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I wish I had taken the time earlier in my blogging journey to pay for an affiliate marketing course. It would have made my life much simpler. I don’t mean to suggest that I didn’t make my way – I certainly did. I spent a ton of time researching affiliate marketing, reading blogs, reading reviews, scoping out Youtube videos and stalking some of the masters.
But, I could have lessened the learning curve if I bit the bullet and purchased an affiliate marketing course sooner. Why? Because ecourses eliminate the amount of fluff time you waste trying to find the RIGHT material from the BEST person.
When you purchase a course, you have access to actionable information from a reliable source in one neat and tidy package. Time is money, and I spent A LOT of time researching when I could have cut that in half just by purchasing the right course.
So, what is the right course?
I did a bit of homework before I purchased Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, which I really believe is an incredible affiliate marketing course for anyone who’s serious about making money online (no matter your level – newbs and advanced bloggers would benefit equally from this course).
Once I purchased the course, which I purchased with a $28 coupon code (see below pricing section), I immediately dove into the material. About 7 days later, I started getting emails from the merchants I’m affiliated notifying me that my links have made sales.
It seriously happened that quickly. I don’t mean to suggest that it’s PURELY because of this course that I started making money. But it DID help to skyrocket my earnings and I’m certainly not complaining about that. I paid for the course and almost immediately got all of the money I paid for the course back in affiliate commission. There’s definitely something to this.
About the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course
This affiliate marketing course teaches you the steps you need to take in order to build a six-figure blog. It’s ideal for anyone (no matter your level). Even if you currently don’t have a blog yet, this course will work for you.
The course was created by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, the face behind the well known and award winning website Making Sense of Cents. In less than 5 years, Michelle built up her website to earn over $50,000 in affiliate commission EACH MONTH. She’s been featured in tons of renowned websites and is an expert blogger. Michelle created this course to help people understand the strategy and process behind monetizing a blog through affiliate marketing.
Check out the course that teaches you how to earn 50k per month in affiliate commission
Course Package - what's included?
I was honestly quite surprised at how expansive the course curriculum is. I’ve enrolled in a few courses before that are the same price (or even more expensive) and have far less substance to them.
Michelle’s course is HUGE and it’s growing. I just got an email from her the other day telling me that she added another section to the course.
Totally didn’t expect that. I thought I bought the product as is, and it wouldn’t change. Not true. I have a lifetime membership to the course and that includes any updates down the line. I’d say that’s a steal.
Here’s what’s included in the making sense of affiliate marketing course:
- 6 modules
- 30 lessons
- Course workbooks
- Bonus material
- Access to a private mastermind group
When I finished the course, I felt like I had everything I needed. Sometimes I look back on a learning experience and think, "Well, this and that was missing." I had none of that. Michelle is thorough and covers all of the bases on affiliate marketing. No loose ends, and if you feel there are, Michelle will help you out.
Course Curriculum
There are six modules plus a bonus section within the course. It can take you as quick as a day to get through or as long as you need. My suggestion is to set aside a weekend to go through the course undistracted. Take notes, really soak in the material, and then start to apply what you've learned once you finish the material. That was my approach and I'm glad I did it that way. Once I finished the curriculum, I went back into certain section and reread them since I found it so valuable and wanted to apply the strategies well.
Here's a quick rundown of each module within the course.
Module 1: What is Affiliate Marketing
This module starts with the very basics of affiliate marketing providing you with a strong foundation and understand of affiliate marketing. Michelle even covers the basics affiliate links (what they are, how to handle them, what tools to use), which is something many people don't quite understand.
Module 2: How to find and apply to affiliate programs
I can't tell you how many times people have asked me how to choose an affiliate program and where to start. Michelle gives you a great starting point (workbooks, strategy guides and tips) and she even outlines specific affiliate programs for you to join depending on your niche.
Module 3: Follow the rules
Affiliate marketing can get sticky if you're not aware of the rules, regulations and etiquette. This affiliate marketing course doesn't play around when it comes to the rules. You'll learn everything you need to know (and probably more) about how to avoid getting into trouble as an affiliate marketer.
Module 4: How to get your readers to convert
This section focuses on how to enable yourself to be successful as an affiliate marketer by building trust with your readers, implementing affiliate strategies well within your blog, refining your content and your best blog posts to be ready for affiliate success, and offering unique incentives to your audience.
Module 5: Strategies and ways to promote affiliate links
This module dives into the nitty gritty ways you can promote your affiliate relationships through tutorials, reviews, interviews, blog resource pages, average blog posts (these can be lucrative), and social media. Michelle includes examples from her own experiences and also has worksheets so you can plot out your strategy along with the course.
Module 6: Rinse and repeat
This last module is a good one. Michelle ends the course on a high note. She talks about how you can build a strong relationship with affiliate managers to get tips for success or even (potentially) a higher bounty per sale. This module also covers what your regular maintenance strategy should be for your affiliate posts, all the things you SHOULDN'T do, and how to increase your affiliate earnings over the super-duper expensive holiday season. Like I said, she really ends the course with a bang.
Check out the full curriculum breakdown for Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
Course Pricing
The course is currently listed for a one-time payment of $197 or 2 payments of $105. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, and in this case I really do think it's worth it. I made back all the money I paid for the course within the first 2 weeks of enrollment (and all from sales directly attributed to things I learned in the course).
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Discount
If you sign up between Thursday May 18th and Sunday May 21st at 11:59pm PT, you can use the coupon code MAY28 at checkout.
The coupon code will only work on the one-time payment option. Using the coupon code will bring your cost DOWN to $169. I used the same coupon code when I purchased the product and it only comes around once in a while. I’d suggest using it while you can.
Click this link to redeem your coupon code and scope out the secrets to earning thousands of dollars in affiliate commission each month.
The Mastermind Group
The mastermind group grants you access to a private Facebook group just for students of the affiliate marketing course.
What does this translate to? It means you’re rubbing virtual shoulders with some incredibly successful and influential affiliate marketers in the online marketing space. Besides everything I’ve learned from the course, I can’t even begin to tell you how much insight I’ve gained just from having access to this Facebook mastermind group.
Honestly, I’ll be the first person to tell you that I find MANY Facebook groups overwhelming - this one, not so much. It’s helpful NOT promotional and that’s a huge selling point for me. What I LOVE is that Michelle takes the time to answer questions and be involved in the group, which isn’t always common for group admins. That means you have direct access to other students in the course AND the course director – exactly the sort of guidance and instruction people need to be successful in this space.
What does the group entail?
There are daily question and answer threads. People share helpful content and material they’ve found, ask questions about the course, share resources and collaborate. I wish I could explain how helpful it is but I think you’d better check it out for yourself if you choose to sign up for the course.
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Course Pros/Cons
PROS:
- The course is incredibly expansive and is ideal for anyone of any level (beginners get a lot of value but advanced bloggers do as well)
- The course works for anyone in any niche
- Each module is detailed, well done, and thorough.
- There are tons of workbooks that Michelle provides for each module
- You get access to a mastermind group.
- There's a money back guarantee if you're not happy after 30 days.
CONS:
- The content itself contains a lot of basic material so if you're more advanced, you might want to skim over the basic information. That said, there's something for everyone.
- Discount codes are only valid on one time payment options
- There aren't any videos in the course of Michelle teaching. She links to some things on Youtube, but doesn't herself have videos.
My Course Results
I started making serious affiliate commission about a week after I enrolled in the course. Is my success purely because of the course? Probably not. But I did immediately tweak certain components of my strategy (particularly with Pinterest) based on the course suggestions and that influenced my earnings greatly. I really don't think I'd be doing as well as I'm doing if I didn't have this course. And, to that end, I think if I had access to this course sooner, that I'd have made a lot more money from my blog sooner.
The facebook group, course modules, and support from Michelle has been the formula for my success and I feel so fortunate to have access to such amazing resources.
Here's what I really love about the course: Michelle makes it perfectly clear that you don't have to be a millionaire or have thousands of page views per month in order to be a successful affiliate marketer. I'M NOT a famous blogger. I DON'T have a ton of disposable income. But I did invest a little bit of money in this course so that I could have access to the best strategies to help me monetize. And it really did work. I highly recommend this course to anyone dabbling in affiliate marketing, no matter your level.