Check Out The Affiliate Marketing 101 Guide

My friend Jonathan Volk just released a guide titled Affiliate Marketing 101. The guide is completely free, and you just need to subscribe to his email newsletter to get access.

I just went there to check the material, and I must say that it is really solid. Jonathan covers pretty much all you need to know to get started with affiliate marketing. He generated over $4 million last year in affiliate sales, so he sure knows what he is talking about, too.

Here is a list of the sections included:

• Introduction
• What Is Affiliate Marketing?
• What Is An Affiliate Network?
• Recommended Affiliate Networks
• How Does All This Come Together?
• The “Pregame”
• The “Pregame” Pt. 2 – Know Your Demographics
• The “Pregame” Pt. 3 – Setting Up Hosting / Domain Name
• Setting Up A Simple PHP Redirect
• The Landing Page
• Affiliate Marketing Methods (Basic Overview)
• Social Media Affiliate Marketing Guide
• Pay Per View Affiliate Marketing Guide
• Pay Per Click Affiliate Marketing Guide
• Media Buying Affiliate Marketing Guide
• After Your Campaigns Are Ready To Launch
• Conclusion

You’ll find the sections where he talks about affiliate marketing methods particularly useful, because he goes into details about the techniques he uses, the tricks that he found effective to generate more sales and so on.

Finally, he is also having a contest where the two people sending more referrals to the affiliate marketing guide we’ll win an Apple iPad. You’ll get your referral link once you subscribe to the newsletter. Neat promotional idea by the way, huh?

Do You Want to Create a “Make Money Online” Blog? Read This First

You probably have already seen dozens, if not hundreds of “make money online” blogs and websites out there, right? Their popularity is no secret: people see bloggers earning big time in this niche (or at least claiming to), and they decide to jump in to see if they can get a piece of the pie. Unfortunately most people who follow that route will fail in the long run.

A couple of weeks ago I came across a post from Yaro, titled How To Make Money Teaching People How To Make Money, that explained how this pattern unfolds. Here is a quote from it:

"Some people consider making money by teaching how to make money essentially a scam. I mean if you know a system of how to make money, why not just use that system rather than sell it? That smells fishy right? Umm, no, I find that logic quite silly. Why not make money using your system AND teaching it."
So, why can a small minority of people earn big in the Internet marketing industry and the majority fail miserably? Is the make money online niche only full of scammers or those who just got lucky?
As someone who has been making money in this niche for years – and I’ve certainly climbed the ladder over time – I’m in a pretty good position to explain the subtle elements that people new to Internet marketing won’t see.

Working from Home: 201 Ways to Earn Money 

The interesting thing about Yaro’s post is that he is not only explaining why people fail to make money on the “make money online” niche, but he also lays down some points and tips that you can use to succeed. Worth a read. 

22 Ways To Find Advertisers For Your Website

Selling advertising deals is one of the most profitable ways to monetize your website. Some time ago I wrote an article titled How to Find Advertisers for Your Website, where I covered the pros and cons of using this method, what you need to have in place before getting started, how much you should charge and so on.

The most difficult part of the process, however, is to actually find the advertisers. I included some places where you can look for in that article, but I felt that it would be useful to have one post listing all the ways you can use to find advertisers for your website. That is what the list below is all about.

Leveraging Your Own Site

Your own website should be the first port when it comes to finding advertisers. Why? Because people who are familiar with your work will be more willing to discuss possible advertising deals. 

1. Put an “Advertise” link on the menu bar

If you have a navigation menu bar, you could include an “Advertise” link there, making it point to a page where you describe the advertising options of your site. This link will help you in two different ways. First of all it will allow interested companies to quickly find the page where you display your advertising information. Secondly, it will also let all visitors know that you do accept advertising deals. 

2. Use an “Advertise Here” banner as placeholder

If you have unsold ad spots, you could include an “Advertise Here” banner as a placeholder on one of them. This banner will act just like the “Advertise” link on the navigation menu, but it might be more effective because it will show potential advertisers exactly where their ads will be displayed. Just make sure to not use an “Advertise Here” placeholder on all of your unsold spots, as this would send a negative message to advertisers (i.e., no one is buying any ads on your site, so why should they?). 

3. Write a post welcoming advertisers

4 Methods To Make Money On The Internet Quickly

As you probably know I’ll be re-launching the Online Profits training program next Tuesday, and in order to promote it a bit I just published a massive article over there, titled How To Make Money Fast On The Internet: 4 Methods That Really Work!.

Now don’t get the wrong idea. The article is not about getting rich overnight. In fact here a quote from the first paragraphs:

We don’t believe in “get rich quick” schemes, nor in “magic formulas”. That being said, we do think it is possible to make money fast on the Internet, especially if you are willing to put in some effort. Below we cover 4 methods that really work.
Again, they won’t make you rich, but they are worth it if you are needing money fast for one reason or another. For example, you could need $300 to get a web design for your latest project, or $200 to pay a bill that came up unexpectedly. Depending on your expertise and on how hard you are willing to work, you could raise such money within a week or so.

If you are wondering, the four methods are:

1. Selling an eBook
2. Promoting Affiliate Offers
3. Freelance Writing
4. Selling Stuff on eBay

For each method I have provided a step-by-step guide on how you can get started, including links to related resources. The article has over 3,000 words, so it should be worth a read. Check it out!

Lessons Learned From My First $1000 Month

January, 2010, was a breakthrough month for Strongandfit.net. It was my first time earning over one thousand dollars in a month. The month was a “perfect storm”—a culmination of a few factors:

• Over a year of consistently producing content.
• Sticking around long enough to get ranked and indexed in google.
• Discovering affiliate marketing.
• New Year’s Resolutions—people thinking about fitness and being willing to invest in their health.

There are probably other factors (let’s not forget dumb luck). But you get the idea.

I thought I’d share three lessons I’ve learned. What I’m about to tell you isn’t new. Instead, I’ll be reminding you of some things you’ve probably read here or elsewhere, but maybe is forgetting to apply.

1. Don’t blog for money.

This may seem counterintuitive for an article about earning money. But it’s true. Yes, I’ve enjoyed financial success that month. But before it there was a whole year of tirelessly producing content with relatively little financial gain (especially during the first six months). And there’s no guarantee I’ll make a dime next month.

I’ll keep blogging about fitness, regardless of the financial benefits (or lack thereof). Why? I LOVE the topic! If I blogged for money I would have given up a long time ago.

I’d never recommend anyone blog for the sake of money. Just blog because there’s something you love to write about.

2. Integrity matters

Got Your Copy of the Six Figure Affilite Blogging eBook

Zac Johnson is one of the affiliate marketers I most respect. In fact he is the guy I invited to write the affiliate marketing lessons for my Online Profits training program. Last week he also launched a free ebook, called Six Figure Affiliate Blogging.

I am pretty sure Zac could have charged for the ebook, as it comes with 93 pages of pure content, but he is giving it away, and that is why I recommend you guys grab a copy. Yes you’ll need to subscribe to his email newsletter, but I am sure it is worth it. Here is the table of contents:

1. Introduction to Affiliate Marketing
2. Blogging Game Plan
3. Going Live with Your Blog
4. Making Your Blog Profitable
5. Blog Monetization Tips
6. Taking Your Blog to the Next Level
7. Six Figure Blogging Interviews

As you can imagine most of the information is about making money with your blog, and Zac includes some real life examples of profitable blogs you can emulate.

The last chapter contains 10 interviews with six figures bloggers. You’ll also find my interview there, which alone should be worth the cover price! (Hmm, considering the ebook is free I guess I just said my interview is worthless….). Anyway check it out if you are working on the monetization of your blogs and want to learn more about affiliate marketing. 

15 Tips For Those Who Want to Make Money Online

If you are hoping for some kind of ‘secret’ or ‘magic pill’, I am sorry but you will not find it within this post. In fact, I can assure you that you will not find it anywhere else on the Internet either.

However, that doesn’t spell doom and surely doesn’t mean that you will never be able to achieve your goal of making money online. While there are no secrets or magic pills, there are tips and points that can help you in your journey. Below you’ll find 16 of them. 

1. Have a concise goal and plan

You need to have a goal and a plan. Don’t even think of running aimlessly and blindly. It won’t work. Be realistic in whatever you set out to achieve. Do not expect to make millions within a month or so. Have the courage to take actions and constantly remind yourself to why you ought to set out doing so. 

2. Don’t even think of doing it alone. You are no genius

You may be good at a certain field, but you’ll inevitably need others to achieve success. Find a great mentor and learn to trust that person. It doesn’t have to be someone you personally know, as long as you can learn from him/her and build a relationship that is mutually beneficial. 

3. Don’t ever think of quitting. Failure is just part of succeeding

10 Tips To Improve Your Sales Copy Today

When you are watching your favorite TV show, do you look forward to the commercials? When you open up the morning paper, are you excited to read the ads? When you listen to the radio on your way to work, are you riveting by the sales announcements you hear? If you’re like the rest of us on this planet, the answer is NO.

No one wants to pay attention to commercials. No one volunteers to be preached at, tricked, or teased by ad campaigns. We all have better things to do. It follows, then, that no one wants to read copy.

That’s where you come in. You’ve got an incredible service/product/website that you want to share with the world. What do you do if the world doesn’t want to listen? Convince them you’re worth listening to. Your copy has to be irresistible. And not only do you need people to read your copy, but you need them to take action, too, by investing their time and/or money in your company. How do you fight for their attention and affection? Here are 10 tips that will give you the edge:

1. Reel Them In

It’s statistically proven that for every 10 people that read a headline, only 2 read further. The odds of snagging a reader are already stacked against you, big time. The headline is like the gatekeeper to your copy. A weak headline is going to lock that gate forever. That’s why you need—absolutely need—a killer headline. A successful headline needs to be several things, as summarized by the American Writers & Artists’ “four Us”:

1. Useful: your headline must promise that your copy will be useful to the reader. A great headline offers something not only useful, but essential. It should make the reader think, “I’d be stupid not to read this!”
2. Urgent: your potential customers are busy, busy, busy. You have one chance: if they don’t read your copy now—immediately—then they never will. You must recreate this sense of urgency for them.
3. Unique: why should they read about what you have to offer when there are millions of others offering the same thing? Show them why you’re different. Tell them, in the headline, what no one else can tell them; offer what no one else can offer; ask what no one has asked before. You need to stand out from the crowd in order to be noticed.
4. Ultra-specific: If you ask any famous, successful actor, they will tell you that the key to a fabulous performance is making specific choices. That’s how they convince an audience that their character is believable. As a copywriter, you must be as captivating and believable as Marlon Brando or Meryl Streep. Be specific in your tactics, your offer, and your message. Be specifically useful, unique, and urgent. Your audience will reward you for it.

2. Don’t Make a Promise You Can’t Keep

Is Blogging The Right Career Path For You

To many, the world of blogging for income seems like a fantasy world. Internet marketing “gurus” are a dime a dozen and it seems like everywhere you look online, there’s a website claiming they can teach you the secrets to creating financial freedom. It all look so easy…but it’s not. Not even close!

The profession of blogging is often misunderstood and gets far less credit that it deserves. People assume that all we do is sit at home in our underwear, surf the Internet, and write an article now and then.

Now, this may be true for recreational bloggers, but for those who are trying to earn a living from it, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Blogging is a process, a very long process, and if you don’t agree then you are obviously NOT a blogger.

On the surface, blogging may seem like a laid back, easy way to make some money online. In actuality, it’s ultra competitive, especially in the Internet marketing space, requires a massive time commitment, and for most bloggers, offers little or no monetary reward.

The upside is that you get to write about what you love (hopefully), work from anywhere you want, build a huge social network, and have the possibility of earning more in a month that you ever did in a year at your day job.

The Internet Lifestyle