Your aim as an affiliate marketer is to encourage individuals to buy products that will earn you a commission. YouTube provides an excellent avenue for doing so. With an anticipated 2.8 billion users by 2025, it is set to become the second most widely used social media platform worldwide.
YouTube’s $3 billion global consumer spend is not solely attributed to entertainment purposes. As an affiliate marketer, you can take advantage of this by advertising products to potential buyers.
Starting an affiliate marketing business on YouTube
When you earn a commission on the sale of products or services from another company, this is known as affiliate marketing. While many ecommerce businesses have their own affiliate marketing programs, one can also discover multiple affiliate partners through affiliate networks like ShareASale or ClickBank.
Creating video content on YouTube presents a lucrative opportunity for affiliate marketers to generate passive earnings. A substantial number of users (68%) have viewed YouTube videos when considering a purchase. When coupled with endorsements from their preferred content creators, affiliate YouTube videos may exhibit a greater conversion rate than conventional content.
The greatest advantage is that you receive payment when your viewers make a purchase based on the video. This is beneficial for all parties involved, including your brand sponsors.
YouTube Affiliate Marketing Tips
1. Use eye-catching thumbnails
If your YouTube videos do not have any viewers, it will be difficult for you to produce affiliate commissions. The thumbnail, which appears before the video starts to play, plays a significant role in this.
Consider YouTube thumbnails as the front page of a book. If the front page fails to impress, then the content within will probably never be experienced – regardless of its quality. However, if the front page captures attention among a mass of competing titles, then it increases the likelihood of becoming a bestseller.
Conduct a thorough analysis of your competitors and identify the thumbnails that are vying for your target audience’s attention. This applies particularly if you’re filming a coffee art tutorial (showcasing a coffee machine from which you’ll receive a commission).
Certain industries possess a greater level of creativity compared to others. If you are advertising tech-related merchandise, then it is important to have attention-grabbing thumbnails with a blend of vibrant colors and text. There are various useful tools like Fotor and Canva, which furnish numerous high-quality templates for YouTube thumbnails, enabling you to design your own images effortlessly. On the other hand, a few affiliate marketers believe that hiring a professional graphic designer is a smart investment yielding positive results.
A helpful tip is to frequently update your YouTube thumbnails, particularly when your content has long-term value. Including the current year in your thumbnail will demonstrate that your content is still pertinent and worth watching.
2. Add chapter markers
Have you ever experienced clicking on a YouTube video with the intention of finding a solution to a problem, but ended up wasting your time as the creator talked about something irrelevant for 15 minutes? It’s like reading about the backstory of a food blogger’s recipe when all you really need is to know the number of eggs required for cooking it.
Even if you make an effort to shorten your content, viewers will come to your YouTube video seeking concise solutions. Assist them by providing chapter markers.
Wandering Aimfully, for example, created a YouTube video sharing the items they’re packing for a year of travel. Each section of the video uses chapter markers. Viewers can pinpoint the section where the creators talk about roller suitcases and travel backpacks without sitting through the entire 30-minute video.
3. Optimize for YouTube search
The website YouTube, which comes in second place only to Google, is used by individuals for various purposes such as acquiring new knowledge, entertainment, or evaluation of products they intend to purchase.
Affiliate marketers can benefit significantly from this development. By identifying the keywords that their audience is searching for and producing YouTube videos that cater to those queries, they can generate organic traffic without relying on viral trends. Optimizing their content for search engines can also help to magnify the effect.
Begin by identifying rival YouTube channels that advertise products similar to those you are promoting as an affiliate. Utilize the Keywords Everywhere web extension to discover comparable keywords, keeping an eye on their search volume (the number of people who search for them each month) and trend.
If you have conducted keyword research to identify the terms that your potential customers are searching for, take measures to enhance your video’s optimization and increase its visibility in search results.
- Put the keyword in the video title. Try to make it as catchy as possible; click-through rate is a factor in how well your video will rank.
- Include keywords in the video description. If you’re reviewing a Canon camera, for example, naturally weave related phrases like “Canon camera review” and “reviewing the Canon camera” into the description.
- Increase watch time. The YouTube algorithm prefers videos with high watch time, since the content is proven to keep them on the platform.
4. Create related playlists
Compiling similar videos into an endless video reel using YouTube’s playlist feature can increase the likelihood of earning affiliate commission as an affiliate marketer, due to the higher number of views.
To achieve this, you can generate a lineup of related videos so that when a viewer watches one of your videos, a comparable one will immediately follow that could capture their attention. This strategy proves advantageous when users are searching for specific content on YouTube because they can refer to your lineup of like-minded videos that might provide them with a satisfactory solution.
In order to make a playlist on YouTube:
- Group together related videos
- Open each video in your browser
- Hit “Save” beneath each video
- Create a new playlist (or add it to an existing one)
- Change the privacy settings to public
The “working from home” playlist from Wirecutter offers ten videos providing advice on establishing a home office. The playlist features videos on tidying up your desk, using Zoom, and comparing chairs, all of which are monetized using affiliate links. Those seeking to enhance their home office could acquire multiple products from various videos.
5. Create engaging content
To draw in the appropriate viewers to your videos, you must generate captivating content. Strategize and construct superior videos that will stimulate individuals to view and engage with them. If your content catches their attention, it increases the likelihood of them clicking on your links.
Commence by identifying your specialized area and what is currently popular within it. Explore prevalent subjects that are currently embraced, preferred types of videos, and the content your viewers are interested in. Achieve this by examining what is current on YouTube, analyzing the content generated by other creators, and even requesting feedback from your current viewers.
Commence creating high-quality videos with appropriate equipment, and endorse products and services that you truly adore. Encourage your viewers to engage by commenting and liking throughout the video, and include a call to action at the conclusion to prompt them to subscribe or explore the links in the description.
6. Optimize videos with keywords
Targeting the appropriate keywords is another method to draw a larger audience to your videos. Many individuals use YouTube as a search engine to obtain information, thus emphasizing popular search terms will entice them to watch your content.
Tools like Google Trends, Ahrefs, and Keywords Everywhere can help you discover what individuals are searching for within your niche. Using these keywords, you can improve your videos by incorporating them into your content and incorporating them into your video titles and descriptions.
If you use specific keywords, your video has a greater likelihood of appearing as the top result in search queries.
7. Try out YouTube shorts
The prevalence of short videos is on the rise and they are now ubiquitous on almost every social media site. YouTube has joined this trend with the introduction of YouTube Shorts, a feature that enables content makers to upload brief videos or segments of their content to their channel.
As many individuals are generating income through YouTube Shorts, you too can integrate it into your YouTube affiliate marketing plan. Produce brief clips suggesting a product or extract snippets from your lengthier videos, and post them on YouTube Shorts accompanied by a product link.
8. Share on different platforms
To boost the viewership of your videos, it is recommended that you promote them on various platforms. If you have a fan base on Instagram or TikTok, for instance, you could publicize your new YouTube video or upload short previews to encourage them to view it on your channel.
Ensure that you continue to engage with your audience and publish consistent content to boost the chances of them viewing your promoted videos. You can also drive more visitors to your YouTube channel and motivate them to click on your affiliate links by integrating the videos into your blog or website.
Enhance the worth of your content by crafting a blog article expounding on the topic discussed in your video, and augment it with additional information and hyperlinks.
9. Always be transparent
It is paramount in YouTube affiliate marketing to be transparent about the affiliate links you share on YouTube.
To establish trust with your audience and ensure return visits for product suggestions, it’s important to share your honest opinion about a recommended item and only promote ones you would personally utilize.
Ensure that your audience is aware that you will earn a slight commission when they click on and buy products from the links provided. Disclose in your video that the links in the description are affiliated, and include a disclaimer in the description indicating that it will aid in sponsoring your content.
By doing this, you establish greater trust with your audience as it portrays your concern for them rather than deceiving them into clicking on a hyperlink.
Affiliate Marketing Video Ideas That Drive Revenue
In case you’re experiencing creator’s block, we have the solution you’re looking for. In the following, we will discuss methods that content creators utilized in YouTube affiliate marketing, which includes ideas for incorporating affiliate links. These strategies are frequently employed by creators.
- Trending videos: check which video formats are currently trending on YouTube, and consider creating similar videos to help attract more viewers.
- Unboxing: unboxing videos are a great way to plug in YouTube affiliate links since you’ll be overviewing everything that comes when you buy it.
- Tutorials: when doing a tutorial video, include affiliate links to any materials, equipment, or things used in the video that you recommend.
- Product review: if you do product reviews, add an affiliate link to your video description so viewers can also buy the product if you like it.
- Roundups: roundups will usually include multiple products or services. Search for those products in your affiliate program and add them to the video.
Even if you’re doing a different video than the ones we suggested, you can still include affiliate links in your videos. For example, some YouTubers will add links to the outfits they wore during a vlog, or furniture and decorations they have in their home.
Side notes
Are you thrilled to begin your YouTube affiliate marketing venture? We share your enthusiasm. Our suggestions can assist in driving more traffic to your affiliate-linked videos. Uscreen provides an additional avenue to profit from your videos and showcase affiliate links.
