3 Critical Questions That Will Transform Your Affiliate Marketing Success – Part 2
If you read my last post, you know I promised to share the exact process I use to identify hidden opportunities in affiliate marketing.
Well, today I’m going to deliver on that promise — and then some.
The Problem With Most Affiliate Marketing Approaches
But first, let me share something that happened just recently.
A fellow marketer reached out to me, frustrated because they’d spent months promoting a “hot” digital product with impressive commission rates.
Their traffic was decent, but conversions? Almost non-existent.
Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing: Most affiliate marketers are asking all the wrong questions.
They’re obsessed over commission rates, conversion pixels, and traffic sources before they’ve even laid the proper foundation.
Today, I’m going to share the three questions that will completely transform your affiliate marketing business.
These aren’t your typical “what’s the commission rate?” or “how’s the conversion rate?” questions.
These go much deeper.
The 3 Questions That Will Change Everything
Question #1: “What keeps your audience awake at 3 AM?”
Not “what do they want?” but what genuinely troubles them?
What problems are they desperately trying to solve?
When I started promoting make-money-online products, I initially focused on the “get rich quick” angle that everyone else was pushing.
But when I really dug deep, I discovered that my audience wasn’t just looking for money — they were looking for security, freedom, and a way out of their current situation.
Understanding this changed everything about how I communicated with my audience and what products I chose to promote.
Question #2: “Would I recommend this product to my closest friend?”
This is where most affiliate marketers get uncomfortable.
But here’s the brutal truth: if you wouldn’t stake your personal reputation on recommending a product to someone you care about, why are you promoting it to your audience?
I now have a strict policy: I either use the product myself or thoroughly investigate it before promoting it.
Yes, this means I’ve turned down some high-commission offers.
But it’s also why my audience trusts my recommendations and keeps coming back.
Question #3: “What happens after they buy?”
This is the game-changer that nobody talks about.
Most affiliates focus solely on getting the sale.
But I’ve learned to ask: What’s the customer experience after purchase?
Will they actually achieve their desired outcome?
When I started asking this question, I discovered something fascinating:
The products that provided the best post-purchase experience consistently generated the most long-term revenue through repeat buyers and referrals.
Putting It All Into Practice
Here’s how these questions work in real life:
Let’s say you’re considering promoting a course about starting an online business.
Instead of just looking at the commission rate, you’d:
- Identify the real problem (Question #1):
- Maybe your audience isn’t just looking to “make money online” — they’re looking for a way to quit their soul-crushing 9-5 job.
- Evaluate the product honestly (Question #2):
- Would you genuinely recommend this course to your best friend who’s trying to escape their day job?
- Consider the aftermath (Question #3):
- Does the course provide genuine, actionable steps that will help people progress toward their goal?
The Results Speak for Themselves
When you start applying these questions to every product you will consider promoting, something incredible will happen.
Not only will your conversion rates improve, but your refund rates will plummet.
Even better, you’ll start getting messages from people thanking you for recommending products that actually helped them.
That’s when you’ll realize: sustainable affiliate marketing isn’t about finding hot products to promote — it’s about becoming a trusted advisor who genuinely helps people solve their problems.
What’s Next?
In my next post, I’ll show you the exact system I use to research and validate potential affiliate products using these three questions.
You’ll learn how to quickly identify products that are truly worth promoting and how to position them in a way that resonates with your audience.
But for now, I want you to try something: Take the last product you promoted (or are planning to promote) and run it through these three questions.
Be brutally honest with yourself.
What did you discover?
Drop a comment below and let me know what insights you gained from this exercise.
Your experience might help fellow marketers who are facing similar challenges.
Ready to Transform Your Affiliate Marketing?
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P.S. Next week’s post will be a deep dive into product research and validation. I’ll share my complete evaluation checklist and show you how to spot red flags before they cost you money and credibility.
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Until next time!
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Hi Ken,
This is exactly what more affiliate marketers need to hear! Too many people focus on chasing high commissions without thinking about whether the product actually helps anyone. That second question, “Would I recommend this to a close friend?” really puts things into perspective. It’s a great gut check! Looking forward to the next post on product research. Time to start looking at my offers with fresh eyes! Great post and thanks for sharing..
Meredith
Meredith, Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post! The 2nd question is really a good check of your motives when it comes to what you are promoting. Hope to hear from you on the next post.
Ken, this really made me reflect on how I’ve approached affiliate marketing so far. In the beginning, I focused too much on high commissions and popular offers without thinking about whether the product truly helped anyone. After recently losing my father and stepping back to reassess my goals, I’ve realised I want to build something more honest and helpful. Now I only promote tools and resources I’ve used myself and believe in. These three questions are a great reminder to stay focused on real value, not just quick wins.
Atif, Thanks for stopping by and replying to my post. I’m glad to hear that you found this post thought provoking. Just like any other business we are always going to have to make some course corrections. Here’s to your continued success!
Ken – The three questions that you asked in this post are critical! This is not something that we can blindly go into but something that we need a plan and these questions as well as possible answers and forethought can help us not only create a plan but follow the plan. You certainly have given me something to think about. We all just want success to fall in our laps but without careful consideration and creating value for others this will just probably not happen. Thanks for this post!
Ernie, Thanks for stopping by and leaving your review! Your exactly right when you say we all expect success to fall into our laps especially when we find something that resonates with us personally. We have to keep in mind that we’re not all alike and therefore we all have different needs and wants. We need to watch out for others as well as ourselves when making our recommendations.