Mastering Black Friday: Your Guide to Maximizing Affiliate Marketing Success

We ran an online chat with Derrick Hernandez, our Sr. Affiliate Marketing Manager at StellarWP. We wanted to know (and to share with all of you) how you can make the most of affiliate marketing during Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. (And honestly, the answers apply all year long.)

Here’s what we asked and how Derrick replied.

StellarWP: Hi Derrick! Please introduce yourself and what you do.

Derrick Hernandez: Howdy! My name is Derrick Hernandez and I manage our affiliate team and program here at StellarWP. I have been in the WordPress space for over six years specializing in managing and optimizing Affiliate Partners and Programs. I am currently located in Orange County, California.

Tell us what is affiliate marketing is, exactly (for anyone who might not be aware)?

DH: Affiliate marketing is an online advertising model where affiliates earn commissions for referring customers to a merchant’s site via their promotions. It’s a performance-based strategy, benefiting both parties as affiliates leverage their online skills to refer sales, earning income in return.

Does it cost money to join an affiliate program?

DH: It shouldn’t! I don’t want to speak for every affiliate program out there but it would be unusual for a company to charge somebody for affiliate membership. That is one quick and easy way to passively miss out on affiliates joining your affiliate program!

Why should someone become an affiliate? How can affiliate marketing help one’s business?

DH: Why not recommend products you love and get paid for doing so? Affiliate marketing can be a gateway to generating side income. Also, affiliate marketing can significantly benefit a business by expanding its reach without upfront costs and paying out on actual conversions.

Who doesn’t like side income? And Black Friday seems a good time to earn more. So tell us, is Black Friday a good time to lean into affiliate marketing? Why or why not?

DH: Yes, Black Friday is an ideal time for affiliate marketers. The heightened consumer activity and eagerness to capitalize on deals create more opportunities for affiliates. Over the years, I have noticed that affiliates in the WordPress ecosystem tend to drive the most traffic.

How can someone make the most of their affiliate links during Black Friday?

DH: Focus on leveraging the online platforms you are utilizing regularly. This could be your X/Facebook, LinkedIn, Mastodon or other accounts, your email newsletter, and/or a blog. From there you’ll want to focus on strategic promotions, compelling content, and timely communication.

So hype it up! Gotta spread the word to make the sales. Can an affiliate create their own YouTube or blog review of a plugin and link to their affiliate link?

DH: Absolutely! My team and I prefer it this way. We love working with affiliates who have either a YouTube channel and/or a Blog that creates content on WordPress products. However, this isn’t a must. We also have affiliates who leverage their online communities to promote our products.

Like followers and online groups? That’s brilliant! So what shouldn’t someone do in affiliate marketing? What is considered bad practice?

DH: Avoid unethical practices such as false advertising, misleading claims, or promoting low-quality products solely for commission. Building trust with your audience is crucial; dishonest practices can harm credibility and long-term success.

How does someone join the StellarWP Affiliate Program?

DH: You’ll want to go to stellarwp.com/affiliates and click on ‘Sign Me Up’. From there you will be taken to an application form that will request some basic information regarding yourself, your business, and promotional information. After submitting it, our team will review it!

Is it a very quick turnaround?

DH: Yes, you should get a response to your application within 24-48 hours. We are checking them on the daily, Monday through Friday.

I know we can’t speak for every affiliate program elsewhere, but what support does StellarWP offer for our affiliates?

DH: We will provide you with dedicated affiliate support where a specialist on our team will manage and cultivate the partnership. On top of that, StellarWP houses 8 of the most popular WordPress plugins, so you’ll have access to promoting all of our brands!

Can someone be an affiliate of more than one company? Or more than one product in the same company?

DH: Most definitely! Most successful affiliates are promoting multiple brands. Now, keep in mind that it’s important to promote brands you utilize and trust. I would opt for going with the ‘Quality over Quantity’ approach when it comes to prospecting what brands you want to promote.

OK last question: Any additional thoughts about affiliate marketing in general and StellarWP specifically?

DH: Affiliate marketing is a long-term game. Get started writing about the products you love. This will make it easier to build your niche community. As for StellarWP, come join our affiliate program where you can promote amazing WordPress plugins and work with even better people!

Recap: Key Takeaways and Highlights

So there you have it. If you’ve been thinking about becoming an affiliate of your favorite brands, why not start now and capitalize on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday wave that is building now?

And if this BFCM season is coming too quickly for you – remember that affiliate marketing is a long-term way to earn a side income using the products that you already love, and there’s no deadline to begin.

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