July 14, 2015 in Affiliate Marketing, Marketing Matters
Affiliate Success Part 2: Build a Platform
Welcome to Affiliate Success Part 2, the next step in the Affiliate Marketing Success series!
In Part 1, we covered how to choose your niche. Now it’s time to talk about building your platform—your online home base where your authority, reputation, and audience will grow.
What Is a Platform?
A platform is your home base—your central online presence. It’s where you:
- Share your thoughts, ideas, and expertise.
- Interact with your audience.
- Establish authority and build trust.
Your platform could be a website, blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or even a forum. It’s the place people return to when they want more of what you offer.
Why You Need a Platform
Building a platform is more than just throwing up niche sites or sending traffic to random offers. It’s about creating a sustainable business foundation. Here are three key reasons:
1. Control of Your Brand and Business
Relying solely on third‑party platforms (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.) is risky. They can change their terms of service, restrict your reach, or even shut down. If that happens, you lose everything.
With your own website, you’re in control. It’s your digital home that no one can take away.
2. Trust and Reputation
A professional home base makes you look credible. When people see consistent, high‑quality content, they’re more likely to view you as an authority. That trust translates into higher engagement, more clicks on your affiliate links, and ultimately more sales.
3. Building Your Own Audience
Affiliate marketing is much easier when you have a warm audience – people who already know, like, and trust you. Without a platform, you’re just another random link in the crowd. With one, you become a trusted guide.
Platform Options
There are many ways to build a platform:
- Self‑hosted WordPress site (the most popular and flexible option).
- YouTube channel for video content.
- Podcast for audio‑first audiences.
- Facebook page or group for community building.
- Twitter/X, TikTok, or forums as supporting channels.
- Your own forum or membership site for deeper engagement.
The best approach is to make your website the centerpiece and use other platforms to support and drive traffic back to it.
For example:
- Blog → Facebook → YouTube → Website.
- Each channel supports the others, creating a network effect.
Start Small, Then Expand
Don’t try to do everything at once. Spreading yourself too thin will dilute your efforts. Instead:
- Begin with a blog/website as your foundation.
- Add one or two supporting channels (e.g., YouTube + Facebook).
- Expand into other platforms once you have the time, resources, and momentum.
Remember: marketing is a process, not a one‑time event.
Four Key Steps for Building a Platform
Step 1: Create Your Brand
When building your platform, the first decision is what type of brand you want to develop and how you’ll present it to the world.
You have two main options:
Personal Brand
Examples include:- Tony Robbins – motivational speaker, author, and life coach.
- Seth Godin – entrepreneur, speaker, and best‑selling author.
- Chris Bumstead – champion bodybuilder with 25M+ Instagram followers, Gymshark ambassador, and product line owner.
A personal brand builds trust quickly because people connect directly with you. The downside is that it’s harder to sell or step away from later, since the brand lives and dies with your name.
Business Brand
Examples include:- Amazon – the king of eCommerce.
- Vitacost – a leader in health and beauty.
- Google – the #1 search engine and more.
A business brand is easier to sell or scale with multiple contributors, but it can feel less personal and take longer to build trust.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Do you want to be the face of the brand, or build something bigger than yourself?
- Should your brand feel fun and approachable, or serious and professional?
- Do you want to position yourself as the expert, or as someone learning and sharing along the way?
There’s no single right answer – just the path that best fits your goals.
Step 2: Domain Name and Web Hosting
If you’re serious about affiliate success, don’t rely on free third‑party platforms like WordPress.com or Blogger. Instead, invest in your own domain name and self‑hosted website. For more tips see – getting the right domain name.
- Domain names cost as little as $10–15 per year.
- Choose something memorable, brandable, and trustworthy.
- Avoid going too heavy on keyword‑stuffed “SEO names.” A hybrid approach (brandable + relevant) works best.
Domain tips:
- Unique and memorable name (like Google or Yahoo).
- Personal (yourname.com) if you’re building a personal brand.
- Descriptive (with niche keywords) if you want clarity and some SEO benefit.
For registration, services like Namecheap or Google Domains are reliable.
Web hosting:
- Start with a shared hosting plan ($3–10/month).
- Upgrade later if you need more resources.
- Popular options: Hostinger (affordable, fast) or InMotion Hosting (solid support).
Step 3: Create Your Blog
Once you have your domain and hosting, it’s time to install WordPress.
Two easy options:
- Download from WordPress.org and install manually.
- Use your host’s one‑click installer (most offer this).
Next, choose a theme that represents your style:
- Free themes: Start with WordPress.org’s official repository (safe, pre‑checked).
- Premium themes ($30–$200): More customization, unique designs, faster load times, and better support.
Premium themes are worth considering because:
- Fewer sites use them, so your site looks unique.
- Built‑in features reduce the need for plugins.
- Better support and security compared to many free themes.
Step 4: Build a Mailing List From the Start
This is where many affiliates drop the ball. They skip building a list because it costs money or feels intimidating. But here’s the truth: the money is in the list.
Why email matters:
- Social posts get buried in feeds, but emails land directly in inboxes.
- Subscribers already showed interest by opting in.
- You own the list—it’s not subject to algorithm changes.
Email service providers:
- Classics: Constant Contact, GetResponse.
- Modern favorites: MailerLite, ConvertKit, Moosend.
Most offer starter plans under $20/month, making it one of the most cost‑effective investments you can make.
Your list is where you build relationships, deliver value, and eventually promote products. Done right, it becomes your most powerful business asset.
In Review…
The main reasons to build your own online platform are clear:
- Control your brand – don’t risk letting third parties dictate your presence.
- Build trust and reputation – perception shapes reality.
- Create the easiest path to success – your platform is the best place to sell.
To get started, acquire a domain name and hosting account, choose a reliable theme to build your site, and set up with an email marketing provider so you can begin growing your list from day one.
The best part? You can launch your online business for just a few hundred dollars. From there, you’ll be ready to promote quality products your audience actually wants – laying the foundation for a long‑term business that’s both affordable and sustainable.
Your brand, your audience, your future – own it from day one.