Before you can partner with affiliate marketers, you’ll need offers.

This is one of the reasons (out of many) why I recommend creators start with offers, and not content.

Think about this:

What do you need to run a successful business?

1. Something to sell
2. An audience

Well, affiliate marketing is your 5-10 year shortcut to getting both up to speed.

So… offers.

Now, if you’re a seasoned creator, you likely already have offers you can sell. You have done the work. You have an audience. You know what they want. You have made something that will sell.

But what if you’re starting from zero?

Well, here’s a quick guide to offer-making for total beginners:

Aim for an offer you can confidently sell for at least $100. More the better. Because remember, you’ll be splitting the commission at least 50-50 (which is standard in the creator world, especially if you want the affiliate marketers to be excited enough to promote your offer to the best of their abilities; peanut payments get you peanut results.)

So, the offer…

What can you sell for at least $100, and perhaps even more?

Well, it can be:

• a course
• a live workshop
• a cohort
• a training program
• a coaching offer
• a done-for-you service

… Lotsa things you can do.

But the more important question is: How do you know what people would pay to buy? Especially without having an audience?

Well, that’s when you start snooping around. Look at your competitors. What are they selling? And for how much? And is the offer popular?

If you find an offer like that, you can always make your own version of it.

In any case, here’s a simple way to approach offer ideas:

• Step 1: Make a list of problems you’ve solved for yourself in your niche. Do not overthink this. Keep making a list of 20+ items. Do not stop until you have at least 20 problems.
• Step 2: Once you have your list, go through it and ask yourself, which of these can be made into a $100+ offer where you help someone else solve this same problem?
• Step 3: The easiest offer you can make is a live workshop, because you can record it and then sell it after, too. And the live nature of it allows you to incorporate Q&A and more. You can usually sell them for $100 – $300. I call these Mid-Ticket Offers. But if you’re creating something more expensive, then a course or a multi-day live cohort is best.

Once you have a list of offers you feel comfortable making, you can start prospecting affiliates.

Note:

One potential question here is: When do you actually make the offer?

Do you make the offer first and then find affiliate prospects? Or do you find affiliates first and then make the offer?

I’d say… make the offer after you’ve found yourself some affiliates.

Here’s why:

If you’re a beginner, it helps to ask a potential affiliate partner/marketer what they would like to sell. They know their audience best. So, you can ask them, I can potentially sell X, Y, and Z. Which would your audience resonate with the most?

And then they can have their pick, and you can quickly create the offer.

One last point: Do not spend too much time making these offers when you’re a beginner. You’re not trying to make your flagship offer. You’re just trying to make “an” offer.

Hope this helps.