I often get asked how I come up with new affiliate marketing content ideas. It’s simple! I just use Google’s free keyword planner to look for keywords which are suitable for my target audience. Then, I head over to Google and check how competitive these keywords are. If I get a good long tail keyword which matches my target demographic, and I think I can write some content on the idea, I’ll start planning an article.
If you’re a content marketer, you can create a lot of content which doesn’t really do much. You need to actively promote your content while creating new content to boot! This can take a heap of time and energy. So you need to make sure you have a couple of criteria right when you create any content. For me, these are the criteria:
- The keyword or content subject has to be something I’m interested in writing about and have some knowledge on.
- There needs to be already people searching for the keyword (hence using Google’s keyword planner)
- Low competition – I look for long tail keywords which mean I have a chance of getting free traffic over the longer term.
- Buyer keywords – not all content is “buyer” content. But your content should at least be aligned with the products and services you offer as an affiliate. Otherwise you’ll be doing a lot of work for nothing.
Affiliate Marketing Content Ideas – Keywords
Start with your own specific affiliate product and make a note of your main keywords. Whatever your product or service is, you’ll likely have thousands of related keywords which you can find using Google’s free keyword tool. This website’s main keyword is affiliate marketing.
But of course affiliate marketing has a lot of competition. So don’t aim for the short phrases which will drown you out in the search engines. Instead, find the long tail “low hanging fruit” which will each bring you a trickle of website traffic each and every month. Then create a tonne of great content which does the same.
If I’m unsure of what keyword to use, I spend a bit of time on Google’s keyword planner starting out with my main “seed” keyword. Here’s a short video which shows you how to find long tail keywords within your niche which you have more chance of getting free traffic for.
Affiliate Marketing Content Ideas
Once you get into the habit of finding keywords like this, you’ll start getting better at it. I like to find ideas which I’m enthused about. It’s much harder to create content if you don’t actually want to write, or create a video about the actual topic. One site I built was about mushroom harvesting! 6 months in and I was more than ready to throw in the towel!
With a good topic which you have enthusiasm for, you can create content for much longer. This will give you the best chance of success as an affiliate. Don’t pick a topic you don’t have an interest in! See best micro niche for blogging.
If you find yourself creating content in a niche you don’t care about, change to one which you do. You’ll find content creation can be much more joyful and lucrative if you pick a topic you love.
Content Creation & Ikigai
Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning “reason for being”. But it’s much more than that too. In Japan, it encapsulates who you are and how you serve the world while creating an income. In terms of affiliate marketing, if your reason for getting up in the morning is lined up with your purpose and how you earn a living, you’ll be all the more happy for it.
Whereas if your purpose, passion and income source are misaligned, you’ll struggle finding a path for content creation in affiliate marketing.
Content Creation Using YouTube
You can also use YouTube to find content ideas in a similar way to using Google’s keyword planner. Simply type your seed keywords into YouTube and you should see a number of keyword suggestions come up under the search bar tool. This can give you an idea of what people are already searching for on YouTube.
A great little resource site to use is called keywordseverywhere.com. This can help you identify keywords in your niche which are already being searched for and also show you the search volume and relative competition.
Once you find a suitable keyword which suits you, your niche and offers less competition than the rest, you can create a video and use those keywords within the title and description of your video.
Affiliate Marketing Content Ideas – BuzzSumo
Another useful site is called Buzzsumo.com. Buzzsumo can show you content which is trending on social media. This can be useful in a number of ways. You can use the titles of these trending topics to give you ideas and inspiration for your own title content.
You can also use the content itself in conjunction with a clever little tool called Snip.ly. Snip.ly can let you use existing content and link to yours within it. I mention Snip.ly in my article 22 ways to promote affiliate products. Here’s a video I created on how to use Snip.ly:
Use Your Enthusiasm
Sometimes you get inspired to create content at odd times! If you can jump on this inspiration, it’s the best time to create it. Other times the creative flow just isn’t flowing. Use your enthusiasm for your topic to create it, rather than “trying” to do it when there’s a resistance. Create content about things you’re genuinely inspired by yourself. You’ll find content creation can be a joy rather than a burden. If you do a little each day, you’ll soon build a habit out of it. If you overwork, and try to create too much in too short a time, you’ll stifle that creativity.
Work on those things you are enthusiastic about, when you’re enthusiastic about them! That way, you’ll be genuinely turning “work” into joy, and your affiliate business will become a joy to work on. If you’re constantly struggling, you’re doing something wrong. Find an easier way and don’t make your life more difficult!