What does great affiliate marketing actually look like? In Episode 079, Mark identifies one of the best affiliate marketing examples he has seen and explains why it works so well. He also tackles the question of online income disclosure and shares his current keyword tool recommendation.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• A real-world affiliate marketing example you can model in your own business
• How a listener's expert product review demonstrates the ideal approach to affiliate content
• Mark's candid thoughts on how much money you can make online
• Which keyword research tools Mark recommends

A Great Affiliate Marketing Example

After Mark discussed Beachbody's Shakeology product in Episode 078, listener Joe Canon from Supplement-Geek.com shared his comprehensive Shakeology review. As an exercise physiologist, Joe brings genuine expertise to his product analysis. His approach is a masterclass in affiliate marketing done right: offer helpful expert content to someone discussing a relevant topic, with no aggressive pitch.

The review is approximately 2,000 words of in-depth analysis covering ingredients, potential medication interactions, clinical trials, side effects, taste, and comparisons with competing products. It is the kind of content that earns links, ranks well, and genuinely helps people make informed buying decisions.

How Much Money I Make Online

Mark addresses listener Dave Tudor's request for income disclosure. While maintaining his policy of not sharing specific numbers, Mark offers an honest assessment: the majority of people who try to make money online fail, primarily because they quit too soon. Those who persist can realistically build sites generating hundreds to thousands of dollars per month. Mark references his internet marketing income survey for additional data.

Keyword Tool Recommendation

Mark still owns Market Samurai but no longer uses it. He prefers Keyword Canine for its ability to analyze larger keyword sets more efficiently.

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this in July 2014. The affiliate marketing principles are even more relevant today.

Expert-driven product reviews are now explicitly rewarded by Google. The helpful content updates and product review guidelines emphasize exactly the kind of first-hand expert analysis that Joe demonstrated. Thin affiliate content faces increasing ranking challenges.

Keyword research tools have evolved significantly. Market Samurai and Keyword Canine have been largely replaced by platforms like Ahrefs and Semrush. The underlying approach to keyword analysis remains similar.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• LNIM078 — Beachbody Marketing Lessons
• Internet Marketing Income Survey
• LNIM079 Full Transcript

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.