Affiliate Marketing Guide: How to Succeed in 2025?

Affiliate marketing is one of the simplest, most flexible, and most profitable ways to generate income online. Whether you're a content creator, freelancer, entrepreneur, or simply passionate about the web, this strategy can transform your business. In this guide, you'll discover how affiliate marketing works, how to get started effectively, and, most importantly, how to generate regular income using concrete techniques.

Affiliate marketing is a strategy in which a person (called an affiliate) recommends the products or services of a company (advertiser) and earns a commission each time an action is taken via their affiliate link.

This action can be a sale, a registration, a click, or even just a visit, depending on the terms of the program.

In concrete terms, the affiliate does not sell anything themselves: they redirect their audience (readers, subscribers, visitors, etc.) to the advertiser's offer via a trackable link, provided by an affiliate platform or directly by the brand.

There are four key players:

The advertiser (the brand offering a product)

The affiliate (you, who promotes the product)

The consumer (who buys or clicks)

The platform (which manages links, commissions, and statistics)

💡 Simple example: you recommend a tool like Emelia.io on your blog. Someone clicks on your link

• You don't need to create a product

• You can work at your own pace, from wherever you want

• It's scalable: the more content you create, the more passive income you can generate

In 2025, with the explosion of content creators and no-code tools, affiliate marketing is experiencing a renaissance.

• Passive income: you create content once, and it can earn you money for months or even years

• No product management or customer service

• Accessible to everyone: no capital or degree required

• Compatible with a job or other activities

• Controlled costs: they only pay if an action is taken

• Marketing leverage: each affiliate becomes an acquisition channel

• Measurable: everything is trackable (clicks, conversions, etc.)

🧮 Useful statistic: in 2025, 81% of e-commerce brands will use at least one affiliate program, according to a study by Statista.

This is the starting point. Your niche must:

• Be something you are passionate about

• Be monetizable

• Have real demand

🎯 Examples of popular niches: personal development, crypto, personal finance, digital marketing, parenting, sports, SaaS tools.

You need to create a channel to distribute your content:

• Blog or WordPress site (classic but powerful in SEO)

• YouTube channel

• Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn account

• Newsletter

The secret: provide value for free before recommending anything.

Opt for:

• Products you know or would use

• Programs with good commission rates

• Stable and reliable programs (regular payment, good support)

💡 Examples: Emelia.io (20% commission), Amazon Associates (low commission but very simple), ClickBank (for digital products), LemonSqueezy (for software).

Effective formats:

• Comparisons (“Best emailing software 2025”)

• Tutorials (“How to use Notion + affiliate bonus”)

• Resource lists (“My favorite tools for freelancers”)

🎥 Tip: “product test” or “honest review” videos convert very well.

Use the platforms' tools to:

• Analyze your clicks

• Track your conversions

• Test different links, content, titles, etc.

• Affiliate marketing is all about testing and optimization.

Product types: e-commerce, retail, fashion, electronics, travel (Boulanger, Booking, Etsy, Nike, etc.)

Ideal users: bloggers, influencers, comparison sites, YouTubers in consumer-oriented fields

How it works: you sign up on Awin, then you can apply for individual programs on their interface.

💡 Concrete example: a travel blog can sign up on Awin, apply for the Booking.com program, then integrate affiliate links into its articles or newsletters.

Type of products: training courses, e-books, audio (personal development, seduction, trading, coaching)

Ideal users: bloggers on specific topics, creators in the “money,” personal development, or seduction niche

How it works: French platform with digital products to promote

💡 Concrete example: if you have a blog on personal development, you can choose an e-book to promote on 1TPE and integrate your affiliate link into an article such as “How to have more self-confidence.”

Many companies manage their own programs, often with more attractive commissions.

Emelia.io is a highly effective French cold emailing solution, particularly popular with freelancers.

It offers an attractive affiliate program, with a 20% recurring commission on each subscription generated.

As an affiliate, you can recommend a truly useful tool that is easy to use and has a very active B2B target audience, including freelancers, SDRs, consultants, and marketers.

Commissions: Up to 50% on the first annual payment

Product type: Note-taking tool, project management, database

Why is it interesting?

Very popular in the productivity, freelance, and solopreneur niches

Ability to create tutorials, templates, and mini-training courses

Strong viral effect: those who adopt it recommend it to others

Commissions: HubSpot offers several options:

• 30% recurring commission (up to 1 year) on paid plans, or

• 100% of the first month's payment, capped at $1,000 per product sold (e.g., Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, CMS, etc.)

• The program offers 180-day cookie tracking (or 90 days depending on the source) and allows you to choose from several commission models

• You can therefore choose between recurring or high one-time payments depending on your affiliate strategy

• Renowned worldwide (particularly in B2B)

• Targeted at startups, agencies, and growing SMEs

• Very broad offering, allowing you to reach different segments

• Support and marketing resources for affiliates

• 1TPE: French digital products

• Kooneo: similar to ClickBank but French-speaking

• Amazon.fr Partners: low commission, but high conversion rate

Creating Google-optimized content (blog articles, guides) is a highly profitable long-term strategy.

🔍 Tip: target long-tail keywords such as “best emailing tool for coaches 2025.”

Building an email list allows you to:

• Build audience loyalty

• Promote products gently

• Create an automated sales funnel

Example: offer a free e-book → email sequence → affiliate link

TikTok, Instagram, YouTube = short formats, massive audience.

🎥 A viral video can generate hundreds of affiliate clicks in a matter of hours.

You should only recommend what you consider useful. This is what makes the difference between a one-time sale and a loyal community.

💡 Tip: talk about your personal experience with the products.

You can ruin your reputation for a few dollars. If a product is bad, don't recommend it, even if it's very profitable.

The law (GDPR, European advertising directive) requires you to clearly indicate that you are using affiliate links.

Example of a disclaimer:

“Some links are affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you.”

If you don't know what works, you can't improve.

Analyze your data every week.

Affiliate marketing isn't about bombarding people with links. It's about building a long-term relationship of trust.

Tibo InShape is one of the most popular fitness YouTubers in France, with millions of subscribers. He made a name for himself with his videos on bodybuilding, challenges, humor, and interviews.

Tibo has monetized his fame in several ways: YouTube Ads, his clothing brand, partnerships... but also through affiliate marketing, particularly with dietary supplement brands such as MyProtein.

1. Recommendations in his videos: he incorporates product placements into his content (shakers, whey, BCAA, etc.) with promo codes and affiliate links.

2. Personalized code: he offers a “TIBO” code that gives his subscribers a discount, which encourages them to buy while paying him for each order.

3. Multi-platform visibility: in addition to YouTube, he shares affiliate links on:

Instagram (stories with swipe-up or link in bio)

TikTok

Video descriptions

Newsletters or program descriptions

Although the exact figures are not public, estimates suggest:

• Tens of thousands of euros per month generated through his affiliate links and promo codes.

• A significant portion of his passive income comes from affiliate marketing, thanks to his huge audience and consistency.

• Massive and highly targeted audience (fitness/bodybuilding)

• Trust and closeness with his community

• Products tailored to his niche (dietary supplements)

• Incentive promo codes

• Multi-platform exposure

In 2025, opportunities to generate income online have never been more accessible. Affiliate marketing is a powerful lever, but it relies on:

• The value you bring

• The trust you build

• The consistency of your efforts

If you choose your niche wisely, create useful content, and remain consistent, you can generate real passive income online—without capital, without inventory, without a boss.

🎯 The best time to start was yesterday. The second-best time is now.