Ashley runs Upstart Blogger a blog whose tag line reads “Successful Blogging Made Simple”, pretty much sums it up.  I have been following his site pretty closely for the last few months and have been continuously impressed by the quantity and quality of its content.  I have managed to read just about every article available and feel I have soaked up some very valuable information and lessons as a result.  So I felt his was an opinion I could trust.

From my reading I knew that a significant portion of Ashley’s income at Upstart Blogger is attributed to an affiliate marketing campaign with his hosting provider, ANHosting.  They happen to offer a two tier marketing program which means in theory he not only earns money from his refferrals, but could potentially earn money on their referrals as well.

What I wanted to know was how important this second tier was to his overall blogging strategy, and if the income from this second tier was worth finding a reputable company I was willing to promote that offers such a program.

So I shot him an email to ask him exactly this.  He replied with some great advice that answered a lot of questions for me, and I think it is really worth sharing…

Hi Kirk,

Thanks for your kind words. Second, and subsequent, tier marketing is a market that makes me exactly zero! In fairness, however, that is probably because I don’t actively say good things about that side of my partnership with AN hosting.

Not that they aren’t good. It’s just that I don’t like the idea of trying to persuade someone to push the same product that I push.

The only people who are good at making second tier incomes tend to be those who make nothing from the first tier. That is why programs like text link ads are promoted so aggressively by some less scrupulous pro bloggers.

I suppose it is possible for there to be a middle ground – where someone makes a good income from every tier – but I’m pretty sure it’s an either-or situation.

If you are able to promote a product successfully – a product that is complimentary to your blog – your income is much more stable than if you rely on the little and often approach of the second tier.

I thoroughly recommend AN Hosting as a host. I’m a customer of theirs and they look after me. Promoting them is pretty easy since I use them transparently – everyone knows I’m a customer so it’s not a hard sell.

To sum up – find a complementary product or service and go for the first tier sales – that’s where 100% of my blogging income comes from and that’s what I would recommend anyone else to do unless there was a better reason not to.

Cheers,

Ashley

Ashley, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions you have shed light on a question I have been struggling to find answers to.  I am always looking forward to reading your updates over at  Upstart Blogger.  Keep up the good work!

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