Hey everyone,
I wanted to start this Follow Along thread to share my personal journey into affiliate marketing. I’m completely new to the industry, but I’ve done enough research to understand one thing: you don’t have to be a tech genius or a marketing prodigy to make this work. You just need the right mindset, a willingness to learn, and a handful of essential skills.
When I first considered this path, I thought maybe I’d need to be a coding wizard, a master of Photoshop, or a professional copywriter before I could even run my first campaign. Turns out, that’s not true. Many successful affiliates started with zero technical background. Some didn’t speak English fluently, others had no previous marketing experience, and yet they managed to make it work. The real secret? Consistent action and the ability to adapt.
Still, there are a few basic skills I’ve realized I need to either learn or improve before going full steam ahead. Here’s what I’m focusing on:
If there’s one thing I’ve learned quickly, it’s that affiliate marketing is 50% execution and 50% research. Knowing how to dig into forums, search engines, and discussion threads to find answers is a must. I’m training myself to search smart, not just search often — finding actionable insights rather than getting lost in endless reading.
I don’t need to be a web developer, but I do need to understand the basics:
This isn’t about becoming a tech expert — it’s about being independent enough not to get stuck every time something breaks.
Numbers don’t lie in affiliate marketing, and I’ll need to understand them to make better decisions. I’m practicing with spreadsheets to:
Nothing advanced, just enough to make data work for me instead of relying on guesswork.
Creatives matter a lot in affiliate campaigns. I’m not aiming to be the next Picasso, but I am learning how to adjust images, resize them, add text, and make quick edits in Photoshop or other tools. Just enough so I can test new ideas without waiting on someone else.
This is one area I know I can’t skip. Writing headlines, ad copy, and calls-to-action that actually get clicks is a skill I want to develop from the start. I’m reading, practicing, and testing short pieces of copy so I can learn what works and what doesn’t.
All the above skills mean nothing if my mindset isn’t right. I know there will be campaigns that flop, budgets that disappear overnight, and moments where quitting seems easier. My biggest investment right now is in developing patience, resilience, and the ability to look at failures as learning steps.
This thread will be where I document my progress as I build these skills and start running my first campaigns. I’ll share what I learn, what I test, and how these skills help (or fail) in real situations.
Let’s see where this journey takes me!
I wanted to start this Follow Along thread to share my personal journey into affiliate marketing. I’m completely new to the industry, but I’ve done enough research to understand one thing: you don’t have to be a tech genius or a marketing prodigy to make this work. You just need the right mindset, a willingness to learn, and a handful of essential skills.
When I first considered this path, I thought maybe I’d need to be a coding wizard, a master of Photoshop, or a professional copywriter before I could even run my first campaign. Turns out, that’s not true. Many successful affiliates started with zero technical background. Some didn’t speak English fluently, others had no previous marketing experience, and yet they managed to make it work. The real secret? Consistent action and the ability to adapt.
Still, there are a few basic skills I’ve realized I need to either learn or improve before going full steam ahead. Here’s what I’m focusing on:
Research Skills
If there’s one thing I’ve learned quickly, it’s that affiliate marketing is 50% execution and 50% research. Knowing how to dig into forums, search engines, and discussion threads to find answers is a must. I’m training myself to search smart, not just search often — finding actionable insights rather than getting lost in endless reading.
Basic Internet & Tech Know-How
I don’t need to be a web developer, but I do need to understand the basics:
- How to upload files to a server using FTP
- What HTML is and how to tweak small things in code
- How browsers and servers communicate so I can troubleshoot issues without panicking
This isn’t about becoming a tech expert — it’s about being independent enough not to get stuck every time something breaks.
Spreadsheet Skills
Numbers don’t lie in affiliate marketing, and I’ll need to understand them to make better decisions. I’m practicing with spreadsheets to:
- Calculate ROI percentages
- Track campaign costs vs. revenue
- Spot trends in my data
Nothing advanced, just enough to make data work for me instead of relying on guesswork.
Basic Image Editing
Creatives matter a lot in affiliate campaigns. I’m not aiming to be the next Picasso, but I am learning how to adjust images, resize them, add text, and make quick edits in Photoshop or other tools. Just enough so I can test new ideas without waiting on someone else.
Copywriting Fundamentals
This is one area I know I can’t skip. Writing headlines, ad copy, and calls-to-action that actually get clicks is a skill I want to develop from the start. I’m reading, practicing, and testing short pieces of copy so I can learn what works and what doesn’t.
The Mindset Factor
All the above skills mean nothing if my mindset isn’t right. I know there will be campaigns that flop, budgets that disappear overnight, and moments where quitting seems easier. My biggest investment right now is in developing patience, resilience, and the ability to look at failures as learning steps.
This thread will be where I document my progress as I build these skills and start running my first campaigns. I’ll share what I learn, what I test, and how these skills help (or fail) in real situations.
Let’s see where this journey takes me!