{"id":8301,"date":"2022-09-12T03:10:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T03:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/?p=8301"},"modified":"2024-04-08T07:53:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T07:53:50","slug":"youtube-affiliate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/youtube-affiliate\/","title":{"rendered":"Youtube Affiliate Marketing in 2024 (Is It Still Worth It?)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As of right now, 94% of adults in the United States<\/a> watch YouTube at least once a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But YouTube also has 2 billion users worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between them, they watch 1 billion hours of YouTube videos every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One billion hours!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019m getting at here is that this is a huge potential audience<\/a> for you to tap into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, of course, affiliate marketing on this platform is a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is it actually worth your while investing in YouTube affiliate marketing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is YouTube Affiliate Marketing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

YouTube affiliate marketing<\/strong> is an online business model where you generate revenue by adding affiliate links for products or services you recommend to videos you create and upload. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s quite a popular method, with 36.9% of affiliate marketers<\/a> using the platform, according to our affiliate marketing statistics page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These links are placed within annotations or beneath the video in the \u2018Description\u2019 area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it\u2019s very similar to traditional affiliate marketing in terms of how you make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only thing that changes is the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You still put together product reviews, tutorials, etc. that link out to a given affiliate marketing program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except you do it with videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the monetization process remains the exact same \u2013 you earn a commission if a viewer makes a purchase through your referral link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s as simple as that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Can You Put Affiliate Links on Youtube?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One example is you could create a video demonstrating how to install WordPress and then include an affiliate link in the description:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The above is an example of a cloaked link – one that\u2019s redirected through whatever domain is associated with your channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But YouTube has no problem with you placing naked affiliate links in your video descriptions:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Another place you can safely add affiliate links is in the \u2018Pinned Comment\u2019 of a video:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Just maybe don\u2019t overdo it here – the above example has 25 affiliate links in total, which is overpowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your \u2018Community\u2019 tab is a location many affiliates forget about when it comes to link placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you actually engage with your subscribers then this is a great place to drop a link:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

You might also have noticed that this creator added an affiliate link disclosure<\/a> just beneath the link itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a short statement that informs your viewers that you will receive financial compensation if they make a purchase after clicking on this link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should include an affiliate link disclosure wherever you use an affiliate link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also add affiliate links to the end screen of a video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of what that looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Ah<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

But promoting affiliate links in \u2018End cards\u2019 is tricky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you can\u2019t direct link to an affiliate offer from your \u2018End cards\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can only link to your own website and one that\u2019s associated with your YouTube channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you can add up to 5 \u2018End cards\u2019 to each video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first placement is right at the end of the video, as illustrated above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when you click on the \u201ci\u201d symbol you can view additional cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever methods you use, the goal is always the same – make money by redirecting your traffic to affiliate programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or redirect your traffic to an email sign-up form if you have a sales funnel set up for a specific affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

These \u201ci\u201d cards can be viewed at any point during playback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you have multiple opportunities for cloaked links to be placed both throughout and right at the end of your videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever linking method you use though, the goal is always the same – make money by redirecting your traffic to affiliate programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So make sure whatever landing page you send them to is finely tuned towards conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or redirect your traffic to an email sign-up form if you have a sales funnel set up for a specific affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you looking for offers to promote on Youtube? Check out our post with the best affiliate programs for Youtubers<\/a>? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Use YouTube Affiliate Marketing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Basically, because it\u2019s a natural extension of your current affiliate marketing efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re already publishing content in the form of blog posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you can simply repurpose those as YouTube videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But also because YouTube makes it incredibly easy to become a content creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you need is a microphone, a webcam, or some screen recording software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The YouTube Studio<\/a> takes care of the actual heavy lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Simplicity and the opportunity to repurpose content aside, this platform gives you access to something that\u2019s rare in the world of affiliate marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free traffic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can build an audience of millions without spending a single cent on advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or building any links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then monetize your loyal following as often as you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, generally speaking, YouTube will leave you alone to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can You Make Money with YouTube Affiliate Marketing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Create videos that people want to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And share with their friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know that sounds like the world\u2019s biggest case of stating the obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, the Canadian Prepper<\/strong><\/a> YouTube channel usually shares survival and prepping advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even people who aren\u2019t survivalists enjoy this type of content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So this style of video has a very broad appeal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some, they provide informational content and links to related videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in others they recommend a whole list of survival items:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Survival<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

And then add a list of affiliate links to the \u2018Description\u2019 area beneath the video<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Survival<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This process can be replicated for <\/strong>travel<\/a>, weight loss<\/a>, SEO<\/a>, or just about any other niche you could build a site around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could even niche down to a really granular level with your YouTube presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, this channel<\/a> only features reviews of Bluehost, probably because they get paid $80+ in affiliate commission for every sale.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bluehost<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Their YouTube channel only has a handful of uploads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some of them have 95,000+ views, so you can be sure their affiliate links saw plenty of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YouTube\u2019s immense reach makes it a great way for serious content creators to earn a lot of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a really high-profile example of this – Marques Brownlee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven\u2019t heard of him, he\u2019s famous for his high-quality tech reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which he often drops Amazon affiliate links into:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Youtube<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Along with links to his own merch, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He currently earns over US$2 million per year from all his online business activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worth A Buy<\/strong><\/a> is another YouTube channel that reviews gaming products and tells viewers if the game\/accessory\/console is \u201cworth a buy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Worth<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The videos are of high quality and probably make great money, without being spammy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also helps that they publish several times per week – they\u2019re constantly \u201cfront-of-mind\u201d with their audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the YouTube algorithm…which we\u2019ll come to a little later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Types of Videos Generate Affiliate Revenue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are almost infinite types, styles, and formats you could use for your affiliate videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are a number of formats that have proven to be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most of these don\u2019t lend themselves perfectly to affiliate marketing, there are a number of that do present the opportunity to promote products and services via an affiliate link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at what you have to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product review videos<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Single product reviews are a great way for a YouTube affiliate to create content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n