So... What Is Affiliate Marketing?

June 30, 2026 · Allison Santana

If you've ever watched someone recommend a product online and thought, "Do people actually get paid for that?" the answer is almost always yes.

That's affiliate marketing.

At its core, affiliate marketing is simply earning a commission when someone buys a product through a link you share. It doesn't cost the customer anything extra. The company pays you because you helped them make a sale.

That's it.

No secret formula. No pyramid scheme. No convincing your friends to buy things they don't want.

You're just connecting people with products they were already interested in.

How I Explain It to People

Imagine you tell your friend about your favorite coffee maker.

A week later they buy it because of your recommendation.

Normally, you wouldn't earn anything.

With affiliate marketing, the company says, "Thanks for sending us a customer," and pays you a commission.

Now imagine doing that through videos, blog posts, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

Those recommendations can continue working long after you've posted them.

The Kind of Affiliate Marketing I Do

There are a lot of different ways to be an affiliate marketer.

Some people build websites that review products.

Some write email newsletters.

Some focus on YouTube.

Some run Facebook groups.

For me, it's TikTok and The Amazon Influencer Program.

I make videos showing products I genuinely use, products I think solve a problem, or products I simply find interesting enough to share.

Sometimes the video is about the product.

More often, it's about the story behind the product.

I don't believe people connect with products nearly as much as they connect with people.

A lunch container isn't really about plastic.

It's about making it easier to stop buying takeout every day.

A walking pad isn't just exercise equipment.

It's about squeezing movement into a busy life.

A good vacuum isn't exciting by itself.

It's exciting when it helps a parent spend less time cleaning and more time with their kids.

That's the part I enjoy most.

Do You Need Thousands of Followers?

No.

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions.

You don't need to be famous.

You don't need perfect lighting.

You don't need a fancy house.

You don't need a million followers.

You need trust.

Someone with 800 followers who consistently shares honest recommendations can outperform someone with 100,000 followers who promotes everything under the sun.

People can tell the difference.

What Products Should You Promote?

Start with your real life.

Look around your home.

What's on your desk?

What's in your kitchen?

What's in your car?

What have you bought recently that made life easier?

Those are often the best products to talk about because you already have a story to tell.

People don't just want to know what you bought.

They want to know why it mattered.

Do I Need to Buy Inventory?

Not the way I do it.

I don't keep a garage full of products.

I don't package orders.

I don't ship anything.

The companies handle the inventory, payment processing, shipping, and customer service.

My job is simply to create content that helps people discover products they might love.

Why I Talk About Affiliate Marketing

I get asked about it all the time.

Friends message me.

People leave comments.

Someone always wants to know how it works.

So I share what I'm learning.

Not because I'm trying to convince everyone to become an affiliate marketer, but because I think it's one of those opportunities that many people don't even realize exists.

One Thing You Should Know

I don't sell an affiliate marketing course.

I don't have a coaching program.

I don't have a secret blueprint that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Everything I've learned has come from doing it, making mistakes, paying attention to what works, and learning from other creators.

Honestly, TikTok has been my biggest classroom.

There are creators who openly share their strategies, explain new features, talk about mistakes they've made, and celebrate what's working. I've learned a lot simply by listening, experimenting, and staying curious.

My Advice If You're Curious

Don't spend months trying to learn everything before you post your first video.

Start.

You'll learn more from making ten videos than you will from watching one hundred videos about making videos.

Your first content probably won't be amazing.

Mine wasn't either.

But every video teaches you something.

Every story gets a little stronger.

Every recommendation gets a little more natural.

Affiliate marketing isn't about becoming someone else.

It's about becoming better at sharing your own experiences in a way that helps someone else make a good decision.

If you're curious about it, keep asking questions. I'll continue sharing what I'm learning along the way.

I'm figuring it out too.

If you’d like to learn more about the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program I’ll break it down in my next blog post. xo- allison