Affiliate Marketing 2.0 for Beginners Without a Website in 2025 [Step-by-Step Guide]
Let me show you something quickly. Last month, I got 1,567 clicks. My EPC (earnings per 100 clicks) was $62.7, making it $0.627 per click. And, my total earnings? I made an additional $982 passively!
In this guide, I’m going to show you the real, legit, and new way to make money online with affiliate marketing. Not some get-rich-quick scheme. Not some sketchy method. A real strategy with a real case study that I’m applying right now.
I’ll walk you through step by step, totally from scratch, until you reach your first clicks online and your first income. But before we jump into step one, let me show you the three available methods online to make money per click.
The 3 Methods to Make Money Per Click (And Why Only One Works)
Method 1: Clicking Ads on Microtask Sites (Not Recommended)
The first method is websites like Neobux and similar platforms, where you click on ads and do microtasks to earn a few cents.
I once heard someone work eight hours on such websites to see how much they could earn. They made $3 or $4 in eight hours of work. Think about it. In 8 hours, you can build a full business. This is a complete waste of time. I don’t recommend it, and I’m not here to tell you to go click on ads.
Method 2: Monetizing Your Website With Ads (We Want Something More Stable)
The second method is monetizing your website with ads. For example, using Google AdSense, BuySellAds, or any ad network.
You put ads on your website, visitors click on them, and you earn money. Here’s a real example:
11,000 views, 43 clicks, and a CPC (cost per click) of $0.12. Making our total earnings around $5.
That’s fine. Many people make thousands from this method. But today, we’re not here to monetize with ads. We want something more professional, more stable.
Method 3: Affiliate Marketing 2.0 (Our Main Method)
The third method we will discuss is affiliate marketing. But not the old spammy way. We’re talking about affiliate marketing 2.0 in the AI era. Many things have changed, and you’ll see what I mean with real examples.
Using this method, I made around $100 yesterday. This month, around $859. Last month, around $982.
It’s a stable income every month, or at least an additional income source. What’s really nice? You can do this for 2 hours a day besides your main job or if you’re a student.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
In case you’re a beginner, affiliate marketing is simple:
- Pick a product online (not your product)
- It can be a physical product or a digital product, like software or a course
- You promote it online
- When someone clicks on your affiliate link and buys the product, you make a commission
I’ll show you today the full journey from picking your product, promoting it, and getting your first income.
Why This Strategy is Great for Beginners
- ✅ You don’t need to have a website
- ✅ You don’t need to build a product yourself
- ✅ You don’t need money to start
- ✅ You don’t need an audience
All you need is to invest 2 hours a day and follow exactly what I’m going to show you.
What Makes Affiliate Marketing 2.0 Different?
Affiliate marketing 2.0 has mainly three pillars:
Pillar 1: Genuinely Help People
You shouldn’t be spamming links everywhere; instead, you should work on creating value first. When you help people solve real problems, they trust you. And trust converts.
Pillar 2: Use Free Platforms That Already Have Millions of Users
You don’t need to build your own traffic. Platforms like YouTube, Medium, Substack, and LinkedIn already have millions of users looking for solutions. So, post your content there.
Pillar 3: Use the Power of AI Throughout the Journey
AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can help you find products, brainstorm content ideas, and even draft your content. On each step of the way, you can use AI to be more efficient.
If you combine these three pillars and follow exactly what I’ll show you, there’s little to no chance you fail with this strategy.
Step 1: Find The Right Product to Promote
There are many ways can help you find product ideas, but most of the ideas aren’t that good or profitable. So, here are 3 ways that I personally use to find profitable affiliate products.
Method 1: Use Affiliate Marketplaces
Use platforms like:
You can filter through thousands of affiliate programs, check categories, and look at network earnings to decide.
Another option is to use Product Hunt or AppSumo to find digital products with affiliate programs.
Method 2: Promote Products You Already Use (BEST METHOD)
A better approach is to pick the products you’re already using.
- If you use a hosting service you’re comfortable with, promote it
- If you use an AI tool, an email marketing tool, or a physical product, recommend what you tested
This is the best way to pick an affiliate product because you can speak from experience. For example, I promote Contabo, which is a VPS company, and they have an affiliate program through CJ.
Method 3: Use AI to Discover Hidden Programs
Use AI tools like ChatGPT with web search or Perplexity. Here’s an example prompt: “List 10 products in home and fitness with affiliate programs and good commissions.”
Or, if you already have some product ideas in mind but they dont have a good affiliate program, try this prompt: “Suggest alternatives to [product name] with better affiliate commissions.”
My Recommendation: Pick one product for now. In my case, I picked Contabo because I’ve been using it for years, I love the service, and the pricing is good.
Step 2: Create Your Trackable Link (CRUCIAL STEP)
If you share a normal product link, the company won’t know you referred the customer. That’s why you need your own affiliate trackable link.
- Normal Link: https://contabo.com/
- Affiliate Link: https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100202214-15022370 (I got from CJ)
- Branded Short Link: https://learnwithhasan.com/refer/contabo
Each company has an affiliate system or works with networks like CJ. For example, inside CJ, you can get links and banners for Contabo. These are your unique links, and that’s how they track referrals.
Create Managed, Brandable Links
Never use the raw affiliate link directly. Why? If the company disables or changes the link, all your promotions will break. All your content becomes useless.
Instead, create your own managed, brandable link, like my link that I showed you above.
You have 2 options to do that:
Option 1: If you have a WordPress website.
Use a plugin like Pretty Links. This lets you create a short link that redirects to your affiliate link. If the original link changes, you only need to update it once in Pretty Links, and all your content will continue to work.
Option 2: If you don’t have a WordPress website.
Use services like Short.io, which gives you free short links with tracking.
This way, you have full control over your links and can track clicks.
Step 3: Promote It (The Most Important Part)
Many affiliate programs may require you to have an online presence to get accepted. Some accept beginners with no website or audience.
Don’t let this discourage you. With a bit of searching, you can find beginner-friendly programs.
The Mindset Shift You Need
Promotion is the most difficult part, but also the most important. It requires a mindset shift.
Stop focusing on making money. Start focusing on helping people.
When you help people and recommend products naturally, they will trust you and happily buy through your links.
You Don’t Need a Website or Money
Platforms like YouTube, Medium, Substack, and LinkedIn already have millions of users.
- If you enjoy video, start on YouTube
- If not, Substack and Medium are great for writing
These platforms are free, and they let you reach millions of people without needing an existing audience.
How to Create Content That Converts
As a beginner, you may struggle with what content to create. The idea is to create helpful guides where the product is naturally mentioned.
Example: If you’re promoting a hosting service, create a tutorial on “How to Build a Website in 30 Minutes” and naturally recommend the hosting company in the process.
Let AI Help You
AI can help you brainstorm content ideas like:
- Tutorial ideas
- Problem-solution posts
- Comparison articles where your product fits naturally
Then, it’s time to create the content. You can use AI to draft content, but don’t just copy and paste.
This saves time while keeping quality high.
What to Expect in Your First Week
Let me be honest with you.
Your first pieces of content may get very few views and no conversions. That’s completely normal.
Most people quit too early.
But here’s the truth: Every piece of content you publish is an asset that works for you 24/7. Over time, helpful content can become a passive income source.
I have a YouTube video that went viral and is getting me most of the revenue I showed you at the beginning of this post.
As you can see, it blew up in correspondence to the other videos.
The Action Steps
Stop thinking only about money. Start thinking about how you can help more people.
Money becomes a byproduct.
You don’t need:
- ❌ A product
- ❌ A website
- ❌ A budget
- ❌ An existing audience
You just need:
- ✅ Pick your affiliate product
- ✅ Create helpful content
- ✅ Promote it naturally
That’s it. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll help you get started.
