The reason I named this website Earn Cash In College is because I wanted to eliminate the idea that you’d be given freebies right out of the gate. What I am going to teach you in this guide, as well as my other guides, is how to build your online income so that you can establish a strong cashflow by the time that you graduate and not be stressed about the job search, student loans or any of the other various stresses facing college students and graduates.
What makes what I am about to teach you even better, is that it’s actually a very much in demand skill. Even if your website doesn’t take off overnight (which it likely won’t) you will be learning a skillset that will open up an entire new category of jobs for you. Even better, because you took the inititative to teach yourself on your own time, you’ll have that self-driven bonus to add to your resume.
Here we go… Getting Started In Affiliate Marketing
First, some technical stuff.
Affiliate marketing is the process of earning commissions through promoting products and generating sales to third party companies. However I don’t want you to get too hung up on that so that’s the last you’ll hear about affiliate marketing for a little while.
Alright, enough of that. Let’s jump right in to the fun stuff. I want you to start thinking about things that you love. This could be anything ranging from hockey to baseball to reading to music to making money! There are no wrong answers here. The only criteria is that your choice be something you are truly passionate about.
Got something in mind?
Good.
Now, I want you to think about the kinds of people who are interested in that passion you just thought of. I’ll help you out a little here.
Let’s say my passion is playing guitar (it is, actually). What other type of person likes to play guitar?
- College students who are pressed for time and don’t have the money for private lessons
- Kids who’ve never played an instrument before and just got a guitar
- Retirees who are looking for a hobby to spend time and decided to take up guitar
- Someone who has loved rock music their whole life and has decided they want to learn how to make their own rock music
The list goes on and on…
Your turn. I want you to think about the various types of people who could share your passion. Again, there really are no wrong answers.
Want to know what I love about that exercise? You’ve just killed 2 birds with one stone. You’ve not only found your niche, but you’ve also figured out who your audience is.
You’ll hear me reference the word “niche” a lot throughout this guide and website. A niche, in its simplest form, is a specialized subset of people interested in a topic.
My #1 Resource For Choosing Niches
What makes a niche better than a topic?
A topic is broad and can have many niches included within it. A niche is specialized and has more specific terms attached to it. Choosing a niche instead of a topic will help you with your keyword research, content brainstorming and the overall success of your website as a whole.
In addition to your niche selection, you now have your audience figured out as well. Knowing your audience allows you to put yourself in their shoes. This makes developing your writing tone easier and simplifies molding your writing style to better cater to your audience.
Why Does Any of This Matter
Ultimately what I am going to be teaching you is to help your audience. This is why it is very important that you are passionate about your niche choice.
The goal of your website is going to be to teach, to inform, to be a useful resource in your niche to your target audience.
Nobody wants to read something that is blatantly trying to sell them crap. Sales should not be your focus. Being helpful and engaging is your goal.
Homework
What? You thought just because this is a website you wouldn’t be getting homework? Ha.. Think again.
I want you to practice coming up with niches and audiences. Trust me, you will thank me later.
Come up with 3 niches along with audiences. That’s it. Leave what you’ve come up with in the comments below and I will get back to you with feedback.
Additionally, if I’ve left you with questions unanswered, feel free to leave them below and I’ll be happy to help.
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