I Tried It – Earn Your First With Affiliate Marketing in 24 Hours (New Method)

Alston watched a video by Spencer Mecham promising $100 per day through a specific Google Ads and affiliate marketing combo. Instead of just taking notes, he actually ran the experiment himself, tracked every dollar in and out, and then showed his real Amazon Associates dashboard on screen. The result was not a screenshot-worthy overnight win, but it was something far more useful: proof that the core method works, plus a clear picture of what you actually need to do to scale it past that $100/day mark.

This post breaks down every step Alston took, every number from his Google Ads account and Amazon back office, and the honest gaps between “it works” and “it works at the income level you want.” If you have ever seen a headline about earning $100 in 24 hours with affiliate marketing and wondered whether anyone who runs the numbers ever follows up, this is that follow-up.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A clear picture of Spencer Mecham’s Ahrefs + Google Ads affiliate method, as tested by Alston with real money on the line
The exact keyword category Alston picked, why he picked it, and how fast he built the landing page (15 minutes using AAWP)
Real Google Ads data: 388 impressions, 8 clicks, $1.53 spent over two weeks
Real Amazon Associates data: $24.34 in commissions on the same period, including a $10.48 day from a single ad click
Why the Amazon 24-hour cookie means commissions often land on products you never promoted
The honest drawbacks: what kept this from hitting $100/day immediately and what Alston would change
A step-by-step path to scaling from proof-of-concept to consistent daily income, plus a way to find the specific niche that fits your background at finder.platformproof.com

The Method Alston Put to the Test

Spencer Mecham published a video in April 2022 laying out a paid traffic affiliate strategy built around one core insight: most affiliate marketers fight over the same popular keywords, but there is a whole tier of high-traffic, low-competition keywords sitting just below the surface that can be found with the right tool. The tool he recommended is Ahrefs, a paid SEO platform that shows you search volume alongside competition data for any keyword you can imagine.

The mechanics of the method are straightforward. You use Ahrefs to find a keyword with enough monthly searches to generate real clicks, but low enough competition that a small Google Ads budget can actually win placement. Then you build a simple landing page around a product or category in that keyword space, drop affiliate links on the page (Mecham’s framework used Amazon Associates), send paid Google traffic to that page, and earn commissions when visitors buy.

Alston had already built a reputation testing methods like this on real sites with real budgets, and this one had enough specificity to be worth a proper trial. He already had an Amazon Associates account, he already knew how to set up Google Ads, and he had the AAWP plugin installed on an existing site. The main new ingredient was using Ahrefs to guide the keyword selection rather than just guessing what might work.

Step 1: Finding the Right Keyword

Alston ran his Ahrefs research and landed on a product category he had not initially expected: smokers. As in outdoor meat smokers, the kind of appliance that sits on a patio and slow-cooks brisket or ribs over several hours. His reasoning was seasonal and practical. At the time of recording, Wisconsin had just hit temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is unusual enough there that people were clearly shifting into outdoor cooking mode. Warm weather creates a predictable spike in searches for outdoor appliances, and smokers fit the high-traffic, low-competition profile the method required.

There was also a commission-size consideration. Smokers are not cheap. A quality smoker can run anywhere from $200 to over $1,000. Even Amazon’s modest commission rates on home and kitchen products translate to real dollars on a $400 purchase. If you are going to spend money on Google Ads, you want every click to have the potential to return a commission worth more than what you paid for the click.

The specific keyword he targeted was “best smoker for beginners,” which hit the criteria Mecham outlined: decent search volume, product-intent phrasing, and low enough competition that a small daily budget could show the ad without getting destroyed by big retail brands.

Step 2: Building the Landing Page in 15 Minutes

Alston published the landing page on his site bestproductsunder.com. The page was a comparison of different smoker models, each displayed in a product box with an image, key specs, and a link to Amazon. He built the whole page in about 15 minutes using a WordPress plugin called AAWP, which stands for Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin and is available at getaawp.com.

AAWP is a paid tool, but Alston already had an active subscription from previous affiliate work, so there was no added cost for this test. The plugin connects directly to the Amazon Product Advertising API and pulls in product data automatically, which means you get real pricing, real images, and real availability without having to manually update anything. The comparison box format it generates looks polished and loads cleanly on both desktop and mobile.

The 15-minute build time matters because one of the biggest blockers people cite with affiliate marketing is that building the actual content takes too long. A dedicated tool like AAWP removes most of that friction for product comparison pages. The keyword research and the ads setup will take longer than the page itself, which is actually the right order of priorities: spend more time on the strategic decisions and less time on the mechanical execution.

Step 3: Setting Up Google Ads

Rather than walk through the complete Google Ads setup, which Mecham covered thoroughly in his original video, Alston focused on showing what his actual campaign looked like after it had been running for about two weeks. The campaign ran from Sunday, May 1 through May 14 of that year, and the raw numbers were modest but telling.

Total impressions: 388. Total clicks: 8. Total spend: $1.53. Average cost per click: 19 cents. Geographic target: United States. Primary audience clicking through: men, according to the demographic data Google reported back.

Alston’s daily budget was set somewhere between $5 and $10. With a 19-cent average cost per click, that budget was generating clicks at a rate of roughly 25 to 50 clicks per day if maxed out, though the ad was limited at certain points either by the strategy settings or by ad quality score. He acknowledged that optimizing the ad’s quality score was a step he had not fully completed yet, which is a factor in both cost and reach.

One note on the keyword data: the campaign was running multiple keyword variants, and the one generating the most clicks was “best smoker for beginners.” Some of the other keyword variants were producing impressions but no clicks, and Alston observed he could turn those off to concentrate the budget on what was performing. That kind of ongoing optimization is standard with paid traffic and is part of the path from proof-of-concept to consistent daily returns.

What the Numbers Actually Showed

This is where the experiment got interesting. Alston pulled up his Amazon Associates dashboard and walked through the date-by-date breakdown so viewers could see the pattern, not just the headline total.

For the period from April 14 to May 13, his Amazon account showed $24.34 in total commissions. For the current month specifically, the figure was $19.72. On its own that number might not look like much, but the comparison between what he spent on ads and what came back in commissions is what makes this worth studying.

On Tuesday, May 3, his ad received one click. That same day on Amazon, he logged 13 clicks and earned $4.60 in commissions. One Google ad click for 19 cents produced $4.60 in affiliate income. That is not a scalable business on day one, but it is a clear signal that the targeting is correct and the conversion path works.

On Saturday, May 7, two Google clicks came through. Amazon showed 3 total clicks on that date and zero commissions. That is a normal outcome with affiliate marketing. Not every visitor who clicks through to Amazon buys something, and not every buying session happens on the same day as the initial click.

On Sunday, May 8, three Google clicks arrived. Amazon showed 14 clicks and again zero commissions recorded on that specific date. But Amazon’s attribution window matters here, which connects to the next section on cookies.

The standout data point came from Thursday, May 12. A single Google ad click at 19 cents led to four Amazon clicks recorded that day, and Alston earned $10.48 in commissions. One click, 19 cents spent, $10.48 returned. That single data point is the core proof that the method functions. The ratio is not guaranteed to repeat at that level every time, but it demonstrates the upside that makes this approach worth building on.

Not sure which affiliate niche fits what you already know?

Find the specific angle that matches your background and skills at finder.platformproof.com.

Why the Amazon Cookie Changes Everything

One detail from Alston’s results is worth spending real time on because it changes how you think about product selection and commission math. The products that generated his commissions were not smokers. He promoted smokers. He built the landing page around smokers. He ran ads targeting people searching for smokers. But the actual items his visitors purchased from Amazon were something else entirely.

This is because Amazon’s affiliate cookie works on a session basis, not a product basis. When someone clicks your Amazon affiliate link, a 24-hour cookie is set on their browser. If they then browse Amazon and buy anything during that 24 hours, including products they went searching for on their own, you earn the commission on whatever they purchased. It does not have to be the product you linked to. It does not have to be in the same category.

In practice this means a visitor who clicked Alston’s smoker comparison page, went to Amazon, did not buy a smoker but then added a kitchen gadget, a book, or a piece of clothing to their cart and checked out, still generated a commission for Alston on that purchase. The buyer’s intent on Amazon is often broader than the specific product that brought them there, and the affiliate gets credit for being the last affiliate link in the session.

This dynamic makes high-traffic, high-purchase-intent product categories even more valuable as entry points. You are not just fishing for that one product sale. You are opening a window into an Amazon shopping session, and Amazon customers have high average order values. Picking the right entry point, a product with genuine search volume and enough appeal to get someone onto Amazon in a buying frame of mind, is often more important than obsessing over commission rates for that specific item.

Honest Drawbacks of This Method

Alston was clear: as of the date he filmed this video, he was not making $100 per day. The experiment proved the method is profitable, but the gap between “profitable” and “$100 per day” involves real work and real investment. Here is an honest look at the friction points.

Ahrefs costs money. The keyword research tool at the center of this method is not free. Ahrefs charges a monthly subscription that is meaningful for someone just starting out. Mecham showed how to use it, but that assumes you either have access or are willing to pay for a trial period to do your research before committing.

Google Ads requires an ongoing budget. Alston’s $1.53 spend over two weeks produced $19.72 in commissions because he got a favorable click on May 12. That ratio will not hold perfectly. Some days will generate clicks with no resulting commissions. To average $100 per day in commissions, you need enough volume that good days and average days balance out at a level above your ad spend. That requires a real daily budget and a willingness to optimize over weeks, not hours.

Ad quality score affects reach. Alston mentioned his campaign was flagged as “limited” by strategy or ad quality. This means Google was not showing his ad as often as it could. Improving the landing page experience, making sure the ad copy matches what the page delivers, and raising bids to be competitive all contribute to a better quality score and more consistent placement.

Amazon commission rates are not high. Amazon Associates pays between 1 and 10 percent depending on category, with most home goods around 3 to 4 percent. A $400 smoker at 4 percent is $16. That is a solid commission per sale, but you need volume. Alston noted that other affiliate networks, particularly those focused on digital products or higher-margin physical goods, often pay significantly more per conversion, which could make the same traffic budget produce larger returns.

The 24-hour window cuts both ways. The cookie advantage is real, but so is the fact that if someone clicks your link and then clicks a different affiliate’s link before checking out, you lose the commission. In highly competitive niches where multiple affiliates are running ads, cookie attribution gets messy.

The Path From Proof to $100 Per Day

Alston laid out a clear thinking process for how to build on what he proved. Knowing the specific steps makes the gap between today’s results and the $100/day target easier to see and close.

Raise your bids. Alston was averaging 19 cents per click because his bids were conservative. Moving to $1 or $2 per click would put his ads in front of more competitive searches, reach more buyers, and increase the daily click volume that feeds commissions.
Prune non-performing keywords. Several keyword variants in his campaign were getting impressions with zero clicks. Turning those off and concentrating budget on “best smoker for beginners” and similar high-intent phrases would improve efficiency immediately.
Optimize ad copy and quality score. Google rewards ads that closely match what searchers want and what the landing page delivers. Tightening the match between keyword, ad headline, and page content lowers costs and increases reach without raising the budget.
Test additional keyword categories. Smokers were one test. The same Ahrefs research process can surface five or ten other product categories with similar characteristics. Running a landing page for each and pausing the ones that do not convert keeps the portfolio moving toward the best opportunities.
Explore non-Amazon affiliate programs. Alston explicitly flagged this as the next experiment. Programs that pay 10 to 30 percent commissions on digital products, software subscriptions, or higher-margin physical goods can dramatically change the math on what a single click is worth.
Scale what is already working. Alston’s summary was precise: once you know you can spend $5 to $10 on a customer and make money, the next move is to spend more. Affiliate marketing at its core is about finding a profitable ratio and then feeding it more volume.

Find Your X

The method Alston tested works, and the math at even small scale shows positive returns. But the keyword you pick, the affiliate program you use, and the product category that matches your existing knowledge all shape how quickly you get from “proof” to “income.” If you are trying to figure out which angle fits your background, what you already know, and what you are most likely to stick with long enough to scale, the Platform Proof Finder is the place to start. Answer a few questions about your skills and goals and it points you toward the specific type of online income that makes sense for your situation.

Start at finder.platformproof.com and find the path that fits you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Ahrefs to use this method?

Ahrefs is the tool Mecham’s original method was built around, and it is the most precise way to find the high-traffic, low-competition keyword sweet spot the strategy depends on. That said, Ahrefs has a trial option, and some affiliates use free alternatives like Google’s own Keyword Planner or the free tier of Ubersuggest to approximate the same research. You will get less precision without a paid tool, which means you may need to run more test campaigns before finding a profitable keyword.

How much do I need to spend on Google Ads to test this?

Alston ran his initial test with a $5 to $10 daily budget and spent only $1.53 in the first two weeks because Google limited his ad frequency based on the strategy settings. A realistic starting test requires enough budget to generate at least 50 to 100 clicks over two to three weeks. At 19 to 50 cents per click in a low-competition niche, that is $10 to $50 total. You need enough click volume to see a real signal before drawing conclusions.

Why did commissions come from products other than smokers?

Amazon’s affiliate cookie is session-based. Once someone clicks your affiliate link, they are tagged to your account for 24 hours. Any purchase they make from Amazon in that window, regardless of what product brought them there, earns you a commission. Alston’s visitors clicked through the smoker page but may have purchased unrelated items they were already planning to buy. That is a feature of the Amazon Associates program, not a bug.

What is the AAWP plugin and do I need it?

AAWP stands for Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin. It connects to Amazon’s Product Advertising API and lets you insert professional-looking product boxes, comparison tables, and bestseller lists into WordPress pages without manually building each one. It is a paid plugin available at getaawp.com. You do not strictly need it to run this method, but it dramatically reduces the time to build a landing page and keeps product data current automatically. Alston built his entire smoker comparison page in 15 minutes using it.

Can I use affiliate programs other than Amazon for this method?

Yes, and Alston specifically flagged this as a direction worth exploring. Amazon’s commission rates top out around 10 percent and average closer to 3 to 4 percent for most categories. Affiliate networks like ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, or individual brand programs in categories like software, financial products, or digital education often pay far higher commissions per sale. The same Google Ads traffic sent to a page promoting a product with a 20 to 30 percent commission rate returns significantly more per click at the same cost.

What is a good quality score in Google Ads and why does it matter?

Google assigns a Quality Score from 1 to 10 to each keyword in your campaign based on how relevant your ad copy is to the keyword and how well your landing page matches what the searcher likely wants. A higher Quality Score lowers your cost per click and allows your ad to appear more often at the same or lower bid. Alston’s campaign was marked as “limited,” which is a flag that the score needed work. Improving it involves tightening the connection between keyword, ad headline, and landing page content.

Is this method passive income or does it require active management?

The setup is not passive, especially at first. Keyword research, ad creation, landing page building, and ongoing campaign optimization all require active time. Once a campaign is profitable and stable, the day-to-day management drops significantly. But reaching that stable state takes weeks of monitoring, pruning underperforming keywords, adjusting bids, and sometimes rebuilding pages that are not converting. Calling it passive income misrepresents the startup phase. A more accurate label is recurring income that becomes lower-maintenance over time.

What separates the days Alston earned commissions from the days he did not?

The honest answer is that at low click volumes, randomness plays a large role. May 3 and May 12 produced commissions because visitors who came through those days happened to make Amazon purchases during their session. May 7 and May 8 produced clicks but no commissions in those windows. With only 8 total Google clicks over two weeks, the sample size is too small to draw firm conclusions about why some days convert and others do not. At higher volume, patterns become clearer and optimization decisions get easier to make with real data behind them.

Sources

Spencer Mecham’s original Google Ads + Ahrefs affiliate marketing video (April 21, 2022)
Alston Godbolt’s Google Ads campaign dashboard (May 1-14, campaign data referenced in this video)
Alston Godbolt’s Amazon Associates dashboard (April 14 – May 13, commission data referenced in this video)
AAWP plugin: getaawp.com
Ahrefs keyword research tool: ahrefs.com
Amazon Associates affiliate program terms and cookie policy: affiliate-program.amazon.com