Has it ever happened to you to need some extra cash? I bet it has. Maybe your washing machine broke down or you really want a pair of shoes that are sorta over your usual shoes budget or you found an awesome flight deal to visit your cousin in Italy? Of course. The list can go on and on.

The major problem is that, besides your job, you don’t have much spare time to do other side jobs. And maybe you do, but you don’t feel like it. You’d rather stay home and watch TV or hang out at the mall or have a beer with the guys.

Let me tell you a very interesting story on how you can make some extra cash with minimum effort. No, it’s not about a multi level marketing network or Forex transactions and you don’t have to do anything to put yourself out of your comfort zone.

We talked to one of our affiliates, who started to do affiliate marketing in 2011, when he was managing a couple of websites and considered affiliation as a good way to make those site generate some money.

Ok, you’ll say, but this guy knows about internet, websites and things like that. Not everybody is good at this.

Of course NOT.

However, for a while now, our guy siezed his affiliate activity, as well as the website management. He now has a full time job in the IT field and doesn’t have enough time for other projects. But he knows a thing or two about laptops, smartphones, computer screens, tablets etc. And he is often asked by friends, family or colleagues to help them purchase the right device for them. So he is very nice and helps them out, by giving them a few tips. And an affiliate link. 🙂

So every now and then he makes a nice commission from the recommendations he makes. That is because he has knowledge about this kind of things he is recommending and he is also nice and helpful with people asking for his advice.

Of course everyone is good at something. It’s hard to believe you don’t have something you are good at and that you could recommend to people.

Look here, a list with all the categories that the over 500 affiliate programs in 2Performant belong to. It could help you discover your hidden talents and knowledge.

Have you looked well? It’s impossible that you are not a connoisseur of at least one of them. Although I bet you are good at several.

Plus that we are talking about well known online stores or brands, like Elefant, Vodafone, Orange, Avon, Answear, Zoot.

Here, for example, you can recommend your friends or family where to buy from a nice watch, a piece of jewelry, a wine, cool home and garden decorations, books, a smartphone, not to mention clothes and shoes. Everybody is a fashion stylist! Don’t you know the popular question: “Do you have any idea for a present for our friend?“?

Do I have your attention now, or are you still confused? Here’s what you should do to make some extra cash by recommending products to people you know, in 10 super simple steps:

1. You discover the areas where you could pass as a connoisseur in front of your friends, familiy or colleagues. 

2. You create an affiliate account here.

3. You fill in your affiliate profile here. Add a website, if you have one. If you don’t, add your personal Facebook account link.

4. Check again the categories you are good at and start applying to affiliate programs in those respective categories. You can find them in your account, here, or in the list above.

5. You are all ears to the needs and questions of the ones around you and you don’t hesitate to give some advice and recommend products from the stores that accepted you in their affiliate programs. You can find them here.

6. Before sending the product link to your friend in need, go back to the platform and convert it to an affiliate link. Look here how it can be done.

7.  Check here you clicks and commissions and if the one you helped followed your advice and bought from that website.

8. If he did and bought the product you told him, you can buy him a drink from the commission you will cash in!

9. Repeat on and on from no. 5 downwards. 🙂

10. Follow the 2Performant Blog and our Facebook page,  and maybe, little by little, you start enjoying this and you will want more from affiliate marketing.

Befor you get to no. 1, check those shoes again. Or think of that trip you have been dreaming of. Just so you feel more motivated! 🙂

Good luck with your recommendations and commissions!