YouTube Affiliate Marketing: A Guide to Promote Products on YouTube

Almost every 10th person is a YouTuber these days. But does that mean they know marketing and how to make money through YouTube? It is a challenging task to stand out among 2.3 billion YouTube users.

YouTube affiliate marketing has grown in popularity in recent years, putting a lot of money in the pockets of many YouTubers. However, if you want to make money with YouTube affiliate marketing, you need to have the right information and understanding.

Although YouTube will surely provide you with a vast audience, is affiliate marketing beneficial for small influencers with only 1000-2000 subscribers? Unfortunately, YouTube is not as simple as it appears.

So, how does it work, and what exactly is YouTube affiliate marketing? First, let's go through the fundamentals of YouTube affiliate marketing. Then, to get a better understanding, keep reading till the end. 

What is YouTube Affiliate Marketing? 

YouTube affiliate marketing is just another type of affiliate marketing where you make money by adding affiliate links to videos you create and upload. You can place these links in the annotation or the description box.

So, the money-making process remains the same as any other affiliate marketing; just the platform is different, that is YouTube. 

In YouTube Affiliate Marketing, you can promote a particular product in your video, give a tutorial or review, and then give the link to buy the product in the annotation or description. Then, whenever your viewer clicks the link and buys the product, you make money. 

It's similar to typical affiliate marketing, and instead of writing about the product, you will have to make a video of it. However, the commission rates and the way of earning money remain the same. 

Why Use YouTube for Affiliate Marketing? 

As you are writing a blog post, you are already creating content. So, all you need is to record it with a microphone and camera. Thus, YouTube basically acts as a genuine effort to your affiliate marketing strategies. 

And the most important thing is, unlike blogs, YouTube does not charge for traffic. It's all free. You just keep making good video content, and it will reach the interested audience free of cost. This means you can earn from affiliate marketing without paying even a penny. 

It would be best to prefer YouTube for affiliate marketing because your face and voice impact an individual more than reading an article. Your tone and facial expressions would explain to them why they should buy the product. 

So, watching a video, getting impressed by the product used in it, and clicking the link in the description to purchase the product does not sound very unlikely, or does it? Forget about your audience for once. Won't you watch such videos and buy such products? At least once, you must have done it. 

How To Make Money from YouTube Affiliate Marketing? 

If you “Really” want to make money through YouTube, YouTube Affiliate Marketing can be a great way. The first step to this is understanding your audience. Then, after you have known what the YouTube audience wants, you can efficiently work on your videos. 

The most famous niches which get the top views are vlogs, Social Media Marketing lessons, Music, Fitness, DIY, Makeup & Fashion etc. But here, we are going to focus on the money-making strategy and not views.

For instance, there are small YouTube channels that promote only one company in all their videos. However, they manage to earn a good amount through affiliate marketing because their customers are more interested in clicking on the link in the description than watching the videos. This is just a rough instance. So, these types of videos focus on their audience's needs more than creating content. 

Besides, there are a few formats where YouTubers earn significant revenues through YouTube Affiliate marketing. Let's discuss them in detail.

1. Product Review Videos

You can choose both single product reviews and multiple product reviews to do affiliate marketing. But you need to keep one thing in mind: make sure to own the product you are reviewing rather than simply talking about it. Owning a product builds trust among the viewers and pushes them to buy it. 

Moreover, surveys tell that most audiences watch the product-review videos before buying them, and almost 52% of the viewers are likely to click on the link and make a purchase. 

So, the chances of making money through review videos are very high, and you must give it a shot.

2. Best Products List

Not everyone has the time to review all the options available for a product. So, they go for the best products list video instead. 

The best products list is similar to writing roundup review posts. However, to make your videos valuable, you must do thorough research about the products and rate them in the most unbiased way possible. This way, you can build trust in your viewers so that they value your opinion.  

These videos get at least a million views if appropriately created. So, imagine making one such video every week with the right affiliate programs. Some of the best roundup video formats are:

You can also add high-ticket products that give you better commissions. There are some high ticket affiliate programs that only give you products with high commissions.

3. Product Comparison Videos

Making a comparison video is very similar to multiple products review videos. But in comparison videos, you need to pick two similar products and list down their pros and cons, and at the end, you need to declare which one is a better option.

As mentioned above, you must be honest with your reviews, and you should understand the products. So, never try to make videos on products about which you have little knowledge. A single lousy comment can disrupt the views in your videos. 

In comparison videos, make sure to provide the affiliate link in the annotation or description. And push your audience to go for the product. While making the video, take a comparison product that you know is not going well. 

This is an excellent strategy to attract your viewers to buy the product you are promoting. However, we encourage you to select a product to promote which is genuinely the best.

4. Tutorial Videos

Making a tutorial video gives a huge opportunity to do affiliate marketing. But you must be wondering, it is a how-to video, so how can it be used to make a sale? Let's know-how. 

When you make a tutorial video, you show the people all the necessary steps to be taken. Let's understand it with an example. Suppose you are making a cooking tutorial video. So, you will definitely use different products. So now, you can promote the products being used in the video and drive sales. 

Cooking tutorial videos are good examples to make maximum sales. This is because people generally watch a cooking tutorial to learn a dish and try it at home. And to make a perfect dish, they will want the same products as you are using. Therefore, they are more likely to click your link to buy it. 

Apart from the main product, you can promote anything you are displaying in the video. Just make sure to keep your video informative. Because if the viewers don't get satisfied, they can move to more in-depth videos. 

5. Product Buying Guide Videos

Product Buying Guide videos are a lottery for the affiliate marketers of YouTube. We will tell you why. Product guide videos are videos in which you talk about a particular product and give your audience choices of the best options available. So, it is a straightforward way to promote your product without any diversion from the topic. 

Product buying guides are mainly used for expensive products like mobile phones, refrigerators, TV, Ovens, Laptops, etc., about which your audience might not have much knowledge. So, you also have to educate your viewers if you want to get more views in your videos. 

With a bit of hard work, these videos get more views than any other product reviewing video. In addition, the chances of making sales through product buying guide videos are also high because 50% of the viewers watch these videos to make a purchase. Most the YouTubers use Amazon Affiliate Program for Youtube because Amazon is a reliable platform to shop online and people trust Amazon.

Where Can You Put Affiliate Links?

YouTube provides many opportunities for its users to use links and redirect bars. It even allows its users to put naked links in description and comment boxes. So, you can grab all the opportunities convenient for you to make sales. 

1. Description Box

The description box is the most common space to place your naked links. It allows you to place as many links as you want. Moreover, in your video, you can mention the links in the description box, which are pretty accessible to the viewers. So, they don't have to do much to search the link. 

2. Pinned Comment

Pinned comments are those which you can see on the top of the comments section with a small pin symbol. It is located just beneath the description box. So, it is also easily accessible to the viewers. 

3. Community Section

If you are good at interacting with your subscribers, you can use this section to attach your affiliate links. However, you will have to be transparent. After putting the link in the community section, you ought to mention that it is for your affiliate program, and if they buy through the link, you will earn. 

4. End Cards

End cards appear at the end of a video, but their usage is tricky. You cannot actually link an affiliate offer from your end cards. You can only link your website to it, that too, the website that is linked to your YouTube channel. So, if you are not a parallel blogger, we don't recommend this option. 

How To Get Traffic to Your YouTube Videos?

Now, it's time to understand how to be found in the sea of content. Because if you don't gather enough viewers, what's the point to pin affiliate links anyway?

1. Google Organic Search

It's no secret that Google, which owns YouTube, favors it in the SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) for various search terms. And it is not a premium part of YouTube that you can afford. It just needs smart work. 

Numerous websites teach smart content creation to get featured in Google search results and use the best keywords. By using them, you too can increase the traffic of your video. 

2. Subscribers

This is a YouTube feature to make your viewers stick around your channel. It is a one-time thing; you only need to convince them to click the subscribe and bell button once and receive notifications every time you upload a new video. If you maintain your quality content, your subscribers are a permanent asset to your channel. 

3. Recommended Videos 

Recommended Videos appear on the home screen of the users. This is something you cannot control. The videos are customized for every user according to the type of content they watch more frequently. 

All you can do is educate yourself about which content is more prevalent on YouTube. Then, the videos featured on the home screen are likely to get a massive surge in subscribers. 

4. YouTube Organic Search

After Google, YouTube is the second largest search engine. So, if you get to make your place in the top search results, you can get massive traffic in your video. But with so much content already available, how is it possible? 

It is possible by using popular keywords. Now, how to get the keywords? Go to the search bar and make a search relevant to your video content. 

You will get a list of already searched titles. When you click on a label, you will get the primary keyword used in all such types of videos. Make a list of them, use them accordingly and you are all set!

5. Related Videos

Like the ones you often watch, these videos are from creators you're not currently subscribed to. These lists are generally according to the user's preference, but there is something that can work.

So overall, if you can create engagement in your channel, YouTube will help you with more traffic. And thus, your affiliate links will be clicked more often. 

Things To Consider While Promoting Products on YouTube 

Affiliate marketing allows creative content creators to make money alongside their actual content. But if you remove creativity from content, it's just a simple recorded advertisement made for sales. This is why there is a need to consider a few things while promoting products on YouTube. 

1. Add Disclosure in The Description

Your viewers have all rights to know what they are clicking. So, they must know the link you are providing will get you a commission for their every purchase. Hence, adding disclosure in the description is a crucial step. 

2. Do Not Over-Do the Promotion

While you make a video, stick to your content. And if in the process you get to promote a product, then do. Overdoing the promotion can bore your viewers thus, resulting in losing subscribers. 

3. Promote Niche-Specific Products

As mentioned above, stick to the content you make. We recommend you not change it just because you want to promote a product or even do not try to include a product that does not suit your niche. This can make your promotion more evident, and your viewers will start losing interest in your videos.

4. Don't Lose the Video Quality for Product

Maintain the quality you are known for. It is the sole reason people follow you. If you lose the quality of your video for promoting a product, your subscribers may decrease. Then what will be the purpose of using affiliate links?

How to Grow your Youtube Channel in 2022

Affiliate Marketing on Youtube: Frequently Asked Questions

We have answered some of the most frequent questions below regarding affiliate marketing on Youtube.

YouTube Affiliate Marketing: Over to You

Video enhances the quality of Affiliate Marketing. So, YouTube is the best option you can choose in this case.

YouTube is surpassing all the other popular social networking sites with every passing day. Youtubers are earning in crores, and many are billionaires. So, why should you sit still?

What is more fascinating about YouTube Affiliate Marketing is that your one-time effort can pay you for years. You never know when your video will get viral, and your affiliate link will get clicks. As compared to blogs that fade with time, YouTube videos are evergreen and are the future!