Starting. Oh boy. It’s probably the most bizarre, gut-knotting, intimidating part of this whole Affiliate Marketing business.
Not because the first steps are technically hard, honestly, half of it is clicking “publish” or sticking a link somewhere semi-obvious. But because starting means your secret little project is suddenly exposed. Like ripping off a bandage and realizing, oh crap, there’s a whole crowd peering at your scabby knee. Weird metaphor, sorry, it just popped in.
Moving on swiftly.
Most people (and by that I mean…me, painfully, for way too long) never make it past the reading phase. Or the “saving a million bookmarks and half-watching YouTube tutorials on double speed” phase. I once spent three weeks fiddling with a landing page headline and never actually finished the page. I told myself it was because I was perfecting my messaging. It was actually fear dressed up like strategy.
Because the second you start? The clock begins ticking on whether you’ll succeed, fail,or, here’s the real truth nobody frames well, just kinda get stuck in limbo.
But if you don’t start at all? You never find out. You never build momentum. That part’s not optional.
Pick something small. Really, insultingly small.
This isn’t fancy wisdom. It’s borderline embarrassing. But the best thing I ever did was pick one tiny offer. Like, micro.
Everybody out there is pushing these giant “$997 blueprint to ultimate dominance” kind of affiliate programs. It’s flashy. And your brain says, duh, bigger commission = bigger payout. But ironically, it also means bigger resistance, because nobody’s buying giant dreams from some random person on the internet they barely trust.
What worked for me was… well, it was boring. A free checklist on productivity that linked to a low-stakes subscription. I didn’t even write the checklist. The program owner did. I just had to pop my link under the download button.
That tiny commitment led to my first email subscriber. Who later, weeks later, clicked something else. That was my first sale.
Tiny things snowball. Even when they look sort of pathetic on day one.
Build the dumbest funnel you can stomach
This is where the mental gymnastics start. You’ll tell yourself you need a webinar funnel. Or a slick quiz. Or some 27-step behavioral retargeting matrix (which, btw, is mostly nonsense if you have zero traffic yet).
You don’t. You just need a place to collect leads. Even if it’s a landing page with a stock photo of a guy with a coffee mug. Or an opt-in form that looks like it time traveled from 2013.
Because funnels aren’t about looking clever. They’re about seeing what works. And the data won’t show up until you have something out there that people can actually see, and ignore, or click.
The weirdest thing is the relief after you hit publish. The tension breaks. Even if nobody signs up at first, it’s a real thing now. Not some secret doc on your Google Drive.
Say one honest thing in public
God, this is awkward the first time. But it’s also magic.
Write a post on Facebook, or LinkedIn, or wherever you lurk. Not spam. Not “🔥🔥Get your 6-figure side hustle today🔥🔥.”
Just… share what you’re up to. Why you’re trying affiliate marketing. What weird feelings you have about it. The real stuff. “I’m giving this a shot because honestly I’d love to build a little freedom, but I’m skeptical as hell and also kind of excited.”
People love watching someone figure things out. They root for you. They ask questions. That post got me my first curious DM, which led to my first email subscriber, which later , months later, became my first three-figure commission.
Send actual humans to your thing
Don’t get stuck in the “launch is coming” fantasy land. Nothing happens until humans see it.
This is the part where most people get squeamish. They’ll build a page, maybe even write a welcome email, and then… crickets. Because they never drive real traffic.
Traffic is just eyeballs. Doesn’t have to be complicated. Share in a group. Run a tiny $5 ad. DM someone you know who’s been ranting about the same problem your affiliate product solves.
Yeah, it’s clumsy at first. Sometimes you’ll send five DMs and nobody responds. Or your post gets three likes from your aunt and your old coworker. Doesn’t matter. You’re building the muscle.
The first click-through is addicting. So is the first question from someone genuinely curious. Even if they don’t buy.
Find someone else stumbling too
This is my secret anti-burnout trick. Not even kidding.
I once thought I needed to network only with “winners” , gurus who posted screenshots of $20K days. But turns out, that just made me feel small and ashamed of my wobbly $19.47 week.
When I found someone else who was at the same awkward phase, it changed everything. We swapped what was working, what sucked, what made us want to chuck our laptops out the window. We even did tiny accountability challenges.
That’s when it all got lighter. I didn’t quit the third time my open rates tanked, because I wasn’t alone in it.
So yeah, starting is the hardest part. It’s murky and gross. Your voice cracks when you talk about it. You’ll want to bail a hundred times.
But once you do it, pick a modest offer, build that goofy little funnel, say one human thing in public, show it to actual eyeballs, find a messy buddy, everything shifts.
It’s still awkward. But it’s also strangely fun.
You get momentum. You get tiny data points. You learn faster than any course could ever teach you.
And one day you realize you’re actually doing the thing. Not just thinking about it.
That’s the best feeling in the world. Even if it’s slightly terrifying, still.
Maybe today’s the day you start? Imperfectly, sure. But you’ll thank yourself later , once that scrappy engine finally catches and sputters and roars to life.
If you need help starting there is training here from beginner level to Expert level and you can start for Free today.
