Has the question of how to make money from affiliate marketing without a website ever crossed your mind? Many think this question isn’t worth asking, often believing that affiliate marketing with a website is the only way to go. After all, it’s been a proven way to rake in serious dollars.
But let us tell you one thing: you can still be a successful affiliate marketer even without a website.
So, if you’re seeking alternative paths to affiliate marketing success, you’re in the right place! We’ll help you explore your options; in addition, we will provide our insights and recommendations, so you can make the most profitable decisions for you.
But First, What Does an Affiliate Marketer Do?
Before we begin to answer the question can you do affiliate marketing without a website — the answer is yes, by the way — we should first examine what an affiliate marketer actually does. Put simply, an affiliate marketer helps companies sell their products and, by doing so, earns money from commissions. To make money from affiliate marketing, you need three things:
- An affiliate product to sell and earn a commission from;
- An audience to sell to — ideally composed of people who are more likely to buy the product;
- A traffic source to help your audience find your business or brand.
Without any of these, you won’t be able to close a single sale. And as you can see, not one of the three elements listed for affiliate marketing is a website. So let's begin and dive into this often unexplored, unknown area of affiliate marketing.
How to Do Affiliate Marketing Without a Website
A website isn’t the beginning and end of affiliate marketing. Anywhere where there’s an audience, there’s an opportunity for you to promote a product or service. And because having your website isn’t a prerequisite to affiliate marketing, it’s possible to still earn affiliate commissions without one.
So, whether you’re new to affiliate marketing or you’ve already achieved some success as an affiliate marketer, you still stand to benefit from this article. Regardless of your experience level, learning how to make money from affiliate marketing without a website can help you reach an even wider audience and compound your successes.So, let’s begin!
Get Into Pay Per Click Marketing
Are you looking for the quickest possible return on investment? Then, perhaps, PPC marketing is the way to go. PPC (pay for click) marketing lets you set up advertisements and only pay when someone clicks the link. We recommend this way of advertising if:
- You’re targeting a segment of your audience that’s ready to make a purchase decision.
- You’re confident that you can make an effective ad.
- You believe that your potential affiliate commissions are enough to offset the advertising cost.
However, if you’re looking for ways to try affiliate marketing for beginners without a website, this may not be the best option. Consider less risky alternatives, so you can experiment and explore before investing money.
Start a YouTube Channel
Everyone’s familiar with the joys of watching unboxing videos. In addition to its high entertainment value, many people watch these videos because they are looking for legitimate reviews. And apart from actually buying the product, the closest that they can get to experiencing the item is by seeing how someone uses and interacts with it.
This applies to software and digital products as well. Show off the product’s key features, so the viewer can glimpse what they’d get with a purchase. More importantly, you shouldn’t limit yourself to reviews. How-to videos can also be a great way to introduce an affiliate product to your audience.
Engage Your Audience Through Email Marketing
Even though there are so many channels that exist now, email marketing still brings a healthy ROI. So, if you’re on a tight budget, this is a great way to get your audience to buy. Many email marketing platforms offer a free plan as well, so you can start sending emails in no time.
How does it work? Write an email, insert your affiliate link within the text and send it! If your email list is a match for the affiliate product, you'll surely see sales in no time. If you don't have a list yet, start building one right now! It's a resource that you can use over and over again to keep earning.
Create an Ebook
When we talk about ebooks, they don’t necessarily have to be novels. In this case, a shorter length may be preferable because you want to get your point across before you lose their attention. The more important element here is the value delivered to your readers.
To entice people to read, offer the ebook for free or for a very low cost. Then, you can insert links to affiliate products where relevant. For example, let’s say your ebook is about redecorating your kitchen. Including affiliate links to appliances, paint and other items of interest will help your reader source various products while letting you earn money.
Build a Following on Social Media
If you’re still asking how can I do affiliate marketing without a website, it may help to put into perspective that social media more or less performs the same functions as a traditional website. For a lot of platforms, you can create text posts, upload photos and videos and even interact with your audience. So, if you don’t want to spend money on a website, using social media is a great alternative.
We like this because it comes with a built-in audience, so all you have to do is get them to your page. Once there, they are able to discover all the affiliate products you’ve recommended on your posts.
Participate in Forums and Online Communities
Online forums and communities are amazing for affiliate marketing because their purpose is to gather like-minded individuals and niches into one space. All you have to do is find those that will be interested in your offer. Just remember that some of these communities are very tight-knit. This means that you have to build credibility and relationships first before recommending an affiliate product or service.
The more valuable inputs you provide to discussions, the more likely the community will trust you. So, you should definitely make yourself a regular presence there.
Get into Native Advertising
Native advertising is paid media that is designed to look like its surrounding media source. If you've ever read an article online, you've probably seen this form of advertising at the side or bottom of the post. Apart from a publisher's site, you can also see this in social media as sponsored or promoted content.
The beauty of using this method lies in the element of relevance. Your content will appear only when the reader is on something related. This means the odds that only interested readers will consume your content is incredibly high. Just remember to place your affiliate link in the text or captions, so you can track your earnings.
Publish in Content Publishing Platforms
If you truly want the benefits of having your own affiliate marketing site without actually building one, use a content publishing platform, like Medium. Here, you can still post your article under your account, allowing you to build your brand and reputation.
From there, just insert affiliate links wherever relevant. The best thing about reputable publishing platforms is they have a high domain authority, which means that search engines are more likely to rank content higher from their sites. For you, this translates into a greater likelihood of having your content seen.
Join or Record a Podcast
If you are wondering how to make money with affiliate marketing without a website, podcasting is an unconventional option that is worth exploring. After all, 62 percent of consumers in the US listen to podcasts. So if you’re willing to try out this medium and share your insights on a certain topic, you can reach a wider audience.
But how do you promote the product or service? Just mention or talk about it on the podcast! This works well if you have a promo code instead of an affiliate link, but if allowed, you may put the link as part of the episode description as well.
Go Beyond the Internet
If you’re looking into how to start affiliate marketing without a website, your alternatives aren’t limited to just the internet. You can also persuade people offline to buy an affiliate product. Here are a few ways to do so:
- Place an ad in a newspaper. You can talk about the product and include an affiliate link or code there.
- Send out old-school snail mail. Most marketers don’t see the value of sending snail mail anymore, and that means less competition for you. With the right offer, it can be worth it!
- Tell your network about an affiliate offer. Even in 2023, word of mouth is still a thing! Ask friends, family and colleagues if a certain product or service is something they’d be interested in.
How to Get Started With Affiliate Marketing Without a Website: Comparison of Free vs. Paid Traffic Methods
Now that you know of the many ways you can reach your audience, the next step is deciding which ones to use. The biggest consideration for most marketers is the cost, and to more effectively allocate their budget, most of them use a combination of free and paid options.
Can affiliate marketing be done without a website or a marketing budget? Absolutely. However, whether or not exclusively using free methods is in your best interest is another question altogether. So below, we’ve summarized the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing free and paid traffic options.
Free Traffic
Methods included: YouTube channel, email marketing, eBook, social media, content publishing platforms, selling to your network, joining or recording a podcast
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It’s great for a limited budget. Since these methods are free, you can allocate your funds to other aspects of marketing. | It’s unpredictable. Platforms and search engines change which content gets exposure all the time, so what works today may not work tomorrow. |
| Everything you earn can be pure profit. Minimizing your spending allows you to take more of your affiliate commission. | It’s slow. It will take more time to build an audience and earn their confidence before they trust your recommendations. |
Paid Traffic
Methods included: Pay per click campaigns and native advertising
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| You have complete control over your advertisements. You get to choose when, where, who and what to advertise, so you also have more control over the results. | You’re limited by your budget. So, a smaller budget may not get you far. |
| You get results more quickly. Because your ads are placed in front of a relevant audience, you can earn more quickly. | You may not get back your ROI. Depending on many factors like your target audience, affiliate product and quality of your advertisement, using paid traffic may not get you enough affiliate sales to break even. |
How to Make Money With Affiliate Marketing Without a Website for Beginners and Experts
Are you trying to earn your first dollar or first million from affiliate marketing? Regardless, keep these recommendations in mind when you amp up your affiliate marketing efforts without a website:
- Work on more than one affiliate marketing channel. Don’t rely on the success of just one.
- Use original content. If the company offering affiliate commission has pre-made content that you can use, your audience has probably seen that so many times already.
- Only recommend products that you believe in. If what you’re selling turns out to be bad, people may not trust your recommendations again.
- Focus on a niche. This lets you create a more relatable message.
FAQ on Affiliate Marketing Without a Website
What is an effective affiliate marketing strategy for someone who doesn’t have a website?
It largely depends on your budget. If you're trying to keep the budget as low as possible, we advise sticking with free options like creating a free ebook or engaging with an online community. But if you have money for marketing, PPC campaigns and native advertising are great options.
Can I do affiliate marketing without a website in 2023?
Definitely! We discovered that many affiliate marketers are worried that not having a website prevents them from building a brand and an audience. However, you can easily offset these disadvantages by going with social media or YouTube for affiliate marketing.
What platforms are available for someone who wants to create affiliate content without creating a site?
There is a lot to choose from! If you're creating lengthy written content, we recommend Medium and other content publishing platforms. For visual content, social media and YouTube are the way to go.
What are the benefits of doing affiliate marketing without a website?
There are a few benefits that apply to both new and experienced affiliate marketers.
- Some platforms have a built-in audience already.
- You don't have to spend money on domain names and hosting.
- It’s easier to switch gears and try out new marketing approaches because you’re not invested in just one asset.
Where do I learn how to make money from affiliate marketing without a website?
Explore various affiliate marketing platforms, like ClickBank, that give you valuable tools and insights on how you can succeed on their platform.
What are the most effective ways that I can promote affiliate products without a website?
It depends on what you’re trying to sell. To avoid wasting time with trial and error, see what’s working for affiliate marketers in your niche.
How to succeed in affiliate marketing without a website? A lot of hard work!
Doing it without your own site may take a lot more time and effort, but you can still succeed. So, even if you don’t plan on getting a website for your affiliate marketing efforts, remember to try out multiple ways to reach your target audience. Explore both free and paid traffic as well.
And if you want to give native advertising a try, create an account with MGID. Our platform gives you access to a long list of resources that help you get the click, including advanced tools, a personal manager, a department of creative specialists and a huge number of high-quality publishers. See how our data-based optimization options and in-depth audience targeting can deliver amazing results today.
