Last Updated on July 7, 2025 by Jan Barley
Affiliate marketing for bloggers often sounds like a dream. You write about what you love, add a few links, and hope to wake up to commissions. But if you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know it’s not that simple.
I started my blog in April 2024, primarily sharing tools and tips about AI software, such as Systeme.io. I joined a few affiliate programmes, added links to my posts, and waited. Nothing happened for months. Then, six months in, I finally made my first sale.
It was small, but it gave me proof that this could actually work. Fast forward to May 2025, and I made my first big commission, $498 from just one sale. That was the moment it all started to feel real.
Since then, I’ve learned that affiliate marketing for bloggers works best when you align with the right programmes. Subscription-based tools are ideal because those monthly commissions begin to stack up. That’s where the genuinely passive income begins to take hold.
It’s still hard work. You need traffic, content, and trust from your audience. That’s why I’ve started building additional income streams as well. I started two YouTube channels and am working on low-ticket lead magnets, digital products, e-books, and an email list to support long-term growth.
My Blogging Journey – From Hobby to Hustle
When I started blogging, it was more of a creative outlet than a business. I loved sharing practical tools and writing helpful content, but I didn’t have a real plan to earn from it. Like many new bloggers, I assumed that traffic would automatically translate into income.
Oh boy, was I wrong!
After a few months of posting, I realised ad revenue wasn’t going to cut it. I needed something more reliable. That’s when I discovered affiliate marketing for bloggers, a way to earn by recommending tools I already used and trusted.
At first, I signed up for a handful of programmes and added links to older blog posts. However, the truth is that affiliate marketing for bloggers only works when you approach it with intention.
Random links won’t build income. Strategy does.
The shift occurred when I stopped treating my blog as a hobby and began treating it like a business. That meant learning what my audience needed, testing different offers, and staying consistent even when the results were slow.
What Is Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers, Really?
Before I truly understood affiliate marketing for bloggers, I thought it meant simply inserting a few links into a post and waiting for the magic to happen. The truth is, there’s a moment, a mindset shift, that turns casual blogging into a serious income stream.
I’ll tell you what that was for me in just a moment.
Within a few months, I got approved for affiliate status with around thirty merchants. In my mind, I thought the more choices I had across different software and AI tools, the better. Surely, that meant people would click and buy these low-cost AI tools. I’d tested them, had subscriptions with, or had used all of them, so it was a no-brainer to me.
Well, nobody told my audience that!
Affiliate marketing is simple at its core. You recommend a product or service, someone clicks your unique link, makes a purchase, and you earn a commission. No inventory, no customer service, just sharing tools you already use and trust.
But here’s the bit most people miss. Affiliate marketing for bloggers only works when your content builds trust. You’re not a salesperson, you’re a guide. When you recommend something that genuinely helps your reader, that’s when conversions happen.
I didn’t get this at first. I promoted things just because they had high commissions. That resulted in a big fat nothing. However, once I started focusing on the tools I was using, such as Systeme.io for marketing, ElevenLabs for voiceovers for my YouTube channel, Uppbeat for royalty free music, CapCut video editing and recently Koalia AI Writer for blog content ,things changed.
I’ll explain what happened next when we get to the section on my first big commission.
Why Affiliate Marketing is Perfect for Bloggers
There’s a reason affiliate marketing for bloggers is such a powerful income stream, and it took me a while to realise it. Before my first commission, I kept thinking, why would anyone buy from my link when they could Google the product?
I’ll share the unexpected answer I found in just a bit.
Here’s what I’ve learned. As a blogger, you already have something most marketers are still trying to build: attention and trust. People come to your site because they’re looking for answers, and when they find value in what you share, they’re far more likely to act on your recommendations.
Affiliate marketing fits naturally into the blogging model. You’re writing content to help people, and affiliate links simply point them to tools or products that solve their problem. It doesn’t have to be salesy. It just needs to be honest.
That’s what makes affiliate marketing for bloggers so effective when done right. The key is to treat it as part of your content strategy, not an afterthought.
I’ll discuss how to promote without losing trust in an upcoming section.
The Day I Earned My First Big Commission
I’d had plenty of small commissions, but I remember the moment I opened my dashboard and saw the big number. One sale. A huge one. It proved something to me – affiliate marketing for bloggers genuinely worked.
I had to sweat for 14 days because the vendor offered a 14-day money-back guarantee. When I finally got the PayPal notification, I leapt out of bed and celebrated with a whoop.
I used the money to pay for my heating oil. It felt so good that this cost hadn’t come out of my pocket.
That first big commission didn’t come from luck. It came about because I shifted how I thought about blogging. Instead of just sharing tools, I wrote a post that answered a real question my readers were asking.
I explained how I was using Pinterest in my own business, step by step, and included my affiliate link naturally within the story.
Here’s the surprising thing. The person who clicked could have easily found the Pinterest course on their own, but they didn’t. They clicked my link because they trusted me. They wanted the same result I was getting with Pinterest, and they saw my blog as a shortcut to achieving it.
That’s the moment the mindset shift happened. Affiliate marketing for bloggers isn’t about pushing products. It’s about showing your reader what’s working for you and inviting them to try it too. That’s when I knew I was onto something.
Choosing the Right Affiliate Program
Here’s where many new bloggers go wrong, and I did too at the start. I’ll tell you what my biggest mistake was in just a moment, so that you can avoid it.
There are thousands of affiliate programmes out there. Some offer massive commissions, others offer recurring income, and a few are just a complete waste of time.
The key to success with affiliate marketing for bloggers is choosing programmes that make sense for your audience.
If your readers are looking for digital tools, promote what you already use and trust. For me, that meant sharing AI tools and software such as Systeme.io, offering free or low-cost marketing solutions. These services are typically costly, often hundreds of dollars each month for the same automated services that Systeme offers.
I also promote platforms that solve real problems for me, such as Koala AI Writer, which saves me HOURS of writing an SEO blog from scratch. The first two blog posts I wrote with that software ranked on page one in hours!
Why would I not share that?
I spend less than an hour editing each blog. I then publish, knowing the articles are fully SEO-optimised and plagiarism-free.
When the product fits your content naturally, it’s easier to promote without feeling like you’re forcing it.
Now for that mistake. I picked affiliate offers based only on the payout. I promoted things I wasn’t even using, just because the commission looked good. You can probably guess how that turned out—no clicks, no trust, no sales.
In the next section, I’ll show you how I promote affiliate links now in a way that feels natural and never salesy.
How to Promote Without Feeling Salesy
When I first started, I thought I had to be pushy to make sales. But the opposite is true. Affiliate marketing for bloggers works best when you’re honest and helpful, not salesy.
I found that weaving affiliate links into stories, tutorials, and genuine reviews creates trust. For example, instead of just listing features, I share how a tool like Systeme.io solved a specific problem I had.
Another strategy is creating resource pages where you list your favourite tools. Readers come there when they’re ready to buy, and you’re simply providing a helpful shortcut.
I must remember to do that! Sometimes, my ADHD brain gives me the attention span of a gnat.
This approach feels natural and builds long-term relationships with your audience. It’s about guiding, not selling.
Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To
Looking back, I made plenty of mistakes early on with affiliate marketing for bloggers. One of the biggest was not being transparent about my links. I learned fast that honesty builds trust, and trust builds sales.
Another error was trying to promote too many products at once. It confused my audience and diluted my message. Focusing on a few quality programmes made all the difference.
These lessons weren’t easy, but they saved me time and frustration. You can avoid the same pitfalls.
Scaling Up – From Side Hustle to Full-Time Income
After that first big commission, I didn’t stop. Small sales started trickling in. Affiliate marketing for bloggers is a long game, and consistency is key. I focused on creating more content, tracking what worked, and refining my approach.
Using tools like Keysearch helped me find the right keywords, and Koala AI Writer enables me to write more content, which in turn boosts traffic to my site.
Note: I’ve tried every AI writer on the market. Most of them spit out repetitive, plagiarised drivel. I got the chance to trial Koala AI Writer and the results were a pleasant surprise. I’m hooked, and happy that I have some of my time back.
Building multiple income streams, like a YouTube channel and e-books, also boosted my earnings. Though they are for another niche and not this one.
The real breakthrough came when I started promoting subscription-based affiliate programmes. Those monthly commissions add up and create genuine passive income over time.
It’s hard work, but with patience and strategy, affiliate marketing for bloggers can become a sustainable full-time business.
The Freedom Is Real
Looking back, affiliate marketing has changed my life as a blogger. From that first small sale to earning $498 in one go, it’s been a journey of patience, learning, and growth. Securing that first big commission motivated me to keep going.
Realistically, I don’t expect my blog to make a serious, consistent income until year 2 – 3. I’m just into my second year now. My traffic is growing from SEO and Pinterest, and I’m also writing content to feature in the AI overview, which I will write about soon.
The key is to focus on products your audience truly needs, build trust through honest content, and be consistent even when results are slow. And remember, it’s not just about one income stream; combining blogging with YouTube, e-books, and an email list creates a solid foundation for your online business.
If you’re thinking about starting or scaling your affiliate marketing for bloggers journey, know this: the freedom and passive income are real, but it takes work and strategy.
What’s one product you love that your audience would benefit from? Start there and watch where it takes you.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link
