to make money while helping people look and feel their best!

Whether you’re styling people for their everyday style, special events, or even professional photoshoots, there’s always a demand for expert fashion advice.

The beauty of this venture is that you can work in-person, online, or a mix of the two! You can offer virtual styling sessions, wardrobe ideas, or even personal shopping services if you prefer to see things in person.

Due to the internet and specifically Social Media, building a personal brand and attracting clients is easier  than ever!

If you love fashion and have an amazing eye for style, this could be the fun, flexible, and rewarding side hustle for you!

You made it to the end! That deserves congrats in itself! That also already tells me you’re serious about changing your life. These 47 ideas aren’t just “quick cash hacks”… they can be real stepping stones to something so much bigger.

Whether your first $100 comes in tomorrow or in two weeks, it’s coming – if you stick with it. The key? Start. Start today. Take messy action. And keep showing up for the life you know you’re meant to have.

If you want to see the exact toools that help me grow my blog, income, and online presence every single day…
Check out my full blogging + money-making tools – it’s everything I love and actually use or recommend for anyone just starting out!

Quick FAQ Section For Further Info

Q: What is the fastest way to make $100 a day?

A: It truly depends on your skills and what you enjoy doing really. Having said that, some of the fastest methods include freelance work, selling digital products, affiliate marketing, or offering services through platforms like Fiverr. These can be the quickest in terms of cash in your pocket or comission in your account. Some people even make $100+ a day flipping items or through print-on-demand if that’s what takes your fancy!

Q: Can you really make $100 a day online?

A: Absolutely! So many people do it daily! It takes effort, learning, and testing different ideas of course, but with consistency, making $100 a day (or more!) from home is totally achievable. A lot of the methods I talk about in this post are beginner-friendly and scalable over time. Some may take more learning but then you will have a solid skill set behind you too!

Q: How do I start a side hustle with no money?
A: You don’t need to invest upfront to start earning. I have a full post breakdown on why you DON’T need to invest money to make money online – check that out here! Options like affiliate marketing, offering digital services, starting a blog, or using platforms like Pinterest or TikTok can be started with little to no cost. They just require your time, effort, and creativity!

Q: What about taxes?

A: I’m not an expert so you will need to do your own research for this one. This will vary depending on what country you are in. If you’re in the UK for example, when you start making money it’s worth reading the official HMRC guidance on becoming a sole trader so you understand how taxes work and avoid surprises later lol. For US readers, the IRS has a clear Gig Economy Tax Center that explains what counts as taxable income and what doesn’t.

As you can see from all the options above, there are so many ways that you can make $100 in a day! Some will take more time than others but with time, determination and learning skills where needed, you can see how easily it can be done!

Which of these options to make $100 in a day appeals to you the most?

Do you already do any of the options I listed here?

Let me know in the comments!

Speak soon!

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This post is going to break down exactly what Affiliate Marketing is and how to make money from it.

Affiliate marketing has quickly become one of the most popular ways to generate passive income online. With good reason!

The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you can make money whether you are looking to start a side hustle, or wanting to start a full-time online business, affiliate marketing can fit in and generate income for you!

The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you don’t need to create your own products or manage stock/inventory. Instead, you promote other people’s products/services and you then earn a commission for every sale made through your unique referral links.

You recommend products you already love, to people who you know are interested in the sorts of products you’re talking about. If they choose to buy them through your link, you get paid – Affiliate Marketing.

Let’s get into how to make money with affiliate marketing!

Before we get into how to make money with affiliate marketing, we first need to go over what affiliate marketing actually is!

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is often made out to sound complicated but the process is actually very simple.

Affiliate Marketing is when you promote someone else’s product, and when someone buys that product through your unique link, you earn a commission. That’s it. 

You may initially be wondering why brands would choose to pay you to promote their products. Fair question! 

If you think about how much money brands spend on advertising or any other potentially expensive way of promoting or marketing their products, paying someone a commission on a product that has already been sold, makes a lot of sense.

This is why so many companies offer an affiliate program now. It’s a win-win for all involved!

Being able to make money with Affiliate Marketing is one of the most amazing aspects of having an online business or just making some money online.

It doesn’t matter your niche, your platform, audience size or how you promote it, if you have a way to reach people who trust you, you can make money.

Because most companies have affiliate programs, you can find something you love and want to promote, no matter if it feels a little obscure to you.

Where Can You Promote Affiliate Links?

You can promote your affiliate links pretty much anywhere!

Some companies do have rules of where you aren’t allowed to post. For example, Amazon affiliate links are not allowed to be promoted in private Facebook groups. So it’s important to check out your links to confirm you are following the rules of the brand, but the whole point of being an affiliate is to promote your links (and in turn, the brand’s products), so anywhere public you are generally safe with!

Be aware where you can and can’t link to your affiliate links directly. Often platforms such as Pinterest don’t let you link straight to affiliate links. Your pins need to link to a website such as your blog or a landing page which can then have further information on, before linking to your specific affiliate link.

The plus side of having a blog or landing page for your links is that you can share more information, explain more plus points and in some situations you can also collect email addresses too to be able to send out more information on that particular product or service. 

Remember to always have a visible disclaimer advising of affiliate links. 

*Important note* – you must ALWAYS disclose when links are affiliate links. 

Each country is different so please do your own research and find out how is best to do this, but often you need a note on each post there is affiliate links in, advising of this.

There are many ways to promote your links to make money with Affiliate Marketing. Blogs and YouTube are two of the most popular ways. The most important thing – if you are wanting to make an income as opposed to a little cash here and there – is having an audience who trust in you and your knowledge. 

Links that link out to specific products or services that are relevant to whichever topic you are speaking about will usually perform the best.

One example would be if you had a cooking blog/YouTube channel, you may link to the exact stand mixer or cookware set you use/that you love.

Another example would be if you take an online course you loved and truly feel others can get value from, you can share it with your audience. 

A third example would be if you were a YouTuber, you can link to the camera, microphone and lighting set up that you use.

The nice thing about examples like the above examples is that it’s easy to naturally promote, as you are using and loving the products/digital products anyway! 

What Sorts of Products Can You Promote?

Anything! Everything! Whatever your heart desires!

Okay maybe not literally anything… but close!

Of course it’s dependent on if the product/brand you are looking at even has an affiliate program that’s suitable for you and your audience. 

You can choose from a huge range of products and brands, and can of course promote multiple products. Some products will work a lot better than others for you. It will depend on how big your audience is, how well they know and trust you, what your content is about and your overall niche.

For example, if you have a blog about tropical fish and you’re trying to promote binoculars – no matter how much you love them – it will be hard going.

On the other hand if your blog was about garden birds and you happen to have a pair of binoculars you absolutely love and they are from Amazon or a website that offers an affiliate program – bingo! 

Nearly all companies have an affiliate program now, no matter the type of product. If you want to make money with Affiliate Marketing, there will be products and programs out there for you.

There are also websites such as Impact and Clickbank which have a marketplace for a large range of products and companies you can have unique affiliate links with.

Examples of the types of products you could promote:

• Physical products
• E-Books
• Online Courses
• Services (online or in person service like tutoring)
• Subscription websites
• The list goes on…

The important thing is to find things you use/love, that are relevant and useful to your readers! 

Do You Need a Blog or YouTube channel?

Not necessarily! What you do need is an audience of some form.

Blogs (especially if you have an email list), and YouTube are often the most popular ways to promote your affiliate links as you can explain all the good (and bad) points about that certain product. You don’t NEED to have either of these if you don’t want to, though of course, you can promote via any other social media that you prefer.

It’s important to check the rules of whichever platform you choose to promote on as some don’t allow direct affiliate links, such as Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

In these situations you will need to place your links on a middle website, be it a blog, a Stan Store, Link Tree or anything else along those lines! You then link that website to your Socials, and your affiliate links can then be found from there.

This is why having a website with blog posts relating back to those affiliate products can be so beneficial. Not only can you post a lot more information and photos about the products you are promoting, but from your own website you can also place your affiliate links in directly! 

If you aren’t sure which platform to start on or want a place to promote your blog posts, Pinterest is an amazing place to start. Pinterest itself is a search engine as opposed to a social media, meaning people are often on Pinterest to search for things.

Linking your Pinterest pins back to blog posts containing your affiliate links can bring in money for a long time to come!

How to Make Money Through Your Email List

Email lists are so underrated!

It’s something I would recommend anyone with a blog, or who wants to get into affiliate marketing, should have.

I won’t go into landing pages and funnels in this post, but more just explain how your email list can work so well in terms of affiliate marketing.

To answer the first question…

What Is An Email List? 

An email list is a list of email addresses that you’ve collected by people entering their email address in exchange for goods or services (often for free).

You build your email list by having something to offer your readers for free.

This could be a checklist, an e-book, a planner, a few pages of a book etc and people who are interested in your offer will give you their email address in return for your specific freebie.

The key is to offer something of true value. 

When people see there is something of value being offered for free, on a topic that is of interest to them, they are likely to pop their email address in to get that freebie. They get their freebie and you then have their email address added to your email list.

They get their freebie, you get their email – win win!

All the email addresses you get from people are held on your list.

This is how you can get in touch with people who are interested in whichever niche that initial freebie was in. As a blogger, your email list helps you stay connected with your readers by sending them newsletters, updates, or blog post notifications. It enables direct and simple communication, and helps to build trust over time, ensuring that your audience doesn’t miss out on any valuable content or key information!

There are many different tools for capturing email addresses and sending out emails to your list.

The one I currently use and really enjoy using is Mailerlite.

You can sign up to MailerLite for FREE here!

While I have upgraded to a paid plan, the free plan lets you do everything you need initially, and you can then upgrade as your list grows!

In affiliate marketing, an email list becomes an even more valuable asset.

Building and nurturing your email list is essential to creating an engaged audience that enjoys hearing from you. You want your readers to trust that you are always coming at them with trustworthy information. This way they are more likely to listen to your recommendations, leading to potential sales and income.

One of the best things about having an email list is that you own it.

You may have a large Instagram following but if Instagram disappeared or your account got banned for whatever reason, all those followers are gone. 

The email list is something you own yourself so will always have.

Email is such a good way to keep in touch with your readers. Not only have they trusted you enough to give you their email, but by doing so (to get that amazing freebie you created), you already know that they are interested in the kinds of things you have to say and the information you have to offer. 

This makes your email readers your target audience. Not in the sense that you will push sales onto them of course – no one likes a spammer!

But if you think about the types of products your readers will be interested in if they already enjoy and are interested in the content you are producing… they may very well benefit from the amazing products you have found and are using! 

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Do You Need a Large Following To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing?

This is a tricky question to answer.

How long is a piece of string?

From experience, it’s absolutely possible to make money with a small following as we all start off with a small number of readers/viewers. As your following grows, it does become easier (numbers wise).

The only thing to keep in mind with a small audience especially is that sometimes brands do have an application process for you to become an affiliate with them and they then can ask how many followers/pageviews etc you get. This is also for the brand to confirm that your content is a good fit for their products, and vice versa.

If you get rejected or told you don’t have enough followers at this moment, don’t worry, there are so many more brands out there!

Making money with affiliate marketing is doable with even a small audience though.

Another scenario to consider is that you may have a smaller following but with readers more likely to buy the sorts of products you are promoting. This is more likely in a slightly more obscure or less common niche.

For example if you have a blog about Cooking. In theory nearly everyone could be interested and sign up to your email list so you may have a huge number of people on your list which is amazing! Your conversion rate may be a lot lower though, but with a huge following it shouldn’t matter much.

On the flip side, if  you had a blog about Lawnmowers, you will have a much smaller group of people interested in getting on your email list for more info. The plus side is that you can be sure that most (if not all) of those people are truly interested in Lawnmowers and so would be more likely to grab any deals or recommendations you were offering!

You may have 1000 people in your email list (Lawnmower related for example), and find that an average of 10% clicks your links = 100 people.

On the flip side you may have 10,000 people in your list (Cooking related) but only 1% click through – again, 100 people.

This is exactly the same amount of people clicking but with a following ten times smaller! 

Obviously the larger the following you have the higher the chance that people will click on those links and buy the things you are promoting.

As a general rule for audience size, the larger the better, BUT it also comes down to quality over quantity. What I mean by quality in terms of your audience is purely in the sense that 100 people who are truly interested in the things you are talking about is so much better than 1,000 people that have just given you their email address/followed you just for the numbers. 

This is often why you will find that you sometimes get emails through from people checking who is reading their emails.

Professional bloggers and affiliate marketers will often remove email addresses of people who don’t read/open their emails, as this then narrows their list down to the people who are truly interested and keen to stay following that blog/person/brand.

How Much Money Can You Make from Affiliate Marketing?

Another piece of string question! 

To keep it real, the answer here is literally… as much as you want.

The sky’s the limit!

When it comes to wanting to make money with affiliate marketing, you should put no limits on yourself or your earning potential. At all!

Each affiliate program is different, some offer as low as 1% commission, some offer up to 80% and all the ranges in between. 

Some offer one off affiliate payments, others offer it on a monthly basis if your readers sign up to a subscription service and each month they stay subscribed, you get a commission. 

Examples of these that I am an affiliate for are:

One Off Payments

Amazon Associates

Perfecting Blogging Blogging Course 

Recurring Payments

KeySearch Keyword Research Tool

ElevenLabs AI Voice Over Tool

As mentioned earlier, some affiliate marketing programs require you to have a certain amount of followers/page views a month to be considered. Others (like Amazon), let you sign up straight away!

Amazon itself requires you to make 3 affiliate sales in 180 days for your account to stay active. If you go past this and haven’t made the 3 sales your affiliate account will be deactivated but you can always reapply when you are ready!

If you have your eye on one that you need a certain number of monthly pageviews for, use this as a goal to work towards and you’ll be signing up with them in no time.

You aren’t limited to just one (or 3 or 10) affiliate marketing companies/programs. You can sign up for as many as you want.

If there is another product you find you are loving and using a lot, why not share it too? 

Never put all your eggs in one basket! If you want to really make money with Affiliate Marketing, definitely have a few different channels of income in terms of different programs.

Of course don’t go overboard with the promotion of products! Mix it up with recommendations of things you aren’t an affiliate of, but in the grand scheme of things, you can promote anything you like.

Whether you choose to promote 99p notebooks, £400 cameras or £3,000 online courses – there is a commission to be made.

You choose what’s right for you and your readers and what you’re comfortable with. You can always work up as you go on!

Other Ways To Make Money Online Through Your Blog

Affiliate Marketing is without a doubt one of the best ways to make money from your blog (or whichever platform you choose). 

There are other ways to make money online though if you are looking for more income streams, don’t feel affiliate marketing is quite right for you or just to see some other options of avenues you can go down to make money.

If you are wanting more information on getting started with affiliate marketing, you can have a read of these posts here:

For more information on Affiliate Marketing you can check out these posts:

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000

The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners (That Actually Convert!)

If you would like to have a look into some other ways to make money, have a read of these posts here:

How To Make $100 In a Day: 47 Fun and Practical Ideas

25 Ways To Make $600 Quickly

7 Ways to Make Money From Your Blog

Affiliate Marketing is single handedly one of the best ways to make an income online – use it to your advantage and everyone wins!

Speak soon!

Katherine

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In this post we are going to answer one of the most commonly asked questions on the internet today: What Is Digital Marketing?

We’re going to unravel the magic of digital marketing for the online world today. We’ll explore how businesses use websites, social media, emails, and other online tactics and strategies to catch your attention!

In an era where the digital realm is the central hub of modern communication, understanding digital marketing has become so important for individuals and businesses alike.

Digital marketing uses different ways to catch your eye online. It includes things like using social media to get your attention and making websites/blogs show up in online searches. This helps companies and bloggers connect with an audience and build relationships in the online world.

Whether you’re new to starting a business online or already know a bit about digital marketing, this post will help you understand digital marketing that bit better!

We will go over what Digital Marketing is and how to use digital marketing in today’s online world.

This post is going to answer the common question: What Is Digital Marketing? And how can it benefit you!

So to start off, let’s answer the main question first: What Is Digital Marketing?

The technical answer is: “Digital marketing refers to the use of digital channels, such as the internet, social media, email, search engines, websites, and various online platforms, to promote products, services, or brands. It involves leveraging digital technologies to reach and engage with a targeted audience, attract potential customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales or desired actions.”

In more simple terms, digital marketing involves using the internet and online tools to advertise and connect with people who might be interested in what a business or website offers.

It includes things like creating websites, posting on social media, sending emails, and showing up in online searches to get people’s attention and encourage them to learn more about a business or its products/services.

In very simple terms, Digital marketing is like telling the world about something, using the internet to do so!

Digital marketing is like spreading the word about something you love, but instead of using traditional methods like newspapers, you do it online. 

Imagine you have an idea, product, or anything else you want to share. Instead of shouting it out on the street, you use the internet to spread the word.

This involves things like making a website, posting on social media, sending emails, and showing up in online searches!

Digital marketing is really just the fancy way of saying, “Hey, check this out!” in the online world. 

Quick heads up: If you’re thinking of starting a blog or website as part of your digital marketing plan, don’t forget about the legal stuff – it’s easy to overlook (or not bother with), but it’s honestly super important.

I use this legal bundle that covers everything from disclaimers to privacy policies and terms of service. It’s beginner-friendly, GDPR-compliant, and created by an actual lawyer who specialises in online businesses. It saved me hours of stress and made sure my site was protected from day one. Legal pages aren’t a DIY job if you want to be properly covered lol.

Imagine you have a favourite pizza place. If that business wants more people to know about their amazing pizzas, they may use digital marketing. They could create ads on social media or send out emails with special offers. On top of this they could also make their website show up first when someone searches for “best pizza near me.” (This would be done using a high-quality Keyword Research Tool.)

Basically, digital marketing is all about using the internet’s superpowers to reach and connect with people! It includes a range of things like social media marketing, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and more. It’s an umbrella term for any marketing done online – i.e, digitally!

What Are Some Popular Options For Digital Marketing?

When you look into the centre of digital marketing, it is the science of promoting products, services, or brands using digital channels.

It’s the modern way businesses connect with their audience through the wonder that is the internet.

Digital marketing happens in various online spaces, each with its own strategy and set of opportunities:

Search Engines (SEO)

I would assume you have searched for something on Google at some point! That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes into play. It’s all about improving your website’s visibility in search results, so more people can easily discover what you offer. It’s about making your website rank higher in search results, ensuring more people find you effortlessly. Using a Keyword Research tool can dramatically help with this marketing strategy.

Social Media Marketing

As soon as you scroll through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, or LinkedIn, you’ll witness SO many examples of social media marketing. It’s about building communities, engaging followers, and telling your brand story. It could be mixed between text, videos, and even paid ads. Anyone sharing/promoting anything on social media falls into this category!

Content Creation

Whether it be blogs, videos or infographics, content is king in the digital realm. Creating valuable, informative, or entertaining content is the heartbeat of digital marketing.

Blogs serve as an invaluable platform for sharing information, insights, opinions, and stories. (A personal favourite!) They cater to various interests/niches, providing your readers with in-depth knowledge, how-to guides, updates, and engaging articles. A well-crafted blog not only informs but also establishes a brand’s authority and credibility in its field.

If you’re curious about starting your own blog but feel overwhelmed, this blogging course was honestly the best decision I made. It gave me the clarity, confidence, and step-by-step plan I needed to actually start making money from blogging.

Videos are an amazing visual medium that captivates audiences through visual storytelling. From product demonstrations and tutorials to vlogs and brand stories, videos bring content to life, engaging viewers with compelling narratives, visuals, and emotions. They often result in high engagement and better retention of information!

Infographics often present complex or more complicated information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format. Combining graphics, images, and text, they convey data, statistics, lists, or step-by-step guides in an easily understandable manner. Infographics are highly shareable, making information accessible and engaging across different platforms.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a vital component of digital marketing, focusing on sending targeted, personalised emails to subscribers or potential customers.

It includes:

• Building an email list through blog/website sign-up forms and things like landing pages.
• Tailoring your content to subscribers’ preferences.
• Sending engaging emails with clear calls-to-action.
• Analysing metrics for continual improvement!

Businesses use email marketing to connect with subscribers, drive sales, and build lasting relationships.

For email marketing, I use and recommend MailerLite. It’s beginner-friendly, free to start, and perfect for digital marketing beginners as it is free to start and grows with you!

If you want step-by-step guidance on actually growing your email list and writing emails that convert, this Email Marketing Course from my favourite online blogging mentor is incredible. It’s perfect for beginners and packed with value.

Paid Advertising

We have all seen those sponsored ads on Google or in social feeds! They are everywhere nowadays! That’s the pull of paid advertising. Businesses/Content Creators pay to showcase their products or service to a targeted audience.

How Does Digital Marketing Work?

Digital marketing operates on the principles of understanding your audience, creating compelling content, and strategically placing it where your audience hangs out online. It’s about building relationships, not just selling. 

Digital marketing works by utilising various different online channels and strategies to reach and engage with a targeted audience.

Here’s an overview of how digital marketing works:

Understanding Your Audience

It starts with understanding your target audience. This means knowing their demographics, interests, behaviour, and preferences! 

Utilising Multiple Online Channels

Digital marketing uses various online platforms and channels such as websites, social media, search engines, email, content marketing, paid advertising, and more.

Creating Engaging Content

The key is to create valuable, informative, or entertaining content tailored to your audience’s needs and preferences. This content can include blog posts, videos, infographics, social media posts, emails, and more!

Strategic Placement

Your content is then placed on different online platforms to reach your target audience where they spend their time online. For instance, using SEO tactics to appear in search engine results or running targeted ads on social media.

An example of this would be, if you are trying to reach an audience interested in recipes, Pinterest would be a more strategic platform to focus on than somewhere like Twitter/X!

If you want to master Pinterest and start driving serious traffic to your blog, this Pinterest course is the one I recommend! It breaks everything down step-by-step and is perfect for beginners or anyone needing to see growth in their Pinterest numbers.

Engaging and Converting

Once your audience interacts with your content, as a digital marketer you would then aim to engage them one step further and guide them towards desired actions, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or visiting a different link/website.

Analysing and Optimising

Using data analytics to track the performance of your campaigns, keeping an eye on metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates, conversions, and more, is super important. This data helps you to understand what works and what doesn’t, allowing for optimisation and improvement of your marketing strategies.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is like being a matchmaker between people who have great products or services and those who might be interested in them!

Here’s a simplified example of how it works:

• You love a particular brand of running shoes, and you want to tell your friends about them.

• The company that makes those running shoes has an affiliate program. 
• They say, “Hey, if you bring new customers to us, we’ll give you a small reward.”
• You tell your friends about these amazing running shoes and give them a special link provided to you by the company.
• When your friends use the link to buy the running shoes, the company knows it’s because of you. As a thanks for bringing in new customers, they give you a commission or reward.

Affiliate marketing is like being a friendly middle-person, connecting people with products they might like and earning a little something in return. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!

Is Digital Marketing The Same As Affiliate Marketing?

Yes and no.

Digital marketing and affiliate marketing are not the same thing but affiliate marketing is under the umbrella of digital marketing. So while affiliate marketing is a form of digital marketing, not all digital marketing is affiliate marketing! 

Let’s break down the differences:

Digital Marketing:

• Definition: Digital marketing is a broad term that encompasses all marketing efforts carried out through digital channels, such as the internet.
• Components: It includes various strategies like social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), paid advertising (PPC), and more.
• Goal: The goal of digital marketing is to promote products, services, or brands online, increase brand awareness, and connect with a target audience.

Affiliate Marketing:

• Definition: Affiliate marketing is a specific type of performance-based marketing within the broader scope of the digital marketing umbrella.
• People Involved: It involves three main parties: the merchant (seller or product creator), the affiliate (the promoter or marketer), and the customer.
• Mechanism: Affiliates earn a commission for every customer they bring to the merchant’s business through their marketing strategies and efforts, usually using personalised affiliate links!
• Goal: The primary goal of affiliate marketing is to drive sales and leads for the merchant while allowing affiliates to earn a commission.

Basically, Digital marketing uses various online strategies to promote products or services while Affiliate marketing is a part of digital marketing where individuals earn commissions by promoting others’ products or services through unique links.

I hope that helps explain the difference as I know often the terms get thrown around as if they are interchangeable which makes things confusing!

Why Is Digital Marketing a Good Way to Make Money For Bloggers?

Digital marketing is an amazing way for bloggers to make money because it opens up so many options in terms of revenue streams and allows bloggers to monetise their online presence (and all that hard work!).

Here are some reasons why digital marketing is a good idea for bloggers:

Affiliate Marketing

• Bloggers can join affiliate programs and promote products or services they like/enjoy within their blog posts. When their audience makes a purchase through the affiliate links, that blogger earns a commission.

Sponsored Content

• Brands may pay bloggers to create content that features or promotes their products or services. This sponsored content can take the form of blog posts, reviews, or mentions, providing bloggers with a source of income. As with affiliate marketing, make sure your sponsorships are for products or services you genuinely like or enjoy, as your readers are smart and will absolutely see straight through any falseness!

Advertising Revenue

• Bloggers can also earn money through advertising, either by displaying ads on their blog or participating in ad networks. 

Digital Product Sales

• Bloggers can create and sell their own digital products, such as e-books, online courses, or downloadable/printable resources. Digital marketing helps reach a wider audience and promote these products effectively!

Email Marketing

• As a blogger you can build an email list and engage with your audience through newsletters, informative or promotional emails. This direct communication channel allows bloggers to promote products, affiliate offers, or their own services!

If you want step-by-step guidance on actually growing your email list and writing emails that convert, this Email Marketing Course from my favourite online blogging mentor is incredible. It’s perfect for beginners and packed with value.

Selling Merchandise

• If you are a blogger who has established a brand or niche, you can sell merchandise related to your blog. Digital marketing strategies help promote and sell these items to your audience.

Consulting or Coaching Services

• Bloggers with expertise in a particular field can offer consulting or coaching services. Digital marketing helps to showcase that knowledge, attract clients, and promote their services to a larger audience.

Membership or Subscriptions

• Bloggers can create exclusive content or resources for a premium audience and monetise it through membership or subscription models. Digital marketing helps attract and retain subscribers.

Collaborations and Partnerships

• Digital marketing enables bloggers to connect with other influencers, brands, or businesses for collaborations and partnerships. These collaborations can involve joint promotions, co-created content, or sponsored campaigns.

Digital marketing provides bloggers with a diversified set of tools and strategies to generate income. By utilising these opportunities, bloggers can turn their passion and expertise into a sustainable source of revenue.

Of course the more the merrier in terms of income streams, so you can absolutely apply many of these strategies, not just one or two!

How To Get Started With Digital Marketing

Getting started with digital marketing isn’t as daunting as it may initially sound! It can be fun and exciting, and there are several ways to get started.

Here’s a quick digital marketing guide for beginners:

Educate Yourself

• Take advantage of online resources, courses, and tutorials to learn the basics of digital marketing. YouTube can be an amazing platform for this type of initial research! Learn about key concepts such as SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, and content creation.

Define Your Goals

• Clearly define your goals and why you are starting. Whether it’s to increase your website/blog traffic, building up an email list, or boosting sales, having specific goals will help your digital marketing strategy stay on track.

Identify Your Target Audience

• This part is super important! Understand who your target audience really is. Knowing their preferences, behaviours, and interests will help you tailor your digital marketing efforts to effectively reach and engage them.

Create a Website or Blog

• Establish yourself with an online presence with a user-friendly website or blog. Platforms like WordPress especially make it easy to set up your own blog and give yourself that space on the internet! Grab an affordable but high performing Host such as Hostgator (still using them to this day) and you’re good to go!

Optimise for Search Engines (SEO)

• Learn the basics of SEO to improve your website’s visibility on search engines. The aim is to rank as high as possible, no matter what search engines you choose. Focus on keyword research, optimised images, meta tags, and creating high-quality, relevant content that your readers will love and find helpful.

Start Email Marketing

• It’s never too early to start building up your email list. Use lead magnets, such as free resources, printables or newsletters, to encourage your visitors to subscribe to your list. There are many free platforms for lists under 500/1000 emails in size so I would recommend starting as soon as you can.

Engage on Social Media

• Choose social media platforms that align with your audience and goals. This ties back in with what I mentioned earlier about if you are aiming to share your content with people looking for recipes, Pinterest will most likely be a better option for you than Twitter/X! Going to where your potential readers are is one of the best ways to promote your content.

If you want a quick crash course on Social Media, you can get this one here. It’s perfect for beginners and packed all the info you need!

Create High-Quality Content

• Content is key for digital marketing. Create valuable, high-quality and relevant content that helps or entertains your readers. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, and more.

Understand Paid Advertising

• If you are choosing to go down the paid advertising route, I would recommend familiarising yourself with paid advertising platforms like Google Ads or social media ads. Start small, set a budget, and experiment with different ad formats to see what works for you. Setting your ads to show for those in your target audience will give you the best results over just showing the ads to anyone and everyone!

Monitor Your Analytics

• Use analytics tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of your digital marketing efforts. Analysing data will help you understand what’s working and where you can adjust your strategy to make any improvements.

Network and Connect

• Connecting with other bloggers and website owners in your niche is an important step. You can join online groups and forums, reach out directly via the other’s website or blog, or you can even attend virtual events to build relationships with others with the same goals or interests as you.

Don’t feel like you have to jump straight in at the deep end! Getting yourself started with digital marketing is a gradual process. Take it one step at a time, experiment, and adapt your strategies based on what works best for you, your goals and your specific audience.

Can Anyone Become a Digital Marketer?

Absolutely! One of the best aspects of digital marketing is its inclusivity and flexibility for anyone who wants to do it.

If you are eager to learn, patient and curious about trying different digital marketing strategies, you absolutely have the potential to become a digital marketer!

There’s no specific experience or qualifications required to get started, as long as there’s a passion for your chosen topic and a willingness to learn and adapt, you can absolutely get into digital marketing! 

There are a few reasons why anyone can become a Digital Marketer:

There Is An Abundance of Learning Resources

• The internet is full of various learning resources, from blogs and articles to online courses and tutorials. YouTube and online courses are both amazing places to look. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your skills, there’s a wealth of information at your fingertips!

Accessibility of Tools

• Many digital marketing tools and platforms are user-friendly and accessible. A lot are also free or low-cost too! You don’t need a background in technology to get started as often there are walk-throughs or user guides on getting started. All else fails – Google it!  

The Flexibility

• As digital marketing can be done using various strategies such as SEO, social media marketing, content creation, email marketing, and more. This means you can choose the area that best aligns with your interests or strengths. You can adapt your marketing strategies to fit you and your niche!

Opportunity for Creativity

• Digital marketing allows for creativity and a personal touch. No matter whether you’re a blogger, writer, designer, seller or any other title, there’s a role for you. Standing out is important so don’t feel worried about adding a personal touch and using your own unique voice!

Constantly Evolving

• Digital marketing is always evolving. Literally always! This constant change means that there’s room for fresh perspectives and ideas. Being adaptable and willing to stay updated on industry trends is more important than a specific educational background.

Freelance Opportunities

• Digital marketing offers many freelancing opportunities. If you’re looking to get into freelancing or start your own business, digital marketing is the perfect way to bring in new opportunities, to show others your skills/experience in your niche, and find clients.

Community Support

• Online communities, forums, and social media groups (especially Facebook groups) provide a supportive environment for learning more and networking with others. Engaging with other digital marketers can be an invaluable part of your learning journey! Sharing the journey makes things more enjoyable, feel less alone, and is an amazing place to share tips and tricks with others in the digital marketing space!

Overall, digital marketing can be an invaluable tool in growing your brand and presence online. Along with that it can be an amazing way to create one (or a few!) income streams, across various channels.

Digital marketing stands as the main strategy of most modern business strategies. It really helps individuals and companies to connect, engage, and thrive. It helps businesses gain exposure, and helps readers and potential customers to discover new people, blogs and brands!

No matter whether you’re just starting your digital marketing journey, or looking to refine your marketing strategies, the power of digital marketing can open doors to endless opportunities!

Hopefully this guide has helped you understand more about what digital marketing is, how to use and utilise it, and how to get started!

Anyone can get started with digital marketing, as there’s so many options and variables that can be modified to suit you and your own personal brand and business!

If you have any questions on the topic “what is digital marketing?”, or any other digital marketing related questions, let me know below!

Tools I Recommend for Digital Marketing Beginners

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure what you actually need to get started, these are the exact tools I’d choose first if I was starting from scratch again (and what I still use now). You don’t need everything… just the right starting point:

• Perfecting Blogging Course – If you’re serious about starting a blog and actually making money from it (not just posting and hoping), this is the course I took. It gave me the clarity and step-by-step plan I needed to go from completely stuck to building a real online income.
• Email Marketing Course – This step-by-step course is perfect if you want to grow your list and create emails that actually convert.
• MailerLite – If you’re starting an email list, this is the platform I’d choose first. It’s free, beginner-friendly, and removes all the overwhelm of trying to figure things out yourself. This is what I use, and it made getting started feel so much easier.
• Legal Pages Bundle – Created by a lawyer who specialises in bloggers. This was a game-changer for making sure my site is legal and properly protected. Don’t DIY your own legal pages lol and only takes 10 mins to set up!
• Pinterest Course – If Pinterest is part of your growth plan (and honestly, it should be!), this course is a fantastic option. It breaks things down step-by-step and helps beginners/smaller accounts grow traffic fast – even if you’ve never used Pinterest for your business before.
• Hosting with HostGator – If you’re starting a blog and just want something simple and reliable, this is the hosting I’ve personally used for years. It’s beginner-friendly, affordable, and makes getting your site live way less overwhelming.

Speak soon!

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