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So, you’ve created a product and you’ve set up your affiliate program …how do you get the word out and start promoting it?

The overwhelming majority of the sales made by your affiliates, are going to come from a very small number of affiliates. So it’s a very good idea to spend time, effort and maybe a little money to try and attract these super affiliates.

If you could have anyone promote your product, who would it be?

That’s the question you need to ask yourself first. If you don’t know the top dogs in your industry that may promote your product, use Google or scan trade mags to go look for them.

• Who are your direct competitors for your product?
• Who is promoting their product?
• Who has a large email list, or offline list of people in your target market?
• Whose email or offline newsletters do you read in your industry?
• What websites do you regularly visit in your niche?
• Who owns the biggest and most popular forums in your niche?
• Which bloggers have a huge captive audience and a big influence in your niche?
• Which people are consistently paying top bucks for advertising in your niche?

Get the answer to these questions and get in touch with these guys, to introduce yourself and your product to them.

Go for slightly smaller fish to begin with to give yourself confidence and refine your approach. Either call them up on the phone, send them a very personalised email or mail them a personalised package. Maybe all three.

Explain the key benefits of your product, and ALWAYS offer it to them for FREE to evaluate/use, no strings. DON’T ask them to pay for postage if it’s a physical product, and NEVER EVER ask or expect them to buy it from you!

Tell them how well your product is converting to sales, preferably with some sales stats to back it up. Plus the details of your affiliate program, and how much they will make per sale, and when they will they get paid and how.

Don’t send them a load of hype, and try not to come across as desperate. Be confident, come to the point quickly and be yourself.

Bend Over Backwards

It’s worth spending time and a bit more effort, trying to hook and help the big players in your niche. These are the people that are going to make you the most sales.

Put yourself in the shoes of your most sought after super affiliates. How would you react if someone contacted you out of the blue, about a product like yours? What would make the proposal stand out and make you want to promote it?

What can you do, and how can you help them personally, to make their promotion of your product successful, quick to set up, and easy to do?

Announcements, Affiliate Directories, Paid Advertising

• Submit details of your affiliate program to affiliate program directories. (search Google for "affiliate program directory")
• Scan affiliate forums and post your affiliate program info in the ‘announcements’ or ‘free ads’ section.
• Buy classified or display ads on sites where your potential affiliates congregrate in high numbers.
• Buy a classified ad in newsletters that target affiliate marketers specifically.
• See if you can utilize Google’s site targeting option in Adwords, to have your ad displayed on high traffic affiliate directories and forums.

This is by no means a complete list of steps to take, but it should get you off to a good start :-)

Jason Lewis