Lynn Terry recently posted a review of the The Supper Affiliate Handbook on her blog and it really got me thinking about purchasing the book since I have been really interested in affiliate marketing.

Lynn’s Super Affiliate Handbook Review was very detailed and thorough but I still had some questions about affiliate marketing in general and the book itself.  Luckily Lynn is awesome and agree to answer my questions in a short interview!

My Question: What is your favorite aspect of affiliate marketing?  Is there one part of it you love more than the others?

Lynn: Cashing checks certainly ranks right up there at the top LOL – income aside though, I really do enjoy affiliate marketing. I think my favorite part about it is connecting with the different markets and finding out what makes them tick – well, click in this case.

It can be a fun challenge to research a market inside and out, and get to know the human side of the need or want behind the purchases. And in markets where I’m a buyer myself, the conversations and networking – and even the research – are a lot of fun.

As an example, if you’re a foodie with an affiliate site or blog all about cool unique kitchen appliances… hanging out in food & cooking related forums is part of your job. It makes work fun!

My Question: In your review of The Super Affiliate Handbook you mentioned that “Rosalind gives you 6 ways to create content, a detailed example of a well-written Elance project proposal…” How does Elance play a part in affiliate marketing?  Isn’t it just for freelancers looking for jobs?

Lynn: Right, elance.com is a place where you go to find people to help you do odd jobs or work on projects. This is great if you need to hire someone to customize your affiliate blog theme, or create you a custom header graphic for your affiliate site.

You might also want to outsource things like content development, programming, link-building or other tasks that go along with creating and marketing your own affiliate site.

Obviously you can do all of these things yourself, and most things are easy enough to learn, but no guide would be complete without at least mentioning the option to outsource to make things go quicker for you.

I do a lot of outsourcing myself, as I have more than a dozen active sites at the moment. Sometimes links need to be updated, or mundane tasks need to be done – like submitting the site or blog to directories, for example. I’d rather focus on doing the thing I’m best at and outsource the rest.

My Question: You also mention a list of 20 Questions to ask before joining an affiliate program is included in the book.  Are there are any other questions you would add that to that list that you believe are also important?

Lynn: Rosalind covered the bases with that list in her Super Affiliate Handbook, and some of them I hadn’t thought of on my own. The most important thing to me is having a personal contact, or knowing who and how to get in touch if I have a question or want to discuss a certain aspect of their affiliate program.

I work with a large number of networks and merchants, and they all operate differently. Those that keep an open line of communication, are open to feedback, and go out of their way to help me make sales for them… are the merchants that get my loyalty. Those that treat their affiliates best, usually treat their customers better as well – and that goes a long way with me when choosing who and what to promote.

My Question: How do you decide what kind of site to setup for affiliate marketing?  A static site, mini-site, or full blog?

Lynn: That’s a great question. It depends on the product and the market, and on your specific objective. Sometimes you have to test and see what will work best – and sometimes the answer to that will surprise you.

I often do more than one for any given product or market. For example you can set up a blog to build a readership around your topic, and funnel that traffic into your product-based mini-site. Or you can set up a mini-site with an opt-in offer for a free report and funnel them into your static site or blog in the follow-up series.

There’s no one right way that will work best in every market, or for every product. My favorite method is to set up affiliate blogs around topics (I always create around topics, not products). This allows you to create a lot of content around keywords, and reach your market through the major search engines – and build a loyal readership.

Thank you Lynn for answering my questions!

Here is a little bit more about The Super Affiliate Handbook:

Read the amazing true story of how one woman, with no previous business experience, earns $435,000+ per year … selling other people’s stuff online!

In her down-to-earth, sincere and often humorous style, Rosalind Gardner guides you through the entire process of building an affiliate marketing business on the ‘Net. In 220+ pages, and more than 68,000 words, you’ll learn how to pick the best programs, negotiate a commission raise and save time, money and effort on everything from affiliate software to web hosting.

To learn exactly how she does it, Click Here.

I will be purchasing this book in the near future.  Lynn has totally sold me on it.   What about you?  If you want to get started in affiliate marketing The Super Affiliate Handbook sounds like a must have resource!

P.S. If you have been wanting to join the affiliate marketing world, I highly suggest you read Lynn’s ClickNewz blog and check out her forum, Self-Starters Weekly Tips.  There is all kinds of great information in both places.