Progress report
In the foothills, looking to the peaks
Three weeks into Premium and an opportunity to share some thoughts about these first weeks that may be interesting to others following in the future. I'm currently working my way through Phase 3 of the training. I've read every word and watched every minute of all the training to date.
Most importantly, I remain highly enthused by the premise of affiliate marketing as explained on WA, and by WA itself.
I've already learned a lot from the training. I knew what affiliate marketing was before joining WA, but didn't know how to do it beyond sticking links into your websites. I understand there are reasons for the sequence of the training so far - essentially, build your content before all else. Then start doing the thing you joined for.
In that order. Brick by brick.
I've set up two websites. One's a dud, I'm pretty sure about that. It's about Indian classical music, which I enjoy listening to but actually know very little about. And the niche seems to offer very few direct affiliate opporunities.
The other is about writing. That, along with editing, is what I do for a living. This one's a goer. 100% confident.
Yet I've been slow at adding content. The type of writing I do is generally not the more chatty style you might expect in an affiliate website. It's more the type in which every word is carefully measured and weighed before it sees the light of day. I've ghost written for prime ministers and presidents, for example, but few of them are affiliate marketeers - at least, not in the WA sense.
So one major challenge is to become less formal and more chatty in my writing. That should make it easier to add content, often and regularly. And that, it seems to me, is the real key to success in WA. One 1,000-word article a week is easy enough to write, but it's not enough. I guess an ideal and realistic target is at least three of those a week. More if possible. Gulp!
Yesterday, I applied to join three affiliate networks. I was dismayed to receive an email this morning rejecting one application. How could they do that? It must be a mistake. Can they not see the immense potential in my site, the goldmine of opportunity for participating companies whose splendid products I passionately, zealously want to promote and sell?
Apparently not. Well, it's their loss.
Except that it's not. It's mine.
I searched the WA site on the off-chance that someone else might have experienced similar. And of course there were others. And there was also the excellent advice to add more content and then respond to that rejection with a polite, professional email explaining what my objectives are for the site, show them evidence of the vast number of visitors it has and show them potential traffic sources from which I could funnel traffic to their stores.
So it's back to the writing board. Content, content and more quality content is the need of the hour.
If you read this and are at the same stage as I was when writing this, then stay the course. Write more good content. Don't be (too) disheartened by an affiliate network rejection. It can only help you to better understand what you need to do. This thing works if you work. Remember: brick by brick. Use the WA search to see what others have written - there's loads of great advice born of experience.
Recent Comments
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Great post and great insight, your progressing very well and good to know you're aware of it. It's great to know that you are aware of the need for more content on your website before applying for affiliates, hang on that will come later in your lessons. Do not jump the gun, put the cart before horse, your lessons will tell you when to apply for affiliates. Like you say brick by brick.
Joe
You need to have posts in the double figures to get accepted. Keep up the great work and enjoy writing in a different way.
Thank you for this! Yes, you are right, content writing is the key to success! But I am not there yet because I am working full time and am the housekeeper for my family. But eventually I hope to get there.
Asesterheim, I'm in the process of writing an article about writer's discipline - a truly essential part of every serious writer's toolbox. Part of that deals with reasons not to write. It also warns against procrastination. I am intimately familiar with both those things and even by typing these lines am procrastinating. You might find it helpful to make a list at the start of a week, or even every day, of what you are going to write about. Then sit down and tell yourself that there will be no distractions until you've finished. No cups of coffee. No peeking on WA or Facebook or whatever else. Just write - even if you think it's rubbish at the time. Just write.
(Note to self: no coffee, no WA, just write... now.)
@Asesterheim Forgive me if this is presumptuous, but you may find this article useful. It contains no conscious keywords and no affiliate links. It's there only to help. https://writerstreasury.com/writers-sloth-and-10-ways-to-overcome-it/
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The basics of Wealthy Affiliate- Brick by Brick. Just another way of my way of thinking about this way of building a business, layer by layer.
I too was dissapppointed when first turned down by requests to become an affiliate. However, it changes in a short while.
Thanks for the share,
Sami