Affiliate programs are a great way to earn money. As an affiliate I get regular checks from a couple dozen companies. Sometimes they're small--$25 or so--sometimes they're large-- $1,000 and above. Over the course of a year those checks really add up.

One of the biggest keys to maximizing affiliate profits is to get your web visitors and newsletter readers to visit the affiliate site--after all, that's where the sale is made!

The more people you send to a site with an open mind, the more sales you will make. The key is in how you write the invitation or article that sends them there. Here are some ways to increase response:

1. Use cognitive dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is created whenever we have something in our lives is incomplete. For instance: We see the first hour of a murder mystery on TV, then we are glued to the set to see "whodunit".

In writing, cognitive dissonance can take the form of a half told story that is completed when the visitor visits the site or buys the product. When we tell our web visitors, "Just one idea from page 283 made me $2,324 dollars the first week," we are creating cognitive dissonance. People want to see what that idea was.

You can also use this method to refer to the actual content of a site as well: "You won't believe who his second testimonial is from..." sends people to the sales site, they want the answer!

2. Reward them for Visiting and/or Buying

You can offer a reward for visiting that comes from you: "I will give everyone who just looks at this my new..." or you can use a reward already offered on the site "He is giving everyone who visits..." You can use a contest, a rebate or any other reward. I have found the best rewards to be things of value to my subscribers they cannot get elsewhere.

3. Ask them to visit as a favor to you.

Just asking your subscribers and visitors to take a look at the affiliate site can be strong motivation for them. This is especially true if you ask them for their opinion.

On a regular basis I ask a small number of my subscribers to give their opinion on a product or service I am considering offering to my entire list. I simply ask them for their opinion. While I regularly ask in excess of 1,000 people to do this for me, almost everyone who opens the email visits the site.

These are just a few of the ideas I use to generate growing affiliate commissions for my company each month. For a more comprehensive plan, I have a complementary download you can pick up: http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/affreport

I would also encourage you to "pick the brain" of the owner of one of the most successful sites on the web at generating affiliate commissions. You can pick HER brain here: http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/brainpick

Kevin Bidwell is owner of http://www.all-in-one-business.com/cgi-bin/at.cgi?a=229530. Kevin just finished a complete report on building a passive income. Grab your copy here: http://www.all-in-one-business.com/cgi-bin/at.cgi?a=229530&e=/pi

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