How to Make Passive Income with Affiliate Marketing in 2026
Affiliate marketing is the most accessible path to passive income online. Here's how to build it properly.
What Affiliate Marketing Actually Is
You promote someone else's product. When someone buys through your link, you earn a commission.
No inventory. No customer service. No product creation. Just recommend and earn.
The Math That Makes It Work
Affiliate income has three variables:
Traffic × Conversion Rate × Commission = Revenue
- 1,000 visitors × 2% conversion × $50 commission = $1,000
- 5,000 visitors × 2% conversion × $50 commission = $5,000
The leverage is in traffic. More targeted content = more organic traffic = more commissions.
The Best Affiliate Programs
Systeme.io — 60% Recurring Lifetime
The best affiliate program I've found. 60% of every payment, forever.
Promote Systeme.io to entrepreneurs building online businesses.
Commission: $16-$58/month per referral
Cookie: Permanent
Frase.io — 30% Recurring × 12 Months
Great for SEO-focused affiliates. Promote to content marketers.
Commission: $4.50-$13.50/month per referral
Cookie: 60 days
Amazon Associates — 3-10%
Universal program. Lower commissions but massive product range.
Best for: Content around physical products or general reviews.
Building Your Affiliate Business
Step 1: Choose Your Niche
Pick something you understand and can write about:
- Email marketing tools
- SEO software
- Course platforms
- Productivity tools
Step 2: Create Honest Content
The affiliates who earn the most write honestly. Readers can tell when you're just chasing commissions.
Best content types:
- Comparison articles ("Tool A vs Tool B")
- Reviews ("Is Tool X worth it?")
- How-to guides ("How to use Tool X for [outcome]")
Step 3: Drive Traffic
Two paths:
- SEO: Write content that ranks on Google (takes time, pays forever)
- Social: Build audience on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn (faster, less permanent)
SEO is the better long-term play.
Step 4: Optimize and Scale
Track which content drives the most commissions. Double down on what works.
Update content quarterly. Keep it fresh.
The Real Timeline
Month 1-3: Build content, learn the workflow
Month 4-6: First commissions (usually small)
Month 7-12: Compounding traffic, commissions grow
Year 2+: Significant passive income
This is not get-rich-quick. It's build-something-once, earn-forever.
The Best Platforms
Systeme.io for building your affiliate business website:
- Free plan for getting started
- Built-in email marketing
- Sales funnels for promoting offers
- 60% commission on its own affiliate program
Start free. Build your affiliate site. Promote the best tools.
https://systeme.io/?sa=sa027165898925d92be9ae43faf074864fd9a639b6
