How to Gain Trust and Credibility As an Affiliate

One of the most important things you can do as an affiliate marketer is take the time to gain trust and credibility. It will make you stand out from the crowd and help keep your content focused and paying dividends. 

There are a lot of little ways to build trust and credibility with your audience but there are five main pillars that you should always focus on.  

    1. Take Time to Research the Products

While this sounds like a no-brainer, a lot of affiliates don’t take the time to do their due diligence with the products they promote. This can lead to your audience feeling scammed or duped and can make them less likely to trust you in the future. 

Before you recommend a product, read the reviews. Research the company that makes it. Take a moment to figure out the return and warranty policy.  Getting all this information upfront will save you a lot of headaches in the future because you’ll be able to spot a bad apple a mile away.

    2. Only Promote Products You Have Used

While it’s understandable that you might not be able to actually physically test out every product you promote, it’s a good rule of thumb to make sure that you are physically using as many of them as possible.

Not only does this give you a chance to really put the product through its paces, but you will also be able to create content with the product for your social media channels. A photo or video of you physically using the product makes a world of difference for people in the purchase-consideration phase. 

    3. Make Sure All Your Links Work

Another small thing that too many affiliates don’t take the time to double-check but make sure your links work. The moment that you send someone to the wrong link, a broken link, or the link doesn’t work at all, you instantly lose credibility with them. Take a moment each week to double-check your links and make sure they are working. 

    4. Focus on a Niche

It’s really tempting to do all of the things all at once as an affiliate but sticking to a niche is the best way to build up authority and credibility. If people know that they can come to you with makeup brush questions or cleaning device questions, there is a better chance that you will be successful. Find your niche early and master it. 

    5. Take Time to Update Old Listings

Just because the listing is old doesn’t mean it is not still important! Make a point each month to go through and update the listings from the same month of the previous year. This will ensure those old links still show up in search engine results. With about an hour of work a month, you can make the previous year’s content pay this year’s bills. 

Building credibility and authority is the best way to be successful as an affiliate. With these 5 tips, you will be well on your way to building that trust.