Maximizing Earnings with Affiliate Gift Guides: A Step-by-Step Guide for Bloggers and Influencers

Many bloggers and influencers create gift guides for various holidays and events. As a blogger with 14+ years of experience, I've learned the secrets to creating profitable gift guides utilizing affiliate links.

Find out the steps to create an effective gift guide and strategies for promoting it to increase your affiliate revenue.

Affiliate Gift Guides: A Step-by-Step Guide for Bloggers and Influencers by Rachel K. BelkinPhoto byRachel K. Belkin / Canva

1. Find and Join Affiliate Programs

Look for affiliate programs in similar niches to your site.

But, how do you find good affiliate programs?

Search for programs using Google.  Try search terms such as Your Niche “affiliate program” or Brand Name “partners program”.  Other names and keywords for affiliate programs include “associates”, “partnerships”, “affiliation”.  Use the search bar below to give it a try.

Find affiliate directories.  Using these directories, you can find programs sorted by category, type of commission, and more.  One example is affliateprograms.com.  On this site, you can get information about the base commission, payment frequency, payment type, and accepted countries.  The site also provides the pros and cons of each program. Visit your competitors’ websites to find out which affiliate programs they use.  If they are not using a link shortener or pretty links, you can search for affiliate links on a site by looking for links that have ‘’htm?id=9014’’ (or whatever their ID is).

To save time, use a commerce content monetization platform such as Skimlinks or Sovrn to automatically monetize product links and quickly create affiliate links.  You do not need to join individual programs.   Each of these platforms have a network of tens of thousands of affiliate partners.  Keep in mind, Skimlinks skims 25% of your commissions – the price for convenience.

The affiliate programs and platforms I use the most are Amazon Associates, Sovrn, and LTK.

2. Decide on a Theme

Next, decide on a theme for your gift guide.  Keep in mind the needs of your audience.  Who are they shopping for?  What is their budget?

Think outside of the box.  You’ll want your gift guide to stand out from the others.

3. Look for Products

The two easiest ways to look for products and add affiliate links are with Amazon Associates and the Sovrn Bookmarklet Chrome extension.

With the Amazon Associates stripe (header) you can quickly add links, images, and responsive, native shopping ads.

With the Sovrn bookmarklet, you can browse the websites of various merchants and quickly grab an affiliate link to a product page.

4.  Design Your Guide

Using your blog editor you can add images and links, but to kick it up a notch and really get the attention of your audience, consider designing your gift guide with Canva.   Even the free version has many template designs that can help your guide look professional and enticing.

Watch this video from May Thanda on how to Create Gift Guide Collage in Canva.

5.  Get Good Images

The best way to get someone to buy a product is by personally endorsing a product you have used.    If possible, take pictures of you or a family member using the products.

Be sure your photos are good quality, high-resolution images.

If you aren’t using your own photos, be sure you have permission to use the photos.  To be on the safe side, contact the merchant.

6. Write Good Titles and Descriptions

Give your guide a catchy title that stands out from the crowd.

Gift guides don’t need a ton of text because the images do so much of the “talking”.  But, you still need good descriptions and captions that persuade the reader to purchase the products.

7.  Add Disclosures and No-Follow Links

Per FTC guidelines, affiliate marketers must disclose that they are getting paid to promote the product.  Be sure to follow the rules of the individual programs as well.  For example, Amazon requires creators to include  the following statement clearly and conspicuously on your Site:  “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”  For social media user-generated content, this statement must be associated with your account.

7. Promote It

Bloggers and influencers use email lists or social media accounts to promote their gift guide.  Linkys are also an easy way to reach a broader audience.   Do a search for gift guide link ups.

Content-sharing sites like Issuu.com, Slideshare.net, and Scribd.com are other good options to promote your guide.

To create a Pinterest pin to promote your gift guide, use a Canva template with a size of 1000px by 1500px. (or you can use a different size with a 2:3 ratio).

This article first appeared on Rachel K. Belkin.