Cyber Money 2021: How To Make Money On Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is not just a shopping event. It is one of the most predictable buying windows of the entire year, and that makes it one of the most reliable money-making windows if you know how to position yourself on the right side of the transaction. While most people are clicking “add to cart,” a smaller group is earning commissions every time someone else does.

In this video Alston breaks down three specific methods for turning Cyber Monday traffic into affiliate income. None of them require a huge audience to start. What they do require is a little keyword research, some setup work in the days before the sale window opens, and a basic understanding of how affiliate links work. Here is everything you need to know.

What You’ll Walk Out With

How to use Ahrefs to find Cyber Monday keywords with a difficulty of 10 or below
Why 345,000 monthly searches and 5,000+ keyword variations exist around Cyber Monday alone
How to build a YouTube channel strategy that earns passive affiliate income every November and December
Why a blog with zero text can still rank and earn commissions through affiliate deal pages
How email marketing turns a 5,000-person list into a Cyber Monday revenue machine
The niche-down strategy that makes this method work in any category from gaming to pets to kitchen appliances
How to use finder.platformproof.com to discover which of these three methods fits your current skills and audience

Why Cyber Monday Is a Goldmine for Affiliate Marketers

Cyber Monday started as the online counterpart to Black Friday. Where Black Friday traditionally meant going into stores, Cyber Monday was about logging in. Over time the two have blurred together, but retailers still treat Cyber Monday as its own event, offering exclusive online discounts that are not available in stores. That means a dedicated wave of buyers hitting search engines looking for the best deals on specific products.

For affiliate marketers, this is a known, repeatable traffic spike. You can prepare content weeks in advance, publish it right before the deal window, collect commissions during the 48-to-72-hour buying window, and then let that same content sit and earn residual income for the next eleven months until the cycle repeats. The strategy Alston outlines in this video is designed exactly for that kind of setup: front-load the work, then get paid passively.

The key is the data. When you run “cyber monday” through Ahrefs and filter for keywords with a difficulty score of 10 or below, you get access to 5,000+ keyword variations representing 345,000 searches per month. These are not vague intent keywords. They are highly commercial, transactional searches from people who have already decided to buy. That changes the affiliate math significantly.

Method 1: YouTube Deal Content

YouTube is the first method and in some ways the most scalable one. When Alston searched “cyber monday” on YouTube during his research, the top results were from NBC News, MSNBC, and ABC. Major media outlets dominate the very top. But scroll down slightly and the picture changes. A channel with 67,000 subscribers appeared. Shannon Morris, at 64,000 subscribers, had Cyber Monday deals content. A gaming-focused creator with 612,000 subscribers was in the results too.

These are not massive channels. They are niche creators who understood that deal-specific content performs well during the shopping window. And the example that stands out most from the video is the channel dedicated entirely to Black Friday content. The creator only posts during the month and a half leading up to Black Friday, then a few days after. That is it. Then they step away and collect passive income from affiliate commissions on videos that keep getting views year after year because the keywords stay relevant.

The tactical play Alston recommends is to take a specific keyword like “Newegg Cyber Monday” (which has 1,900 monthly searches and a keyword difficulty of just 4 in Ahrefs), create a YouTube video reviewing the best Newegg deals for that category, and embed your affiliate links in the description. If you can only get accepted into one or two affiliate programs, that is fine. You can still create multiple videos for different product departments within that one affiliate relationship.

Newegg alone covers computer components, computer systems, electronics, gaming, and networking. That is five content categories from a single affiliate program. Do the same research for each department, find the keywords, build the videos, and you can fill a content calendar with deal-focused content without ever jumping between affiliate platforms.

One more thing worth noting: you do not need to show your face. Deal-review content works well as screen-capture walkthroughs, slideshow formats, or product-image compilations with voiceover. The search intent is product discovery, not parasocial connection with a creator. That removes one of the biggest barriers people cite when they say they are uncomfortable starting a YouTube channel.

Using Ahrefs to Find the Right Keywords

The keyword research workflow Alston uses is straightforward. Open Ahrefs, type “cyber monday” into the keyword explorer, exclude years like 2019 and 2020 to avoid surfacing outdated content, and set the keyword difficulty filter to 10 or below. The results that come back are low-competition opportunities that a new website or channel can realistically rank for.

From the live Ahrefs screen in the video, a few examples stand out. Newegg Cyber Monday had 1,900 searches and a KD of 4. Bed Bath and Beyond Cyber Monday had a KD of 10. KitchenAid mixer Cyber Monday deals had a KD of 3 with 1,200 searches per month. And those KitchenAid mixers are products that retail for $150 to $300 or more, which means a higher affiliate commission per sale.

That is the pattern to look for: low difficulty, high commercial value, product in a category you either already cover or can quickly become knowledgeable about. For someone in the pet niche, the same search with “dog” or “petsmart” modifier terms will surface similar opportunities. The principle is identical regardless of category.

Method 2: Blog Content for Cyber Monday Traffic

The second method is blogging. When Alston searched “newegg cyber monday” on Google, the results included Blackfriday.com, Slickdeals, Yahoo, PCBildGuy.com, and even a Facebook page ranking on the front page. That last one matters: if a Facebook page can rank on the first page of Google for a Cyber Monday keyword, the bar for entry is genuinely low.

What was particularly interesting about Blackfriday.com in the video is what the page looked like. There was almost no text. The site appeared to use an API or a WordPress plugin to pull deal listings directly from Newegg and display them on the page. The content was not a 10,000-word essay. It was a clean, organized product grid with affiliate links to Amazon and Walmart embedded throughout. Display ads also ran on the page, adding a second revenue stream on top of the affiliate commissions.

This is an important counterpoint to the idea that blogging requires a massive content investment. Cyber Monday deal pages reward speed and relevance, not length. A focused page with accurate, current deal information and properly embedded affiliate links can outperform a long-form article if the keyword targeting is right. You do not need to write 10,000 words to compete in this space.

The smarter play is to combine YouTube and blogging. Create a YouTube video about the best Newegg Cyber Monday deals in the gaming category, then embed that video in a blog post covering the same topic. The blog post benefits from having a YouTube embed (it signals engagement to Google), and the video gains views from people who find the blog post first. The two formats reinforce each other and the same affiliate links appear in both places.

For anyone who already has a blog in a specific niche, the approach is even simpler. You already have category-specific content. You already have some domain authority. Publishing a Cyber Monday deals post within your existing niche leverages the trust you have already built with your audience and with search engines. A pet blogger covering “Petsmart Cyber Monday dog toy deals” is not starting from scratch. They are extending existing authority into a seasonal keyword.

Method 3: Email Marketing to an Existing List

The third method is email marketing, and Alston calls it his favorite for a specific reason: you already know exactly what your subscribers want to buy. If you have a list of 5,000 or 10,000 people who signed up because they are interested in dogs, you do not need to guess what deals to send them. You go to Petsmart’s affiliate page, pull the best Cyber Monday offers on dog training equipment, toys, or food, and you send a single well-crafted email with your affiliate links embedded.

The phrase Alston uses is “go back to the well.” An email list lets you earn from the same group of people multiple times without needing to constantly grow your audience. You can send a pre-Cyber Monday teaser. You can send a deal-drops email when the sale goes live. You can send a “last chance” email on the final day. That is three touchpoints from one list during one buying window, all from affiliate links to products your subscribers already want to buy.

This is why building an email list matters regardless of which platform you are on. YouTube channels can be demonetized. Google rankings can shift. But an email list is an asset you control. The Cyber Monday window is short, the competition in inboxes is fierce during the holiday, but the conversion rate from a well-matched offer to a warm subscriber list consistently outperforms cold traffic from search alone.

For this to work well, the list needs to be segmented by interest, or at minimum, the list needs to have been built around a specific topic. A general “make money online” list will convert at a lower rate than a list built around dog owners or kitchen appliance enthusiasts because the offer-to-audience alignment is tighter. The more specific the list, the more effective the Cyber Monday email campaign.

Not sure which of these three methods fits where you are right now?

Answer five quick questions and get a personalized recommendation at finder.platformproof.com.

Step-by-Step: How to Set This Up Before Cyber Monday

Here is a practical sequence you can follow in the weeks before Cyber Monday to have all three methods working at once:

Run keyword research in Ahrefs. Search “cyber monday” plus your niche keyword. Filter for KD 10 or below. Pick 5 to 10 targets that match products in affiliate programs you can join quickly.
Apply to affiliate programs. Newegg, Amazon Associates, Petsmart, Target, and Best Buy all have affiliate programs. Apply to as many as relevant to your niche. Even if you only get accepted to one or two, you have enough to work with.
Create the YouTube videos. For each keyword target, record a 5-to-10-minute deal-review video. Screen capture works fine. Narrate the best deals, show the product pages, include your affiliate links in the description. Publish 3 to 5 days before Cyber Monday so the algorithm has time to index them.
Write the blog posts. Embed each YouTube video into a matching blog post. Add a brief intro paragraph, a table or list of the top deals with affiliate links, and a closing paragraph. Keep it lean and focused on the buyer’s decision.
Prepare your email. Two days before Cyber Monday, draft your deal email for your list. Include 5 to 10 deals that match your audience’s known interests. Schedule the email to go out Monday morning when Cyber Monday opens.
Rinse and repeat next year. Update the same URLs with fresh deals instead of creating new posts. Existing pages with inbound links will rank faster the second year. Your affiliate commissions compound because your domain authority grows while your content investment stays roughly the same.

Honest Drawbacks to Know Before You Start

The Cyber Monday affiliate strategy is seasonal by design. You are building content for a 72-to-96-hour buying window. If your videos or blog posts do not rank in time, or if your affiliate program applications take longer than expected, you miss the window entirely and wait another year. The setup deadline pressure is real.

Affiliate approval timelines vary. Amazon Associates can be fast but they also have minimum sales requirements to stay active. Other programs like Newegg’s affiliate program have their own review process. Apply early. Do not wait until November to start this process.

Keyword difficulty of 10 or below does not guarantee traffic. A KD of 4 means there is relatively little competition, but you still need some domain authority and some inbound links to rank on the first page. A brand-new site with zero history will struggle even with low-KD keywords. This strategy works best for people who already have a website with some existing content and authority, or for YouTube channels with even a modest subscriber base.

Email marketing requires an existing list. If you are starting from zero subscribers, you cannot execute the email method this year. But you can start building that list now so you have it ready for next Cyber Monday. That is the honest framing: some of these methods require assets that take time to build. The good news is that every method in this video can be started with no upfront money. The investment is time, and the payoff compounds each year.

Find Your X

YouTube, blogging, and email marketing are all legitimate paths. The question is which one makes sense given what you already have. Your skills, your current audience size, and the niche you are in all factor into which method gives you the fastest realistic return. Guessing wrong wastes the one Cyber Monday window you have this year.

Take five minutes at finder.platformproof.com to answer a few questions about where you are right now. The tool will tell you which method to start with, why it fits your situation, and what to do first. No email required to get the recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a big YouTube channel to make money from Cyber Monday deal videos?

No. Channels with 60,000 to 65,000 subscribers are getting views on Cyber Monday deal content, and even smaller channels rank for low-competition keywords. The key is the keyword targeting, not the subscriber count. A channel with 500 subscribers and a video targeting a KD-4 keyword can outrank a channel with 500,000 subscribers if the larger channel has not targeted that specific term.

What affiliate programs are best for Cyber Monday content?

Amazon Associates is the most broadly useful because Amazon has Cyber Monday deals across almost every product category. Newegg works well for tech, gaming, and computer components. Best Buy, Target, Petsmart, and Walmart all have affiliate programs that align with specific niches. Apply to the programs that match the content you are already creating so the product recommendations feel natural rather than forced.

Can I do this without showing my face on YouTube?

Yes. Deal-review content is one of the formats where faceless YouTube channels perform well. Screen recordings of product pages, slideshows of deal listings, or product photo compilations with a voiceover all work for this content type. The viewer is focused on the deal, not on the creator’s appearance.

How long do my blog posts need to be?

They do not need to be long. In the video, Alston points to Blackfriday.com pages that rank with almost no written text. They use product listings pulled from retail APIs with affiliate links attached. For low-KD Cyber Monday keywords, a focused, well-structured deals page with embedded affiliate links can rank above longer general articles. If you do write text, aim for accuracy and specificity over word count.

What if I only get accepted to one affiliate program?

That is enough to start. Take that one program and go deep. If you are only in Newegg’s affiliate program, build out videos and blog posts for multiple Newegg product departments: gaming, networking, computer components, electronics. You can generate dozens of pieces of content from a single affiliate relationship by focusing on different product subcategories and different Cyber Monday keyword variations.

How far in advance should I create the content?

Publish blog posts and YouTube videos 3 to 7 days before Cyber Monday. Earlier than that and the content may feel premature; later and you may not have time to get indexed and ranked. For email campaigns, draft the emails 5 to 7 days in advance and schedule them to send when Cyber Monday officially begins, which is typically midnight on the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States.

Does this only work for Cyber Monday, or can the same method work for other shopping events?

The same method works for Black Friday, Prime Day, back-to-school shopping season, and any other retail event where people use search engines to find deals on specific products. The underlying principle is the same: a buying window creates a predictable search traffic surge around commercial keywords. Ahrefs or any similar keyword tool will show you the search volumes and difficulty scores for those events too.

Is it too late to start if Cyber Monday is only a few weeks away?

It depends on which method you focus on. Email marketing to an existing list can be executed in 48 hours. Blogging can get a page live in a day, though new sites without domain authority will struggle to rank. YouTube has the shortest timeline because videos can be indexed and surfaced within 24 to 48 hours. If time is short, focus on YouTube first and email second. Save the blogging investment for next year when you have a full 12 months for the content to build authority before the next shopping season.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “Cyber Money 2021: How To Make Money On Cyber Monday,” YouTube, 2021 – https://youtu.be/T-0vl-K8gnw
Ahrefs Keyword Explorer – keyword difficulty and search volume data referenced in the video
Newegg affiliate program – newegg.com
Blackfriday.com – deal aggregation and affiliate link example referenced in the video
Amazon Associates, Walmart affiliate program – referenced as affiliate examples in the video