How I Earned My First $100 as an Affiliate Marketer

How I Earned My First $100 as an Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular and well-known ways to generate funds online. The concept is simple; you promote a product (or service) through your site or social, and when someone purchases through your link you earn a commission. While the idea of affiliate marketing is simple and easy to grasp, earning your first $100 was very hard for me. I learned that the hard way.

In this article, I will show you how I earned my first $100 as an affiliate, the steps I took, and the mistakes I made, and all the things I wish I would have known starting out. I hope my experiences can help you whether you may be a student, looking for a side hustle or simply

curious.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Before I start with my story, let's nail down the fundamentals.

Affiliate marketing is a business model that brings value to companies by paying individuals (affiliates) to help bring them customers. You get a unique affiliate link, and once someone clicks that link and then goes on to purchase anything, you are then paid a percentage based on the sale.

There are many affiliate platforms and programs, including:

➡️Amazon Associates

➡️ClickBank

➡️ShareASale

➡️PartnerStack

➡️Digistore24

➡️Impact

Skylum (e.g. Luminar NEO)

Hosting Platforms (like Bluehost, Hostinger, etc.)

I promoted tools and software that I believed in at first with PartnerStack and Digistore24. I highlighted especially productivity tools, photo editing software, and/or some digital courses.

Step 1: Selecting Your Niche

When I got started, I made a huge mistake trying to promote every thing to everyone.

That did not work.

Eventually, I learned that selecting the right niche is the most important decision you will ever make. A niche is simply the area or category you want to focus on.

Some examples:

✅Health & Fitness

✅Tech & Gadgets

✅Finance & Investing

✅Digital Marketing

✅Software Tools

✅Photography

I decided on the "Tech & Productivity" niche. I already had all of the tools - Luminar NEO, Grammarly, Canva Pro, along with project management tools. 

That made it easier, as I could speak on them through personal experience.

Step 2: Finding Affliate Programs

After I chose my niche, the second step was to start searching and signing up to affiliate programs that fit within my interest.

I signed up for:

 

➤ PartnerStack

This is a place where many software companies run affiliate programs. I found a couple that would pay $10 to $50 per sale, with some offering bonuses if I reached monthly sales targets.

➤ Digistore24

This is a more a digital product site - books, courses, software. They offer high commission rates- up to 70% sometimes.

➤ Individual Affiliate Programs

Then I found direct possible affiliate programs to join: Grammarly Affiliate Program, Luminar NEO by Skylum, Canva Pro.

They were easy to sign up to, and mostly accepted newbie affiliates.

 

Step 3: Learning about Promotion Basics

In the beginning, I thought I could just post them on WhatsApp, faceBook, and Twitter.

But…. Nobody clicked.

It dawned on me that I was not offering any value. I could not just constantly throw links around, so I turned my focus to content.

Here is what I found worked better:

✅ Write Content that is Helpful

I started writing content and shorter blogs

Here are the 3 best ways I promote products (even as a newbie).

"This One App Saved Me 5 hours a week"

I added my affiliate links seamlessly.

✅ Write Honest Reviews

People want to know if it is worth buying. I wrote:

Pros & Cons

My experience with the product

Screenshots and actual examples

This established trust and people started clicking.

✅ Use YouTube or TikTok

I am not a video creator but I have noticed others using short videos to promote affiliate products and making money. I will tap into that down the road.

Step 4: How to Choose Products to Promote

This was difficult. I promoted over 15 different products, only 2 or 3 made sales.

Here is what worked:

💡 Quality, Useful Products

Products that solved real issues — like:

Luminar NEO (for photo editors)

Grammarly (for students and writers)

Task management tools (for productivity)

💡 Products with Free Trials

When there is a free trial, people are more likely to try it which increased conversions.

💡 Products I Have Used

When I have used the product, I can make better content and answer questions which made my posts more authentic.

Stage 5: Launching A Basic Blog

After just a couple of weeks posting only on social media, it was clear I needed a place to put all my content, something that felt more organized and could link to all my tools.

I launched a basic blog with:

WordPress + Free Theme

A free or inexpensive hosting plan (I used Hostinger)

I wrote posts like:

Reviews

Top 5 or Top 10 Lists

How to Guides

Tutorials

I included 1–2 affiliate links in each post; again, gentle placements that weren't spammy.

And over time, my blog drove steady traffic, especially from Google and Facebook shares.

Stage 6: First Commission Notification

Approximately 3 weeks into consistent posting, I received a notification:

> 💬 "You've earned a $33 commission from Skylum (Luminar NEO)."

This was wild to me. Someone actually bought through my link!

I checked my dashboard and it was real! That first $33 felt like $1000 to me.

In the following 2 weeks, I was able to earn:

$15 from Grammarly

$20 from a Canva Pro sign-up

$32 from a course on Digistore24

Total: 100 bucks for my first full month

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Mistakes I Made (So You Don't)

1. Linking Spammy With No Value

You can't just paste links. You need tips, guides, reasons to buy, etc.

2. Promoting Too Many Products

Focus on a couple products 2–3 and promote well.

3. Giving Up

 It took me almost 4 weeks before I made my first sale. Most people quit before that. 

4. Ignoring SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Once I learned some basic SEO (keywords, titles, fast loading site), I got more traffic on my blog. 

Tools that Helped Me

Here are some tools I used that were free and/or relatively cheap that helped me achieve results.

Canva – for various designs on images for the blog and social posts.

Grammarly – to write better content.

Google Keyword Planner – for some basic SEO research.

Bit.ly – to track affiliate links.

Chat-GPT – helped me take my content writing to the next level.

How to Get Started (Step by Step)

If you want to get started, I’ve put together a roadmap based on what worked for me:

1. Pick a Niche – Find something you are passionate about (tech, health, finance, etc.).

2. Sign up for Affiliate Programs – PartnerStack, Digistore24, or direct programs.

3. Create Content – Write reviews, tutorials, lists or record videos.

4. Use Social Media or a Blog – At first, focus on one to two platforms.

5. Be Consistent – Don’t expect to be an overnight success.

6. Track & Learn – Use analytics to see what works and improve.

Is it Worth It?

Yes — but not in a "get rich quick way."

Think of affiliate marketing as planting seeds. The seeds take time to grow, but with consistency, you will eventually harvest your results.

Conclusion

My first $100 in affiliate marketing was not only about the money but more importantly, it was proving to myself I could replicate the process. It opened up opportunities to implement digital skills I learned through affiliate marketing, like writing, promoting and marketing, in many other ways.

If you are just getting started, don't stop. Start with something small. Promote those products you like. Try to help people solve a problem. And always remember, if I can do it - so can you!