The Biggest Mistakes I Made in Affiliate Marketing (So You Don’t Have To!)
When I first started affiliate marketing, I made a lot of mistakes. Some cost me time, some cost me money, and some just made me look ridiculous online. But every mistake taught me something valuable, and now I want to share those lessons with you—so you don’t have to waste your time making the same ones.
Mistake #1: Promoting Crappy Low-Ticket Products
At first, I thought affiliate marketing was all about getting people to buy cheap products from Amazon. I was a broke-ass college student couch-hopping between my mom’s house and a friend’s house closer to campus, and I figured everyone else was scary broke like me. I made content like “Here are Amazon finds you NEED” and expected people to flood my links and buy. Spoiler: They didn’t.
Why? Because people don’t need another random gadget they could find themselves. And even if they did buy, I was making pennies in commissions. It wasn’t worth my time.
What to Do Instead:
Focus on quality, not quantity. High-ticket or subscription-based affiliate programs pay more and provide real value. (Did you know that Six Figure Affiliate has an affiliate program of its own? It’s a great way to practice your awesome affiliate skills!)
Promote products that solve a problem. If a product makes someone’s life easier, they’re more likely to buy.
Mistake #2: Promoting Products I Didn’t Care About
In the beginning, I picked products based on what a search engine told me was “profitable.” That led me to promote things like weight loss supplements and fitness programs—even though I had zero interest in health and fitness.
And guess what? It showed. My content felt forced, I had no passion for what I was selling, and my audience could tell. If you don’t believe in what you’re promoting, people won’t buy it.
What to Do Instead:
Choose products you actually like and use. It’s way easier to sell something when you believe in it.
Stick to topics you care about. If you wouldn’t talk about it for free, you shouldn’t be trying to sell it.
Mistake #3: Refusing to Niche Down
At first, I thought my niche could just be… me. My life. My interests. Everything I loved. But unless you’re already famous, “my life” is not a niche. People don’t follow random strangers online just to see what they’re up to.
I was all over the place—one day talking about business, the next about skincare, then posting a random Amazon haul. No one knew what to expect from me, and that meant I wasn’t building an audience that actually trusted me.
What to Do Instead:
Pick a clear niche. The more specific you are, the more people will trust you as an expert.
Solve a problem for your audience. Think about what they need help with and create content that answers their questions.
Final Thoughts
Affiliate marketing can be insanely profitable, but only if you do it the right way. I wasted months making these mistakes, but once I switched to promoting high-quality products in a niche I actually cared about, everything changed. I started making real money, built a loyal audience, and created a sustainable business.
If you’re just getting started, learn from my mistakes and set yourself up for success from day one. Focus on quality, passion, and consistency—and the sales will follow.
