If Possible, Make It An Affiliate Link
A couple of days ago I was browsing on iStockPhoto, trying to discover some images for an ebook I was writing. When I proceeded to purchase an image I liked the site told me I had no extra credits left. “Damn,” I thought, “I’ll require spending more money here.”
Then I noticed an inquiring message on the top right corner of the site. It said “Balance: $160.00″. I clicked there to observe what that was about, and I discovered that I had earned that cash through affiliate commissions. I converted that balance into new credits, and now I can purchase 160 new images with no spending a dime.
The attractive thing is that I didn’t even keep in mind I had joined the iStockPhoto affiliate program. I went to check my archives, and I found the post that generated that money: Where to discover Images for Your Blog.
Unnecessary to say I am glad I took the time to join their affiliate program back in the day (exactly 3 years ago…). I almost certainly was not expecting to make some important money, but over the time even small commissions can add up.
The takeaway message is: if you are going to link to a company or service that has an affiliate program, make certain to join the program and use an affiliate link. It will take an extra effort, but the 5 minutes you’ll spend doing it could bring an excellent amount of money in the coming years.
Now I require going through my archives and finding all the links that could be affiliate ones but are not….
