Getting the most from your affiliate program

Everyone wants to most income possible from their affiliate program, but with so much competition for those affiliate checks, it can be hard to get those big commission checks.

It is vital to any affiliate to create a list of subscribers, and to provide those subscribers with content they will find compelling enough to respond to. After all, the goal of any affiliate program is to provide business for their affiliated merchants, and commission checks for themselves.

Therefore, the key element of any successful affiliate program is to create content that is intriguing enough to urge your subscribers to take the intended action, in this case visiting the merchant’s web site through your affiliate link.

When sending emails to your subscribers, the subject line is all important. The subject line needs to be intriguing, and it needs to speak directly to the recipient. When analyzing a successful affiliate subject line, it is important to look for several key elements.

Make the subject line results oriented The subject line should tell the reader what is in it for them, and what the email has to offer them. The best way to do that is to focus on the end result – the thing that the reader wants.

For instance, “get subscribers to read your emails” conveys an important end result to your target audience, in this case an audience of affiliates and merchant partners.

It is important to tailor your compelling subject lines to the market niche being targeted. Most successful affiliates have more than one list of subscribers, and each list focuses on a particular interest, hobby or activity. It is important that each subject line focus on the subject at hand.

For instance, “Catch more fish than you can shake a rod at” would be a good subject line for your fishing enthusiast subscribers, while “put an end to your headaches” or “stop smoking in two weeks” would be perfect for your health conscious subscribers.

Provide an example for your subscribers
Everyone wants to learn from an expert, and everyone has felt the need to seek expert advice from time to time. Whether it was advice on dieting or tips on picking stocks, everyone wants to follow the example of one who has been there and done that.

Nothing speaks the reader like personal experience, and providing clues to your own experience is one of the best ways to get subscribers to read your emails. Therefore, personal experience subject lines, such as:

- How I lost 20 pounds last month
- How I taught my child to swim
- How I house trained by dog in no time
- How I made my lawn the envy of the neighborhood

and the like are some of the best ones for getting attention and results. Including the word “How” in an email subject line, especially starting the subject with the word “How” is one of those secrets of successful marketing. It suggests that you have important information to impart, if only the person receiving the email would open it and take the requested action.