Hey everyone,
I’m kicking off a brand-new affiliate marketing journey, and this time I’m documenting every step. The idea is simple: take a passion project — in my case, woodworking — and turn it into a profitable affiliate site by buying targeted traffic instead of relying solely on slow organic growth.
My history with affiliate sites goes back over a decade. I built my first one at 16, but like many beginners, I gave up after six months when the results didn’t come. Since then, I’ve had several attempts, some barely making a dent, others showing potential but abandoned too early.
In fact, one of my previous sites even made money after I let the domain expire — I found out months later by accident when checking my affiliate account. That was a hard lesson in patience and persistence.
Now, I’m ready to approach things differently: with a clear plan, a set budget, and a defined testing process.
Domain: woodworkcasestudies.com (already purchased for $10)
Niche: Woodworking plans and projects
Setup Cost: $250 paid to a freelancer for creating an affiliate funnel with BuilderAll — includes a landing page and a 7-email sequence promoting a Clickbank woodworking product.
Goal: Build a subscriber list and convert them into paying customers while providing free, valuable woodworking content.
Once I move into a bigger space in a couple of months, I plan to create actual woodworking project case studies. These will be added to the email series, increasing engagement and trust with my subscribers.
One of the challenges in my past projects was the painfully slow traffic growth. This time, I’m fast-tracking the process by testing paid “targeted traffic” providers — a controversial topic in affiliate marketing circles. Many people claim they’re useless, but I want to find out for myself.
Here’s the plan:
The winner will get a final large-scale test with their biggest package to see how they perform on volume.
I’m setting my expectations conservatively, knowing that traffic quality will vary and that some providers might not deliver the full promised volume.
For my first trial, I chose a provider offering 10,000–15,000 targeted visitors for $67. The interesting part is they allow targeting by sub-niche, so I’ve zeroed in on “woodworking plans” within the UK market.
Order details:
The order is placed, and the countdown begins. I’ll be tracking results closely — opt-ins, engagement, and eventual sales — and posting updates weekly.
Final Thought for Now:
This is part experiment, part accountability project. I know the risks, but I also know that without testing, there’s no way to find out what works. Over the next 6 months, I’ll have hard data on whether buying targeted traffic for an affiliate funnel is a smart shortcut or a waste of money.
Stay tuned — the sawdust is just starting to fly.
I’m kicking off a brand-new affiliate marketing journey, and this time I’m documenting every step. The idea is simple: take a passion project — in my case, woodworking — and turn it into a profitable affiliate site by buying targeted traffic instead of relying solely on slow organic growth.
Why This Experiment?
My history with affiliate sites goes back over a decade. I built my first one at 16, but like many beginners, I gave up after six months when the results didn’t come. Since then, I’ve had several attempts, some barely making a dent, others showing potential but abandoned too early.
In fact, one of my previous sites even made money after I let the domain expire — I found out months later by accident when checking my affiliate account. That was a hard lesson in patience and persistence.
Now, I’m ready to approach things differently: with a clear plan, a set budget, and a defined testing process.
The Project Setup
Domain: woodworkcasestudies.com (already purchased for $10)
Niche: Woodworking plans and projects
Setup Cost: $250 paid to a freelancer for creating an affiliate funnel with BuilderAll — includes a landing page and a 7-email sequence promoting a Clickbank woodworking product.
Goal: Build a subscriber list and convert them into paying customers while providing free, valuable woodworking content.
Once I move into a bigger space in a couple of months, I plan to create actual woodworking project case studies. These will be added to the email series, increasing engagement and trust with my subscribers.
The Traffic Strategy
One of the challenges in my past projects was the painfully slow traffic growth. This time, I’m fast-tracking the process by testing paid “targeted traffic” providers — a controversial topic in affiliate marketing circles. Many people claim they’re useless, but I want to find out for myself.
Here’s the plan:
- Test 6 different providers over the next 6 months.
- Order a package of around 10,000 visitors over 30 days from each.
- Spend no more than $100 per package ($600 total traffic budget).
- Track conversions from each provider to find the most effective one.
The winner will get a final large-scale test with their biggest package to see how they perform on volume.
The Numbers I’m Aiming For
- Total visitors over 6 months: ~60,000
- Email subscribers: 2,000 (3% opt-in rate)
- Sales: 60 (3% conversion from subscriber to buyer)
- Commission per sale: $55
- Projected revenue: $3,300
- Projected profit: $2,440 after expenses
I’m setting my expectations conservatively, knowing that traffic quality will vary and that some providers might not deliver the full promised volume.
First Test — TrafficGiga
For my first trial, I chose a provider offering 10,000–15,000 targeted visitors for $67. The interesting part is they allow targeting by sub-niche, so I’ve zeroed in on “woodworking plans” within the UK market.
Order details:
- Provider: TrafficGiga
- Package: Plus
- Visitors: 10,000–15,000
- Price: $67
- Target GEO: UK
- Niche: Woodworking plans
- Order date: June 12, 2019
The order is placed, and the countdown begins. I’ll be tracking results closely — opt-ins, engagement, and eventual sales — and posting updates weekly.
Final Thought for Now:
This is part experiment, part accountability project. I know the risks, but I also know that without testing, there’s no way to find out what works. Over the next 6 months, I’ll have hard data on whether buying targeted traffic for an affiliate funnel is a smart shortcut or a waste of money.
Stay tuned — the sawdust is just starting to fly.