Since I formed my media company and registered it as an LLC almost 6 months ago I’ve been working hard to match my websites with affiliate advertising programs that are relevant and compatible to the sites’ content and readership.
But apparently, some of the highest-profile advertisers in some of my areas of interest expect me to work for them for free – or simply aren’t interested in my readers’ business – because they won’t admit me to their affiliate programs.
I work hard on my sites. They are family-friendly. They exist to provide people with real, useful content. The advertising is on them as a way of compensating me for the huge amount of time and effort I put in creating the sites (not to mention the expenses involved).
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that if used properly, it works for everyone. I get to select programs that are appropriate for my site and that I am comfortable using. It doesn’t cost my readers anything extra to compensate me for my services by clicking on one of my sites’ links and giving me a cut of a purchase they are making. The advertiser gets advertising – and doesn’t have to pay a dime for it unless it actually works.
So if it is a win-win situation, how come it is so hard to get into so many programs? I have been repeatedly turned down for the programs of some major advertisers on two networks I belong to, and can’t even get into one whole major network despite following instructions to the letter for my application.
I understand the need to keep spammers and "adult" sites out of their networks. I don’t understand what kind of favor anyone thinks they are doing their company by keeping my company out of their affiliate network. I may not appear to be a huge earner but then, you don’t know what potential I have until you let me try, do you? And even if I make a company only a few dollars, as far as I know being associated with me isn’t so harmful that companies need to sacrifice the future sales I could bring them to avoid it.
While I don’t mind writing something sometimes that promotes a company that doesn’t have an affiliate program, getting turned down by those who do has left a real sour taste in my mouth. I won’t work for those companies for free. I will be avoiding whenever possible writing about those companies. Why should I write about them? They apparently think they are too good to associate with me.
Another thing that I will be doing is avoiding if at all possible spending my money with those companies. After all, if they don’t think I am good enough to work with to earn them money, why should I give them the money I earn while earning other companies money? I’ll take my business elsewhere, thank you. To a company who doesn’t think it is too good to be associated with me.
I’m not sure what these programs think they are protecting themselves from when they turn me down, but I will tell you what they actually are protecting themselves from having: my money and my readers’ money. And in today’s economy, can these companies be that picky?
