DIGITAL NOMAD CLIPS · FREE BEGINNER LESSON
Plan your first useful affiliate post
Choose one person, one problem and one clear explanation. Work through the lesson below at your own pace. You can use slides, a screen recording or your own footage.
No purchase or signup required to read this lesson.
1. Understand the job
Affiliate marketing means recommending a product using a tracked link. A program may pay you for a qualifying purchase or action. Each program sets its own eligibility, tracking and payment rules. A click is not automatically a commission, and income is not guaranteed.
2. Choose one person and one problem
Start with a specific situation you can explain clearly. Instead of “everyone who wants to work online,” try “a beginner who wants to explain a computer task without appearing on camera.”
Write this down: I help ______ do ______.
3. Choose a relevant product
Read the official product information, pricing and limitations. Compare a free alternative. Check whether the affiliate program permits your intended channel and whether you have been approved. Choose based on usefulness to your audience.
4. Use four simple parts
- Problem: What is the viewer trying to do?
- Explanation: Show or explain one useful step.
- Limitation: What should someone check before choosing?
- Next step: Give one clear action.
5. Pick a format you can make
Use a screen recording for a software task you can demonstrate, your own footage for a product you own, or original slides for a factual explanation. Use material you have permission to use.
If you have not used a product, say the overview is based on its published information. Keep manufacturer claims separate from your personal experience.
A workflow example
Need to explain a computer task without showing your face? Record one small action on your screen. Trim long pauses and add readable captions. Before editing, check whether your recorder adds a watermark or limits exports. Start with one useful explanation.
This general example does not recommend a specific product or claim a hands-on product test.
6. Check before publishing
Use facts you can support. Do not invent tests, testimonials or results.
Explain your affiliate relationship clearly where people encounter the recommendation. For example: “I earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through this link.” Adapt this to your actual relationship and any required program wording.
For video recommendations, include disclosure inside the video itself; clear spoken and on-screen wording helps people notice it. Also place disclosure near affiliate links in the description. Do not hide it behind “more” or rely only on a platform label.
Check your program and platform requirements. Test the destination link and check captions and cover text on a phone.
7. Learn from the response
Record your post topic, date and format. Note questions, link clicks and available signup or qualifying-sale data. Mark missing data as unknown. Views alone do not tell you whether someone bought.
Your first-post worksheet
Copy these questions into a notebook, or use your browser’s Print command to print this page or save it as a PDF.
- Who is my audience, and what problem am I helping with?
- What product or workflow will I explain?
- What is my information source, and when did I check it?
- What have I actually tested?
- What limitation or alternative should I mention?
- What is my opening sentence?
- What will I show or explain?
- What disclosure applies to my recommendation?
- What is the one next step for my viewer?
- What will I track or improve?
Want templates to help you put this into practice?
Our optional First Affiliate Post Starter Kit is a nine-page printable PDF with product-selection worksheets, five adaptable scripts, cover and caption templates, optional AI prompts, a worked example, and a publication checklist.
$5 USD promotional price · One-time digital purchase
Get the Starter Kit for $5 on Gumroad
The free lesson above stands on its own. The workbook is optional and is not fillable. No video classes, coaching or earnings guarantees are included. Checkout may show local currency and applicable taxes.
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Browse the free Creator Resource Library for related lessons.
Updated October 22, 2026. Introductory education, not a complete compliance review. See the FTC’s Disclosures 101 and endorsement guidance. Program and platform requirements can change. No earnings are promised.
No purchase required. Affiliate programs have their own eligibility requirements and rules. This is educational material; earnings are not promised.