Make Money With Affiliate Marketing
Eben Pagan explains how affiliate marketing serves as an ideal entry point for entrepreneurs to start selling immediately without creating products. He covers three major affiliate platforms and how to use affiliate marketing to test markets before developing your own products.
Teachings 6
Affiliate programs provide immediate market entry without product creation, allowing entrepreneurs to start selling and earning commissions instantly
Eben explains that affiliate programs automate tracking and reporting, and many successful entrepreneurs he knows personally started their businesses this way
High-ticket affiliate commissions can generate substantial income even with small conversion rates, making expensive products attractive for affiliates
10% commission on a $2500 big screen TV equals $250, and even 5% commission yields $125 for a single sale through a link click
ClickBank's marketplace provides transparent performance data, allowing affiliates to research and compare how different offers are converting before committing to promote them
ClickBank allows you to see how offers are performing relative to each other, view conversion rates, and examine marketing and sales websites across categories
Amazon's affiliate program leverages existing trust and infrastructure, with over 80 million customers providing built-in credibility and conversion optimization
Amazon has over 80 million buyers, everyone knows and trusts the brand, and they have tested sales pages and reliable payment systems
Commission Junction connects affiliates with major corporations, providing access to both information products and physical products from established companies
Many of the biggest companies in the world use Commission Junction for their affiliate programs, offering both digital and physical products
Affiliate marketing serves as market research to identify winning products before investing in creating your own products and services
The strategy is to test affiliate products first, then create your own products based on what you learn from successful campaigns
Quotable Moments 3
“many of the most successful people I know started their businesses this way”
— Eben Pagan“not bad for getting someone to click on a link”
— Eben Pagan“the idea is to test these out and then create your own products and services based on what you learn”
— Eben Pagan
How to Start Affiliate Marketing for Immediate Revenue
Step-by-step process for beginners to begin earning affiliate commissions without creating products
- 1
Choose Your Platform
Sign up for ClickBank for information products, Commission Junction for corporate products, or Amazon for e-commerce items
- 2
Get Your Affiliate Links
Receive tracking links, banners, and product descriptions from the affiliate program
- 3
Create Promotional Content
Make YouTube videos, website content, or social media posts featuring the products
- 4
Drive Traffic
Use pay-per-click search engine traffic, social media marketing, or organic content to get clicks
- 5
Test and Scale
Monitor which products convert best, then create your own products based on successful niches
Questions Answered
What are the best affiliate marketing platforms for beginners
“if you're interested in information products go to clickbank.com... next Commission Junction... next amazon.com Amazon is super cool because you can sign up for their affiliate program”
— Eben Pagan▶ 2:38
ClickBank for information products with transparent performance data, Commission Junction for major corporate products, and Amazon for trusted e-commerce with 80+ million customers.
How much money can you make from affiliate marketing commissions
“even if you're only getting uh you know 10% of a $2500 check right that's 250 bucks and oftentimes on big Electronics it'll be it'll be a lot less than that but you know 5% still 125 bucks”
— Eben Pagan▶ 2:04
Even small percentages on high-ticket items generate substantial income. A 10% commission on a $2500 product equals $250, while 5% still yields $125 per sale.
How do affiliate programs work for beginners
“you sign up and you get a link is usually what you get and sometimes you'll get banners or descriptions or pictures of the product and then what you do is you take your link or your descriptions and you put them on your website”
— Eben Pagan▶ 1:02
Sign up for an affiliate program, receive a tracking link and marketing materials, then promote through videos, websites, or paid traffic. When someone clicks your link and buys, you earn a commission.
Why should I use Amazon affiliate marketing
“Amazon is super cool because... everyone knows and everyone trusts I I last heard there are over 80 million people that buy stuff from Amazon”
— Eben Pagan▶ 4:11
Amazon has over 80 million customers who already trust the brand, tested sales systems, and reliable payment processing, making conversions more likely than unknown companies.
How to research profitable affiliate products before promoting them
“they allow you to look through all of the different offers that are on ClickBank and actually see how they're performing relative to each other so you can look at all these different categories you can see how these different off offers are converting”
— Eben Pagan▶ 2:38
Use ClickBank's marketplace to view performance data and conversion rates across different offers, allowing you to compare how products are performing before choosing what to promote.
Summary
Affiliate Programs as Your Entry Point to Online Business
Eben introduces affiliate marketing as the fastest way to start selling online without product creation. He explains how automated tracking systems have revolutionized the industry, making it possible for beginners to start earning immediately while learning what products actually sell in the marketplace.
The Mathematics of Affiliate Commission Potential
Using concrete examples like big screen TVs, Eben demonstrates how even small commission percentages on high-ticket items can generate substantial income. He shows how a simple YouTube video review with an affiliate link can yield hundreds of dollars per sale, making the earning potential clear for new marketers.
Three Essential Affiliate Platforms for Different Product Types
Eben details ClickBank for information products with transparent performance data, Commission Junction for major corporate partnerships, and Amazon for leveraging existing customer trust. Each platform serves different niches while providing unique advantages for affiliate marketers at various experience levels.
From Affiliate Marketing to Product Creation Strategy
The episode concludes with Eben's strategic framework: use affiliate marketing as market research to identify winning products, then create your own offerings based on proven demand. This approach minimizes risk while maximizing learning and revenue potential for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Counterpoint
Claim: “You need to create your own product before you can start making money online”
Reframe: Start selling immediately through affiliate programs to test markets and generate revenue before creating products
Many of the most successful people Eben knows started their businesses through affiliate marketing, and it's automated through tracking systems
Key Points 6
Affiliate programs provide immediate market entry without product creation, allowing entrepreneurs to start selling and earning commissions instantly
High-ticket affiliate commissions can generate substantial income even with small conversion rates, making expensive products attractive for affiliates
▶ 2:04ClickBank's marketplace provides transparent performance data, allowing affiliates to research and compare how different offers are converting before committing to promote them
▶ 2:38Amazon's affiliate program leverages existing trust and infrastructure, with over 80 million customers providing built-in credibility and conversion optimization
▶ 4:11Commission Junction connects affiliates with major corporations, providing access to both information products and physical products from established companies
▶ 3:10Affiliate marketing serves as market research to identify winning products before investing in creating your own products and services
▶ 4:44Topics
Business Frameworks