As we go ahead, video content is slowly but surely becoming the most consumed form of content on the internet. It is safe to say that this trend will only grow stronger in the coming years. YouTube is the most popular video channel for marketing, being utilized by 50% of all marketers, according to Social Media Examiner’s 2021 industry report.
So, how can you get in on this trend and start marketing your affiliate products via YouTube videos? This article will show you how to do affiliate marketing on YouTube, the best practices of YouTube affiliate marketing strategy, and how to get started.
What Is YouTube Affiliate Marketing?
An online business model where you earn money by putting affiliate links for products or services you recommend in your videos, YouTube affiliate marketing is easy to get into.
Once a viewer clicks on the links and makes a purchase, you earn a commission from the sale.
The amount of money you can make from this will depend on the product you’re promoting and how many people see and click on your links.
Where Can You Put Affiliate Links?
Suppose you’re a travel vlogger and just returned from an amazing trip to Thailand. You made videos of all the different activities you did while you were there, and now you want to add affiliate links to the video so that people can book similar trips.
You would put these links either in the annotations or video description section of your YouTube video. This is a great place to add additional information about your video, such as affiliate links, without interrupting the flow of your content.
Annotations are small popup boxes you can add to your videos that link to other websites or videos. They can be annoying for viewers if not used sparingly, so we recommend only using them for essential links such as affiliate ones.
Why Use YouTube Affiliate Marketing?
Most of the YouTube affiliate marketers are in it for the long game. They don’t expect to make a ton of money from each video but rather build up a portfolio of many videos over time that each earns them a small amount of money.
This is a smart way to approach things as it means you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket and instead diversifying your income sources. It also means that you’re more likely to stick with it and continue making videos regularly, which is important for YouTube’s success.
Here are some more specific benefits of YouTube affiliate marketing:
Huge Audience without Spending Any Money on Advertising
Once you’ve optimized your videos and ranking in search, you can start getting traffic to your videos without having to pay for ads. This is a massive benefit as it means you can scale your business without reinvesting money into paid ads.
Monetize Your Loyal Following
Whoever said money can’t buy happiness clearly has yet to try affiliate marketing. If you have a loyal following on YouTube, you can make money from them by recommending products or services they’re likely to be interested in.
This is a win-win situation as you’re making money from your following and helping them out by recommending products you know they’ll love.
It’s a Passive Income
YouTube affiliate marketing videos are a great way to make passive income. This is because you can continue to earn money from a video long after you’ve filmed and uploaded it.
As long as YouTube affiliate links are still in your video description and people are clicking on them and making purchases, you’ll continue to earn a commission.
High Growth
YouTube is one of the most popular websites worldwide and has only continued to grow in recent years. In 2012, YouTube generated an estimated $1 billion in revenue. By 2020, that number had grown to $15 billion. Some popular YouTubers get more daily views than mainstream TV channels.
This is a huge opportunity for affiliate marketers as it means there’s a large potential audience for your videos.
Lower Competition
Getting your videos ranked in Google can be tricky, especially if you’re up against large companies with big budgets. However, YouTube is a great level playing field for small businesses and affiliate marketers. This is because YouTube rankings are based on things like the number of views, likes, comments, and subscribers.
Easy SEO
YouTube videos are in the top results for over half of keyword searches on Google. And, out of those videos, 82% come from YouTube itself. So, getting your videos to rank on YouTube is a great way to get them in front of potential customers searching for your products or services.
What Types Of Videos Generate Affiliate Revenue?
Product Review Videos
Seems like an obvious one, but product review videos are still one of the most popular types of affiliate videos. However, do more than just a video about the product; include your unique angle.
For example, if you’re reviewing a new hair product, talk about how it compares to other products on the market and what makes it different. You could also review multiple products and make a side-by-side comparison.
How To Videos
People love learning how to do things, and there are endless possibilities for how-to videos. These affiliate videos can be anything from showing how to use a product to teaching a new skill. The important thing is to make sure your how-to videos are high quality and offer value to your viewers.
Trending Videos
You can easily draw in viewers and potential customers by producing your own spin-off content of popular YouTube trends, like “what’s in my bag?”. Be sure to include affiliate-recommended products to earn commission while promoting other businesses.
Unboxing Videos
People love watching unboxing videos, whether it’s a new phone, computer, or pair of shoes. They’re curious to see what’s inside the box and how the product works.
If you’re doing an unboxing video, make sure to show the product in detail and give your honest opinion of it.
Best Of Videos
Not only in videos, but people also love lists. That’s why “best of” videos are so popular. These types of videos can be anything from the best products in a certain category to the best tips for a certain task.
Examples of some popular best-of videos include:
- The best products for curly hair
- The best winter beauty products
- The best travel hacks
Round-up Videos
By having a range of content on your YouTube channel, you improve the likelihood of making a sale–especially to viewers who aren’t intentionally looking to purchase something. Create videos like “monthly favorites” with affiliate product links to encourage impulse buying.
YouTube Affiliate Marketing Strategy 2023
Without an audience, your content will be isolated. It’s time to generate traffic and interest in your words. Here are some tips on how to market your YouTube channel:
Google Organic Search
Since Google owns YouTube, it is ranked higher in the search engine results pages for many different keywords. If you optimize your videos for certain keywords, there’s a good chance they’ll show up in the top results of Google.
To do this, you’ll need to do keyword research and use those keywords throughout your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
Subscribers
The most foolproof method to increase your video views is to amass a group of subscribers. All you need to do afterward is give them reasons not to unsubscribe. This is usually done by consistently putting out great content, but there are other ways to keep them engaged as well.
For example, if you run a contest or giveaway, you can require that they watch one of your videos to enter. This is an excellent way to get more views on your videos while also growing your subscriber list.
Create Related Playlists
Organizing your videos into playlists is an excellent way to keep viewers engaged and reduce the likelihood of them clicking off your channel. Having a series of videos in a playlist gives viewers the option to watch multiple videos in one sitting.
Not only that, but if you title your playlist properly, it can also show up in search results.
Recommended Videos
The ranking position on YouTube that gets the most views is the site’s front page. By having your video there, you have a chance to be seen by millions of people. With some effort and luck, your video could go viral.
Use Special Tools to Grow Your YouTube Channel
TubeBuddy and vidIQ are the best tools to boost your YouTube views and ranking . They are being used and recommended by millions of creators and brands. You will get free insights and guidance to increase views and subscribers, and keep your YouTube channel growing.
YouTube Organic Search
YouTube, the second largest search engine next to Google, is a fantastic way to generate targeted traffic to your affiliate links. The ranking process for YouTube is similar in principle to that of Google. You’ll need to use the right keywords in your titles and descriptions to ensure that your videos are found by viewers interested in what you have to say.
Use Eye-catching Thumbnails
An attractive thumbnail drive clicks and shares. People are more likely to watch a video that has an enticing thumbnail because it looks interesting. As a YouTube affiliate marketer, you should make your thumbnail stand out so that more people are inclined to watch your video.
It’s important to note that your thumbnail should be relevant to the video itself. If not, people will feel misled and are less likely to watch your video or click on your affiliate link.
Produce YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts are short, vertical videos that are under 60 seconds in length. They’re perfect for viewers who are on the go and need more time to watch a full-length video.
You can use YouTube Shorts to promote products quickly and easily as an affiliate marketer. All you need to do is create a short video that shows off the product and include your affiliate link in the description.
FAQs
How do I become an affiliate marketer on YouTube?
Joining an affiliate program on YouTube is no different than joining one elsewhere (Like Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook). The only thing that changes is the platform on which you market and sell products.
In order to succeed in this method, discover products or services you know your target market will enjoy, join an affiliate program related to those products/services, then create content in which you can recommend them.
Is affiliate marketing allowed on YouTube?
Yes, it is. Affiliate marketing is one of the many ways creators can monetize their content on YouTube channels.
The ‘Description’ field beneath your video is an excellent place to add affiliate links. Doing so opens the door to earning commission on every purchase made via those links, which functions just like any other form of affiliate marketing.
Can you make money with YouTube affiliate marketing?
You can make money from YouTube affiliate marketing, but it’s a tough landscape to compete in. We recommend having other sources of income as well, like your own website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
We have created specific affiliate marketing guides on all 3 popular social media platforms that you can check out:
- How to Do Affiliate Marketing on Pinterest
- How To Promote Affiliate Links On Facebook
- How to Do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram
Does YouTube allow Amazon affiliate links?
You can add Amazon affiliate links to your YouTube videos by signing up for the Amazon Associates program, finding products that relate to your audience, and incorporating them into your YouTube video description.
Get Started with Affiliate Marketing on YouTube
Now that you understand how YouTube affiliate marketing works, it’s time to start. Follow the steps we mentioned above, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful YouTube affiliate marketer.
If you need help getting started, check out our guide to choosing the best affiliate programs and amazon products. With this advice, you’ll be sure to make a profit in no time. Remember, the key to success is creating great content and using the right keywords. You can become a YouTube affiliate marketing superstar with a little hard work.