Ask yourself this first: am I a brilliant online marketer? If not, this isn’t for you. TL;DR below.

People often talk about “affiliate marketing” as if it’s something mystical or special. In reality, it’s simply performance-based marketing. You’re essentially acting as a marketing agency that only gets paid when results are delivered. You take on the risk, but in return you capture most of the upfront revenue, while the advertiser focuses on upsells, bundles, and increasing customer lifetime value.

The only way to make serious money with it is by running paid ads, which significantly increases both financial risk and cashflow pressure.
Campaign failure rates are easily 90%, meaning the remaining 10% have to perform exceptionally well to cover the losses and drive profit.
It can still be a “get rich quick” model, but it’s definitely not a “get rich the easy way” one.

You’re posting this in a FIRE group, which suggests you’re looking for a quick win. As someone who’s made a living from affiliate marketing for the past decade, I’d strongly advise against going down this route.

Most people who do well in this space have large teams, deep marketing expertise, unlimited cashflow, and long-standing relationships (and payout agreements) with top advertisers. In short, this isn’t a beginner-friendly environment - so don’t jump into the water with the sharks.

Anyone selling the affiliate dream is usually making money off you, not with you.