Mastering Affiliate Email Marketing

Knowing how to start affiliate marketing is an important step in generating sales without using any of your own money. But what platform should you use to speak to your audience? Affiliate email marketing is an often overlooked medium because advertisers prefer options that provide the widest reach. However, this is a very short-sighted perspective. Emails are more intimate and allow you to introduce additional communication channels.

That’s why it’s important to learn how to master an affiliate marketing email sequence. To learn more about this, keep reading. Our in-depth article will cover everything you need to know about this subject.

Learning the Basics: What is Email Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is about selling products that you didn’t create or produce. This is very beneficial for both marketers, who receive a commission for their sales, and companies who want to widen their audience reach. Affiliate email marketing simply uses email as your medium. The principles are still the same. However, if you want to succeed here, you’ll probably have to invest in email marketing-specific skills as well as a few email marketing affiliate tools. To get started, here are the basics of what you’ll need:

An email list
A product or service to sell
Proficiency in writing emails
A way to measure the success of your campaign

When you have these four ingredients, you can earn a lot!

Relevance of Affiliate Email Marketing: Why Use Email?

The initial appeal of emails has been gone for a long time. But that doesn’t mean that it stopped being a lucrative medium for marketers everywhere. Affiliate email marketing is still effective today because of these factors.

Affordability: There’s no need for you to bid on ad space, so your overall costs will be lower.
Higher level of trust: The affiliate email marketing audience is lower on the marketing funnel, so it may be easier to convert.
Direct communication: Even if you’re using email template samples for your affiliate marketing, communication is way more personalized compared to other mediums.

Even if trends evolve, the advantages of email make it valuable for affiliate marketers.

Steps for Launching a Successful Affiliate Email Marketing Campaign

If you’re interested in using email marketing to vamp up your affiliate marketing efforts, great! You’ve just created a new opportunity for you to generate sales. The next step is to launch a campaign. As an email marketing affiliate, you want to do everything perfectly because so many things can shift your conversion rates. To help you get started, we’ll cover the entire process step-by-step.

Step #1: Choose the Best Email Service for Affiliate Marketing Efforts

We like to think of this step as a carpenter choosing the tools that they’ll bring to the job. You’re building a campaign to make you money. Therefore, you need to have the best email marketing software for affiliate marketing. To find what’s most suited for you, look for these features:

Analytics and automation;
Easy-to-use tools;
Segmentation capabilities;
High deliverability rates;
Responsive customer support.

Your ability to identify the best affiliate email marketing service can help with — or hinder — your success. So, consider what you need. From there, compare the features and packages available.

Step #2: Choose One from All the Best Affiliate Programs for Email Marketing Out There

That’s right, we mean it: go for your first choice. To maximize the impact of the campaign, you want to focus on just one company. This allows your audience to get better acquainted with the product or service that you’re trying to sell through affiliate email marketing. But what exactly makes something the best? This is highly subjective. So, consider what’s important to you and go from there. Although, feel free to be part of all the affiliate email marketing programs out there! You can always create a separate campaign for them later on.

Step #3: Select the Products or Services You Want to Promote

Programs for affiliate email marketing count all sales made using your link. So, even if you didn’t endorse a certain product or service, you’re still going to get your commission on it.

Step #4: Build Your Email List

To get people to agree to give their email addresses for your affiliate email marketing campaign, you need to provide a form of incentive. Some examples include:

Offering a free magnet in exchange for their email address;
Announcing that you’re publishing exclusive content for the newsletter that you’re building;
Requiring their email address before you provide access to a community you built.

If done right, you’ll have a list you can use for affiliate email marketing. Just be sure to make good on whatever promises you make.

Step #5: Segment Your Email List

There’s a strong call to action involved with affiliate email marketing. (More on this later!) So, you want to make sure that your message resonates strongly with your audience. A great way to do that is through market segmentation. Here, you’re creating sub-lists that may be treated as separate audiences for affiliate email marketing. You can segment your email list based on the following:

Location
Age
Hobbies
Education level
Priorities

You can even base it on how you received their email address, as this can reveal their interest! There are more ways that you can perform market segmentation, so feel free to explore the possibilities.

Step #6: Craft Compelling Email Content

Now, we focus our attention on the main event: your content! If you don’t know yet how to write an email for affiliate marketing, we suggest utilizing the reputable resources out there. Email marketing experts have already mastered how to create compelling emails, so you can avoid their mistakes and make more money in the process. If you need to use a cold email template for affiliate marketing, feel free to do so!

And remember, don’t be shy about asking for that click. A strong call to action is important if you want to convert. This can be placed in various parts of the email. If appropriate, based on how you structured your email, you can even repeat your CTA a few times.

Step #7: Write Effective Subject Lines

Now, how do we make sure that your affiliate email marketing piece gets the attention that it deserves? Top it off with a compelling subject line. Think of the subject line as the first impression. In just a few words, your subject line will determine whether your message (and opportunity to rake in commissions) will be heard. There are established best practices to help you get started, but always listen to the data. Look at the open rates to determine which affiliate email marketing subject lines your readers respond to the most.

Step #8: Publish and Collect Your Commissions!

Publish your emails and see the commissions come in. This part of affiliate email marketing is something you set, so you don’t have to send out the emails manually. Consider the time when your audience reads their emails to make sure that you’re at the top of their inboxes. Lastly, give your emails a final read-through to try to detect any errors that you may not have caught during the editing process.

If you’ve done affiliate email marketing right, you should be able to generate sales from your emails. But if you’re not happy with the results, look at the data and see what tweaks you need to make.

Expert Tips on Email Marketing for Affiliate Marketers

In the previous section, you have learned how to run a successful affiliate email marketing campaign, but this is not enough to generate a healthy payout. If you want to take affiliate email marketing to the next level, don’t miss the content in the next subsection. These expert tips will help maximize the success of your email list. Affiliate email marketing has never been so easy, thanks to these tried and tested expert tips that can work across all niches and industries.

Expert Tip #1: Send More Than One Email for Your Affiliate Email Marketing Efforts

This simply follows the principle of retargeting. Think about your last online purchase. If it were only advertised to you once, you would have probably forgotten about it! This is what you’re trying to avoid with affiliate email marketing. The simple truth is that not everyone is paying attention to you. So, you have to fight to be heard! This means convincing people to take action by:

Introducing different angles for your affiliate email marketing content;
Selling different products within the same program
Providing more information about the product.

Expert Tip #2: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Subject Lines in Affiliate Email Marketing

In affiliate email marketing, getting the message read is predicated on recipients clicking the email itself. Whether or not this action is performed is based on many factors, including the impact of your subject line. To get the most out of each affiliate marketing email, make sure that your subject line:

Creates intrigue and curiosity;
Is relevant to the body of the email;
Communicates a value or benefit.

Most importantly, it should not contain any spam triggers that will prevent it from being seen at all!

Expert Tip #3: Monitor Your Deliverability Rates

Speaking of not being seen, the deliverability rates of your affiliate email marketing efforts should be sky-high! The deliverability rate is the percentage of your emails that get through to their recipients. So, a sudden dip means something went wrong. Here are some factors that can affect the deliverability of your affiliate email marketing campaign:

Your consistency in sending emails;
Opens and clicks from your subscribers;
Spam complaints;
Reputability of your email service providers;
Quality of your list.

There are many more, but these should give you an idea of where to look if these rates start to fall.

3 Challenges and Solutions in Affiliate Email Marketing

Email marketing is not without its set of challenges. There are many moving parts that can affect the ROI of your campaign. That’s why it’s important to be familiar with the challenges even if you haven’t encountered them before. Affiliate email marketing can be much easier if you’re already prepared for the potential roadblocks ahead. In the following subsections, we will introduce you to the biggest issues affiliate email marketing faces as well as some potential solutions.

Challenge #1: Disengaged Affiliate Email Marketing Audience

What do you do if your audience seems interested at first but becomes less excited to hear from you moving forward? With affiliate email marketing, you need to send emails to get the word out, but if your subscribers seem disengaged, it can be due to any of these things.

You’re sending too many emails, so you may want to reduce the frequency of your correspondence.
Your affiliate email marketing content isn’t relevant to them, so you may want to unsubscribe them from your list.
You’re experiencing mismatched timing, which means you may want to adjust when you send your messages.

Additionally, if the disengagement mostly comes from mobile visitors, look into optimizing emails for mobile users!

Challenge #2: Lack of Trust and Credibility

People are wary of affiliate email marketing and affiliates. Many believe that you are out to trick them into buying something they don’t need! That’s why you need to prove yourself trustworthy and credible. You should help readers understand that while you’re receiving affiliate email marketing commission, this isn’t your only motivation. Demonstrate your commitment to your subscribers by:

Only recommending products or services that you believe in;
Being transparent that you’re receiving an affiliate email marketing commission;
Providing value in your content.

And, if you’re working with a brand, leverage their credibility to elevate yours.

Challenge #3: Compliance with Email Marketing Regulations

Affiliate email marketing is worldwide! Your subscribers may be living in different parts of the world, and different rules and regulations may apply. Therefore, you need to:

Understand the laws in their jurisdiction;
Keep yourself updated with changes that may affect how you run your affiliate email marketing campaign;
Comply with them to a T.

At the most basic level, you should know the GDPR and the CAN-SPAM Act, which apply in the United States, the UK and Europe. And with affiliate email marketing, remember that even if you outsource all the tasks involved, you’re still on the hook! So, if you’re going to outsource, choose a trusted person or agency.

Which Email Marketing Affiliate Programs Exist Today?

All companies aim to generate as many sales as possible. So, it’s not going to be hard to find programs to join. You can instead focus on finding the best email marketing affiliate programs out there! The best fit will largely depend on the make-up of your email list. However, you should still consider the following before joining an affiliate email marketing program:

Lifespan of the cookie;
Commission structure and ceilings;
Payout schedule.

Just to give you an idea of the programs that exist out there, here are three affiliate email marketing programs you can join right now.

GetResponse

With their 120-day cookie lifespan, you get credited for the sale even months after a viewer first clicks the link! There’s never been so much freedom in affiliate email marketing as there is with GetResponse. You can choose to get paid a $100 flat rate commission for every customer you bring in. However, one of our favorite things about this affiliate email marketing program is the option to get 33% recurring and unlimited commissions from the company forever. This is an amazing opportunity if you prefer an email marketing affiliate program that gives you a steady income stream.

ConvertKit

ConvertKit offers growth tools for affiliate marketers to make it easier for them to expand their audience, automate their marketing and grow their income. But did you know that they also have an affiliate email marketing program where you can earn 30% recurring commissions? If you’re a newbie on a very limited budget, ConvertKit is a good option because anyone can join for affiliate email marketing. You don’t even have to buy their product! They also have information-rich webinars to help you better convert leads into sales.

MailerLite

Because MailerLite doesn’t allow you to use ad services, this is the best email marketing affiliate program for marketers whose main focus is email. They also use PayPal to pay their affiliates. What we love about them is how you get to decide when to receive your payment from your affiliate email marketing efforts. As long as you’re owed at least $50, you can request a withdrawal. This can be earned with just one lead who buys the Advanced package or two for the Growing Business package! But if your sign-up goes with the free plan, you won’t receive a commission.

FAQs About Affiliate Email Marketing

What is affiliate email marketing?

This simply refers to using email for affiliate marketing. It involves writing emails to your email list to help drive readers to make a purchase.

How do I build an effective email list for affiliate marketing purposes?

You can offer a free or low-cost benefit in exchange for their email address. Ideally, the lead magnet should be something related to what you’re planning to sell.

What are the benefits of affiliate email marketing?

Affiliate email marketing offers three main advantages.

It’s more affordable than ads.
It creates a direct line of communication with your audience.
There’s a higher level of trust.

What is the difference between email marketing vs affiliate marketing?

Email marketing is the use of emails to spread awareness, generate interest and/or convert readers. Meanwhile, affiliate marketing involves using links or codes to generate sales for a third party.

How does affiliate email marketing differ from traditional email marketing?

As explained in the previous question, traditional email marketing is used by a company to promote its own products or services. Affiliate email marketing deals with generating sales for a third party and receiving a commission for this effort.

What are the best practices for writing compelling affiliate email marketing content?

To make as much money as possible from your affiliate marketing efforts using email, here are some best practices to follow:

Feel free to use a template, but personalize it to your audience;
Remember that affiliate email marketing works best with a clear call-to-action;
Write emails based on your audience segmentation;
Monitor the results and make changes based on that;
Get the email opened with a powerful subject line.

How do I ensure compliance with email marketing regulations when engaging in affiliate email marketing?

Familiarity with the regulations helps a lot with understanding what you can and can’t do. At the very minimum, make sure that you’ve obtained consent to send your subscribers emails. Also, create an easy way for them to unsubscribe from every email that you send.

Is it worth using free email marketing tools for affiliate marketing?

Definitely, especially if you’re just starting out! Free tools are great for improving efficiency, which is highly important if you don’t have a huge list or a large team.

Can I rely on affiliate marketing email templates to convert well?

Yes, templates can work well if they’re used right. This means understanding the soul of it instead of just filling in the blanks.

How can I measure the success of my affiliate email marketing campaigns?

Your income from your email list is the easiest way to measure the success of your campaign. Look into the open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, ROI and unsubscribe rate as well.

Affiliate Email Marketing is Alive and Kicking! Make the Most of This Opportunity

With marketing, the general rule is the more points of communication, the better! This gives you more chances to lock down a sale. Affiliate email marketing is one of those chances that you don’t want to miss. There’s a higher level of trust involved when someone has actively shared their email address with you. Therefore, if you have affiliate email marketing as part of your efforts, it may be easier for you to close leads. Your chances go even higher if you can use native advertising and perfectly match the feel of a regular email. To help you with that and more, register on the MGID platform to get access to advanced tools, a personal manager and a department of creative specialists.