How I Made My First $100 with Affiliate Marketing (And How You Can Too)

Owner | Posted on April 8, 2025 |

Making your first dollar online is a magical feeling. But making your first $100 through affiliate marketing? That’s a moment you’ll never forget—it shows you that earning money online is real.

When I started, I had no audience, no fancy website, and no marketing degree. Just curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to learn from my mistakes. In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I made my first $100 with affiliate marketing—and how you can too (maybe even faster).

The Backstory: Clueless but Determined

Like most beginners, I started by binge-watching YouTube videos about “how to make money online.” Affiliate marketing popped up again and again, so I gave it a shot.

I didn’t start with a website. I didn’t run paid ads. My only tool? A free Medium blog and a little bit of strategy.

Step 1: I Picked a Niche That Made Sense

I didn’t overthink this. I asked myself:

What do I already know?
What do people constantly ask me about?
What kind of tools do I actually use?

I picked the freelancing/tools niche—specifically, writing tools and platforms like Grammarly, Canva, and Fiverr.

Why? Because:

I used them regularly.
They were beginner-friendly.
They had active affiliate programs.

Step 2: I Signed Up for Affiliate Programs

Here’s where I started:

Fiverr Affiliates: Offers up to $150 per first-time buyer.
Grammarly Affiliate Program: Around $20–$30 per sale.
Canva Pro: Paid $36 per upgrade at the time.

The sign-up process was easy, and within a few hours, I had my affiliate links ready.

Step 3: I Created Helpful Content (Not Salesy Junk)

Instead of writing boring product reviews or spamming people with “Buy this now!” posts, I wrote genuinely useful content that answered real questions.

Example blog post titles I wrote:

“5 Tools Every Freelance Writer Needs in 2025”
“Why Grammarly Is a Game-Changer for Non-Native Writers”
“How to Land Your First Fiverr Gig (With No Experience)”

Each post had affiliate links naturally embedded within the content. No pressure. Just value.

Step 4: I Promoted It—Without Spending a Dime

I used:

Reddit: Answered questions in writing-related subreddits (without spamming).
Quora: Wrote helpful answers and linked to my blog posts when relevant.
Facebook groups: Shared my blog in value-packed posts or answered member questions.

The goal wasn’t to “go viral”—it was to get targeted traffic from people who actually cared about the topic.

And slowly but surely, the clicks started rolling in.

The First Sale… and Then a Few More

One morning, I woke up to an email:

🎉 You’ve earned $36 from a Canva Pro sale!

I literally jumped out of bed.

Within two weeks, I had:

1 Grammarly sale ($20)
1 Canva Pro upgrade ($36)
2 Fiverr sign-ups ($30 each)

Total: $116.
It wasn’t much, but it proved this model works—and it was 100% organic and free.

Lessons I Learned (That You Should Know)

Start before you’re “ready.” You don’t need a perfect blog, massive audience, or expensive tools.
Focus on helping, not selling. When people trust your advice, they’re more likely to buy.
Be patient. I had posts that didn’t get any clicks for weeks—then suddenly started performing.
Stick to products you actually believe in. Promoting things just for the payout will hurt your credibility (and your conversions).

Your Turn: How to Make Your First $100

Want to replicate my results (or do even better)? Here’s your game plan:

Pick a small niche: Something specific like “budget travel gear” or “productivity tools for students.”
Sign up for 2–3 relevant affiliate programs.
Create one genuinely helpful piece of content: A blog post, video, or even a long-form Instagram caption.
Promote it in forums, groups, or communities where people are already looking for help.
Track your links with tools like Bitly or Google Analytics.
Repeat and improve.

Final Thoughts

Affiliate marketing isn’t a one-hit wonder. That first $100 is just the beginning. The skills you build—content creation, audience targeting, trust-building—will compound over time.

If you haven’t made your first $100 yet, don’t give up. It’s real, it’s possible, and you’re closer than you think.