A Day In The Life Of An Affiliate Marketer: The Real Pros & Cons

Affiliate marketing can help you break out of the rat race. Just imagine…

No more rush hour traffic. No office politics. No boss.

But is the life of an affiliate marketer all sunshine, rainbows and sipping Piña Coladas at the poolside?

Well, yes and no…

Though becoming an affiliate marketer has its perks (and was one of the best decisions I ever made!), like anything else in life, there are downs as well as ups. The truth is anyone can do affiliate marketing but it isn’t for everyone.

So if you’re on the fence about whether or not the affiliate marketing life is right for you, be sure to read on because I’m going to show you:

• What my average “day in the life” looks like
• What I love most about affiliate marketing
• What I don’t like so much…
• And ultimately, if affiliate marketing is worth it

Let’s do this!

A Day In The Life Of A Typical Affiliate Marketer

I should start by saying there are no two days the same – and that’s why I love about affiliate marketing!

Some days I’ll work a solid 12 hours straight, other days I hardly do anything at all. It really depends on what else is going on.

But here’s what I typically aim for:

08:00: Wake Up And Have Breakfast

One of the great things about working for yourself is you can get up whenever you feel like it. Personally, I find getting an early start helps me get a jump start on the day.

(I did go through a phase of trying to get up at 06:00 but that didn’t last long…)

I usually get up, get a shower and make my way to the kitchen. I’m on a health binge at the minute so I have chicken and rice with a whey protein shake followed quickly after with a cuppa tea (Yes, I’m British!)

09:00: Check Messages And Emails

I live in Thailand so I could grab my laptop, jump on the motorbike and head for the beach, but I’d only get sunburn and a keyboard full of sand… so I don’t! 🤣

Here’s my home office where I do the majority of work:

As I can’t realistically expect to get any real work done until I’ve had my second cuppa, I take the first 30 minutes of the workday to catch up on emails and messages. On Mondays, I’ll map out what content I’m going to be creating for the rest of the week.

09:30: The Real Work Begins!

I’m usually wide-eyed and bushy-tailed at this point so I’m ready to dive into my biggest job for the day which is usually writing. I wish I could say I was one of these super bloggers who can hash out 2,000 words in a couple of hours but it usually takes me about 4 to 6 hours.

12:00: Lunch Break

Time to stick another tub of chicken and rice into the microwave and watch a Netflix episode with the wife.

13:00: Hit Publish And Other Ad Hoc Tasks

I’ll come back, quickly check my emails, Slack, answer any comments and referral questions and crack on with the last half of the post.

My goal is always to finish writing my post, create images and hit publish by around 15:00 so I can get on with crossing things off my evergrowing to-do list.

Near the end of the day (when my brain’s starting to slow down) is a good time to do any keyword research, strategising, website updates and WordPress maintenance. Right now I’ve got a few different projects on the go and am launching a couple of new affiliate sites so there’s always a lot to get on with! 🙂

17:00: Done For The Day (Kind Of)

We moved to our Bangkok condo a few weeks back and for the first time ever, my bedroom is not my office. So far it’s been good to help maintain that all-important work/life balance.

17:00 ‘Til Bedtime

In the evenings I’ll try and fit a workout in. I’m on a strict workout plan right now to get rid of my gut and bulk up a bit and I’ve got a personal trainer to give me that added accountability.

After that, it’s winding down time. Some days we host online Bible study groups at home and some days were go out and eat Korean BBQ with friends. Most days we just watch a Netflix series.

I used to be a Google Analytics addict and old habits die hard, so I will probably check in on emails and stats one more time before heading to bed.

Getting a proper 8 hours sleep is something I’ve had to learn to prioritise as it’s the only way to stay consistent in the long term.

And that’s it really! Nothing too spectacular I’m sure, but at least you’ve got some insight into what the everyday life of an affiliate marketer looks like.

It’s not a glamourous lifestyle by any means, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else 😀

Which leads us very nicely onto…

What I Love Most About Being An Affiliate Marketer

There are so many benefits of the affiliate marketing life but these 3 are the biggest for me and why I got into affiliate marketing in the first place.

1. Freedom

Look at the life of any affiliate marketer and it’s going to look completely different. But that’s kind of the point!

With affiliate marketing, you become the master of your own destiny. Earning online gives you the freedom and flexibility to create any kind of life you want:

• Some affiliate marketers earn $150K+ a year and live the ultimate luxury lifestyle
• Some use the extra income to spend more time with their family
• Others choose to volunteer full-time for a cause they believe in

Affiliate marketing has been a real life-changer for me because it meant I could quit my UK call centre job and book a one-way ticket to Thailand.

And that’s the thing:

You can earn commissions online from anywhere in the world, on your own schedule, towards your own income goals. You are the captain of your own ship.

2. Passion = Profit

Another really cool thing about the affiliate marketing life is that you “get” to turn whatever passion you have into a thriving and profitable online business.

Whenever I talk about this I’m reminded of my old call centre jobs where I’d be hooked up to a headset babbling on about insurance, banking or loft insulation for 10 hours a day. Talk about tedious!

But as an affiliate marketer, you get to choose an affiliate marketing niche you are passionate about and actually interested in.

And yes, affiliate marketing can be fun! Whether you’re super into music, sports, pets, fitness, you get to connect with and help people who have the same interests as you, recommend products you know and love and make money in the process.

You win because you make money selling other people’s products, the affiliate company win because they just made a sale and your audience wins because they’ve found the product that solves their problem – what’s not to love about that! 😍

3. Limitless Earnings

Have you ever worked a job where you get paid by the hour and you’re constantly clockwatching? You work so hard, give it your all and yet your monthly earnings are capped.

Sure, you could wait for years in the hope of getting a pay raise but there’s no guarantee.

The best thing about being an affiliate marketer is that there’s no limit on how you can make.

I mean it!

Watch this video to see how much money you could earn as an affiliate:

Want to make an extra $1,000 a month? You can do it.

Ready to scale up to $100,000 a month? Absolutely, you can do that too.

With the right training and support, the sky is the limit!

What I Don’t Like So Much…

1. It’s An Emotional Rollercoaster For Sure

I started my first affiliate website about eight years ago and I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs…

I danced around my room like a fool when I made my first commission…

I couldn’t believe it when I had my first $1,200 day…

I was really proud when I was officially recognised as a super affiliate and went to Vegas.

But then there are days when I get overwhelmed…

Days I get nothing done…

Days I doubt myself…

And days all I wanna do is throw the laptop out the window!

If you’ve ever been an entrepreneur, I’m sure you’ll relate to this:

Once you’ve built a successful site, already got traffic and made sales, then it’s way easier to build the second one. It’s just that first time when you’re having to take other people’s word for it that’s the hardest. It’s also the biggest reason affiliate marketers fail.

2. You’ve Got To Get Used To Delayed Gratification

When you’re working a job, else you put in the hours and get a paycheque. The life of an affiliate marketer isn’t like that at all.

Probably one of the biggest shifts you’ll have to undergo is breaking out of the employee mindset and getting used to delayed gratification.

When you’re just starting out, it might take 3 months to make your first sale, 6 months for your earnings to get consistent and 12 months to replace your full-time income. Some do it quicker, some do it slower, but this is the average timescale.

And even when your online business is at full throttle, you might not see the Google rankings and affiliate payouts for the work you put in today until a couple of months down the line. It’s just how it goes.

3. You Work Hard (And Take Breaks!)

Ignore all the affiliate marketing scams out there promising easy money in record time. If you’re serious about achieving great things online then you’re gonna need to invest some good old fashioned elbow grease.

I’m trying to put you off – not at all! But I owe it to you to be honest from the start because that’s what’s going to help you succeed in the long run.

I love the freedom and flexibility that comes with living the laptop lifestyle, but it comes with a cost. You don’t need much money to start affiliate marketing, but you do need to put in the time.

This might mean saying no friends and turning down event invites sometimes. It might mean sacrificing a few evenings a week. It comes down to your schedule and work ethic but the more time you put in, the more you’ll ultimately make.

On the flip side of that, once you’ve got an established business on your hands, you can totally take a 3-month break and not feel guilty about it. I have many times! 🙂

Is Affiliate Marketing Worth it?

100% yes! Affiliate marketing is no walk at the beach but it IS definitely worth it if you are willing to work hard to get where you want to be. No other business model gives you the very real shot of earning so big with so little money down.

Is affiliate marketing right for YOU?

Are you ready to grab your financial future by the horns and achieve amazing things online?

If so, take our free affiliate marketing crash course right now »

You’ll get a step-by-step beginners course where Dale and I will show you exactly how to make your dream business a reality.

We’ll see you on the other side! 🙂