How do I start affiliate marketing with no experience?

Forget the polished playbook. Toss it.

You wanna know what keeps most people stuck at "How do I start affiliate marketing with no experience?" It’s not a lack of tools. Not money. Not even time. It’s clinging to rules that were invented in the era of dial-up and Yahoo Answers. And those rules? They're choking the life out of your momentum.

Because here's the thing: The longer you try to imitate someone else’s blueprint, the longer you delay discovering your own.

Rule #1: Pick a niche before you do anything.

Oh boy. This one. It’s the golden calf of affiliate advice. “Pick a niche!” they cry. Like it’s some kind of Hogwarts Sorting Hat.

And look, it’s not bad advice. But if you’re new? It’s paralyzing.

I spent a week once trying to decide between “productivity hacks for solopreneurs” and “eco-friendly kitchen gadgets.” Ridiculous. Neither felt right, and nothing got done. Zero blog posts. Zero links. Just spreadsheets full of indecision.

Try this instead: Follow your curiosity like a slightly drunk bloodhound. Promote something you’ve used, even casually. Test what’s fun to talk about. Let your niche emerge organically. It’s not marriage, it’s dating.

Rule #2: You need a website.

Not true. Not anymore.

It’s 2025. You can build an entire micro-brand on TikTok, or Substack, or even, wait for it, Notion. Websites are cool, but if you’re just starting? They’re often a black hole of overthinking.

I know someone who made her first $200 in affiliate commissions from five Instagram Reels and one affiliate-friendly Linktree. That’s it. No blog. No logo. Just consistency, honesty, and really good hooks.

Do this: Start where you already are. Facebook? Cool. Reddit? Wild, but doable. Medium? Underrated. Get the reps in before you get the domain.

Google sites are also a great place to start and they get ranked by the AI search engines because they are Google real estate. Here is my google site I put together in a few days with the help of AI. Make Money with Rod Google Site. Or you could use Blogger and Google sites together.

Rule #3: Pick one affiliate program and go all in.

Yeah, that sounds smart, until your one program slashes commissions overnight (hi Amazon). Or decides your account looks fishy and bans you. True story. Happened to a friend last month. He didn’t even get a warning. Just poof. Gone.

A better play: Build a toolkit, not a mousetrap. Promote a few things that make sense together. Think: email platform + landing page tool + productivity app. Not 17 random links. Not one sacred cow.

Spread your risk. Multiply your chances.

Rule #4: You need to be an expert.

Nah. You just need to be a few steps ahead, or willing to share the mess.

When I first started, I thought I had to look like I had it all figured out. Polished bios. Perfect funnels. Big words. It was exhausting. And it didn’t work.

The shift? I stopped trying to teach. Started documenting. “Here’s what I tried, what flopped, and what sorta worked.”

Boom. People paid attention. Because they saw themselves in the struggle.

Reality check: The world doesn’t need more experts. It needs more explorers.

Rule #5: Follow the gurus.

Please. Don’t.

Look, some of them are great. But most are just recycling content. Or worse, selling courses about selling courses.

Their funnel might not work for you. Their niche might not fit. Their energy might drain you.

Instead: Take what resonates. Leave the rest. Cherry-pick until you’ve got something weird and wonderful and yours.

It won’t look like anyone else’s path. That’s the point.

You’re Allowed to Start Messy

Let me tell you something raw: I’ve launched campaigns with broken links. Promoted tools I later stopped using. Switched platforms mid-strategy. And guess what? Still made money. Still learned. Still moved forward.

Affiliate marketing rewards the persistent tinkerers, not the perfect planners.

So if you’re sitting there with zero experience, zero niche, and 47 YouTube tabs open? Close half of them. Open a notepad. Jot down one thing you could share today, something helpful, something honest, and start there.

It’ll be awkward. You’ll cringe at your early stuff. But that’s how you know you’re growing.

Ready to start affiliate marketing with no experience?

Good. Then ditch the rules.

Just begin.

If you want to join an eco-system first and check it out, MAP offers free membership for as long as you want and they will pay you a 25% commission even on Free.