Even if you opt for an affiliate marketing network, it does not mean you cannot find additional qualified affiliates on your own. It is all about building relationships. Affiliates will only want to promote the products and services of brands they trust. After all, they are putting their name and reputation on the line. Do they already have a platform, such as a blog or a website, with quality content? Are they authentic when communicating with their audience online? Have they mastered the art of show and not tell, meaning they are great storytellers that will draw customers in and persuade them to buy? How much traffic does their blog or website generate? The more traffic, the higher the potential for sales. Is their online presence professional, and does it align with your brand position? Do they have a large or engaged social media following? Is the affiliate ranking high for search terms related to your products or services?
You can still ask for samples before you become an affiliate. Or, you can use a trial feature before using any paid tool or subscription. I would still recommend investing money in trying out the products yourself.

You should be crystal clear about who your target audience is. Once you know their struggles, it’s easy to pick the right combo of products to promote.
That being said, you’ll also need to employ other tactics as well to help drive more traffic to your blog; here are some of the best tactics to consider: Guest blogging: this is another must-do: it will help raise your profile in your niche, boost your traffic and help you generate backlinks for your blog (which are essential for SEO and will help you boost your search rankings) – you should ideally try to guest post for at least 10-15 publications each month, a mix of both high-tier publications (publications with a domain authority of at least 80-85) and mid-tier publications (with a domain authority of 20-30 and up to 80)