We are all looking for ways to add more value to our lives and having money helps. Utilizing affiliate programs are one way of monetizing your online presence but it isn’t right for everyone and is a lot harder to get decent results than people realize.
Can Affiliate Programs Damage Your Reputation?
Affiliate programs and referrals are an increasingly common way of monetizing your content. A company may ask you to recommend them on your podcast or website using a special link that identifies you. In return, you will receive a percentage of the sales that result from the referral.
It can be an easy and potentially lucrative source of income, but affiliate schemes can impact your personal brand when they turn sour.
When you endorse a product or service, you are staking your reputation on that endorsement. You have built up your readers’ trust, and you are telling your readers they can extend that trust to the company you’re endorsing. But if that company proves to be unreliable, the reader will lose confidence in your judgement, and it will be a long time—if ever—before that trust is restored.
So how can content creators be sure of who they’re tying their reputation to?
There is an element of risk in any endorsement, but carefully vetting affiliates can reduce that risk substantially. Below, you’ll find five basic techniques for appraising affiliate partners. These criteria can help you weed out the riskier propositions, and feel more confident that you’re partnering with a company that’s worthy of your endorsement.
Read the full post at Self Publishing Advice From The Alliance Of Independent Authors
