I’m excited to share my monthly “Favorite Things” post with you. If you’re new around here, first off, WELCOME! And secondly, know that this post is a monthly glimpse into what I’m doing and buying for my own business, plus other fun resources you might be interested in. I hope you’ll enjoy reading through this post , and will take time to check out all the resources available to you! 🥰
PS: One of my favorite parts of January so far? All the snow we got this past Tuesday… Our yard was a true winter wonderland, and I loved it on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I was cold and over it… 😆
Favorite Business + Personal Resources
❄️ GET ORGANIZED
Want to get organized with your finances this year? Grab this Business Finance Tracker to make tracking expenses and income super easy in your biz.
I joined Melody’s Grow. Profit. Scale Membership last month and I love it so much! It’s super affordable, and has me getting into action each week. See all the details for yourself here.
I’m running another round of the Make More Together: 4-Week Affiliate Program Intensive for Product Sellers in March. Everyone on the waiting list gets super early bird pricing, so be sure to sign up here for the waitlist to be notified when doors open.
Last week I received a reply to my newsletter asking what the difference is between Affiliates and Influencers.
This is actually a question I get fairly often, so I thought I would write a quick blog post sharing the difference between the two.
With affiliates, you are giving them a link to promote your products and in return, they receive a commission for anything they sell. You are only paying them if they refer a sale, and you aren’t giving them free products in order for them to promote.
With influencers, you are giving them free product and paying them a fee to promote your products – regardless of if they make a sale or not through their affiliate links or promo code.
What I like about working with influencers is that even if they don’t refer sales to you, they can provide you with user generated content and help get your business name out there further. And sometimes if you work with influencers who have a following of 5k to 25k (this is a sweet spot, in my experience), they won’t require a huge fee, and are sometimes happy to work in exchange for free product. They will also still generate sales because their audience is more engaged than people who have massive audiences and are posting all sorts of products all the time.
If you are a small product based businesses wanting more sales, I recommend starting your affiliate program first and inviting your existing customers to become your affiliates (there’s a way to incentivize them to join your program and give them affiliate perks without giving them free products) and then once you have that going, start layering in influencer marketing.
Having your current/past customers become your affiliates is the “easiest” path to more sales because they already are loving your products and if they can earn a little extra moolah for sharing it with their friends and family, that’s just the icing on the cake!
If you are wanting more user generated content regardless of if any sales are made, working with influencers might be the route to go first instead of working with affiliates.
Comments Off on Increase Your Candle Sales in 2025: 3 Reasons to Start an Affiliate Program
If you’re someone who is making and selling candles in-person and online via your Shopify store, you probably already know how competitive your industry can be. Between developing unique scents, coming up with innovative designs for your vessels, and sourcing premium-quality wax, you’re constantly thinking about ways to stand out and get noticed, in addition to figuring out how to sell more candles.
Have you ever considered starting an affiliate program? If not, you might want to add an affiliate program to your marketing mix in 2025. Why? Because an affiliate program can become a powerful tool to expand the reach of your candle company, increase sales, and build brand awareness without much upfront cost.
Here are three of my favorite reasons starting an affiliate program for your candle business should be a goal for you in 2025:
1. Affiliates will help get your candles in front of new potential customers quickly
You are already out there posting your candles on Instagram, and maybe even doing some in-person markets on the weekends. Affiliates can help you get your candles in front of more potential customers quickly, because instead of just you promoting your products, you’ll have an army of affiliates on social media doing the same!
Think about it this way: If you have 5 affiliate partners, each with 1000+ followers, sharing your candles on their Insta’s, that’s potentially 5000+ new people seeing your candles and visiting your website. Even if just 5% of their audience sees the post, that’s 250ish new people checking out your candles and visiting your website. What would it look like if you had 10 affiliate partners? 20? Even 100? Think of the reach your candles could get if you spent a little time setting up your affiliate program now and pitching a few affiliate partners to talk about your candles.
2. You’ll only pay your affiliates when they make a sale for you
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model, which means you only pay affiliates when they bring in a sale of one of your candles. This makes starting your affiliate program for your candle business a low-risk investment. You’re not committing to paying for impressions or clicks like you would with traditional paid advertising; instead, you’re only paying your affiliates for actual conversions. Running Facebook ads can feel a little bit like a gamble (you have to pay Meta even if no sales are made).
3. Your affiliate program will help with your SEO rankings and your content creation
Creating an affiliate program for your candle business can help to boost your search engine rankings over time. When affiliates create blog posts, reviews, or social media content that links back to your Shopify website, those backlinks can improve your site’s SEO performance. Google values backlinks from reputable sites like your Shopify store, and more quality backlinks can translate into higher visibility for your store on search engines.
Another great benefit is that affiliates are often content creators. Depending on who you partner with to be an affiliate for your candles, they will generate fresh, engaging content that you can share, repurpose, or even use to refine your own marketing strategy. This content can be anything from candle care tips and home decor ideas to showcasing your latest seasonal scents or limited edition collections. It’s essentially free marketing content that promotes your brand without you being the one who had to spend all the time creating it. Win-win!
Whether you’re just starting out with your candle business or you are looking to scale, this guide takes the guesswork out of creating a successful affiliate program so that you can get affiliates promoting your candles ASAP.
Happy end of 2024! I love reading people’s end of year recaps and wrap up emails for two reasons: because I am nosey {lol} and because I find them inspirational and encouraging.
I personally love giving my community a behind-the-scenes glimpse into my own business, so today I’m sharing my own recap of 2024. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this and that you’ll take some time to do your own end of year recap. (Share it with me if you do!)
🤓 Favorite Work Project
I led three rounds of the ✨Make More Together✨ 4-Week Affiliate Program Intensive for Product Sellers and I loved each one of them! These group Intensives are really small, which means I get to give a lot of personal attention to the product sellers who join. I can’t wait to host the next round in March. Get on the waitlist here if setting up your profitable affiliate program is one of your 2025 goals.
My two absolute favorite products I created this year:
The Affiliate Program Checklist + Monthly Task List – with this Checklist, you’ll have the exact steps to make sure your affiliate program is dialed in and driving consistent revenue. It really is the ultimate resource to help improve your existing affiliate program and ensure that your affiliates are bringing in sales for you every single month. Go here to scoop it up for just $17.
The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Affiliate Program for Your Shopify Store – this guide takes the guesswork out of creating a successful affiliate program that works for your Shopify business. Go here to scoop it up for just $10.
🧳 Favorite Trip of 2024
I went on a bunch of trips this year, and have narrowed it down to my top two!
The first was my trip to Arizona and California. I was headed to California to attend the Ultimate Product Party conference, and my mom and aunt came along and we made a vacay out of it. It was a great conference and I’m looking forward to going to some more fun conferences in 2025!
My favorite trip this year that was not business related was my cruise to Alaksa! I went with my boyfriend, his son, his dad, my mom and my aunt on a week long cruise to Alaska, then we did a five day land tour of Alaska that included a trip to Denali National Park. It was truly the trip of a lifetime, and I hope to go back one day!
📝 Favorite Learning Resource from 2024
My absolute favorite learning resource I invested in this year is the Sherose Content Club. I signed up in November and it’s already been a game changer for my Instagram content.
📅 What’s Next in 2025
I plan to host a round of the ✨Make More Together✨ 4-Week Intensive for Product Sellers every quarter. {Next round begins in March!}
I want to serve 1000+ product sellers with this checklist in 2025. Will work with affiliates and run FB ads to make it happen.
I’ve got a few events on the radar that I want to attend in person (Alt Summit, Rich Girl Cult, Powerhouse Women, and a few local-to-me events).
And I’ll continue to be just so dang grateful that I get to work with the most amazing clients and customers here at Create Your Affiliate Program.
Thank you to everyone in my entire community for being here, reading my newsletters and blogs, and purchasing resources to help you set up your own profitable affiliate programs.
Wishing you a great end to 2024 and a very Happy New Year!
Comments Off on My Favorite Small Businesses to Shop this Holiday Season
It’s super easy to shop Amazon for holiday gifts, but this year I plan to buy as many of my Christmas gifts from small businesses as possible (even if it means I have to pay shipping).
Below are a few of my favorite brands that I encourage you to check out and shop this holiday season, too!
If you are an entrepreneur, check out the bottom of this blog for some of my favorite deals for my biz friends!
I have Daisy’s body butter and it is amazing! Daisy will be running a Black Friday and a Cyber Monday Sale so be sure to check out her sales in the coming days!
Imagine never having to build a sales page from scratch ever again. Now you don’t have to with these easy-to-customize sales page templates for Kajabi from the Launch in Style Template Shop. Get 40% off the entire shop from Monday, November 25 until Monday, December 2 at 11:59pm ET when you use the code BF2024.
Optimize your business for less! For a limited time, access Lucy Reyes’ top organization and systems resourcesat half the cost. From Trello templates to courses, find everything you need to refine your systems and boost your business success. 🎁 Plus, when you spend $50+ during the Black Friday Sale, you’ll also get a Black Friday Goody Bag ($100+ Value) which includes 5 mystery gifts, including templates, bite-sized trainings, Q&A support and more!
A gorgeous, professionally designed WordPress theme made specifically for female entrepreneurs? Yes, please! Get 30% off the perfect theme for your biz during Bluchic’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale!
Don’t miss Writer’s Life for You’s Black Friday Five Days of Deals! Each day from November 26th to November 30th, a new deeply discounted offer drops for just 24 hours. From half-off resources to exclusive bundles, these deals are designed to help you grow your content and streamline your business—grab them while they last.
Please note: this blog post contains some affiliate links, but I only recommend businesses, people and products I personally know, use or have worked with. I cannot recommend the businesses above highly enough! 😊
Comments Off on Spice Up Your Thank You Pages 🥳 (and Boost Your Sales!)
Let’s talk about your thank you pages.
I’ve been working the past few weeks on my upcoming 5 Days of Deals Black Friday Sale (it begins November 25th – I’ll share a sneak peek next week!).
One of the things I have been creating are thank you pages once someone purchases to let them know their order is complete. Typically mine are pretty basic pages where I say thank you and direct them to check their inbox for their download.
However, I’ve decided to spice things up this year and freshen up my thank you pages, so I’ve been doing some research on different types of thank you pages because these thank you pages are a great opportunity to keep customers engaged and even encourage further actions.
Here are are 8 effective strategies I’ve recently learned about for making the most of your thank you pages (these ideas work great for both physical and digital product sellers):
1. Encourage Social Sharing
Add social sharing buttons so your customers can share their purchase on Instagram or Facebook.
Tip: Provide pre-written, shareable posts or images, especially if the item is something they’d be proud to show off. 2. Invite Your Customers to Join Your Community
If you have a Facebook group or online community where they can interact with other buyers, pop the link to join on your thank you page! This will work especially well if you are a brand with a passionate following or products that encourage user creativity or improvement.
Comments Off on You can’t compete with Amazon (And why that’s a good thing.)
November is here, which means the holidays aren’t far behind.
For some people, it feels like it’s too late in the year to reach the revenue goals you set for your product business.
I’ve been seeing people say things on Insta and Threads like:
I can’t compete with Amazon.
People are only paying attention to the election and then it’s going to be chaos depending on who wins.
No one is spending money on $28 candles when they can barely afford to go to the grocery store.
But there are still 56 days left in 2024 as of today.
And that’s still plenty of time to make more product sales.
Because here’s what I believe:
🤓 No, you can’t compete with Amazon. But that’s a good thing. Amazon doesn’t build relationships with its customers the same way you can on Instagram. Amazon doesn’t take the time to beautifully gift wrap the item someone purchased and include a personalized thank you card from the person who created it. You can’t compete with Jeff Bezos, so don’t even worry about it. Stay in your lane, create amazing products, and delivery exceptional customer service. {I love and recommend this book for all my product seller friends.)
🤪 Yes, people are paying attention to the election, and yes, things might be chaotic for a while. But the holidays are still going to happen. Think about it… has there ever been a year when people didn’t buy Christmas gifts? Not that I can remember. So don’t stop marketing your products now.
😍 People will absolutely still buy your $28 candle (or whatever you’re selling that you think is “too expensive” for people to buy} even if bread costs eleventy billion dollars. Christmas is happening regardless of what’s going in the world, which means gift buying will still be happening. As a product seller, you’ll want to make sure that you are getting your products in front of as many people as possible this Christmas. Facebook ads is one way to do that (but can be costly this time of year) and participating in in-person markets is another way to make more sales (though it requires a lot of your time). My favorite way of course is starting an affiliate program so you can get other people sharing your products all across the internet this holiday season.
I know you have amazing products. Don’t let what’s going on in the world discourage you from marketing your business these last 2 months of 2024.
Cheers to more sales in 2024 (and also cheers to the election texts and calls ending today! 😂)
Comments Off on 2 ways to make a little extra moolah this week
While normally I talk about setting up your own affiliate program so that others can promote your products for you, this week I want to switch gears temporarily.
What I share in this post will still help you make money, so keep reading.
Earlier this year I announced The Affiliate Program Directory, which is a list of affiliate programs you can join today!
It is designed to connect affiliates with amazing brands offering various products and resources your audience will enjoy, and that you can earn commissions by promoting!
If you are looking for great products to share with your audience, the Affiliate Program Directory is for you!
It contains a mix of physical products, services and digital products that you can begin promoting today to make extra income.
A little extra moolah is something I’ve created to show my fellow online entrepreneurs exactly how I earn a little extra money each month in my business through affiliate marketing, and how you can do the same.
This isn’t a course on how to make thousands of dollars every month sharing your affiliate links online while you sip mojitos on the beach in Miami…
This is a simple PDF of me sharing the realistic behind-the-scenes of how I, as an online course creator and digital product seller, make an extra $200-$500 a month through simple, repeatable, easy to implement affiliate marketing strategies.
Comments Off on 20 Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Online Shop
Below is a list of 20 ways to get more traffic – aka potential customers – visiting your online shop.
My favorites are ideas 1, 3, 5, 12 and 19 – they would be the fastest ideas to implement from the list if you are wanting to make more sales asap.
I sprinkled in some resources that align with some of the ideas below, too. They are my affiliate links but as always I only recommend resources I personally love and use.
Okay, let’s hop into the list….
🚦 20 ways to get more traffic to your online shop 🚦
Run paid Social Media Ads 📲 – Use Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest ads to target your ideal customers and direct them to your website. I highly recommend Jana Bishop’s Facebook ads course.
Start a Blog 📝 – Share helpful tips, stories, and product insights to boost SEO for your website. If you’re worried you won’t have enough ideas, check out Lucy’s Endless Content Ideas Bank.
Collaborate with Influencers 💁♀️ – Partner with influencers who align with your products to promote your products. Influencers in the 5k to 25k followers range seem to be the sweet spot with my clients – they are often willing to promote in exchange for free product and a commission without requiring large fees.
Start an Affiliate Program 🤝 – Reward people with commissions for promoting your products and driving traffic to your site. Get started here.
Offer Time-Sensitive Discounts ⏳ – Run flash sales or limited-time offers to create urgency.
Create Eye-Catching Pinterest Pins 📌 – Pin your products, blogs, and gift guides on Pinterest to boost visibility.
Start an Email Newsletter 📧 – Build an email list and share regular updates, promotions, and product launches.
Go Live on Social Media 🎥 – Host live product demos, Q&As, or behind-the-scenes IG lives to engage your audience and get them curious about what you are offering.
Optimize Your Website for SEO 🔍 – Make sure your product titles, descriptions, and images are SEO-friendly to improve search rankings. This isn’t a “get traffic quick” strategy but definitely something you should be doing for long-term growth.
Run a Referral Program 💬 – Give customers rewards for referring friends to your Shopify store.
Use TikTok Trends 🎶 – Jump on TikTok trends to showcase your products in a fun, engaging way.
Host a Giveaway 🎁 – Collaborate with other brands or influencers for a giveaway to expand your reach.
Collaborate on a Bundle 📦 – Partner with another brand to create a special bundle and promote it to both audiences. One of my favorite brands, Wondermint Goods, does a great job of partnering with others brands.
Leverage User-Generated Content 📸 – Share reviews, testimonials, and customer photos on your website and social channels, and tag the creators if you can so their audiences see it, too.
Write Guest Blog Posts ✍️ – Partner with other websites to write guest posts and link back to your Shopify store. For example, if you sell stationary, you might write a blog post for coaches on the power of sending thank you cards to your clients. Or you could write a blog post on how best to address Christmas cards.
Start a YouTube Channel 🎬 – Create tutorials, unboxings, or product reviews to attract new customers.
Run Google Ads 💻 – Use Google Ads to show your products at the top of relevant search results.
Partner with Local Businesses 🏙️ – Collaborate with local stores to promote your products to their customers. If you sell physical products, this is also a really great way to start building relationships so you can get more wholesale orders for your products. (Side note: Cat with Kitty Meow Boutique is the wholesale queen.)
Create Seasonal Promotions 🎉 – Align your marketing with seasonal events and holidays to attract new buyers. You might even consider running a Black Friday Sale for a cash-injection in November.
Engage in Facebook Groups 👥 – Join groups related to your product niche and provide value while subtly sharing your products.
Hope this helps boost your traffic. Head over here and let me know which ones you’re going to implement next!
Comments Off on Why Every Product-Based Business Needs an Affiliate Program
Ever wonder what it would actually take to get your products in front of hundreds or even thousands of potential customers every single month?
Maybe you’re already posting on social media but you find it exhausting having to post every day, keep up with the reel trends (very mindful, so demure! 🙄), and hope that the algorithm even shows your posts to people.
Yes you could run Facebook ads… but phew, that might cost a small fortune trying to DIY it and figure out how to make it work.
You could work with influencers if you’re selling physical products, but then you have to pay those hefty influencer fees to have your products promoted with no guaranteed return on your investment.
There are so many dang ways you can market your products, it can be hard to know what to do. 😕
Ever feel like that?
If so, you’re not alone. Many product-based business owners and eCommerce brands face the challenge of finding cost-effective ways to grow their audience and increase sales.
While yes, you can run Facebook ads and post on social 24/7 and work with influencers…
But what if instead you could have others promoting your products for you?
That’s why I’m so passionate about affiliate marketing and why I’m sharing this post with you to explain exactly why you you should leverage the power of partnerships to boost your brand’s visibility and revenue.
In this post, we’ll explore why your product-based business needs an affiliate program and how it can transform your marketing efforts.
🤓 What is an Affiliate Program?
Let’s start with the basics before I jump into the reasons why your product-based business needs to start an affiliate program.
An affiliate program is a marketing strategy where you have other people [your affiliates] promote your products for you and in return, they earn a commission for every sale they drive through their unique referral links.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved: your affiliates earn money for their efforts, and you gain new customers without the hefty price tag of traditional advertising.
Imagine you sell handmade jewelry, and a popular fashion blogger becomes an affiliate. They write a blog post featuring your stunning necklaces, including their affiliate link. When their readers purchase your jewelry through that link, both you and the blogger benefit. This is affiliate marketing in action—simple, effective, and scalable.
💹 Expand Your Reach Without Breaking the Bank
Having other people sell your digital and physical products also gives you the ability to reach new audiences without the upfront costs typically associated with running ads or paying influencers. Affiliate marketing is based on performance, which means you only pay a commission when an affiliate successfully drives a sale.
This pay-for-performance model is particularly exciting if you’re a small business owner without a huge marketing budget. It allows you to maximize your marketing efforts while minimizing financial risk.
Take, for example, a small skincare brand that launched an affiliate program. By partnering with beauty bloggers and asking their customers to become their affiliate partners, they could quickly reach a broader audience and see an increase in sales—all without spending a dime on ads upfront.
⚡Leverage the Power of Trust and Authenticity
I don’t know about you, but my Facebook and IG feeds are filled with ads. What sets affiliate marketing apart is the trust factor. Affiliates, especially those with established audiences, bring a level of credibility and authenticity that traditional marketing efforts simply can’t match.
Think about it: when you hear about a product from someone you trust—whether it’s a friend, a favorite blogger, or a business colleague —you’re more likely to make a purchase. Your affiliates will act as brand ambassadors, sharing their genuine experiences with your products. This word-of-mouth marketing is incredibly powerful and often leads to higher conversion rates.
💸 Boost Your Sales and Revenue
At the end of the day, the goal of any marketing strategy is to drive sales, and affiliate programs help you do just that. By tapping into the networks of your affiliates, you can increase your sales and revenue without having to be on social 24/7 or pay for expensive Facebook ads.
Affiliates bring pre-existing trust and credibility, which often results in higher conversion rates compared to cold traffic from ads. Plus, as your affiliate program grows, so does your potential for sales. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your business, an affiliate program can be a powerful tool to drive consistent revenue.
👭 Build Long-Term Relationships
One of my most favorite parts of starting an affiliate program is the opportunity to build long-term relationships with your affiliate partners. Over time, your affiliates become more than just marketing partners—they become part of your brand’s community. They’re invested in your success because it directly impacts their earnings, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
Many businesses I’ve worked with have found that their affiliates become some of their most loyal advocates, continually promoting their products and helping to drive more sales for them every single week!
If you are a digital or physical product seller, starting an affiliate program could be the missing piece in your marketing strategy puzzle. By expanding your reach, boosting sales, and building authentic relationships with your customers and affiliates, you’re setting your business up for long-term success.
If you’re ready to take your product-based business to the next level, there’s no better time to start than now.
🥳 Ready to get started?
There are a few ways I can support you!
🤓 FREE RESOURCE: Sign up for the free 5 day email series for Product Sellers… Create Your Affiliate Program. Each day you’ll get a bite-sized lesson to implement immediately to start creating a profitable affiliate program for your business so your products can start flying off the shelves because other people are selling them for you!
🛒 DIY Your Affiliate Program Set Up: You can also scoop up The Profitable Affiliate Program Template Bundle. These are the exact templates you need to create a profitable affiliate program so that other people {your affiliate partners!} can market and sell your products for you on a consistent basis! Access the template bundle today.
📅 LIVE GROUP PROGRAM: I’d love to have you join me inside ✨Make More Together ✨ 4-Week Affiliate Program Intensive for Product Sellers. This high-touch, low cost program walks you through EXACTLY how to set up your money-makin’ affiliate program so that you can sell more products every single week. Make More Together includes 1:on:1 support, 3 live group implementation sessions, templates galore, plus a Facebook community!Enroll in Make More Together here.
