$100/Day Easy! How To Make Money Online With Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is not complicated. But most people treat it like it is, and the gap between how hard it actually is and how hard they are making it is the reason they never earn a single commission. In this breakdown of Alston Godbolt’s video, you are going to get the exact framework he uses to find products, create content that ranks, and close affiliate sales without an existing audience, without owning the product, and without spending a dollar on ads.

The core idea is simple: find a product that was just released to the market within the last two to three months, figure out the questions people are already typing into YouTube and Google about that product, and create content that answers those questions with your affiliate link in the description. That is the whole system. Every section below walks through how to execute it step by step.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A method for picking affiliate products that have built-in search demand from day one
The four-level content funnel that moves buyers from curious to ready to purchase
Specific search phrase formulas to target for reviews, comparisons, and how-tos
How to create affiliate content without owning the product you are promoting
A bonus strategy that steals affiliate clicks away from bigger, more established channels
The honest drawbacks of this method and what to watch out for as your content ages
Where to start if you have zero subscribers, zero traffic, and zero prior experience
A free tool to identify the online income model that fits your existing skills at finder.platformproof.com

Why Affiliate Marketing Feels Impossible When It Is Not

Most people who try affiliate marketing spend weeks researching the highest-paying commission programs, building websites, and studying SEO theory before they ever create a single piece of content. They pick a broad niche like “weight loss” or “fitness” and immediately run into channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers ranking for every keyword they want. They either give up or pivot to another overcrowded category. Neither move earns a commission.

Alston’s whole argument in this video is that the approach most beginners take is backwards. Instead of chasing the most lucrative markets at their most competitive moment, you should be chasing the newest products inside those markets. When a product is new, the interest is high but the number of creators covering it is still small. That gap is where small channels can win, and the data Alston pulls live during the video proves it.

A channel with 3,170 subscribers got more views than builderpreneur, which has 152,000 subscribers, on a ClickFunnels 2.0 review video. A channel with just 45 subscribers pulled 224 views on a ClickFunnels 2.0 cheaper alternative video. A channel with 1,000 subscribers got views on a review of the same product. None of those creators had an audience advantage. They had a timing advantage, and you can replicate it by following the same process.

Step 1: Pick a Brand-New Product

The product you pick should have been released to the market within the last two to three months. This is not an arbitrary rule. When a product is new, people are actively searching for information about it but very few creators have made content about it yet. That gap between demand and supply is where you can get traction even if your channel is brand new.

In the video, Alston uses ClickFunnels 2.0 as his primary working example. ClickFunnels released a major upgrade and it generated a wave of email campaigns, paid ads, and YouTube searches. He also references the Apple Mac Studio as a second example: a desktop computer that pulled massive search interest because Apple already had millions of people watching for their next product launch. Both share the same quality. A large marketing machine was already running before any small creator showed up. You do not need to create demand. You just need to show up with content where the demand already exists.

The products you pick should have genuine marketing behind them. A brand your cousin launched out of his basement is not the play here. You want a product from an established company that pushed it out with email lists, paid ad campaigns, and press coverage. The brand creates the interest. Your content captures it and routes it toward your affiliate link.

Step 2: Research the Questions Your Buyers Are Already Typing

Once you have a product, open YouTube and start typing the product name into the search bar. Watch what the autocomplete suggests before you hit enter. Those suggestions are not guesses. They are the most common searches that actual people are performing right now. Every suggestion is a potential piece of content you could create.

When Alston typed “ClickFunnels 2.0” into YouTube during the recording of this video, the results surfaced searches for reviews, alternatives, and specific head-to-head comparisons against tools like system.io, Go High Level, and Kajabi. Each of those search terms represents a different group of people who are already interested in the product and are looking for guidance before they decide to buy. If you answer those questions with honest, well-made content, you get in front of buyers who are actively shopping.

Run the same exercise on Google. Type the product name and look at what the autocomplete shows. Scroll down and read the “People also ask” section. Check the related searches at the very bottom of the results page. Every one of those items is a content idea with proven demand behind it. You are not brainstorming from nothing. You are listening to what the market is already telling you it wants to know.

The Content Funnel: Four Levels From Easiest to Most Competitive

Alston draws an inverted pyramid in the video to show how buyers move through a purchase decision. At the very bottom of the pyramid is a person who already knows the product, already knows their problem, and is close to a purchasing decision. At the very top is a person who is just generally curious and has not yet connected their situation to any specific solution. The further up the funnel you create content, the more competition you will face and the further away you are from an actual sale.

Here is how the four levels break down, starting from the most profitable entry point and working toward the most competitive:

Level 1: Bottom of the Funnel (Reviews, Unboxings, First Impressions)

This is where Alston recommends you start. The person searching “ClickFunnels 2.0 review” already knows what ClickFunnels is, has probably seen the ads, and is looking for someone to confirm or challenge their interest before they click buy. That person is one well-made video away from clicking your affiliate link.

Content types at this level include straightforward product reviews, unboxing videos for physical products, first impressions videos shot shortly after launch, and time-stamped check-ins like a six-month review. These formats work because they directly answer the question the buyer already has. They do not need to be educated on what the product is. They need a recommendation they can trust.

The search data Alston pulled during the video confirms this works for small channels. A channel with 3,170 subscribers outperformed builderpreneur (152,000 subscribers) on a ClickFunnels 2.0 review. A channel with 45 subscribers got 224 views on a cheaper alternative video. When the product is new and the competition is thin, being early matters far more than having a large following.

Level 2: Alternatives Content

The next level targets people who know the product but are not yet certain it is the right choice for them. They are typing searches like “ClickFunnels 2.0 alternatives” or “cheaper alternative to ClickFunnels 2.0.” These people are still close to a purchase. They just want to see their full range of options before committing.

An alternatives list video works well here. You put together a list of the five or six best alternatives, include ClickFunnels itself as one of the options, and make a clear recommendation at the end. Alston points out that you can be an affiliate for multiple tools simultaneously. If the viewer decides they prefer system.io over ClickFunnels, you can have an affiliate link for system.io in the same description. You earn regardless of which option they choose.

The search data showed a channel with 2,640 subscribers pulling 3,900 views on a ClickFunnels 2.0 alternatives video. That is not a viral spike. It is steady, targeted traffic from people who are actively researching a purchase.

Level 3: Comparison Content (X Versus Y)

Comparison content is more specific than alternatives lists. Instead of covering five options, you go head to head: ClickFunnels 2.0 versus Kajabi, or ClickFunnels versus system.io, or ClickFunnels versus Go High Level. The person searching this query has already narrowed their decision down to two products and wants someone to make the final call for them.

This content type ages well as the product matures. In the first weeks after a product launch, there may be fewer direct comparisons available because the product is new to the market. But as it builds a track record, more buyers want to know how it stacks up against established competitors. You can build a comparison series that covers every major alternative: one video per comparison, each with its own search traffic and its own set of affiliate link opportunities.

Level 4: Best X for Y

“Best landing page builder for affiliate marketing.” “Best funnel builder for e-commerce stores.” “Best membership site platform for coaches.” These searches come from people who know the problem they need to solve but are not yet attached to any specific product. You put together a list of the top options for that specific use case, include your affiliate product as one of the picks, explain why it fits their situation better than alternatives, and link out to all of them.

Alston pulled several live examples during the video. A search for “best landing page builder” showed a channel with 830 subscribers getting 2,100 views. A search for “best membership site builder” showed a channel with 119 subscribers getting 1,500 views and another with 1,200 subscribers getting 342 views. Every one of those viewers is a potential affiliate commission because they are actively looking for a product recommendation in exactly the category you are covering.

Level 5: Top-of-Funnel How-To Content (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How)

This is the most competitive tier. “How to build a sales funnel” gets large view counts per video, but those results are dominated by channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. “How to create a sales funnel for free” pulls even more views, again from large established channels. Alston does not say to avoid this content type. He says to start at the bottom of the funnel first, let that content earn your initial commissions and build your channel’s history, and then work your way up into the more competitive territory as your track record grows.

Not sure which online income model fits the skills you already have right now?

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You Do Not Need to Own the Product

One of the most frequent questions Alston receives about this method is what to do if you cannot afford to purchase the product you want to promote. His answer is direct: you do not need to own it. You need to understand what customers are saying and what other reviewers are reporting. That means reading through reviews on the product’s sales page, going through comments on existing YouTube videos about the product, checking Reddit discussions, and reading any documentation or case studies the company makes publicly available.

Alston is honest about the tradeoff here. It helps to have the product. When you can speak from direct experience, you add a layer of credibility that often results in stronger content and higher conversion rates. But it is not a requirement for getting started. Plenty of affiliate marketers have earned commissions on products they have never personally used by thoroughly researching what buyers care about and what concerns they are trying to resolve before they purchase.

Bonuses: How to Win the Affiliate Click When You Are Not the Biggest Channel

When ten different creators have all made a ClickFunnels 2.0 review video, why would a viewer click your affiliate link instead of theirs? The answer is bonuses. Alston recommends including a specific, genuinely useful bonus for anyone who purchases through your affiliate link, and he gives concrete examples of what that looks like in practice.

If you are promoting ClickFunnels, you could offer a free 30-minute step-by-step tutorial showing new users how to get their first funnel set up from scratch. You could offer five ready-to-import funnel templates that the buyer can use the same day they sign up. These are not gimmicks. They are practical items that someone who just paid for ClickFunnels would actually want to have. The buyer signs up through your link. You verify the referral through the affiliate dashboard. You send the bonus. Everyone wins.

If you are promoting a new camera, the same logic applies at a different angle. Your bonus might be a guide covering the best camera settings for YouTube vlogging or the best settings for outdoor photography. Think about what the buyer is going to use the product for and build a bonus around that specific use case. The more directly the bonus solves a problem the buyer will face in their first week, the more likely they are to choose your affiliate link over someone else’s.

Alston also draws a clear line on over-promising. He has seen affiliate marketers stack up $95,000 worth of bonuses on a $5 product. That creates suspicion, not excitement. One strong and directly relevant bonus beats a tower of loosely connected freebies every time. Keep the bonus proportional to the product price, keep it closely related to how the buyer will use the product, and deliver it promptly after the purchase is confirmed.

Honest Drawbacks of This Approach

This strategy has a built-in shelf life. A product that is brand new in January may have dozens of competing review videos by March. The window for getting traction with low-competition review and alternatives content shrinks as a product ages and more established creators catch up. To keep this working over time you need to treat product research as an ongoing weekly habit: scan your market for what is newly released, get content out quickly, and move on to the next product when competition starts filling in the gaps.

There is also a trust and credibility question. When a viewer watches your review and cannot tell whether you have actually used the product, your conversion rate takes a hit. Building trust takes time and consistent, honest content. If you can afford to purchase the products you promote, that investment pays off in higher-converting content, fewer viewer questions about the authenticity of your recommendation, and a stronger long-term reputation in your niche.

Finally, this approach requires consistent content output. One review video will not build a sustainable affiliate income. The small channels Alston highlights in the video built their view counts through a series of related videos covering multiple search angles for the same product: review, alternatives, comparison, best-for-Y. That volume is what creates a steady stream of traffic and commissions rather than a single brief spike.

A Step-by-Step Starting Plan

Week 1: Identify one product released to the market within the last 90 days. Verify it has an affiliate program. Sign up for the program and get your link.
Week 1: Type the product name into YouTube and Google. Write down every autocomplete suggestion and every “People also ask” question. These are your content ideas.
Week 2: Create a review video or blog post starting at the bottom of the funnel. Read customer reviews, watch other creators’ videos, and pull together the most common questions buyers have before they purchase.
Week 2: Decide on one specific bonus you can offer to viewers who purchase through your link. Tie it directly to how the product will be used in the first week.
Week 3: Create an alternatives video covering four to six competing products. Include your primary affiliate product in the list. Sign up for the affiliate programs of the other tools you recommend so you can earn from those too.
Week 4: Create a comparison video picking the most common head-to-head search (your product versus its closest competitor). Be honest about the tradeoffs.
Ongoing: Watch the product’s affiliate dashboard each week. When a piece of content starts driving clicks, create more content on the same topic cluster. When a product ages out, repeat the research process for the next new release in your market.

Find Your X

Affiliate marketing works best when you match the right product to the right content format for the right audience. But before you pick a product, it helps to know which online income model fits your current situation, your available skills, and the amount of time you can realistically commit each week. The free tool at finder.platformproof.com asks a few targeted questions about where you are right now and gives you a personalized starting point so you are not guessing at which direction to go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a website to use Alston’s affiliate marketing method?

No. Alston specifically names YouTube and TikTok as the primary platforms for this method because video content tends to surface new products quickly and viewers trust video reviews more than written ones for purchase decisions. You can also use a blog if you prefer writing, but video gives you a faster feedback loop when a product is newly released and competition is still thin.

How new does a product need to be for this strategy to give me a real edge?

Alston recommends within the last two to three months. That is the window when the gap between search demand and available content is at its widest. After three months, more established creators start publishing content on the same product and the advantage of being early shrinks. The best moment to act is the week a new product is announced or released publicly.

Can I do this without showing my face on camera?

Yes. Alston addresses this directly in the video. Screen-recorded walkthroughs, voiceover tutorials, and text-based blog posts all work with this framework. The format matters less than how well your content actually answers the question the viewer is searching for. Many of the small channels he highlights in the video are faceless screen-capture reviews.

How do I find the affiliate program for a new product?

Search “[product name] affiliate program” and check the product’s website footer for an affiliate or partner page. Most products with significant marketing behind them have a formal affiliate portal. For physical products and tech gadgets like the Mac Studio, Amazon Associates and similar affiliate networks carry them. For software tools like ClickFunnels, the affiliate program is typically managed through the company’s own platform or through networks like PartnerStack or Impact.

What if the product I want to promote does not have an affiliate program?

Look for alternatives that do. If you are creating content about a product category, you can almost always find a competing product that offers affiliate commissions for the same use case. You can also create the content first, build an audience around the topic, and then reach out directly to the company to ask about a referral or partnership arrangement. Companies with good marketing teams are often open to this conversation.

How many pieces of content do I need before I see my first affiliate commission?

There is no universal number, but Alston’s examples in the video show channels getting traction with just a handful of videos focused on a single product. Starting with four to six pieces of content covering a review, an alternatives list, a head-to-head comparison, and a best-for-Y piece gives you complete coverage of the buyer’s journey for one product. That is enough to start generating clicks and, with a strong bonus offer, your first commissions.

Should I be an affiliate for multiple products at the same time?

Yes, especially when you are creating alternatives or comparison content. In a “ClickFunnels 2.0 versus Kajabi” video, you can include affiliate links for both products. If the viewer ends up buying Kajabi, you still earn a commission. Covering multiple products in the same category lets you capture revenue from multiple buying decisions without creating content about unrelated topics. Alston specifically mentions this in the video as a feature of the alternatives and comparison content formats.

What makes a bonus strong enough to actually win the affiliate click?

Alston’s rule is that the bonus should directly address a problem the buyer will face in their first week of using the product. A step-by-step getting-started guide, a set of ready-to-use templates, or a settings cheat sheet all qualify. A generic “free course on making money online” does not qualify when the product is a funnel builder. The bonus must be specific, useful, and tightly tied to the product. Keep it proportional to the product price. One relevant bonus beats a stack of ten loosely related ones every time.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “$100/Day Easy! How To Make Money Online With Affiliate Marketing,” YouTube, https://youtu.be/0s87K7Kn3KI
ClickFunnels 2.0 referenced as primary product example throughout the video
Apple Mac Studio referenced as secondary product example
YouTube channel examples and view counts cited directly from live search results shown in video