Teach Before You Pitch
Published on September 23, 2026
Published on Wealthy Affiliate — a platform for building real online businesses with modern training and AI.
I have been busy all day researching competition and reading their blogs. To some, this is the most boring thing anyone can do, but I have a weakness. I love to read.
One of the biggest mistakes I noticed today is people are still trying to sell before the reader is ready.
A prime example of this is someone searching “What is affiliate marketing?” may be curious, confused, or just starting to explore. That doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy a course or join a platform.
Dropping a giant “JOIN TODAY!” button halfway through your explanation is like proposing marriage on the first date. Although it may be a bold move. It is probably not the best one, and it will more than likely fail.
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A better approach is to guide the reader naturally:
- Answer the question they came with.
- Explain the problem or problems that they may run into.
- Show them possible ways to solve it.
- Introduce tools or services that can help.
- Most Importantly, give them a next step if they want to learn more.
That next step can include your affiliate link. The key is that it should make sense in the conversation, not feel like the whole reason you wrote the post. Every post you create does not need to focus in on a kill shot to sell something.
Using Pinterest as an example. You have both Scout Pins and TOBI Pins that link back to your content. Scout Pins work as an attractant and the TOBI pins have the meat and potatoes. You have to attract an audience that is aligned to your content before you can sell or suggest anything. The same goes for your post. You need to attract an audience before you can lead them towards a link and a sale.
When you teach first, you help readers make an informed choice. And when a recommendation fits what they need, the affiliate link feels more like a useful resource than a sales pitch.
What do you think? Should affiliate content always teach before it pitches, or are there times when a direct recommendation works better?
Bit of a Joke, but: I am prepared to hear what ChatGPT thinks in the comments if I must.
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