The Filter We Forget to Build
Let’s be real for a minute.
Affiliate marketing? It’s not hard in the way some people think. You don’t need to code. Or juggle 17 screens. Or scream into TikTok every day while pretending your life’s a movie.
But it is hard. Quietly. In your head.
Not because of the effort, but because there’s too much… everything. Too many “experts, ” too many conflicting voices, too many options and shiny damn tools that promise way too much.
You start with the goal of earning a little income,maybe build something honest, something that lets you breathe. Then you blink and somehow, you’re buried under 12 browser tabs, a Trello board, three memberships you forgot about, and a sense of creeping guilt because none of it’s really working.
Been there. Stayed too long, honestly.
The problem isn’t a lack of strategy. It’s the lack of a filter.
Nobody tells you that upfront. That the real skill isn’t knowing what to do, it’s learning what to ignore.
Step One: Ask if It Even Belongs in Your World
Not everything out there was made for you.
Sounds obvious, but we forget it. Especially when you’re scrolling and someone swears their 3-day TikTok mini-course got them to $20K a month and you’re like… huh. Should I be doing that?
Maybe. Probably not.
I once tried to run a webinar funnel. Everyone said it was “the way.” So I did the thing, landing page, timers, slides, scripts… the whole shebang. And it flopped. Not because it was broken, but because I wasn’t a webinar person. It didn’t fit.
The tactic wasn’t wrong. It just didn’t belong in the kind of business I was building.
So now, I ask:
“Does this match how I want to operate?
“Would I still do it even if it didn’t blow up tomorrow?”
If the answer’s no, that tactic goes. Even if it works for someone else.
Step Two: Find the Truth Hiding Behind the Hype
Marketing is theatre. We forget that.
People post screenshots like receipts for success, and maybe they’re real, maybe they’re not. But even if they are, they don’t show you the refunds. Or the 2 a.m. panic. Or the copywriter behind the curtain writing 80% of the emails.
Look, I’m not a cynic, but I’ve been burned.
So now I ask:
“Where’s the quiet proof?”
Like, is someone using the method without selling it? Have they been doing it longer than 90 days? Can I find a Reddit thread that isn’t filled with emojis and affiliate links?
If the only reason to buy something is the promise that you’ll make your money back, red flag. Sorry.
Also, if everyone says it’s “the only way”… it isn’t.
Step Three: Would You Recommend This to Your Best Friend?
This one hits home.
A while ago, I bought into a tool that was kind of… scuzzy. Let’s just say it leaned on psychological manipulation more than I was comfortable with. It worked, technically. The conversion rate was fine. But I felt gross.
And then I thought, if my younger brother asked me if he should use this tool… would I tell him yes?
Nope.
So I stopped.
Because here’s the thing: reputation is slow to build and fast to burn. And whatever you’re promoting, you’re cosigning. You’re saying, “this is part of my values.”
It doesn’t matter how “passive” the income is, if you wouldn’t give it to a friend, maybe don’t give it to a stranger either.
Gut checks matter more than guru advice. Every time.
Step Four: Follow the Incentive Trail
Everyone’s got an angle.
That includes me. It includes you. It includes the nice guy on YouTube offering “free coaching” if you just join under his link.
And again, that’s not bad. It’s just business. But if you’re not aware of the incentive structure, you’ll get played.
I’ve learned to ask:
“How does this person benefit from me doing this?”
If someone’s pushing a $97/month tool as “essential” but they’re earning $40/month per signup… yeah, there’s bias. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong, just means it’s not neutral.
You don’t have to be suspicious. Just observant.
Transparency is rare. But when you find it? That’s the person you want to listen to.
Step Five: Boring Advice Is Often the Most Honest
This one took me a while.
I used to chase complex stuff, like “neural segmentation” and automated webinar stacks with 14 email sequences and three tripwires. I felt smart just setting it up.
But the irony? My simplest setup made the most money.
It was just a lead magnet. A basic welcome sequence. And a weekly email that sounded like… me. No countdown timers. No urgency hacks.
Just consistency.
That’s the thing no one wants to hear, that the boring stuff works. That “write a useful email once a week” will probably outperform 90% of funnels… if you actually do it for 12 months.
But boring advice doesn’t sell. That’s why the loudest stuff often delivers the least.
One Last Thought: You Already Know More Than You Think
If you’ve read this far, I’ll bet you’ve got pretty good instincts.
You’ve probably ignored a few red flags. Maybe bought a course you regretted. Maybe posted affiliate links to stuff you didn’t fully believe in, not because you’re a bad person, but because you’re trying to figure it out. Trying to make something work.
That’s okay.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about filtering better next time.
And every time you say “no” to something that doesn’t fit, even if it’s popular, you get closer to the stuff that does.
That’s how you build something that’s not just profitable… but peaceful.
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