Today I came across an interesting question while surfing the web.
Someone was asking;
Can you do affiliate marketing if you don’t live in the US?
It’s a valid question and one that could prevent you from starting if you don’t know the answer.
I figured I’d write a small post answering the question since I happen to do affiliate marketing AND — you guessed it — I don’t live in the US.
So the short answer is;
YES, you can do affiliate marketing and earn money even if you don’t live in the US.
Although there are a few minor problems you might encounter as a non-US resident.
In the rest of the post, I’m going to:
- Address the potential problems (& show solutions)
- How hard it actually is
- List benefits of affiliate marketing (to encourage you to get started)
- Show where you can get started for free.
Alright, let’s start with the potential problems you may encounter.
2 Main Problems You May Encounter (Both Can Be Solved)
When it comes to affiliate marketing, it’s true that anyone around the globe can get started and make good money with it.
So what are the problems then?
While affiliate marketing is a global thing, the majority of popular affiliate programs are in the US.
And so are the potential customers.
This creates 2 possible problems (in my experience) for non-natives:
- Receiving payments from affiliate programs – and
- Language barrier affecting conversion rates (minor problem).
Luckily, both can be solved fairly easily and are not deal-breakers when it comes to making money with affiliate marketing.
Receiving Payments From Affiliate Programs
What’s the problem?
Some US-based affiliate programs have limited payout options.
A typical problem is that the affiliate program offers payments via direct deposits but you’d need to have a US bank account for that.
A practical example would be the popular Amazon Associates, and it’s actually where I encountered this problem for the first time.
They don’t have PayPal as a payment option, so you are left with:
- Direct deposits (which require you to have a US bank account)
- Checks (high fees, and they don’t even accept those in my country)
- Gift cards (no thanks lol)
So is there any way you can get paid as a non-US citizen? Actually, yes.
The solution
Fortunately, you can use an online money transfer service called Payoneer to get paid.
You can use it to create a virtual US bank account to collect your affiliate commissions (even if you’re not from the US).
Basically, the affiliate program sends the money to your Payoneer account and from there you can send it to your local bank account.
It’s similar to PayPal, but you can use it for affiliate programs that would normally require you to have a US bank account.
It’s completely free to create a Payoneer account, and it’s what I use myself.
Language Barrier Affecting Conversion Rates
What’s the problem?
Now, this is a rather minor problem that may (or may not) apply to you.
If you are promoting US-based affiliate programs, chances are the majority of your target audience also resides in the US.
And if you’re a non-native English speaker, the natives can usually tell from your writing that you’re not a local.
This rises trust issues if you’re completely butchering what you’re saying and it could affect how many sales you make.
The solution
The simple solution is to improve your writing.
You may not achieve native-level English, but you can achieve a point where your writing is trustworthy.
Alternatively, you can outsource the writing part to native English speakers or you can use services that proofread your text.
I’m not a native English speaker, and I’ve found that it doesn’t really affect my ability to make money with affiliate marketing.
But if you think your writing is “bad” enough that it’d affect the number of sales you make, you can compensate for this by increasing the amount of content you publish.
More content = More traffic = More sales.
I want to emphasize that the above applies to the way I do affiliate marketing which is content marketing. Of course, there are other ways to make money with affiliate marketing as well.
Is It Hard To Do Affiliate Marketing If You’re Not a US Resident?
You definitely can do affiliate marketing even if you don’t live in the US.
But how hard is it?
The overall process is the same for everyone no matter where you are from.
Affiliate marketing is a global thing after all.
Pretty much anyone can buy a $15 domain name and a basic hosting package to start building their affiliate empire.
That part is simple.
The “hard” part is sticking with it long enough to see the results.
This is where many hopeful affiliates fail (regardless of whether you’re from the US or not).
People are expecting to become rich after a few weeks and when it doesn’t happen, they quit and call affiliate marketing a scam lol.
It’s true though; you can make a lot of money with affiliate marketing, but it’s an actual business that requires effort on your part to make it work.
How much effort?
You need a minimum of 1 hour of focused work every day to get anywhere. If you can do more, great. And you need to be able to keep this up for at least 6-months to see any life-changing income.
And of course, if you’re not a native English speaker, you need to improve your English writing skills. But that’s something you’ll naturally get better at when you get started with affiliate marketing.
At least that’s how it was for me.
It may sound like a tough commitment, but the reward is a sustainable passive income online business that you can rely on for years to come.
3 Benefits Of Starting An Affiliate Website
Now, if you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, here are 3 benefits you can expect to enjoy when your affiliate website takes off.
Of course, there are more benefits than just 3, but let’s keep it short & simple.
1. You Can Make Money Anywhere In The World
A laptop and Internet access — that’s all you need to work on your website.
There’s quite literally nothing stopping you from packing the luggage and hopping to the airplane.
- No need to be at a physical office
- No commutes
And that’s why many affiliates (once their website starts earning money) start traveling around the world.
Although, the “working from the beach” stuff is a big lie.
Too much sand, sun glare, & noises to get anything done.
2. You Can Earn Passive Income 24/7
Websites are online 24/7 and that also means they earn you money all around the clock.
As corny as it sounds, you can make money while you sleep.
This is especially true if you’re from Europe/Asia and you promote products to Americans. Basically, you’ll make most of your sales when you’re sleeping and when Americans are awake.
In the morning, you have a phone full of sales notifications.
Really makes you look forward to sleeping and the next day!
3. You Are Building Digital Assets
Not only do you get to build websites around topics you already love, but they are digital assets that increase in value.
Have you heard websites can be sold for 40-52x of their monthly revenue?
It’s true.
A website earning a modest $1000 can sell for $40 000 in online marketplaces.
I’m not kidding.
It’s not the hardest thing to do to get a website to that level of income when you know what you’re doing.
Many affiliate marketers are starting websites with the only objective of selling them once they get to a certain income level.
And some people flip websites. Basically, they buy them cheap and improve the content to make them earn more, and then sell the website to make a profit.
How To Get Started With Affiliate Marketing?
You’re probably wondering if affiliate marketing is something you could do.
And I get it — it sounds hard especially when you’re not a native English speaker.
But trust me, you can do it.
I’m not a native English speaker either, and I started as a complete beginner in 2018 and now I’m running a small portfolio of affiliate websites.
How would I get started then?
This free 7-day course on affiliate marketing will show you exactly how to get started with the same methods I used in 2018, and yes; it still works.
You’ll get your first affiliate website up for free, and I will offer my personal help if you get stuck at any point.
Feel free to leave comments below if there’s something on your mind, I’ll gladly answer them.
I’ll leave you to it.
Talk soon.
