You’ve spent decades giving advice and helping others figure things out. What if that experience could earn you money?
Content and affiliate marketing lets you share your knowledge online and get paid when people find your recommendations helpful – no pushy sales required!
Read more: Guide to Content and Affiliate Marketing for Beginners- What Is Content and Affiliate Marketing?
- Five Ways to Build Your Content Business
- 1. Affiliate Marketing: Recommend Products You Love
- 2. Niche Blogging: Build a Resource Library
- 3. Social Media Marketing: Meet People Where They Are
- 4. Video Content: Show, Don’t Just Tell
- 5. Email Marketing: Build Your Own Audience
- How Can I Choose?
- FAQ – Guide to Content and Affiliate Marketing for Beginners
- Your Next Step
What Is Content and Affiliate Marketing?
Content and affiliate marketing means sharing your knowledge and recommendations online – and getting paid when people find your advice helpful.
Here’s how it works:
- You create content (blog posts, videos, social media posts, or emails) about topics you know well.
- You recommend products or services that genuinely help people solve problems.
- You include special tracking links (called affiliate links) in your content.
- You earn a commission every time someone purchases through your link – sometimes 5%, sometimes 50%, depending on what you’re recommending.
But affiliate commissions are just the beginning. Once you’re creating valuable content, you can also earn through:
- Ad revenue – Get paid based on views and watch time (YouTube, blog ads, TikTok Creator Fund).
- Sponsorships – Companies pay you directly to feature their products ($100-$5,000+ per post).
- Digital products – Sell your own templates, guides, or courses.
- Paid memberships – Offer premium content through Patreon or subscriptions.
There’s no inventory to manage, no customer service calls at midnight, and no shipping boxes from your garage. You’re simply sharing what you know and earning as your platform grows.
Five Ways to Build Your Content Business
The key is choosing ONE approach that matches your strengths and interests. Here are your options:
1. Affiliate Marketing: Recommend Products You Love
Share product recommendations through special tracking links and earn commissions when people buy.
Perfect if you love researching products and helping people make buying decisions.
How: Build content around lifestyle, travel, or niche interests where affiliate links fit naturally.
Best for: Product reviewers, recommendation-focused creators.
Where to use it: On your blog, email newsletters, YouTube descriptions, Pinterest pins, Instagram link in story, TikTok in bio, and social posts.
Monetize: Join affiliate networks and niche-specific company programs to find products and services to promote.
Time to first income: 3-6 months
Ready to Start? See the guide and my favorite tools for beginners:
>> Guide to Affiliate Marketing for Beginners,
>> Best Resources for Affiliate Marketing
2. Niche Blogging: Build a Resource Library
Create a website focused on one specific topic and publish helpful articles. Your blog becomes the go-to resource in your area of expertise.
How: Write articles that answer your audience’s questions. Use simple keyword research to pick topics, create content that stays useful over time, and share your posts on social media and in emails.
Best for: Writers who enjoy in-depth explanations
Where: Your own website (WordPress, Wix, or Weblow), shared on Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, and email newsletters for traffic.
Monetize through ads, affiliate links, sponsored posts, and digital products.
Time to first income: 6-12 months
Start your blogging journey today – see these resources:
>> Guide to Niche Blogging for Beginners,
>> How to Start a Camping Blog and Make Money,
>> How to Choose a Niche without Overthinking it!
3. Social Media Marketing: Meet People Where They Are
Build an audience on platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok by sharing valuable content.
How: Post regularly, interact with your followers, and reuse your content on different platforms. Focus on eye-catching visuals, short videos, and stories that connect with your audience.
Best for: Visual storytellers, community builders.
Where: Pinterest for evergreen traffic, Instagram for visual storytelling, Facebook for community groups, TikTok for short-form viral content.
Monetize: Through affiliate links in captions or bio, sponsored posts, brand collaborations, and driving traffic to your blog or email list for product sales.
Time to first income: 3-9 months
Read to boost your visibility?
>> Guide to Social Media Marketing for Beginners
>> 10 Social Media Marketing Courses for Beginners
4. Video Content: Show, Don’t Just Tell
Create YouTube videos or short-form content that educates or entertains a very specific audience. You can show your face or create “faceless” videos using screen recordings, voiceovers, or text overlays.
How: Choose topics people search for, use clear titles and eye-catching thumbnails, and make videos interesting with stories, visuals, and a simple call to action.
Best for: Teachers, demonstrators, camera-comfortable creators, or if you enjoy creating on Canva like I do!
Where: YouTube for long-form evergreen content, TikTok and Instagram Reels for short-form viral clips, and Pinterest Idea Pins for visual tutorials.
Monetize: Through YouTube ads, affiliate links in descriptions, sponsored videos, and promoting your own products or courses.
Time to first income: 6-12 months
Yes, you CAN do anything! See:
>> FAQ: Starting a YouTube Channel After 50
>> How to Plan Your First 5 YouTube Videos
5. Email Marketing: Build Your Own Audience
Grow a list of subscribers (from any of the above) who opt in to receive your messages, then send them valuable content and recommendations. This is YOUR audience – no algorithm controls who sees your message.
How: Offer a freebie (like a guide or checklist) to get sign-ups. Send useful emails regularly and group subscribers by their interests so they get the most relevant content.
Best for: Relationship builders, consistent communicators.
Where: Encourage sign-ups everywhere you connect with your audience – on your website, social media profiles, videos, and in your content.
Monetize: Share affiliate links, sell your own products or courses, or include paid promotions. Use email to bring readers back to your blog or sales pages.
Time to first income: Best combined with your other methods.
Start collection emails immediately:
>> Is ActiveCampaign Good for Email Marketing?
>> Is AWeber Good for Email Marketing? (A Definitive Deep Dive)
How Can I Choose?
a) What format feels most natural?
If you love writing, start with blogging. Comfortable on camera? Try video. Enjoy visual platforms? Go with social media.
b) What’s your topic?
Some subjects work better in certain formats. DIY projects shine on Pinterest and YouTube. In-depth expertise works well in blogs. Quick tips thrive on social media.
c) How much time can you commit?
Blogging and video require larger time blocks but less frequent posting. Social media needs daily attention but shorter sessions.
d) Can you combine methods?
Most successful creators use 2-3 approaches. For example: blog posts shared on Pinterest, with an email list connecting everything.
FAQ – Guide to Content and Affiliate Marketing for Beginners
“What about scams?”
Legitimate affiliate programs are free to join (Amazon Associates, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate). If someone promises “$10,000 in your first month” or asks you to pay for “guaranteed results,” walk away.
“I’m not tech-savvy.”
If you can send emails and browse social media, you have enough skills to start. The platforms are designed for regular people, and you’ll learn as you go.
“Will this actually make money?”
Yes, but not immediately. Most successful creators build to meaningful income over 1-2 years. This is a patience-and-consistency business model that compounds over time.
Your Next Step
I hope I’ve inspired you in this guide to content and affiliate marketing for beginners. Remember, success doesn’t come from doing everything at once – it starts with one simple choice.
Pick ONE format that excites you – the one you’d actually enjoy creating consistently for a year.
Then click the relevant guide above and take your first step today.
Your knowledge has value. Now it’s time to share it – and earn from it.
Have questions about getting started? Drop them in the comments below – I respond to every single one.
