$1500 Per Month From $1.00 Recurring Commissions
There's always a lot of hype about high ticket affiliate programs, but I wanted to show you how much money you can make on the opposite end of things.
The landscape of affliate programs is extremely diverse, and you can make awesome money in any niche if you pick the right products for the right audience.
My VPN Websites
Back in the day, my first major success was with VPN websites. I kept this secret for a long time, but have since sold those websites since I'm no longer interested in the topic and really don't have enough time to do them well.
VPN affiliate programs are very competitive. In fact, I was "poached" multiple times by companies who offered me special commission rates to make them my #1 choice.
The trouble is, my websites were focusing on VPNs that can be used in China.
If you didn't know already, the internet is China is very restricted, and you can't access Facebook, or even Google some times. Getting around these types of blocks is easy with a VPN, but China has effectively blocked most VPNs.
Most of them, but not all!
There were a few places who protocols in place to circumvent the VPN ban, in spite of efforts by The Great Firewall of China.
Unforutnately, the best company (the one I liked the best), didn't pay very good commissions. They paid something like 15% commission with 10% recurring, and because their VPN service was inexpensive, it meant that I was only earning a few dollars for each initial sale, and $1 recurring.
However, I got that $1 each month for each customer, which meant that a customer who stayed on for 24 months would earn me $24.
Good Products Mean You Get Paid
I don't know how the exact math works out, but somehow, after about two years, I ended up wth $1,500 recurring commissions.
It was a good product, so people stayed on for multiple years, so although starting out, I wasn't earning much, after some time the money really started to stack up.
This is true of any industry, so no matter what your niche is, you can make incredible money with it. You just have to find the right products for the right audience, then drive traffic to your website!
As a side note though - seek out recurring commissions. They really saved my butt. Back in 2012 I got hit with a Google update (I was messing with links, against WA training, I know), and my site tanked. Though I wasn't ranking well any more, I was still making recurring income, and it kept me afloat for many years while I built new sites.
Even if you think there's no recurring commission affiliate programs in your niche, I'd bet you can find some if you think outside of the box. A website about little league baseball could promote anything from "How To Parent" guides to meal kit reviews so you can save time cooking.
There's always a thread to connect concepts if you are creative enough!
Final Thoughts
Have you ever heard of that brain teaser about the penny that doubles? The question is - would you rather have a million dollars now, or a penny that doubles every day for a month.
Got your answer? The penny that doubles gets you more money in the end.
I get why people go for high ticket stuff. I've made some big money promoting expensive products. In fact, I had one company send me $30,000 from just two weeks of sales. That's massive.
But what's better is a stable business. I'd much rather have $1500 recurring commissions growing at a steady rate over the next ten years than a single $30k payday. Sure, a big paycheck makes a great ad, but a steady income that I can rely on pays the mortgage.
Recent Comments
190
Thank you for sharing Nathaniell I really appreciate the heads up.
Should I create a new website and niche for VPN's?
How would I go about the promoting VPN's?
What is best to start a new website or add it to my money making website?
I am very interested in this and would love to know the best way to get started.
Many thanks
Jennifer
VPNs are a great niche to get into. Whether or not you dive into that niche depends on your interest. It can get a bit technical, especially if you focus on ranking VPNs just to rank them, but in my case, I was just focusing on functionality in China, so avoided much of the tech stuff.
Thank you Nathaniell for you response.
I am interested in providing info to my audience but also though that I could just set up a site to review them.
Many thanks
Jennifer
In my opinion, if you have a niche about an interest or a passion, it should have a website different from the one that where you emphasize making money.
Nathan ,
good solid information and one for serious though
thanks for your posts man they are significant and a learning curve to me
Chris
Thank you for that! I was just wondering if my niche would be successful or not, but I realized that it's what I have a lot of information to blog on, and it's useful, so it's something I will stick with. Much appreciated!
Could you explain what you mean by you got hit in 2012 with a Google update for messing with links. I want to avoid this but don’t know what this means.
Michelle
I was purchasing links to my site. Links, or "Backlinks" are a thing Google uses to determine how authoritative a site is. You can fake this by buying links instead of letting them accrue naturally.
I bought some low-quality ones, and an algorithm update from Google noticed that, so devalued my site. I lost a lot of traffic!
Great information Nathaniel. As always. Thanks for sharing. I still use the penny/$1M analogy to this day.
Mark
Great points. I have only had a handful of WA commissions since that is not my niche. I lost a few of them this year and have not focused on getting more.
I keep thinking I really should however. The recurring income each month is great!!
Jessica
There are many recurring affiliate programs out there Jessica, you just have to search for them, then find some appropriate for your niche.
Yes. A raw pet food company contacted me. They sell subscription food delivery and have a recurring commission.
Man, what a story, that is awesome. A nice steady stream of income is what I am shooting for. Unless of course, I get bored with my site, or someone makes me a great offer.
Thanks for your perspective, I know there is a lot to do lately about large affiliate commissions.
Thanks for your insight and experiences regarding the big-ticket items, Nathaniel. I've bookmarked your post in case I ever need a reminder. Thanks for the post!
Continued success to you!
Colleen
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Well said Nathaniel. I've made Thousands of dollars promoting things that made a few bucks per conversions. That said I've also come to see the same effort I use to promote things that pay me a few bucks I can also use to promote quality high ticket items.
I don't think we have to pick one or the other. Personally I'm big on giving people various options that fit their needs. There isn't a one fit all company. People want quality choices. And I think as affiliates we should give them that.
So it doesn't matter if it's a high ticket or low ticket item. Let the audience decide what's good for them. And just provide them with the quality options.
I think the issue I'm seeing of late is people are making assumptions that because something is high ticket it's over priced or not worth it. And the reality is that's up to the audience to decide.
I personally wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on Jordan sneakers. And I don't knock Nike for selling them at that price point and people buying them even if they cost a few bucks to make. As an affiliate I will happily promote it to folks and give the option of cheaper sneakers. Some people think college is over priced and yet millions of people put themselves in debt going to it. So it's up to the market to decide the value of something.
As long as we as affiliates are promoting things we actually believe in and that are helping people that's all that should matter. We shouldn't be price police dictating the value of something because we personally wouldn't pay a certain price for something.
Give people various legit options and let them decide. Don't leave money on the table because of your own personal biases or assumptions which is what I'm seeing around this high ticket affilite product discussion of late. Just my two cents.
That's a really well crafted response
Thanks Jesse.
I completely agree! We should have a mix because everyone is different.
Thanks Tiffany. Exactly. I don't know why offering quality products at different price points that people are willing to pay for is a bad thing. People want choices and our job is to give them the good ones and let them decide what they are willing to buy.
I like how you point out that high price doesn’t mean overpriced. Some buyers won’t buy low ticket because they assume low value or for other reasons and that’s okay.
High ticket shouldn’t be seen as a shortcut to high revenue though because it might not be easier to sell. I’ve seen people in the HTAM circle who do the math and make it seem like it’s easier to get to $1million with high ticket but it’s not about the price. It’s about the grind of whose selling and stabilizing the revenue. Getting there is one part and staying there is completely different.
At the end of the day, lifetime customer value is the best metric to pay attention to. It enables companies who sell low ticket items to still compete in the market with those who sell much more expensive things.
Thanks Tiffany. I think that's what I find annoying about this argument of late. We shouldn't dictate what we think is over priced or not. Price is subjective. It's all about the value or perceived value that the audience feels they are getting.
I may not think a pair of sneakers is worth hundreds of dollars because of my own perception. But clearly Nike has found millions that feel differently. If they had a personal bias that no one is going to pay hundreds of dollars for sneakers that cost a couple bucks to make, they wouldn't be raking in billions.
Now that said, I agree with you about not viewing high ticket items as quick easy money. The barrier may be a little higher because of the price point. But the principles of promoting quality products should still stand regardless of the price point. If what you're promoting is garbage you might make a sale but you may burn a long term customer or follower because of your short term mentality.
You should still apply due diligence. But there shouldn't be an assumption made that a high ticket product is garbage because of the price point, or just the opposite as well. You still need to research the product carefully before pushing it. Then make a decision on if it's good enough to share with your audience on the premise of it's quality and not just price or commission.
You are absolutely right Eddy. It was hard for me to wrap my head around this in earlier days of my marketing, but some people do have a lot of money, and want to spend it on the "best".
I wouldn't spend hundreds on sneakers, but I might spend $20 on a beer and people would say I'm crazy to do so. But I find value in that, so breweries are able to market their $20 beers to me.
I love that explanation! That’s my exact feeling about it all. Lifetime customer value is my #1 metric from the perspective of a seller, and return on investment is my #1 metric when I’m buying. Price and even quality come after those. Often times quality dictates those.
Great conversation! Have you seen my high ticket course here Eddy? I know we have the same views on it, and you’ve got amazing experiences I’m sure.
Exactly Nathaniel. I have had the same mentality for years now. And I think it's cost me higher earnings and denied my audience things they want and are willing to pay for. I let my own personal biases guide me instead of giving people all the options they may want.
Your beer example is a perfect illustration. I feel the same way about gadgets. I will pay $1000 for a phone and I think its worth it because of my usage of it and the quality I perceive. Our free market allows for different options at different price points. And we should embrace it if the product is quality.
Indeed Tiffany!
I feel that there may be a "success formula" waiting to be uncovered for this exact concept somewhere. Somthing along the lines of
Audience demographic vs traffic = conversion rate (CR)
Revenue = product x CR
Wherein you could increase revenue by
(a) increasing traffic
(b) increasing $ value of affiliate products on offer
(c) correctly match product and pricing to needs of audience
(d) increase range of offers
I am far too busy with advertising to start running tests for affiliate marketing, but with the comments on the subject recently, I reckon there is some money lying around for anyone who cracks (and applies) this particular formula...
There could be. I'm not a math guy. But I am a people person and understand that people want choices.
I love your way of thinking. It all makes sense.
Thank you, Eddy
Thanks Doris.
Well Said Eddy with a Y. lol
I agree.
Life is a mixture of different beautiful things and so should what we do.
We are in the helping business and that has no price.
Here's to making it happen
Well said and true. The market decides. There is value to a product according to everyone's perception.
I agree!
:)
Thanks Florentino
:)
Well said, Eddy!
Travis
Thanks Travis
Some really good insights there...thanks
Hello Eddy I'm Mr nobody over here. I'm so new to this. I have a saying Longevity wins in life. I see so many people buying new cars and trucks that last 5-10 years. Me I like older stuff. As on my profile, I like my First-Gen Explorers. Yes, they don't have all the new gadgets or the latest greatest stuff. But mine has the basic Mine has none of that flashy stuff. I drive a car to get to point A to point B if C and D need to be gone too. I know it's good to go. My first-gen explorer has a computer that just runs the Engine. Eddy thank you for your 2 cents we all need people like you to say what needs to be said thanks for making it easy to follow. I want to make it But If 1500.00 per week comes in I'm content.