Like most of you probably have, I have signed up to my fair share of affiliate networks – just to test them out and see what all the hype is about. Usually their ads don’t last long as I ditch them for the latest ‘hyped up’ affiliate program.
Well I never really go back and check my starts after I remove them (or forget about them) so it was a surprise to me today when I logged into my PepperjamNetwork.com account and saw that I had $125 in waiting commission $100 from August alone! They had been unable to process it yet as I had not provided them with my payment details.
All the commission were from 1 single 125×125 adspot on this blog that promoted Text-Link-Ads. The funny thing is that the ad was only put up as a filler until someone bought the adspot for $10/month!
Check out a screen shot of my earnings from Pepperjam! (sorry for the bad image, my screenshot isnt working, so I had to print the page to PDF and edit from there)
You may or may not think that $125 ($100 in one month) is that big a deal, but for me that means:
- Over doubling the income I made from this blog
- Dramatically increasing the value of this blog
- A changed mindset on affiliate programs on blogs
Here are 3 things I have learnt from this situation:
- Keep track of your affiliate programs
If you don’t you could be missing out on money that your blog has earned. - Affiliate programs can be just as good as private ads (if not better)
I must say I followed the crowd with this one. Everyone seems to be trying to sell private ad spots at a fixed monthly price – so I did the same. However I made over 2 months worth of sold out ad spots in just one month – from 1 adspot! So this month I am trialing affiliate programs by having all my adspots being affiliate adspots. I will be using PepperjamNetwork.compartners to fill the spots.
- Monitor Your Monetization Strategies
We need to be knowing what is making us money and what isn’t. I should have been keeping track of my affiliate earnings just from the viewpoint that I need to be constantly analyzing and optimizing my adspots to make sure I am maximizing my earnings.
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Great point there Tom… When I was starting w/affiliate programs last year I always keep on looking stats and its something that I have maintained until now. I can ignore my blog but not my campaigns. In this way you can also make a lot of adjustments that would benefit…
Melvins last blog post..Answers and Questions 1
I have put TLA before, and earn referral commission there too, it is very easy to earn.
I really find it hard to earn from any affiliate program. :(
Husseins last blog post..Sunday Link Love #8
Hussein,
I too have found it difficult to earn much from affiliate programs. But it will come with time I am sure. I haven’t generated a large readership or even get that many visits per day yet. Remember the more exposure your site gets the more likely you are going to be selling products.
Good post Tom, you’re lucky that is like finding money in an old jacket you haven’t worn in a while.
Adam – Creadivs last blog post..Updating The Site And $1 Ads
Well I have good news guys! First day of my test and Ive already made $7 from one affiliate sale through Pepperjam. I hope this continues!
Surprise money is always the best! I’m like you, I trial a lot of different things, some work, some don’t and some I forget about. Rediscovering one later on is always a pleasant surprise though!
swollenpickless last blog post..Freebies4Webmasters do pay
This is really the first step to success with affiliate marketing. Next focus on a routine and what works for you.
Good Luck on your affiliate endeavors Tom!
Big Ben Pattons last blog post..Iron Key The Worlds Most Secure Flash Drive
Great.. ;-) But dont be too ecstatic Tom… If those who have signed under you have not made any money and they stopped caring about their accounts then Pepperjam would count that as invalid leads… Last month I think, in the first 10 days I already had about $120 something on my account and after then days the scrub $20 and well I ended up with $140 from them that month
Melvins last blog post..Publisher Spot – Professional Reviews Of Ad Network
Its important not only to keep tabs ofyour affiliate earnings but also important to check the new products that they offer. The niche products could be of great value for you to promote.
Hi Tom, I’m sorry that I havn’t been here for awhile. I’ve been kind of busy trying to get certain ads fixed on my site. But when I did return tonight I was SHOCKED to see that in one of your latter post you had a For Sale Notice up and I could not believe my eyes! I would never had thought that after starting another blog that you would be leaving again. But I’m glad that I read on to see that you have decided to stay. One of the reasons I had come over to visit was to say hi and I had a question that I wanted to email to you. So thanks for a great post on Affiliate Marketing…I signed up with almost everyone out there when I first started then weeded out the bad ones, and stuck with the ones that make me $80 and up. Not to far up over the $80. right now lol maybe someday.
Congratulations on doubling your income. :)
I might add bloggers should test one thing at a time because that is how they know which works better than others.
Hendry Lees last blog post..Duplicate Content Penalty and Filter — Do They Exist? How Do They Work?
I tried my level best to earn affiliate commission from different sites- performancingads, neverblue ads and affiliatejunktion. But all of them proved to be futile. I think pepperjamnetwork provides good earnings…
Dollar Dudes last blog post..Simple Tips For Turning Stumblers Into Regular Visitors
Wow! That would be a very plesant surprise! I might have to try having a few more “filler” ads in rotation :)
Nicks last blog post..I’m making progress, eventually I’ll be caught up.