Understanding affiliate marketing was one of the things I knew I had to understand when I started this blog. I have been an affiliate marketer for years with other blogs, mainly (okay, almost all) as an Amazon Associate. And I’ve done’ okay with those. And while I understood the basics, I was sure there was more that I needed to know.

Why I Choose the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course

For the past few months, I have been doing a lot of research on how to up my affiliate marketing game. That where Michelle came in. She has been blogging for a while at Making Sense of Cents. Her niche is how to handle money and she does it extraordinarily well. She has managed to pay off her student loan, buy and pay off a house, and now she and her husband have been able to quit their jobs and now travel around the country in an RV. In fact, in Michelle’s April 2017 income report, she shares that she earned $131,448.35. Of that, $62,492.35 was attributed to affiliates sales. Michelle’s blogging income reports are mind-boggling.

She’s figured out how to make blogging work and a large portion of her monthly income comes from affiliate marketing. Now she’s sharing what she’s learned and I’m so grateful for it.

Affiliate marketing is a way to monetize a blog. Essentially a blogger gets paid a commission for recommending or promoting a product. The product to be physical like something blocked from Amazon for it could be a course that you want from. But affiliate marketing is a whole lot more than just putting a link on your website.

Again, that’s where Michelle comes in and her  Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course. It gives you the how-to details from somebody who’s actually done it. I decided to go for it and signed up for the course.

Affiliate marketing isn’t as simple as dumping a bunch of affiliate links into a blog post.

That’s a quote from Michelle introduction to Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. She is so right. Fortunately, Michele does a great of a job explaining why and how to do it the right way.

Making Money Michelle’s Way with Affiliate Marketing

Once you sign up for the course, you can get started right away. In on the Teachable platform and is easy to maneuver through. It’s a text course, but the reading is easy. There are a bunch of worksheets that come with the course, too.

The course is divided into six modules:

• Module 1: What is Affiliate Marketing?
• Module 2: How to Find and Apply to Affiliate Programs
• Module 3: Follow the Rules
• Module 4: How to Get Your Readers to Convert
• Module 5: Strategies and Way to Promote Affiliate Links
• Module 6: Rinse and Repeat (and keep building)

She explains what you need to know and how she sets up and works through affiliate programs. Plus, Michelle gives you a lot of extras, too, including her Pinterest promotion strategy.

The Best Way to Work Through this Affiliate Marketing Course

Just do it…

Methodically…

One module at a time.

Don’t skip past something because you think you know it.

Or jump ahead because you just have to know something. You know what happens then, you miss some important steps and instead of having that strategy work, it just might fail.

Most importantly, make a promise to yourself to read, understand and apply the steps.

Oh, and if you have questions (and you will) make sure to join the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Facebook group.

Who Needs to Take the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course?

This course is definitely for anyone who wants to monetize their blog (and isn’t that most of us ). I can’t promise you that you’ll see success like Michelle. But if you put the work into, without shortcuts, then something good is bound to happen. I’m a firm believer in following successful people and Michelle certainly falls into that category.

Here are some other reasons you may or may not want to take this course.

Pros:

• It is available immediately after payment
• You can work on it at your own pace
• The course is well laid out and easy to understand
• If you’re new to blogging, then this is a great way to take the mystery out of affiliate marketing
• If you’ve been blogging for a while and then getting the results you want, this course may help identify your pain points
• There’s a Facebook group that adds to the information you’ve learned
• You can become an affiliate for Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
• The course comes with a 30-day refund policy
• Lifetime access

Cons:

• Michelle’s course costs $197
• Two good things, though – there is an option for two payments and occasionally discounts are available (and if you sign up for my email letter I’ll make sure to let you know when that happens)
• You really do need to know something about blogging before starting this course (such as, how to use Google Analytics)
• The course is text-driven and there are no videos

My Recommendation

Buy it!

Of course, you knew I was going to say that. But I really do think it’s a good thing– an important thing– to do for your blogging future. That is, only if you want to make money 🙂

I’m just a couple weeks into this after finishing the course and just beginning to implement some of Michelle’s strategies. There’s no extra money in my bank account… yet. But what I can tell you with all honesty is that the information that I’ve learned from this course is saving me a lot of time and headaches.

I know now what type of articles I should publish to get the best results. I know how to apply to affiliate programs. I even know Michelle’s Pinterest strategy. Overall, I know a lot more than where I started and that’s even after being an Amazon affiliate for many years.

So, should you buy the course? You have to be the judge of that and decide where you are in your blogging career right now and where you want to go. If you want more information, check out Michelle’s Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course.

Good luck and hope to see you back again,