How Jamie I.F. Earns Over $30k Per Month From Affiliate Websites

Name: How Jamie I.F. Earns Over $30k Per Month From Affiliate Websites
Uploaded: 2022-09-07T15:41:32.000Z
Duration: 1 h 50 min 35 s

Introduction

In this section, Jared introduces Jamie and the topics they will be discussing in the podcast.

Jamie's Success Story

Jamie has a portfolio of sites earning over $30,000 per year.

He achieved this success in less than three or four years.

Most of his income comes from one site, with a second site earning the rest.

Building Successful Sites

In this section, Jared and Jamie discuss how he built his successful sites.

Niche Selection

Jamie shares how he selected his niche for his most profitable site.

He discusses what he did back then and what he would do differently now.

Keyword Research

The conversation leads to an in-depth discussion about keyword research.

Jamie shares his process for producing affiliate-style content.

Writing Affiliate Content

In this section, Jared and Jamie dive deep into writing affiliate content.

Writing Intros

Jamie outlines a five-step process for writing intros.

They discuss the value of intros and why they are important.

Updating Old Content

Jamie shares his process for updating old content.

They discuss why it is important to keep your content up-to-date.

Structure of an Affiliate Post

They go through the structure of an affiliate post in detail.

Jamie explains how he communicates with each reader on a personal level.

Future Plans

In this section, Jared and Jamie talk about where he plans to take his sites in the future.

Creating a Team

They discuss some of the bigger visions that Jamie has for creating a team around his sites.

Background on Jamie

In this section, Jamie shares some background information about himself.

Discovering SEO

Jamie discovered SEO during his internship at uni.

He got obsessed with it and started reading books on the topic.

Starting His Project

Jamie started his project called IAF Vote.

He ran out of money and needed to make loads of money.

He got lucky with SEO and is now successful.

Writing in English as an Afterthought

The speaker talks about their experience writing in English during their internship, where they had to write in English despite not knowing much about active voice or other grammar rules. They also mention being underpaid for the work they did.

During their internship, the speaker had to write in English despite not knowing much about grammar rules.

They were underpaid for their work due to a document called "convulsion of the stash."

Despite these challenges, the speaker believes that this experience helped them get to where they are today.

Internships and SEO

The interviewer asks the speaker about internships and pay rates for interns. They also ask if the company had an SEO team and how receptive they were to SEO ideas.

There is a lot of conversation globally about internships and pay rates.

The company did not have an SEO team, but the speaker tried to bring up SEO ideas when possible.

The company was not against SEO, but it was difficult to make changes quickly due to its size.

Doing SEO Work During Internship

The interviewer asks if the speaker was able to do any actual SEO work during their internship or if they just studied it on their own time.

Most of the work involved interviews with people related to the brand.

Some optimization was done for on-page content related to interviews.

Overall, most of the work was brand-related rather than pure optimization.

Starting Out in SEO

The interviewer asks how the speaker got started in SEO and why they chose website building over freelancing or working at an agency.

The speaker is too selfish to work for someone else and prefers to have ownership over their work.

They discovered SEO while in university and became interested in it as a means to an end.

The speaker is ruthlessly transactional when it comes to affiliate partnerships, but they plan on retiring from SEO after making enough money.

Mark's Success Story

In this section, Mark talks about his success in website building and how he achieved it.

Mark's Knowledge and Success

Mark had a deep understanding of website building from the beginning.

He knew whether to focus on monthly cash flow or actual evaluation as a goal.

This knowledge was an underpinning to his success.

Mark's Portfolio of Websites

Mark has a portfolio of websites that earns him over $30,000 per month.

Two sites earn the bulk of that income.

The main site is the most mature and brings in the lion's share of revenue.

The second site makes around $7,200 per month.

Timeline of Mark's Website Building Journey

Mark registered his first domain four years ago but started taking it seriously three years ago.

He has only been full-time for about a year because he spent four months working as a receptionist for his mom's physio clinic during the pandemic to keep the business alive.

His second site was registered in November 2020 and makes around $7,200 per month.

Other sites are still in their embryonic stage.

Doubling Down on One Site

The main site is definitely the one that pays for investments in other sites.

It brings in the lion's share of revenue and is the most mature, being on the first page for many competitive terms.

To go any higher, it needs to increase its DR from under 60 to 85 before doing anything else.

When to Sell and Move On

In this section, the speaker discusses when to keep going versus when to sell and move on. He also mentions a model called the asset flywheel approach by Greg from Empire Flippers that talks about when to take money off the table, how much to take off, and where to reinvest it.

Niche Selection Process

The speaker reveals that he is not a talented writer or link builder but specializes in affiliate content.

To validate a niche, it must be something he can sell products in and convert. He focuses on building custom blocks that complement things and varied elements of a buyer's guide.

The speaker did not specifically target this niche because of high-priced products or attractive affiliate programs. He chose it because people buy stuff in this niche.

Keyword Research

The speaker admits he is not an expert at targeting zero search info stuff but has found success with keyword research.

Bullet points for this section are not available as they exceed the maximum number of bullet points allowed per section.

Learning from Mistakes

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of learning from mistakes and how relying on intuition alone is not scalable.

Mistakes in Scaling

Relying on intuition alone is not scalable when working with a team.

Mistakes were made in creating brief documents based on articles that missed search intent or were too long.

A mistake was made in assuming a keyword was for a buyer's guide when it was actually related to health.

Targeting Competitive Keywords

The speaker targets the most competitive keywords at the beginning instead of low competition ones because URLs that rank for super competitive terms are typically four years old.

The speaker prioritizes long-term gains over making money upfront.

Going After Competitive Terms

In this section, the speaker discusses how many people start by focusing on low competition keywords and then move onto more competitive terms. However, they explain why they prefer to target competitive terms from the beginning.

Success with Competitive Terms

The first success came from targeting a competitive keyword during Christmas 2019 to 2020.

While it may be harder to rank for these keywords now, targeting them early allowed for internal linking all the way down rather than patching later.

Starting a New Site: Low Competition vs High Competition

In this section, the speaker discusses whether it is better to start with low competition or high competition when starting a new site.

Low Competition vs High Competition

The speaker recommends starting with low competition keywords to get the first dopamine hit of your first sale or ad revenue and keep going with perseverance.

However, if you have big budgets and are fine waiting three years, you can start with high competition keywords.

Building up topical authority across the topic and covering things that can be linked to other relevant things is important for building up authority within a site.

There seems to be a connection between higher ending sites and the willingness to go into the depths of topics around a silo that even though they might not think they're going to rank for them it is best for the user, authority, and website as a whole.

Structuring Buying Guides and Review Content

In this section, the speaker discusses the nuances of structuring buying guides, review content, and articles. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a strong introduction that builds trust with readers and outlines a framework called the SPEAR framework for creating effective introductions.

Importance of Intros

A strong introduction can lead to 40-50% of conversions in just 10 seconds.

Intros should include search intent, pain points, negative emotions, expertise, and audience.

Use evocative language to create an emotional connection with readers.

Pre-Casting Your Article

Treat affiliate products like casting for a film.

Have a main protagonist (best option overall) and offer viable alternatives as antagonists.

Precast your article based on your knowledge of the audience.

Segment products by budget, professional use, niche use etc.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Don't just list everything as good without offering alternatives or segmenting products.

Don't put high-priced products in an article about bargains.

Be likable and trustworthy while building rapport with readers.

Writing Affiliate Style Content

In this section, the speaker discusses how to write affiliate style content that resonates with readers and encourages them to make a purchase. They emphasize the importance of understanding the reader's needs and pain points, as well as visualizing scenarios in which the product can solve their problems.

Understanding Reader Needs

To write effective affiliate content, it is important to understand the reader's needs and pain points.

By addressing these pain points and offering solutions, you can build trust with your readers and encourage them to make a purchase.

Visualizing Scenarios

When writing about a product, it is important to visualize scenarios in which the product can solve a problem for the reader.

This helps create an emotional connection between the reader and the product, making them more likely to make a purchase.

The Power of Intros in Affiliate Content

In this section, the speaker discusses how intros are often overlooked in affiliate content creation. They provide a framework for creating powerful intros that address search intent, pain points, expertise, audience rapport.

Framework for Powerful Intros

A powerful intro should address search intent by using relevant keywords.

It should also address pain points by offering solutions or benefits.

Expertise should be demonstrated through knowledge of the product or industry.

Audience rapport should be established by speaking directly to their needs and concerns.

Balancing Positives and Negatives in Affiliate Content

In this section, the speaker discusses how balancing positives and negatives in affiliate content can help build trust with readers. They provide examples of how to do this effectively without turning people away from making a purchase.

Balancing Positives and Negatives

Balancing positives and negatives in affiliate content can help build trust with readers.

For example, including both the best and worst features of a product can demonstrate honesty and authenticity.

It is important to research the product thoroughly to distinguish between what it is and isn't good for.

Conveying Confidence and Expertise in Affiliate Content

In this section, the speaker discusses how conveying confidence and expertise in affiliate content can help build trust with readers. They emphasize the importance of being honest about who the product is for and who it isn't for.

Conveying Confidence and Expertise

Conveying confidence and expertise in affiliate content can help build trust with readers.

This requires proper knowledge of the product or industry, as well as potentially testing the product yourself.

Being honest about who the product is for (and who it isn't for) can also demonstrate expertise and build trust.

Downselling and Creating Storylines for Affiliate Marketing

In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of down selling and creating storylines for affiliate marketing.

Down Selling

The speaker explains the concept of down selling, which involves not trying to sell the largest item or straight to the highest budget.

Instead, it is about down selling a bit and saying that customers do not need to spend that much to get results.

The speaker emphasizes that down selling is powerful because it creates trust with customers.

Creating Storylines for Affiliate Marketing

The speaker talks about creating storylines around protagonists and antagonists in affiliate marketing.

They explain that they are researching and planning an outline ahead of time to create a storyline for their content.

The speaker mentions five stages of affiliate marketing content and how they differentiate between them. They aim to get to stage five, which involves movie casting antagonist story-led affiliate content.

The speaker explains that each product can have miniature stories within them, making them easier to write. They emphasize naming visual relatable scenarios as well as illustrating comparison points between different products.

Striving for High-Quality Content in Affiliate Marketing

In this section, the speaker discusses striving for high-quality content in affiliate marketing.

The interviewer asks if the speaker's content is better than anyone else's on that topic.

The speaker responds by saying they are trying to make their content the best but acknowledges that not all their articles have been raised to this standard. They mention that they overachieve compared to high DR sites because they go back and improve their old content.

Challenges of Scaling Content Creation

In this section, the speaker discusses the challenges of scaling content creation and how it requires a lot of training and intimate knowledge of both the niche and products.

Training Required for Scaling Content Creation

Adopting new things and moving quickly is important but it cannot be done at scale without proper training.

Writing effective content requires an intimate knowledge of both the niche and products, which is difficult to achieve without testing similar products or bouncing ideas off others.

Updating Articles: Title Optimization

In this section, the speaker talks about optimizing article titles when updating articles.

Improving Article Titles

The title should be optimized to fit in view and stand out from competitors.

Use keywords strategically in the title to attract readers looking for specific features or benefits.

Including rapport-building phrases like "that actually work well" can help build trust with readers.

Republishing Articles: Keyword Optimization

In this section, the speaker discusses keyword optimization when republishing articles.

Keyword Optimization

Revisit keywords using tools like Ahrefs or AnswerThePublic to find semantically related topics that can inform new headings or feature snippets.

Finding new segments through keyword research can make an article more powerful and relevant, even if there's no search volume for those terms.

Combining Custom Blocks and FAQ Schema for Affiliate Content

In this section, the speaker discusses how they combine their own bag of tricks to create affiliate content. They mention using custom blocks made with generate blocks, CTAs, pros and cons roundups, real reviews, and FAQ schema.

Using Custom Blocks for Affiliate Content

The speaker mentions using custom blocks made with generate blocks to create affiliate content.

These custom blocks are used for CTAs, pros and cons roundups, and real reviews.

The speaker also mentions using FAQ schema in some cases.

Updating Products in Affiliate Content

The speaker talks about adding any new real reviews they have done since creating the content.

They also mention switching out any products that aren't selling well or that the manufacturer is struggling to keep in stock.

Using FAQ Schema for Affiliate Content

The speaker talks about using FAQ schema for higher value FAQs that increase click-through rates.

They mention using two FAQs with FAQ schema for "which are the best product brands" and "what's the best product," along with ranking both affiliate links in the FAQs.

Importance of Buyer's Guides in Affiliate Content

In this section, the speaker discusses how buyer's guides can function as not only something that informs but also sells. They talk about segmenting people based on what kind of product they're looking for and how buyer's guides can be effective rapport-building tools.

Importance of Buyer's Guides

The speaker talks about how buyer's guides can function as not only something that informs but also sells.

They mention that buyer's guides can be effective rapport-building tools and can help segment people based on what kind of product they're looking for.

Creating Effective Buyer's Guides

The speaker mentions mentioning the three most important facts to consider in a buyer's guide, such as sound quality, price performance ratio, and weight witness.

They talk about going into more depth and recommending specific products based on budget or other factors.

The speaker also mentions using dynamic month and year for very competitive articles to make them appear more up-to-date.

Running a Team and Growing Multiple Sites

In this section, the speaker briefly discusses their bigger vision for a portfolio of sites. They also touch on running a team and updating articles.

Vision for Portfolio of Sites

The speaker briefly discusses their bigger vision for a portfolio of sites.

Running a Team

No bullet points available with timestamps.

Updating Articles

The speaker talks about updating articles that have dropped in ranking or are no longer performing well.

They mention updating an article that is still doing well by adding new information or making it more up-to-date.

Income and Page Views

In this section, the speaker talks about their website's income and page views.

Website Income

The website's income ranges from $20,000 to $25,000 a month.

The income is based on third-party affiliate programs that can be volatile.

The steady state income could be around $15,000.

Page Views

The website has around 220,000 page views.

Recently, the page views have increased but not from high-value content.

Each additional page view has been worth less due to more informational content.

Publishing Content

The website has writers who work for the site now.

They publish four pieces of content a month.

They go through templates and SOPs to ensure they back up their content with best practices.

Starting New Sites

In this section, the speaker talks about starting new sites instead of doubling down on an existing one.

Starting New Sites

The speaker cannot stay focused on one thing and makes wrong decisions when doing so.

They are making sure they create a system that can scale up quickly by creating robust systems that are modular and easy to understand roles.

They believe it is possible to create best-in-class stuff while scaling up quickly.

Budget for Investment

They have some budget behind them from sites earning good cash that they can reinvest in people and systems.

Scaling Up Quickly

In this section, the speaker talks about how they are getting closer to being able to scale up quite quickly by working on their systems.

Robust Systems

Their system is much more clearly defined and robust than before which should make it easier to scale.

They have writers, keyword researchers, brief feedback and editor people, and formatting people.

Best-in-Class Content

The speaker believes that creating best-in-class content is the way to make money by getting people onto their site, keeping them engaged, and then helping them make a purchase decision.

SEO is not the only thing that matters.

Congratulations on Success

In this section, the speaker congratulates the other person on their success and shares some insights.

Powerful Things

The speaker loves all the stuff shared in this conversation.

There are many powerful things being done that are not normal.

Making Money

Many people who build websites focus too much on SEO instead of making money by getting people onto their site, keeping them engaged, and then helping them make a purchase decision.

Focusing on Adding Value Over Money

In this section, Jamie talks about his approach to building a reliable and valuable brand rather than just focusing on making money. He believes that creating the best user experience will be rewarded more as algorithms get better at picking up these things.

Creating a Valuable Brand

Jamie's approach is to focus on adding value rather than just making money.

He believes that creating the best user experience is important and will be rewarded more as algorithms get better at picking up these things.

Jamie prefers to build something that is more like a brand and less risky, rather than going for quick money.

His enjoyment comes from delivering what he thinks is value.

Future Plans and Where to Follow Along

In this section, Chad asks Jamie about his future plans and where people can follow along with what he's doing.

Future Plans

Chad mentions Jamie's musings about selling his big site and taking the cash to reinvest or hold onto it.

They didn't have time to discuss it in detail but may save it for another day.

Where to Follow Along

You can follow Jamie on Twitter @jamie (spelled differently in America).

For long-form content, check out increasing.com where they publish income reports and other things.

Jamie thanks Chad for having him on the show.