X (formerly Twitter) is an untapped goldmine when starting affiliate marketing…
But why X?
- It had over 237.8 million monetizable daily active users as of July 2022.
- Users find the latest products and services on the platform ahead of others.
- It can potentially go viral even with no followers.
It seems like a no-brainer…
But no one seems to be talking about X affiliate marketing.
I will.
Let’s go.
What Is Affiliate Marketing on X?
Affiliate marketing on X is when you recommend products or services to users via posts. You can then earn a percentage or flat rate commission for every successful referral.
It’s just like affiliate marketing on other platforms…
But with one BIG difference.
You don’t have to redirect your audience to an affiliate website or landing page.
From lead to conversion, everything happens on X.
Why Should Affiliate Marketers Use X?
Most would assume affiliate marketing can only be done with blogs.
But here are my top reasons why you should use X.
1. Wider Reach
X empowers affiliates to tap into its large, diverse user base.
It even has advanced search features that allow you to find leads based on interests, location, and demographics.
You can target them with better-suited products.
2. Real-Time Engagement
The platform is primed for real-time conversations and trending topics.
It processes a whopping 400 billion events in real-time daily…
And this can lead to way more engaging and conversions if you capitalize on your audience’s current interests and demands.
Focus on providing solutions to users while including your affiliate offer when possible.
3. Diverse Content Formats
Various promotion strategies thrive on X.
The social media platform supports many formats, such as:
- Text
- Images
- GIFs
- Videos
So, no matter your strategy, you can create content that works and cash in affiliate commissions.
4. Brevity and Simplicity
X’s 280-character limit encourages concise and straightforward communication.
This is highly beneficial for promoting affiliate offers by using direct response copywriting best practices.
Users can quickly grasp the value proposition and click on the affiliate link without being overwhelmed by lengthy content.
5. Direct Interaction
You can directly interact with other users through likes, comments, reposts, and reactions.
These help you create relationships with your leads.
X Spaces (still branded as Twitter spaces) also lets you host live podcast-like events to engage your followers.
You can use this feature to promote an affiliate offer live.
6. Low Cost
X is a free platform.
Without any upfront investment, you can take even more of your earnings-per-click (EPC) home.
Meanwhile, paid features cost just $8/month or $84/year.
Launched in 2022, X Premium allows you to:
- Edit posts
- Post longer text
- Get a blue badge next to your name
It doesn’t directly impact your affiliate earnings…
But it may help with better flexibility and credibility.
It’s one of the best ways to start affiliate marketing without a website.
7. Virality
X is an easy platform to go viral on.
Posts go viral when liked and reposted by multiple people. Reposts from followers can lead to exponential growth in your post visibility.
And virality happens FAST.
Much faster than relying on slow-going SEO strategies.
How to Use X for Affiliate Marketing?
Most affiliate marketing best practices hold true no matter which platform you are on.
And X is no different.
There are a few nuances…
But the idea is similar.
Here are 13 tips on how to do affiliate marketing on X.
- Define Your Niche Clearly
- Treat Your X Profile Like Your Landing Page
- Post Consistently
- Post at the Right Time
- Avoid Drama
- Write Benefit Driven Content
- Use Threads for Affiliate Marketing Content
- Use Hashtags Wisely
- Use Paid Ads
- Personalize and Customize Your Affiliate Links
- Take Advantage of X Lists
- Create X Communities
- Track, Analyze, and Test
1. Define Your Niche Clearly
Most affiliates promote anything they think can get them rich.
Please don’t do this…
Choosing an affiliate marketing niche is the most critical decision you will ever make.
It affects EVERYTHING you do:
- Your content
- Your tone
- Your potential earnings
For example, an affiliate in the health niche is better off using statistics and medical terms to market their products.
In contrast, someone in the digital products niche (like me) can be as funny or quirky as they want.
Need help with choosing a niche?
Here are a few tips:
- Promote products and services you’re passionate about: If you don’t like it, you probably should not be marketing it.
- Be specific: The narrower your target, the easier it is to find customers and make more money on X.
- Research, research, research: Look for niches with a track record of success and go from there.
2. Treat Your X Profile Like Your Landing Page
People only buy from those they trust.
You have a solid three to five seconds to make an impression when someone lands on your X profile.
If it looks unprofessional or confusing…
They’ll bounce.
That is why brands take their profiles seriously.
And you should, too.
Treat your X profile like a landing page on an affiliate website.
You can think of it as the 2nd stage of the affiliate marketing funnel.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Ensure your bio, profile pictures, and header look professional. They should accurately reflect your brand and personality.
- Use conversion copywriting to create compelling copy and well-structured CTAs.
- Put your affiliate links in your pinned post so it’s one of the first things people see.
- Use an actual photo of yourself. People are more likely to trust a brand when there’s a face attached to the name.
- Be straightforward about the process. Tell them you may earn a commission if they buy using your affiliate links.
3. Post Consistently
X’s algorithm pushes relevant accounts and content up the feed.
It punishes inactive accounts or those that post infrequently by pushing them farther down the feed.
You don’t want that, right?
So, post regularly.
Plus, as much as quality is essential…
Volume is the key to marketing affiliate products to your desired customers.
More posts = more engagement.
But don’t post too much in one day. Unless you want you want to annoy your followers.
How many times should you post daily?
It depends on your strategy and niche, but posting 3-6 times daily is optimal.
4. Post at the Right Time
Posting whenever you want isn’t efficient.
Research what times your X audience is active and post during those times.
Use the post scheduling feature to push posts at the right time if it’s outside of your working hours.
But if you want more features like:
- Automated DMs
- Advanced analytics
- Automated reposts
I suggest trying out Hypefury.
5. Avoid Drama
We all love a good X dogpile.
I can’t remember how often I checked a X thread out just because it spilled some tea.
And possibly added more fuel to the fire. LOL.
But don’t be an idiot like me…
You should avoid contributing to any drama.
Though affiliate marketing is not a pyramid scheme…
But there are still some bad apples that keep others on edge.
Reputation is everything in this game…
And you don’t want to tarnish it because of some stupid comment.
Some say, “Negative publicity is still publicity.”
But if you want longevity and higher affiliate commissions…
Stay out of it.
Remember, the internet never forgets.
If you want others to trust your recommendations and click on your affiliate links…
They must positively perceive your brand and see you as an authority.
Not as a keyboard warrior.
6. Write Benefit Driven Content
No one likes reading boring content…
And especially not on an app where people have short attention spans.
If it’s filled with fluff without highlighting any benefits…
People will scroll past it, and you can say goodbye to your commissions.
“But Brendan, I don’t know how to create affiliate marketing content that converts on X :(“
That’s why you need to understand why copywriting matters.
Without going into too much detail…
Here are some tips:
- Use eye-catching images, videos, and graphics. Visual content is more engaging and drives conversions better.
- Craft persuasive copies. Focus on the benefits.
- Don’t be afraid of using a CTA.
- Avoid blocks of text. Use line breaks to increase readability and skimmability.
You can also use AI copywriting software to speed up the process.
7. Use Threads for Affiliate Marketing Content
X has a 280-character limit for regular users.
(X premium allows for longer posts, but you can only add one image)
That’s not really useful if you want to showcase long-form affiliate marketing content like:
- Product roundups
- Listicles
- Comparisons
- Individual reviews
Thankfully, X threads exist.
A thread is composed of multiple posts in one long, linked chain.
This allows you to pack way more information while forcing yourself to be direct and concise within the character limit of each post.
8. Use Hashtags Wisely
Hashtags are great for classifying and finding content.
But some go crazy and spam a bunch of them per post, hoping it will turn up more often.
That’s too much!
Though X doesn’t explicitly flag hashtags as spam…
Using too many may violate their platform manipulation and spam policy.
It also turns people off.
I don’t use any, but I recommend only sticking to one if you have to.
How do you know what to use?
Remember the following:
- Niche: Use hashtags relevant to your product category so it’s easier for your target audience to find you. For example, you can use #AIsoftwarereview for digital products.
- Trending topics: Find keywords, topics, and tags people are engaging in now.
- Hashtag research tools: Many bot/AI tools help you identify the best hashtag. For example, Hashtagify can tailor it to your type of post.
But keep in mind…
The one with the most posts isn’t always the best hashtag.
There’s much more competition.
9. Use Paid Ads
Using paid ads or promoted posts is a sure way to drive traffic to your affiliate offers.
It shouldn’t be your first option as a beginner because it’s costly.
But no one can doubt its effectiveness.
It’s the fastest way to profit from affiliate marketing without followers.
You can choose different objectives like:
- Website clicks: This is best if you want more people to visit your website. Ads like this can have a higher reach.
- App installs: This template aims to get people to download an app or software. This ad is target-focused and costs a bit more.
- Followers: This ad helps you get more followers and offers the highest reach.
- Engagement: Best for targeted posts, this ad drives traffic to a particular post or thread. I recommend this for product promotion posts.
While it’s a quick method to get alot of affiliate link clicks…
Your profile also needs to be credible and authoritative to convince them.
If you saw an Ad promoting an affiliate offer for the “best credit cards” from an account with:
- Ten followers
- No banner
- A cat profile pic
- Random posts
Will you trust it?
Probably not.
10. Personalize and Customize Your Affiliate Links
Shorten those links.
URLs can get MESSY.
Long and complicated ones don’t look trustworthy.
Even I would scroll past them.
But don’t take my word for it…
Studies have found that shorter links increase click-through rate (CTR) by 40 percent.
Although X automatically does it for you using its t.co service…
But you can customize yours using URL shorteners like Bitly or TinyURL for branding.
Branded links look more professional and legit resulting in an improved recall.
They also have a 39 percent higher CTR versus generic ones (e.g., links that start with “bit.ly”).
11. Take Advantage of X Lists
X Lists are the unsung hero of affiliate marketing.
When you add profiles to a list, you get a separate timeline of their posts.
This means you only need to check one place to interact with the accounts you care about the most.
You can create lists for industry influencers, competitors, and companies with different follower counts.
Set aside some time every day to interact with their posts and funnel their audience back to your profile where your affiliate links are.
12. Create X Communities
You can think of X communities as Facebook groups.
It’s where people with specific interests can gather and discuss niche-related topics.
This is an opportunity to create one and funnel new audiences into it.
Inserting your affiliate links here would have a much higher chance of converting as your content is way more targeted.
13. Track, Analyze, and Test
X Analytics is every affiliate’s or influencer’s best friend.
Why?
Because it lets you track your performance and identify areas of improvement. For free.
X Analytics can provide data to answer these questions:
- Which posts brought the most buyers or fans in?
- Are followers engaging more with video or picture content?
- Are posts with hashtags doing better than those without? Which performs best?
It’s non-negotiable and you need to be tracking data to make improvements to your affiliate marketing campaigns on X.
Pros and Cons of X Affiliate Marketing
Pros
- X has roughly 368 million users as of December 2022
- You can offer promos while they’re still valuable and timely.
- You can categorize your posts, pushing them to people who are already interested in what you have to sell
- Going viral on X is easier than running an affiliate site with SEO
- Many industry leaders are on X
- Built-in analytics tool makes it easier to track your progress
- Identify trending affiliate products ahead of the traditional crowd
- Gain social proof immediately via comments, reposts, and likes
Cons
- Trends and viral posts are quickly forgotten
- It’s hard to stand out among the noise
- Automatically shortens links if you don’t
- Limited video and photo size
- One negative review can spread like wildfire on the platform
- Ads can be expensive and will eat into your EPC
- One wrong move can get you penalized
X Rules on Affiliate Marketing
While they’re not designed specifically for people who use X for affiliate marketing…
Here are some best practices to stay in their good books:
- Disclosure and transparency: Disclose that your post contains an affiliate link or is a paid partnership. Use #sponsored or #affiliate in your posts.
- Ad compliance policy: You need to follow specific rules on your username, photo, header, and more to participate in X Ads.
- Spam: Follow their platform manipulation and spam policy to avoid potential issues.
Best Affiliate Marketing Programs for X
So, you’ve decided to use the microblogging platform for affiliate marketing.
There’s still the question of what to promote.
Here is a list of the best affiliate marketing programs to make money on X:
1. Hypefury: X Scheduler
Anyone serious about growing their X account for affiliate marketing will need content…
Lots of it.
But it’s not efficient to manually create a post daily.
Most set aside a day in the week to batch-produce content and schedule it.
And this can be done with Hypefury.
“But Brendan, X has a native scheduling tool.”
Correct… but can it also:
- Automatically repost your best-performing posts to drive more engagement and traffic?
- Automatically plug your affiliate offers once a post reaches a certain threshold?
- Scan the platform for the best posts and create a draft using AI?
- Automatically post your best evergreen posts?
- Schedule posts across multiple platforms?
No, it can’t.
Therefore it’s a must-have tool to promote.
2. Bluehost: Web Hosting
Bluehost is a top web host for affiliate marketing and an excellent service to promote on X.
The platform is full of creators…
And they will need a website.
But where does a website live?
Yes… a web host.
They are just the kind of people who’d be interested in Bluehost.
Affiliates in the BlueHost program get $65 per sign-up.
3. ConvertKit: Email Marketing
X is no doubt a great social media platform…
But you don’t own your content or have unrestricted access to your fans.
Any creator is always encouraged to start a newsletter.
That’s the perfect opportunity to promote ConvertKit, one of the best newsletter platforms for creators.
Affiliates get 50% of the revenue in the first 12 months of each successful referral.
4. Jasper AI: AI Copywriting
Jasper AI is an all-in-one AI copywriting software tool for writers, marketers, and content creators.
Got writer’s block? Use one of their templates.
Lazy to learn about copywriting frameworks? Use one of their templates.
Want to create X-specific copy? Use one of their templates.
They have one for literally everything.
You can even generate AI images with Jasper Art to add supporting media for posts.
Anyone on the platform benefits from using it regardless of their niche.
Affiliates earn 30 percent recurring commissions indefinitely.
Pretty generous, I’d say.
X Affiliate Marketing Examples
1. Nintendeal (@nintendeal)
Nintendeal, run by @AndrewAlerts, is a full-time Amazon affiliate that promotes Nintendo-related products.
2. Products and Reviews (@viewitherenow)
Products and Reviews is an e-commerce affiliate account that promotes different kinds of products, such as clothing, electronic devices, and household items.
3. Deal Vibes (@DealVibes)
Focused on the tech and gaming space, Deal Vibes posts affiliate links for consoles, phones, games, computer parts, collectible toys…
And the occasional athletic wear.
X Affiliate Marketing (FAQs)
Is It Legal to Do Affiliate Marketing on X?
Yes, affiliate marketing is legal on X. Just be sure to follow X’s advertising and disclosure policies.
How Much Money Can You Make Affiliate Marketing on X?
The amount of money you can make on X through affiliate marketing depends on many factors.
These include your niche, traffic, clicks, conversation rates and the affiliate program you’re in.
So it’s really tough for me to give you a figure.
But an affiliate marketing report by Influencer Marketing Hub suggests over half of affiliate marketers earn $10,000 or less annually, with only a third earning more.
Expect X earnings to be a fraction of these amounts.
How Does X Support Affiliate Marketing Strategy?
X enhances affiliate marketing strategies through its global reach and features like reposts and hashtags for wider visibility.
Its “X Spaces” allows live discussions about affiliate products, building trust.
‘Top Articles’ and trending topics help create relevant content, while “X Communities” offers targeted customer engagement.
The entire platform is dedicated to content creation and endless opportunities to promote your affiliate links.
How Do You Make Money on X Through Affiliate Marketing?
By endorsing affiliate products and receiving commissions for each referral, you can generate income. These commissions can be either a fixed amount or a percentage of the sales.
Start searching for products that align with your business or personal brand.
Once you’ve found them share the affiliate link on X while ensuring that your content is informative and captivating to encourage clicks.
Whenever your followers purchase through your link, you will earn a commission.
How Many Followers Do You Need To Effectively Promote an Affiliate Offer on X?
Having a large X following can help. But what truly matters is having an audience that actively engages with your content rather than focusing solely on your follower count.
Even if you barely have any but they are highly engaged… you can still promote affiliate offers and earn commissions.
The real value of X lies in the network effect and the potential of virality.
If one post or thread starts receiving a bunch of reposts from bigger accounts, you can effectively make money with no followers.
How Do You Place an Affiliate Link on X?
You can directly embed it into your posts. Keep it authentic and informative.
Don’t just drop the link. Frame it within valuable content.
Ensure to disclose your affiliate links on X per their manipulation, spam policies, and FTC guidelines.
How Do You Effectively Promote an Affiliate Offer on X?
With engaging content, timing, and responsive interaction with your audience.
Consistently post benefit-driven content and plug your affiliate links when it MAKES SENSE.
Also, document the usage of the products you promote and how it has contributed to your growth.
If you can show results, people will buy.
How Do You Find Suitable Affiliate Offers To Promote on X?
You can browse affiliate networks for a variety of products to promote.
Besides Amazon Associates, there are ShareASale, Commission Junction, Rakuten Advertising and Impact.
You need an affiliate offer your audience would genuinely be interested in. Not just the ones with the highest commissions.
You want your followers to see you as a reliable source of information, not a sales magnet.
To Sum It Up
It’s hard to compete in the X space.
But if you follow the 13 tips I listed…
You can make some serious affiliate income over time.
The best part?
You don’t even need a website.
All you have to do is:
- Create unique and useful content that solves your audience’s problems
- Incorporating some copywriting principles in your posts
- Recommend affiliate products if they’re relevant
There’s no reason why you can’t succeed with affiliate marketing on X.
All the best!
