The process of finding and joining an affiliate program differs based on whether the program is offline or online. Some companies use a mixture of both methods of advertisement, while others are strictly Internet-based or entirely brick-and-mortar style. To join affiliate programs, choose a product and decide whether working online, offline, or both is best for your chosen lifestyle.
Finding an offline affiliate program generally involves settling on a type of product or service that you feel passionate about. This product must be something you feel comfortable talking to people about and possibly demonstrating. Your name will be figuratively and, in some cases, literally attached to this product. If the company running the affiliate program is known for mistreating customers or otherwise having poor-quality customer service or products, this can reflect on you in the eyes of current and potential customers.
Once you have chosen a product or service, approach companies that deal with similar products and services about becoming an affiliate. It is possible to join affiliate programs without ever being on a computer, through talking with people in person and tracking your sales through uniquely coded coupons. In some cases, however, even though you can advertise and deal with customers offline, the sales tracking might be entirely Internet-based. If you are not opposed to using the Internet as a source of income, it might be worth your time to join an online affiliate group and then advertise offline.
Trying to join affiliate programs is often as easy as using an Internet search engine with the keywords “affiliate program” and the type of product you are interesting in selling. If this fails, look for an affiliate network instead. Affiliate networks give access to a large database of products and services that work with the network, in addition to information about how much a person can make for successful referrals to that product. They will also usually give information about how well a particular product or service sells. The difficulty of getting into an affiliate network varies, with some requiring affiliates to have an approved website and others essentially having no requirements.
As with joining an affiliate network, trying to join affiliate programs can be a difficult process or an incredibly simple one. The sellers of some products and services let anyone into their affiliate program, while others ask for information about past work or other personal information. Some programs require affiliates to sell a certain amount of products to remain active, while others do not set any constraints.
