Affiliate Marketing With YouTube Comments: The Right Way to Do It

You have seen them. You scroll down to the comments on a make-money-online video and there it is: “At the 32-second mark I tried this and made $400 in a day, click my link to see how.” For a split second you wonder whether it is real. Then your brain catches up and you scroll past it. Smart people always do. That kind of comment does not build an audience. It burns one.

Here is what most affiliate marketers miss: YouTube comments are actually one of the fastest ways to get your name in front of a targeted audience, but only if you treat the comment section like a conversation and not like a billboard. In this breakdown of Alston Godbolt’s step-by-step method, you will see exactly how to use comment sections to build real authority, drive profile clicks, and funnel viewers into your email list where affiliate commissions actually happen.

What You’ll Walk Out With

Why timestamp spam comments destroy your credibility and what people actually do when they see one
How to find 10 to 15 channels in your niche that upload consistently enough to make this strategy work
The bell-notification tactic that puts your comment at the top of thousands of views
A Google Doc template system so you can comment in under two minutes without sacrificing quality
How a single profile click becomes a subscriber and eventually an email opt-in
How to set up a channel trailer that automatically turns curious visitors into email subscribers
The honest drawbacks and realistic timeline so you know what you are actually signing up for
How to identify the right niche and affiliate angle for you at finder.platformproof.com

Why Spam Comments Always Fail

Alston puts it plainly: “The short answer is no, that doesn’t work. Smart people will see that as some sort of spam link.” The 32-second-mark comment format has been around long enough that it is now a cultural joke. When people scroll comment sections on make-money-online videos, they are doing three things at once: checking whether the video’s claims are real, being curious about what other viewers experienced, and reading the haters. They are not clicking random affiliate links from strangers who showed up five minutes after upload.

There is also a slippery tactic that some people use: post a completely normal comment, wait for it to get approved by the channel’s filters, then go back and edit it to include the spam link. Alston calls this approach “scummy” and it is. It is also getting harder to pull off as platforms get better at flagging edited comments with sudden link additions. Beyond the mechanics, think about what you are actually communicating when you do this. You are telling every viewer who reads your comment that you have nothing real to offer, that you are trying to grab attention rather than earn it, and that clicking your link is a risk.

The right move is not a different kind of comment trick. It is a completely different goal.

The Strategy That Actually Works: Build Authority, Not Traffic

The mindset shift that makes this whole approach click is understanding who you are actually talking to. When you leave a comment on a video from Franklin Hatchet (a make-money-online creator with over 352,000 subscribers at the time), you are almost certainly not going to get a response from Franklin. He probably will never see your comment. That is not the point. You are talking to the next ten thousand people who watch that video and scroll down to read what others said.

Those people are looking for proof, for clarity, for someone who has been in their shoes. If your comment gives them a genuine insight, answers a question the video raised, or validates something they were already thinking, they are going to click your profile icon out of curiosity. That click is worth more than any affiliate link in a comment because it is powered by trust rather than surprise. You get treated as the subject matter expert in the eyes of all the people who showed up looking for their problems to be solved. That is the framing Alston uses and it is exactly right.

Step 1: Find 10 to 15 Active Channels in Your Niche

The first move is building your channel list. Alston’s niche is affiliate marketing and making money online, so he searches “make money online” on YouTube and looks for creators who upload consistently. His example from the video: Franklin Hatchet, who at the time had over 352,000 subscribers and was uploading on a regular schedule. That combination of audience size and publishing frequency is exactly what you are looking for.

The subscriber count is secondary to upload frequency. There are plenty of YouTube channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers who have not published anything new in six months. Those channels do not work for this strategy because you need fresh content to comment on. You need channels where new videos appear multiple times per week so that you have a constant stream of opportunities to be first in the comment section.

This strategy works in any niche. Alston specifically mentions basket weaving and weight loss as examples beyond make money online. Whatever niche your affiliate products belong to, search that topic on YouTube, filter for channels that upload consistently, and build a list of 10 to 15 of them. You want enough channels that there are new videos to comment on almost every day, but not so many that you cannot keep up with the notifications.

Once you have your list, look at the comment sections on their recent uploads. How many comments are there? How engaged is the audience? Are people asking questions, having debates, sharing their own experiences? That level of engagement signals that your comments will have readers. A channel with 100,000 subscribers but zero comments per video is not the right target for this approach.

Step 2: Ring the Bell and Win the Timing Game

Once you have your list, subscribe to all of them and turn on the bell notification set to “all.” This is not optional. The bell is the whole engine of this strategy. Here is why timing matters so much: comments on YouTube are not just displayed chronologically. Early comments that get likes and replies rise to the top of the section, where they are seen by every viewer who watches the video in the weeks and months that follow. A comment you leave in the first hour of a video’s release has a real shot at the top. A comment you leave three days later gets buried under hundreds of others.

Alston puts it this way: “The longer you wait to post and reply and comment and be part of the discussion, the fewer people are actually going to see it.” So the bell notification is your early-warning system. Every time one of your 10 to 15 channels uploads, you get notified immediately, and you can be one of the first commenters on that video before the majority of their audience even knows it exists.

Think about what that positioning is worth. Franklin Hatchet’s videos regularly attract large audiences. If your comment is sitting near the top because it came in early and earned a bunch of likes, that is ongoing visibility with a highly targeted audience at zero cost, for as long as the video stays live on the platform. One good early comment on one high-performing video can send profile clicks your way for months.

Step 3: Build Your Template Library in Google Docs

Here is where most people slip up. They know they should comment early and they know they should add value, but when the notification fires and they sit down to write something, they go blank, take too long, and miss the early window. The solution is a Google Doc with five or six pre-written templates that you can paste in, tweak slightly for the specific video, and post in under two minutes.

A good template is broad enough to apply to many videos in your niche but specific enough to feel like it was written by someone who actually watched. Alston’s example from the video: “Hey, great video, thanks for posting. One of the biggest challenges I had with affiliate marketing for a long time was being consistent. That changed when I created a schedule.” That comment does several things at once. It acknowledges the video positively, it brings in a real pain point that any affiliate marketer watching would recognize, and it positions you as someone who has worked through that problem.

You do not include any links in the comment. You are not trying to sell anything in the comment itself. The comment is just the first step. The link comes later, from your profile, when a curious viewer clicks your icon to learn more about who you are and what you do.

Write your templates in different “flavors” so you are not posting the exact same comment on every video from the same creator. One template might focus on a mistake you made early on. Another might focus on a tool that helped you. Another might validate the video’s main point and add a specific personal example. The goal in each case is the same: add something real, earn a click, and be the person in the comment section who clearly knows what they are talking about. Keep each template under 80 words because long comments get skipped.

Step 4: Turn Profile Clicks Into Subscribers

When someone reads your comment and decides they want to know more, they click your YouTube profile icon. This is the moment the funnel begins. What they land on is your YouTube channel page, and for any viewer who is not already subscribed to you, the channel trailer plays automatically. This is not a small detail. It is the entire mechanism that converts a curious stranger into a subscriber and, eventually, an email opt-in.

Alston’s channel trailer at the time was called “What is an Unemployee?” and it functioned as his manifesto: a clear statement of who he helps, why the traditional 9-to-5 path is not for everyone, and what his channel is actually about. That kind of trailer works because it answers the two questions every first-time visitor has: “Who is this person?” and “Is this channel for me?” If the answer to both is yes, they subscribe. If they subscribe, you have built an audience member you can reach again and again.

Just as important as the trailer is the link to your landing page. Put a clear link to your landing page in your channel’s About section and in the description of your channel trailer. This gives someone who is not quite ready to subscribe another way to stay connected. Alston’s landing page link was getting 219 visits from this channel setup alone, in just three months. That is 219 people who saw a comment, clicked a profile, watched a trailer, and voluntarily gave their attention to learn more.

Step 5: The Email List Is Where Affiliate Revenue Actually Happens

This is the part that most beginners miss when they hear “YouTube comment affiliate marketing.” The comments are not where you make money. The email list is where you make money. The comment is the first step in a longer chain: comment earns a profile click, profile click leads to your channel, channel trailer earns a subscriber or a landing page visit, landing page visit earns an email opt-in, and the opt-in is the person who eventually buys something from your affiliate link when you send a follow-up email.

This means your landing page needs to exist and your email marketing setup needs to be live before this strategy is worth doing. If you drive traffic to a blank page or a channel with no trailer, you are wasting every profile click you earn. Before you write your first template comment, get your channel trailer up, add your landing page link, and make sure your email sequence is ready to receive new subscribers and deliver value to them.

The full funnel in plain terms: Comment in niche channel, earn profile click, channel trailer plays, viewer subscribes or visits landing page, enters email address, receives automated email sequence, clicks affiliate link in email, you earn commission. Every step requires the one before it to be in place. Build the funnel before you drive the traffic.

Not sure what to sell or which niche fits your skills?

Answer seven questions and get your answer at finder.platformproof.com.

Honest Drawbacks

This is a legitimate strategy and it costs nothing but time. But be honest with yourself about what “time” means here before you commit to it.

First, this is slow. Do not expect affiliate commissions in week two. The comment-to-email-opt-in pipeline takes weeks to start moving and months before the volume is high enough to produce consistent revenue. If you are in a financial situation that requires results in the next 30 days, this is not the right strategy for that window.

Second, this requires daily consistency. You are relying on bell notifications and fast responses. If you subscribe to 15 channels and they each upload twice a week, that is up to 30 opportunities per week to be an early commenter. In practice you probably cannot hit all 30. But if you only show up once a week, you will not build the kind of name recognition that gets your comments liked and replied to. Plan for at least 10 to 15 quality comments per week as a minimum starting point.

Third, your channel has to be presentable before you send people there. An empty channel with no trailer and no landing page link means every profile click you earn goes nowhere. Set up your channel completely before you start commenting in other people’s sections.

Fourth, the channel owner is probably never going to see your comment. Alston says this directly in the video: “He probably will never see your comment.” You are not building a relationship with the YouTuber. You are building a relationship with their audience. Keep that framing in mind so you are not disappointed when the creator does not respond or pin your comment.

Fifth, some comment sections are moderated and your comment may take hours to appear, which costs you the early timing advantage. Check how quickly comments appear on a channel before you invest a lot of time in it. Channels with heavy moderation delays are less useful for this approach than channels where comments appear instantly.

The Full 7-Step System

Choose your niche. Pick one topic that your affiliate products belong to. Make money online, health, fitness, cooking, software tools, whatever it is. You need a clear niche so your comment templates feel focused and your channel looks credible to anyone who visits it.
Find 10 to 15 active channels. Search your niche keyword on YouTube, look for creators who upload at least two or three times per week, and build your target list. Prioritize upload consistency over subscriber count every time.
Subscribe and ring the bell on all of them. Set notifications to “all” on every channel. This is the early-warning system that gives you the timing advantage you need to land near the top of comment sections.
Write five or six comment templates in a Google Doc. Each template should acknowledge the video positively, bring in a real pain point from your niche, and hint that you have experience or insight on the topic. No links in the comment itself.
Set up your YouTube channel. Create a channel trailer that clearly explains who you are and what your channel is about. Add a link to your landing page in the About section and in the trailer’s description so profile visitors have a path to your email list.
Set up your landing page and email sequence. Your landing page should have a single opt-in form with a clear reason to subscribe. Your email sequence should deliver real value and include affiliate offers that are directly relevant to what your subscribers came to learn about.
Comment on every new upload within the first hour. When a notification fires, open your Google Doc, pick a template that fits the video’s topic, add one or two specific lines that show you engaged with the content, and post. Aim to be one of the top 10 comments before the video hits 1,000 views.

Find Your X

The comment strategy only works if you know what you are building toward: a specific niche, a specific offer, and a clear reason someone should click your profile rather than scroll past. If you are still figuring out which direction to take, the fastest way to get clarity is to answer the questions at finder.platformproof.com. Seven questions, and you walk out knowing which online income path fits the skills you already have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does affiliate marketing through YouTube comments still work?

Yes, if you are doing it the right way. The spam-link version has never worked and never will. The authority-building version, where you add genuine value to conversations and funnel profile clicks into an email list, still works because the human behavior behind it has not changed. People click profiles of commenters who seem credible and knowledgeable. That was true in 2021 when this video was made and it remains true today.

How many channels should I subscribe to?

Alston recommends 10 to 15. That range gives you enough daily upload activity to comment consistently without requiring you to monitor dozens of feeds. Start with 10, see how manageable the notification volume is, and add more if you have capacity. Quality of comment matters more than quantity, so do not subscribe to so many channels that you end up writing thin, forgettable responses because you ran out of time and attention.

How long does it take to see results?

Realistically, plan for 60 to 90 days of consistent daily commenting before you start seeing meaningful traffic to your channel and landing page. The first few weeks are about establishing your presence in the comment sections and getting your templates refined. Profile clicks grow as your comments accumulate likes and replies. Email opt-ins follow the profile clicks. Affiliate commissions follow the email list. Each step takes time to build momentum, and you cannot skip steps.

Do I need my own YouTube channel to make this work?

Yes. The whole system depends on someone clicking your YouTube profile icon and landing somewhere worth visiting. If you do not have a channel, or if your channel is empty, the profile click goes nowhere and you have wasted your comment. You do not need a large channel or dozens of videos. Alston’s example channel had very few videos when he demonstrated this approach. You just need a channel trailer, a landing page link in the About section, and a clear description of what your channel is about.

What makes a good comment template?

A good template does three things: acknowledges the video, surfaces a real pain point from the niche, and positions you as someone who has dealt with that pain point. It should feel like it was written by a human who engaged with the video, not like a generic form letter. The best templates include a specific detail that is broadly true for many videos in your niche so you can use them widely without them feeling out of place. Keep templates under 80 words because long comments get scrolled past.

Will the channel owner delete my comments?

If you are adding genuine value, almost certainly not. Channel owners delete spam, self-promotion with direct links, and off-topic noise. A thoughtful comment that engages with the video’s actual content is exactly what comment sections are designed to contain. Some creators actively like and pin comments from engaged viewers. The key rule is simple: never include an affiliate link directly in the comment. Keep any links on your landing page, never in the comment body.

How is this different from comment spam?

The difference is intent and execution. Spam comments are designed to grab attention with a link and move on. This strategy is designed to build credibility with an audience over time. There are no links in your comments. There is no bait-and-switch where you edit a neutral comment to add a link after it clears moderation. You are genuinely contributing to the conversation and trusting that real contributions earn real attention. Any viewer reading the comment section can see the difference immediately.

Which niches work best for this strategy?

Any niche with an active YouTube community and affiliate products available can work. Make money online and affiliate marketing are natural fits because the audiences there are already primed to learn and take action. But Alston specifically mentions health, fitness, and basket weaving as examples to show that this strategy is not limited to any one topic. The real requirements are active channels that upload consistently and a topic you can write genuine, useful comments about. If you cannot produce a thoughtful comment about the content, pick a different niche.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “Affiliate Marketing YouTube Comments 2021,” YouTube video ID GskVCGkS0ns
Franklin Hatchet YouTube channel, referenced in video as a make money online creator with 352,000+ subscribers at time of recording
John Crostani, referenced in video as a creator in the make money online space