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Yesterday a subscriber to my newsletter asked me this question:

“How do you recommend researching an affiliate program? I want to assure that any affiliate program that I join, the retailer delivers goods and/or services and pays as promises.”

I thought this was a really good question and wanted to post my answer here.

Finding affiliate products to promote is actually quite easy. Many companies in all types of markets are aware of the benefits they receive with having an affiliate program and are offering one. But if you’re concerned about promoting a product that doesn’t live up to its promises, or are concerned about the affiliate manager not paying you (a valid concern!), here are some tips.

• Buy the product and experience its benefits. If at all possible, buy and review the product first. An honest testimonial that shows how you benefitted in some way from the product is very valuable, it comes through in your words. This would be especially important for a recommendation you make on your blog or that you send out to your newsletter subscribers.

  But realistically, you might not be able to do this with every single product you want to promote, nor do you have to. For instance, I have a site all about pretty nursing bras. I’m a breastfeeding Mom, so I know what makes a good nursing bra. I’ve bought and worn a couple of the styles I promote on that site, but not all of them. But my knowledge of the product in general is enough for me to know that I’m promoting a quality product to my target market. I don’t claim to have personal experience with each style however.

• Go through an affiliate network. The companies that use an affiliate network to manage their program have to jump through some hoops to qualify to have their product advertised in the network, and they also have to be well funded. Some good places to start your search are listed here.

  The caveat with these programs is that they almost always pay less than independent programs, because they have to give the network a cut of the action. So you trade a few commission percentage points for security.

• Ask around on message forums. Ask some of the people in your network who are promoting affiliate programs which ones they recommend and have experience with. Some of these will have their own affiliate program. If they’re a part of the community, they have an interest in keeping a good reputation as an affiliate manager. As you form relationships with other online business owners, you’ll know who you can trust.

  Mom Masterminds has been a great place for me to find affiliate programs to promote, because I know the women who own them. They will often let me review the product for free to put my stamp of approval on it, or arrange a steep discount for me as a MM member.

• Ask the affiliate manager for a review copy. Of course, they can’t give everyone who asks a free product because then everyone would join the program just to get the free product. But, often a product owner will give you a copy for review if you promise to write a good testimonial, or can prove you have a large marketing list to promote to, or are willing to otherwise show you’re serious about promoting their product. Try writing a heartfelt email and asking.

  Still, I don’t want to give the impression that finding good affiliate programs you can trust is difficult, because it isn’t. I’ve never once had trouble with an affiliate manager not paying me or not paying on time. I have heard of it happening, but it’s extremely rare. One click of the “publish” button and marketers could expose the program and the owner as a fraud! Most of them just don’t want to go there.