If I Had to Do Affiliate Marketing Again: Here’s How I’d Do It in 2025

I have been reading some seriously skeptical stuff on Reddit about affiliate marketing. I totally get the skepticism and where it is sprouting from. But what’s the truth behind it? 

Here’s the thing: most people who are commenting negatively about affiliate marketing either haven’t tried it (just caught the wave) or didn’t do it the right way. Affiliate marketing is still a lucrative option to go for when it comes to having passive income. 

“What’s the right way to do affiliate marketing in 2025?”, you might be wondering. I have been doing affiliate marketing since 2018, and though there are some problems, you can still do it by following the unknown (but proven) tips mentioned below. 

First Things First, Let’s Understand What Affiliate Marketing Is

Affiliate marketing, in simple words, means you become an affiliate to a brand and promote its content. 

Affiliate marketers use different channels to promote content online. For example, a YouTuber doing affiliate marketing will be publishing affiliate content over YouTube, whereas a writer would publish content on their website to promote content. 

So, basically, what you’d do is not own any of the stuff, and you will sell it on behalf of the owner (brand). You can hop on to the actual steps if you understand the term affiliate marketing.

• Select Your Niche and Stick to It

This is the most important step that you will be taking on your journey for affiliate marketing, so do take your time to decide on it. 

Why is this step so important? 

I am guessing you understand the affiliate model. Now, when you are promoting content for affiliates, you don’t just become salesy and try to sell it. Instead, you will become helpful (more on that coming up), and when people find you helpful, they will naturally take an interest in whatever you are promoting. And to help people, you must know what you are doing – this is exactly why you will need to learn about your niche, what you will be promoting, and the other things associated with it.

And as you set up your workspace and other tools, you must not forget the basics: the internet. 

Speaking of the internet, I struggled to find a reliable internet connection in my area. Then a neighbor suggested switching to Cox Internet. Well, I did, and I had not been more satisfied. It is one of the best internet providers in the US because of its affordable plans, network reliability, and above all, its bilingual Cox Servicio al Cliente en español. 

Once the internet issue was fixed, I took full advantage of it and kept myself consistent with my niche and its content. The results were phenomenal as I did great with my blog. 

• Find the Best Affiliate Program and Sign Up

After you have found your niche, now is the time to find the relevant affiliate programs and sign up to them. 

There are tons of programs out there where you can sign up and earn a living by promoting their products. But the problem with that is sometimes the brand wants the affiliates to be established first, while some brands offer way too little commission for the efforts it takes to promote the content. 

Another important thing to note here is that you need to stay relevant. For example, you might already be making content in gaming niche and when you will start to promote some kitchen appliances, it would not work and you might lose on your audience. 

So, make sure to avoid irrelevancy when it comes to choosing the affiliate programs. Not to forget, forget the affiliate programs that pay you in pennies – one such is Amazon. Amazon offers minimal commission, and you will be competing with Amazon itself. 

• Check for the Best Channels to Do Affiliate Marketing

I have purposefully included this here because once you have signed up for an affiliate program, you now need to choose a platform where you can publish relevant content, and then eventually promote the products from your affiliates. 

Why is that important? Let me explain. 

If you sign up for an affiliate program that is related to the kitchen or food. People like to watch such content in the form of videos, so you need to create a YouTube channel instead of publishing content on your website as textual articles. On the flip side, guides that are relevant to marketing might just work fine in textual form because people prefer to read then watch. 

For example, I signed up for a gaming affiliate program, and I kept uploading gaming-related content on my YouTube channel. As stated earlier, it was a hassle at first because my internet struggled. Then I fixed this problem by switching to Cox Internet. 

• Last but Not Least, Publish Content to Genuinely Help People

This is another important step that you need to take care of before becoming an affiliate. Why? 

Everything that we have shared in the previous subheadings comes down to this: To become a successful affiliate, the first thing you need to do is to be genuinely helpful to people. Otherwise, you’d end up becoming a salesman rather than a blogger. 

So, make sure to carefully choose your niche that interests you as well as the people you are making content for. Then place your affiliate link and make money.