I Am An Affiliate Marketer
I’ve been thinking for a while how I feel about affiliate marketing and how I conduct promotions on this blog. It’s well know that many bloggers promote via affiliate programs to make commissions, which is one of the ways I monetize my traffic here at Entrepreneurs-Journey. At the moment affiliate income is the second best money earner for this blog, after direct ad sales.
Many people take issue with affiliate promotions arguing that bloggers should disclose all links that are embedded with affiliate tracking code. Some bloggers purposefully do things like include an (aff) note next to affiliate links to remain transparent with their audience regarding affiliation, believing it helps to ensure their credibility remains intact.
I’m all for transparency and previously made use of the (aff) notation on my affiliate links. I’ve also begun posts by explaining my affiliate relationship with the product mentioned in the article.
Recently news circulated about new laws that may impact how affiliates promote online.
I’ve read the opinion of other Internet marketing bloggers who see no reason to disclose affiliate links since that’s the business they are in – affiliate marketing.
Brian Clark mentioned that the (aff) is not good copy – and I agree.
In the past I’ve felt some heat as a result of promoting products on this blog, especially products from Internet marketers who use hype to sell their goods.
As you can see, there is a lot of data that goes into the decision of how to handle affiliate links on your blog, and I’ve decided to make a few changes.
My New Disclosure Policy
I am no longer going to use the (aff) notes next to affiliate links. I believe it is bad copy and hinders the flow of reading, and could also reduce click-throughs. Where I believe it necessary I will, within the article itself, explain my affiliate relationship to a product I am linking to. However I will not do so every time I include affiliate links in an article.
I have no desire to damage my reputation or, if a law comes in regarding affiliate disclosure, risk possible legal problems (although I’m not sure if new laws would affect Australians). I believe I am a credible blogger and not placing an (aff) next to affiliate links will not do any major damage to my reputation. If you disagree that is certainly your right and if you decide to discontinue reading my blog as a result, that’s also your right, but I think you will miss out on a lot of good content.
I want to remain transparent with you, which is why I’m going to flat out state right now that I am an affiliate marketer and you can expect to see affiliate links here on my blog. I receive a commission if you purchase a product after clicking through my affiliate link.
You will usually spot affiliate links on this blog based on the /yaro-recommends/ component of the URL, however not all affiliate links include it. If you ever have any concerns regarding affiliate promotions on this blog you can contact me. This information will be added to my terms of service and privacy policy, when I update them shortly.
I expect a lot of people are tired of affiliate link disclosure issue – I certainly am – and this is likely the last post I will make on the topic. I’m sorry if anyone feels mislead because I no longer use the (aff) next to my affiliate links or they feel I am misleading others who may not realize I am earning a commission.
As I’ve said many times before, I believe since the majority of content I produce on this blog gives plenty back to my readers, I earn the right to promote via affiliate programs now and then to earn some financial reward for my efforts. I will continue to work hard to produce valuable content and as always, it is up to you to decide what you purchase and whether you go through my affiliate link when you do so.
I thank every person who has ever bought via my affiliate links. You motivate me to blog more often and provide me with the financial freedom to devote time to blogging and helping others.
Yaro Starak
Affiliate Marketer
