I believe in the service Veggie Meal-Maker provides. We use it regularly for our own meal-planning, shopping and cooking. Being a part of the affiliate program is just a potential payback for promoting something I already have a desire to promote. (In the same way I write PicMonkey tutorials and hope others will use that free service, even though they don't have an affiliate program... yet.)
There's a few things to know about affiliate programs, how to use them organicly, and some specifics on taking part in Veggie Meal-Maker's affiliate program.
Affiliate programs are an opportunity to promote a product or service you believe in, and the company that offers that product or service then gives you a small commission, often a percentage of sales generated from your organic promotion. This is done at no extra cost to the customer, and is most effective with products or services the blogger already uses and loves.
Affiliate Tip 1 | Be original.
Take your own photos, and come up with your own series or posts to promote the product or service. Make sure it fits with the brand and feel you already have going on your site.Every time I use Veggie Meal-Maker, I want to shout to the world--You're missing out! With a little prodding from my husband, I finally realized my blog is a great place to do just that. I wrote down my personal favorite parts of the site and what I really wanted others to know. Then, I took pictures to capture what meal-planning looks like through Beginner Beans' eyes, and even edited screen shots to look a little more artsy. While I use affiliate links in this series, the content is all mine and fits with my blog.
Affiliate Tip 2 | Be honest.
If you include any affiliate link in a post that could potentially lead to you earning money, you're required to tell your readers. There are a variety of ways to communicate this, and I came up with my statement (at the end of this post) from Jessica Turner and Jeff Goins. Jessica's is short and simple (see at the end of this >> post). Jeff Goins changes his (see examples at the ends of this >> post, this >> one, and this >> one).Affiliate Tip 3 | Don't overdo it.
Of course, everyone has differing opinions on how much is too much when it comes to promoting. (Maybe some of you feel I overdid it with this series.) Step back and consider if you'd be appreciative of someone promoting the way you are, or if you'd be annoyed by it. Be honest, and consider how to tweak it to be helpful and informative. I also feel how much you believe in what you're promoting determines how far is too far. How would you pursue this post / series / promotion if you weren't getting some sort of return? That's probably a good starting point to make sure you're not just selling out for money. (Sidenote: no affiliate program is worth changing your reputation.)Become a Veggie Meal-Maker Affiliate
Why promote Veggie Meal-Maker? The best reason is because you use the service and feel others would benefit from it, too. The added bonus is that they give you 20% of any sales generated from your referrals. 20% is already a good amount (Amazon gives less than 10%), but they go one step further: Veggie Meal-Maker continues giving you 20% each time your referrals renew their subscriptions. That's pretty generous, right?That means if 100 people decided to sign up for the 30-day free trial from one of your affiliate links, you would have 100 "referrals" even though they are not paying customers. Veggie Meal-Maker will continue tracking these for you. For any that eventually decide to sign up for a month, you will receive 20% of $8 each month they pay. For any that decide to sign up for a year, you will receive 20% of $72 each year they pay. Just a little thank you for promoting something you already use and believe in.
Here's how to get started....
1 >> Go to "My Account" in the top right corner. (Sign-up for a free 30-day trial >> here, if you haven't already done so.)
2 >> Scroll to the middle of the screen and find "Veggie Meal-Maker Referral Program" on the right.
3 >> "Promotion tools" takes you to affiliate links to use in blog posts and ads to use in your sidebar, all tracked by Veggie Meal-Maker.
That's it! Start spreading the meal-planning love, and start seeing the rewards.
Posts to help you heart meal-planning...
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mobile shopping list + recipes
saving money on groceries
disclosure: affiliate link used in this post. if you buy anything through it, i get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
