Working with Affiliates (How to Start a Sex Toy Review Blog: Part 3)

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Part 3: Affiliates

Becoming an affiliate is nothing to be scared of. I don’t know why I worried so much about this in the early days. It is a test, of sorts, but it’s usually not too hard to pass. I’ve never once been turned away, and for good reason: companies need affiliate bloggers because it’s part of their marketing. Usually, it’s them trying to convince you to join up.

So what is an affiliate?

An affiliate is someone who gets a special code/link assigned to them. When you place your unique link on your blog, anyone who clicks on that link and makes a purchase using will get you an affiliate commission: a small percentage of that sale at no extra cost to your reader. The commission of percentage varies by company. Generally, the payout is through direct deposit, cheque payable, or PayPal.

In this way, it’s a win-win for both you and the company: being an affiliate means there’s a chance you will get a payment….and there’s also a chance you’ll tweet about your reviews more, which means more exposure for that company who sent you the toy, which is always good for them. That’s why they want affiliates and will often ask questions about your stats when you’re signing up.

Companies often use a 3rd party affiliate manager, so there could be a couple steps to the process. For example, to become a Lovehoney affiliate, I first had to sign up for shareasale.com, submit my website title and my blog information. Once I was approved, I then searched for Lovehoney within the Shareasale database and applied to be a Lovehoney affiliate. Only then did I have access to making affiliate links to Lovehoney pages. (Update in 2023: Now Lovehoney uses Impact for an affiliate!).

Other companies have a simpler setup. For example, you can just apply directly through Tantus here, which is just a 1 step process. Realdoll is another great one to sign up for — they sell premium silicone dolls and the conversions are high.

Some affiliate agreements are definitely better than others. Most companies seem to offer 10% or 15% commission on sales, but there are also those that offer 20% and 30%. Payouts from 10% are very small, so I’m generally only interested if it’s 15%+. Most of the time, the terms of your affiliate engagement are fair. However, I definitely once saw a company that insisted that, if you are their affiliate, you only promote their company over others. Things like that are a huge red flag. Other companies can be rather pushy if you don’t make sales. I’m not a fan of those. If your affiliate company is pushing you around, leave. You don’t need them as much as they need you.

So do you need to be an affiliate with everyone you review for? Not necessarily. In my first year, I reviewed a ton of toys for companies that I had no affiliate relationship with. But, as time went on, I started to lean more towards only reviewing for companies I am an affiliate for. At the end of the day, running a sex toy blog is hard work. It feels like work. And you can’t live off dildo alone. Reviewers need to pay rent. But if you are happy to review for companies who don’t have an affiliate program, go for it. Tomato tomahto.

Is it worth it? Yes. Possibly. In some cases, it’s been totally worth it for me. It really depends on the merchant. Unfortunately, larger companies always seem to generate the most profit because they have things like ongoing promotions, free shipping, and returns. All of those things encourage readers to purchase. You are not wholly responsible for making a sale; you are only the gateway, so don’t feel bad if you aren’t making sales.

Keep in mind that, over time, products are regularly discontinued. That means that if you once reviewed a product and used an affiliate link, if it gets discontinued your link will become dead and will not make any sales. This is unavoidable, and something to have mentally in the back of your mind as a in-worst-case-scenario moment.

And remember: who you affiliate with says a lot about your blog. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked to be an affiliate by companies that only sell porous jelly toys. I’ve also been approached by companies with horrific and sexist ad copy. In these cases, if I have to respond I politely decline and briefly state my reasons. Sometimes (poorly run) companies will try to argue with you back. Then I disengage. Always stay true to your blog’s ethics. If you are passionate about body-safe products, don’t affiliate with companies that only promote unsafe toys. Placing an affiliate link on your blog is a loud I SUPPORT THEM badge. So don’t let down your readers by who you support.

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Last Updated on November 6, 2023 by Miss Ruby

Part 3: Affiliates

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