How To Make $100 Day With ChatGPT and Affiliate Marketing Challenge

Two weeks into the ChatGPT challenge and Alston had already gotten permanently banned from a subreddit. Answered three or four questions in one day, probably too fast, and the moderators flagged the replies as AI-generated. Account gone. No appeal.

So he pivoted. A video by the Affiliate Marketing Dude suggested a completely different angle: forget Reddit, use Facebook instead. Facebook has one of the highest domain authority scores on the internet. Content posted there can hit page one of Google without you owning a website, without any SEO history, without backlinks. That changes the math on what it costs to get started. This is the updated method.

What You’ll Walk Out With

Why Reddit failed and why Facebook is a better first platform for ChatGPT content
How to use Ahrefs to find hundreds of low-competition keywords in any niche
The exact ChatGPT prompt structure Alston uses (calibration first, then the ask)
Four real affiliate programs you can join today, with actual commission rates
How to layer email marketing on top to build recurring income
Why volume at low price points still adds up to $100 a day
How to pick a niche you can write about consistently without burning out
Not sure which method fits you? Take the two-minute quiz at finder.platformproof.com

The Reddit Experiment That Got Shut Down

The original plan was simple. Alston asked ChatGPT to list ways to make $100 a day online for free. The community voted on the suggestions, and one option stood out: answer questions on Reddit. Reddit is one of the largest websites in the world. It is organized into thousands of communities called subreddits, each covering a specific topic. If you answer questions well enough, you can build a following.

The execution hit a wall almost immediately. Within one day of answering three or four questions in the personal finance subreddit, a ban notice arrived. “You’ve been permanently banned from participating in r/personalfinance. You can still view and subscribe to personalfinance but you won’t be able to post or comment.” The moderators caught the pattern. Answers generated too fast, likely detected as AI-written. Account suspended with no way back in.

That is not a reason to abandon the broader strategy. It is a reason to choose a platform with less aggressive moderation and higher organic traffic potential. Facebook turned out to be a better fit on both counts.

Why Facebook Is the Right Platform for This Method

Facebook’s domain authority is massive. When Alston pulled up Ahrefs and looked at the keywords Facebook ranks for, he could sort by first-position rankings and see thousands of search terms where a Facebook page or post was sitting at the top of Google results. One example from the session: “wild roses tattoos” as a keyword, with Facebook appearing in the top four results on Google.

What that means in practice: if you post content on a Facebook page or in a Facebook group, that content inherits Facebook’s domain authority. You are not starting from zero. A brand new website with zero backlinks takes months or years to rank for anything. A Facebook post can rank within days because Google already trusts the domain.

You don’t need a website. You don’t need hosting, a domain name, or a technical setup. You create content, post it to Facebook, and let the platform’s authority do the heavy lifting. That is a genuine low-barrier starting point that most beginner tutorials skip over.

Picking a Niche You Can Actually Stick With

Alston’s example niche for this demonstration was outdoor cooking, specifically smoking and grilling meat. That is not random. He actually smokes meat. Having a personal connection to the topic matters because you will be checking the output ChatGPT produces and verifying that the information is accurate. If you know nothing about the subject, you cannot catch errors, and posting bad information hurts credibility fast.

The niche also has natural product tie-ins, which makes monetization straightforward. People who search for smoking and grilling techniques need equipment: thermometers, smokers, vacuum sealers, meat grinders, specialty cuts of meat. Every article you write points toward products people actually want to buy. That alignment between information and purchase intent is what makes affiliate marketing work.

Choosing a niche that has both high search volume and real products for sale is not optional. It is the foundation. Pick a topic you know something about, verify there are affiliate programs in that space, and then start building content around the questions people are already searching for.

Using Ahrefs to Find Low-Competition Keywords

Ahrefs is a paid keyword research tool. Alston used it to search the phrase “how long to smoke” and pulled up a full list of related keywords people type into Google. Within that list, he filtered for low keyword difficulty, which Ahrefs scores on a scale from 0 to 100. Closer to 100 means harder to rank. He was looking at keywords all under 10.

The results included terms like “how long to smoke pork butt at 225” (nearly 4,000 searches per month), “how long to smoke pork shoulder at 225,” and “how long to smoke brisket at 225.” That last one became the test article for this session.

After filtering for low competition in just this one starting phrase, Ahrefs returned 641 keywords. That is 641 separate blog post ideas for a single niche, each with documented search volume and low difficulty. You will not run out of content ideas. The real work is execution: writing the articles consistently and making sure each one is accurate.

Free alternatives to Ahrefs exist. Google’s own search bar autocomplete, Ubersuggest, and Answer the Public all surface question-based keywords at no cost. Ahrefs gives you the keyword difficulty score and exact monthly volume, which speeds up the filtering process, but it is not a hard requirement to get started.

How to Calibrate ChatGPT Before You Ask It Anything

Most people open ChatGPT and immediately type their question. That approach produces generic answers. The better move is to set the role first. Alston’s exact framing was: “Answer questions as an expert Grill Master. You are knowledgeable in smoking and grilling any and all outdoor meats.”

After setting that context, he pasted in the keyword and asked for a full article: “Write a 2,000-word blog post on how long to smoke brisket at 225.” That two-step process matters. The calibration step tells ChatGPT what frame to answer from, which produces more specific and more accurate responses than a bare keyword prompt.

One thing the output will include is the internal temperature range for finishing brisket: 195 to 203 degrees Fahrenheit. That small detail matters because someone searching “how long to smoke brisket” may not know they need a thermometer. That knowledge gap is the entry point for your first product recommendation. You are not adding a product pitch out of nowhere; you are answering a need the article itself surfaced.

Verify everything ChatGPT writes before you post it. This is not optional. AI-generated content can include plausible-sounding but wrong temperatures, times, and techniques. If you are in the outdoor cooking niche and you post that brisket is done at 160 degrees, your credibility is gone. Read the output, check the numbers, and fix anything that is off before it goes live.

The Four Affiliate Revenue Streams

Once the article is written and published to Facebook, the content needs to point somewhere people can buy. Alston walked through four real programs in the outdoor cooking niche during this session.

1. Amazon Associates (Thermometers, $15 to $80)

Someone reading an article about internal cooking temperatures probably does not own a quality thermometer. Amazon sells Wi-Fi and Bluetooth thermometers that connect to an iPhone, ranging from about $15 to $80. The commission rate on Amazon Associates is modest, typically 3 to 4 percent for kitchen and outdoor products. But Amazon also pays you a commission on everything else in the cart at the time of purchase. A customer who clicked your thermometer link and then added a $200 grill cover earns you commission on the full cart. Volume makes the math work: 500 clicks per day at a 3 percent conversion on a $30 product is meaningful income.

2. OfferVault CPA Programs ($2.80 to $33 per action)

OfferVault is a directory of cost-per-acquisition affiliate offers. You search for programs related to your niche and embed them in your content. Alston found a sweepstakes offer for a Genesis Grill that paid $2.80 just for someone entering their email to enter a contest. Another offer in the directory paid $33 per qualified lead. These numbers vary by country and program, but CPA offers are useful because you earn money even when no purchase happens. Someone entering their email to win a grill is a low-friction action. Lower barrier to conversion means more commissions from the same traffic.

3. MeatYourMaker.com (7 Percent Commission)

MeatYourMaker.com sells gear for people who process their own meat: grinders, dehydrators, vacuum sealers, and related equipment. The affiliate program pays 7 percent commission. Someone who smokes meat seriously might also grind their own beef for burgers or make their own sausages. The natural connection between the content topic and the product catalog is strong. A reader who found your brisket article and then clicked a link to a meat grinder they did not know they needed is exactly the kind of conversion that happens when content and products align well.

4. Porter Road (8 Percent Commission on Meat Subscriptions)

Porter Road is a meat subscription and direct-purchase site. They pay an 8 percent commission on sales, and they sell subscriptions. That subscription model is worth noting: if someone signs up for a recurring meat delivery through your affiliate link, your commission structure potentially repeats every month depending on the program terms. Alston called this one his personal preference because the product is directly tied to the activity the content covers. Someone reading a smoking article is already interested in quality meat. The recommendation fits without feeling like a detour.

Not sure which online income method actually fits your situation?

Take the two-minute quiz at finder.platformproof.com and get a specific recommendation based on your skills and schedule.

Adding Email Marketing on Top

The affiliate links inside the articles are one income layer. Email marketing is the second layer that multiplies what the first layer earns.

Alston’s approach: create a free lead magnet that is genuinely useful. For the outdoor cooking niche, he described a smoking cheat sheet: a one-page reference that shows the target internal temperature and estimated cook time for different cuts of meat at different smoker temperatures. Ribs, brisket, pork butt, chicken, sausage, all on one laminated card. Someone who is serious about smoking would actually use that.

The reader gives their email address to download the cheat sheet. Now you can follow up. Every follow-up email is another chance to recommend the affiliate products from the four programs above. Someone who downloaded a smoking guide is likely to be interested when you send an email about a new meat grinder that just went on sale at MeatYourMaker, or a Porter Road subscription discount. You built the relationship with free content, and the email list lets you monetize it more than once.

Email marketing also solves the dependency on Facebook’s algorithm. If Facebook changes how it surfaces content or your page gets restricted, your email list still exists. The relationship is yours, not the platform’s.

The Full Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Pick a niche. Choose a topic you have genuine familiarity with so you can verify ChatGPT’s output. Outdoor cooking, fitness, personal finance, travel, pet care: any niche with natural product tie-ins works. Confirm affiliate programs exist in that space before committing.
Step 2: Do keyword research. Use Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or Google autocomplete to find questions people are searching. Filter for keyword difficulty under 20. Aim to build a list of 50 to 100 target keywords before you start writing.
Step 3: Calibrate ChatGPT. Before asking for an article, tell ChatGPT what role to play. “Answer questions as an expert [niche] specialist who is knowledgeable in [specific area].” Then paste your keyword and ask for a 2,000-word blog post.
Step 4: Verify and edit. Read every article before posting. Check facts, especially numbers, temperatures, times, and product recommendations. Fix anything that is wrong. Add your affiliate links to natural product mentions within the text.
Step 5: Post to Facebook. Create a Facebook page or use a group focused on your niche. Post the full article or a substantial excerpt with a link back to your lead magnet page. Consistency matters more than frequency: two well-verified articles per week will outperform five rushed ones.
Step 6: Build the email list. Create a simple lead magnet (cheat sheet, checklist, guide) and set up a free email tool like Mailchimp or MailerLite to collect addresses. Link to it from every article you post.
Step 7: Follow up by email. Send relevant product recommendations to your list. Do not pitch every email. Mix useful content with recommendations to keep open rates healthy.

Honest Drawbacks to Know Before You Start

This method is not a shortcut to instant income. Alston said he would update the community in a few weeks as traffic built, which means results do not appear overnight. Facebook content can rank on Google, but it still takes time for new posts to index and accumulate clicks.

AI detection is a real concern. The Reddit ban happened because moderators detected AI-generated replies. Facebook is less aggressive about this for public page posts, but individual groups often have moderators who will remove content that reads as clearly AI-written. Editing ChatGPT’s output to add your own voice and verify the facts reduces this risk and makes the articles better anyway.

Ahrefs costs money. The monthly subscription is not cheap for someone just starting out. There are free alternatives, but the paid tool gives you faster, more reliable keyword data. Budget for it or start with free tools and upgrade when income from the method justifies the expense.

The income ceiling on a single low-ticket product is real. Thermometers that sell for $15 at 3 percent commission earn less than $1 per sale. Getting to $100 per day from that alone requires serious volume. The four-program approach Alston outlined is designed to layer multiple commission sources together, which raises the per-visitor average. Don’t rely on one program.

Find Your X

This method works well for people who are comfortable writing, can pick a niche they know, and want to start without paying for a website or hosting. It is one path. There are others. If you are not sure which approach fits your actual situation, the two-minute quiz at finder.platformproof.com matches you to the right starting point based on your skills and how much time you can put in each week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a website to use this method?

No. The entire point of posting on Facebook is that you borrow Facebook’s domain authority. You do not need to own a domain, pay for hosting, or set up WordPress. A Facebook page or group is free to create. Alston said you should eventually build a website, but it is not a prerequisite to getting started with this approach.

Is this method free to start?

The core method is free: ChatGPT (free tier), a Facebook page (free), and Amazon Associates (free to join). The one paid element Alston used was Ahrefs for keyword research. Ahrefs has a trial period, and free alternatives like Google autocomplete or Ubersuggest exist. You can start without paying anything if you use free keyword tools and verify your own content quality.

Why did the Reddit strategy fail?

The r/personalfinance subreddit banned the account after three or four AI-generated answers were posted in a single day. Moderators detected the pattern. Reddit subreddits, especially popular finance communities, are actively moderated against bot-like and AI-generated posting. The ban was permanent with no appeal option available.

How long does it take to see results?

Alston was still in the early phase at the time of this video and planned to report back in a few weeks. Facebook content can index on Google relatively quickly compared to a brand new website, but clicks, affiliate sales, and email list growth take consistent effort over weeks and months to build to meaningful daily income. There is no documented timeline to $100 per day in the video because honest answers depend on niche, keyword difficulty, content quality, and posting frequency.

What are the best affiliate programs for outdoor cooking?

The four programs mentioned in the video are Amazon Associates (thermometers and general kitchen gear), OfferVault CPA offers (sweepstakes and lead-gen), MeatYourMaker.com at 7 percent commission (processing equipment), and Porter Road at 8 percent commission (meat subscriptions and direct sales). Commission rates were accurate at the time of filming in 2023 and may have changed.

Does ChatGPT always produce accurate content?

No. ChatGPT can produce plausible-sounding but factually incorrect information, including wrong temperatures, times, and product claims. Alston explicitly stated that you must verify the output before posting. In the outdoor cooking context, wrong internal temperatures could cause someone to serve undercooked food. Checking the content is a non-negotiable step, not optional polish.

What is a CPA offer and how does it work?

CPA stands for cost per acquisition. You earn a flat fee when a visitor completes a defined action, typically entering an email, filling out a form, or signing up for a free trial. The example from this video was a sweepstakes for a Genesis Grill that paid $2.80 per email entry. The advantage over standard affiliate commissions is that no purchase is required, so conversion rates are higher. OfferVault is a directory where you can search CPA offers by category and see the payout per action.

Should I pick a niche I’m passionate about or one that pays the most?

Alston chose outdoor cooking because he actually smokes meat. That matters for two reasons: he can verify ChatGPT’s output for accuracy, and he can stay consistent long enough for the content to build traffic. A niche you know nothing about will produce content you cannot check, and you will lose motivation quickly. The better approach is to find overlap between something you know and a niche with real affiliate programs and search demand. Passion alone is not enough; the products have to exist and people have to be searching for the content.

Sources

Alston Godbolt YouTube video: “How To Make $100 Day With ChatGPT and Affiliate Marketing Challenge” (youtube.com/watch?v=vnpUkW2GkjU)
Ahrefs keyword research tool: ahrefs.com
OfferVault CPA program directory: offervault.com
MeatYourMaker affiliate program: meatyourmaker.com
Porter Road affiliate program: porterroad.com
Amazon Associates program: affiliate-program.amazon.com

Helping 1 million working adults make their first $3,000 online with the skills they already have. Alston Godbolt, Platform Proof.