How I Finally Found the Right Affiliate Program After Failing Twice
One of the first things you’ll hear when starting affiliate marketing is: “Find a good affiliate program.” That sounds simple, right?
Between 2019 and 2021, as I spent some spare time diving into the world of digital affiliate marketing out of curiosity and to learn new skill sets that I could parlay for my other business, I signed up for a few affiliate programs that matched products I was already using; one was a supplement company, the other was a webpage builder and email system. I felt more confident promoting products I personally used. But here’s the truth: I didn’t make a dime from either.
Affiliate Fail #1: The Supplement Company
The first program paid $15–$25 per sale. I tested it with some Facebook ads, but the ad costs were way too high. The numbers didn’t work, so I stopped after a month or two. In the end, I learned a bit about Facebook ads, but the affiliate setup itself was a dead end.
Affiliate Fail #2: The Software Company
A year later, I joined a software company’s affiliate program. This one looked more promising. They offered a free version of the software, and if someone upgraded to the lifetime plan ($1,400), I’d earn $560 per sale. The company claimed that about 1.67% of free users convert to paying customers.
So I ran Google ads. After spending $500 over 3 months, I got 28 free sign-ups. Based on the company’s data, I needed 100 sign-ups to expect even one sale. That would cost me over $2,000 in ads for a potential $560–$1,120 in commissions. Again, the math didn’t work. No one bought. I lost money and gave up.
What I Learned
Both failures taught me the same thing: Ad costs are risky when you don’t have a solid system or higher-priced offers on the back end.
If your commissions are small (like $15–$25), it only makes sense to promote them with organic traffic (social media, blogs, YouTube, etc.), not paid ads. But at the time, I didn’t know how to create organic traffic, only how to run paid ads.
The software company at least had a high-ticket offer, but no additional products. Once someone bought the main offer, there was nothing else for me to earn commissions on. And building all the landing pages, email funnels, and ads myself was exhausting.
The Turning Point
Back in 2017, I discovered Tony Robbins’ series on online business. That’s when I heard about Russell Brunson and Dean Holland. I bought their books, soaked in the training, and stayed on Dean’s email list for years.
In November 2023, after 5–6 years of learning and lurking, I finally joined Dean Holland’s Certified Partner program. It’s designed for affiliate marketers, and more importantly, it’s done-for-you.
Dean gives affiliates:
- Complete sales funnels
- Ready-to-send email sequences
- High-quality training
- And now, a powerful all-in-one software called Affiliate Systems (webpages, funnels, blogs, emails—all built in)
I’ve been using it since late 2023, and I can honestly say: This was the missing piece.
Why This Program Works for Me
- I no longer need to build everything from scratch.
- The system includes multiple offers, including high-ticket ones.
- I get real coaching from people who have already succeeded.
- He teaches evergreen strategies to build an online business that works in all niches, even for beginners.
If you’re curious about affiliate marketing or want to avoid the costly mistakes I made, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to share more about what’s working now and how to get started.
If you want a free resource to access right now, click here for a brand new free video that reveals how you can start making money online as a total beginner, even if you have no experience or products of your own. This video provides tons of great information about how to get started and I highly recommend it.
Last, if you are serious about making it big online, then click here to check out Dean’s Accelerator program. This is the same program I joined, so I know it’s authentic and works.