7 Ways to Warm Up Your Audience Before an Affiliate Promotion

Imagine for a moment that you are at a party and an acquaintance of yours tries to sell you something from someone you’ve never heard of. It’s not likely that you are going to be that interested. And yet, that is what most people try to do every time they promote and affiliate offer.

Imagine that same party and that same friend now. But instead of introducing you to someone you’ve never heard of, he introduces you to someone he’s talked about before. It’s a totally difference scenario.

If you want to really do well with affiliate promotions, you need to promote people that your audience is familiar with. And the best way to assure that is to be the one doing the introduction. By the time you start promoting someone to them, you want them familiar with who you are promoting. You want them excited to learn more about this person.

Here are 7 ways to get your audience excited about upcoming promotions.

1. Make sure you are consistently providing valuable content of your own

This almost goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway:

Don’t try to sell something if you aren’t giving something first.

Before you promote someone else (or yourself) make sure you are consistently providing your audience with valuable content. Keep in touch with them regularly, post often, and make sure they are warm.

Occasionally mention the product creator in a natural way. Quote him, reference a book of his, or mention that a recent post of his inspired you. Make sure to link to his web site (ask for an affiliate link).

2. Invite the product creator to write a guest post

A month or two prior to the actual launch, have the product creator write content for your blog.

It’s best if the post provides a quick win for the reader. Make it something they can put to use right away.

KEY POINT: At the beginning and end of the post, mention that she has an upcoming free training. Give your audience an opportunity to get on the early bird notification list. Link to an optin form that connects to your affiliate account.

Not sure what to promote? My free checklist will show you how to decide. Get it here.

3. Have the product creator on your podcast or record a video interview

A short interview or valuable lesson from the product creator is a great way to introduce him to your audience.

Focus on his personal story if possible as the point is introductory, not to sell them anything. A lot of this depends on your audience, of course. Other great ways to introduce someone are:

Have the guest teach a lesson or share a formula.
Share your own success story using the guest’s ideas.
Have the guest help you with a problem live.

Make sure to use an affiliate link if possible to link back to his site.

4. Link to content from the product creator

If you have a regular newsletter that curates content, definitely include links to the product creator’s content.

If she recently wrote a post that is relevant for your audience, share it. This even works with older content.

You should also share these on social media and if something is really good, share it in a dedicated email. Better yet, record a quick video with your top three takeaways and link to the content below the video.

5. Link to articles about the product creator

If the product creator was just profiled in Fast Company or interviewed on another big podcast, now would be a good time to introduce them to your audience.

Not only do you present him as an authority, but the article should provide a teaching opportunity.

Again, a great way to do this is to record a short video with your takeaways or an additional lesson and link to the article below it.

6. Interview a protégé of the product creator

If the product creator is unable to do an interview, find someone you know who has learned from her.

Ask her to share her story, which will inevitably lead you back to the product creator.

It’s a subtle way to get her name out there, but very effective because it provides social proof in addition to authority.

7. Offer a free training of your own on the promotion topic

Two to four weeks prior to an affiliate promotion, roll out your own mini-training.

Offer a single video or short three videos in which you talk about whatever topic is relevant. If I were promoting Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever, which launches this October, I might roll out a mini-course on goal-setting in September. Naturally I would credit Michael for my success and much of what I am sharing.

This not only builds up Michael’s name recognition, but gets me an early list of highly qualified buyers.

Ultimately, the key before any affiliate promotion is to make sure your list is warmed up well. These seven ways will help you do just that.

How do you warm up your list before an affiliate promotion?