Are you and your partner looking for a fun, rewarding hobby that can also generate some extra income? Affiliate marketing might be the perfect fit. It's a way to earn commissions by promoting products you love, and it's incredibly flexible. You can work on it together, from the comfort of your home, at your own pace. Plus, with the right tools and a little effort, you can build a passive income stream that grows over time.
In this article, we'll explore how you and your partner can start affiliate marketing as a hobby, and we'll highlight three powerful tools that make the journey easier and more profitable: ExpressVPN, Benable, and Systeme.io.
Why Affiliate Marketing as a Couple?
Working on affiliate marketing together can strengthen your bond, teach you new skills, and create a shared goal. You can divide tasks: one of you might enjoy creating content, while the other handles analytics or networking. It's a low-risk venture – you don't need to invest heavily upfront, and you can learn as you go.
Getting Started: The Essential Tools
To succeed in affiliate marketing, you need a few key ingredients: a reliable VPN for privacy and global access, a platform to curate and share your recommendations, and an all-in-one marketing system to automate your business. Here are our top recommendations.
1. ExpressVPN: Your Privacy and Global Access Partner
When you're doing affiliate marketing, you'll be spending a lot of time online researching products, checking competitors, and browsing different markets. A VPN is essential to keep your browsing private and secure. It also allows you to access content from different countries, which can be useful for researching international affiliate programs or checking prices from a global perspective.
ExpressVPN is a top-rated VPN service that offers a fast, secure, and user-friendly experience. You can use one account on up to 10 devices simultaneously, which is perfect for a couple – install it on both your phones, laptops, and tablets. It uses advanced encryption to shield your internet activity from ISPs, hackers, and government surveillance. With modern protocols like WireGuard, you get these security benefits with minimal impact on your connection speed.Key things to know: The low monthly prices (like $3.39) only apply if you pay for 2 years all at once. If you prefer a month-to-month plan, the cost is around $12.99/month. When your initial term ends, the price will increase to a standard renewal rate, so keep an eye on your account. ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free.
Our recommendation: If you already use a password manager, stick with the Basic plan. It's the best value and gives you the full VPN experience without extra features you don't need.Get ExpressVPN and enjoy online privacy and global access
2. Benable: Curate and Share Your Favorite Things
Benable is a fantastic platform for affiliate marketing beginners and pros alike. It's an app where you can create curated lists of your favorite products, places, and services, and share them with the world. When someone buys through your links, you earn a commission from over 40,000 brands. It's like Pinterest meets LTK, but focused on building influence and passive income through social, list-based recommendations.
You and your partner can create themed lists – for example, "Top 10 Tech Gadgets for Travel," "Best Skincare Routine for Couples," or "Affordable Home Office Upgrades." Share your lists via a single link on social media, in your blog, or with friends. Benable handles the affiliate links automatically, so you don't have to worry about tracking codes or complex setups.
The best part? It's free to join and use. You can skip the waitlist with the link below.
Join Benable for free and start earning commissions
3. Systeme.io: All-in-One Marketing Platform
Once you start generating traffic, you'll need a way to capture leads, send emails, and maybe even sell your own courses or digital products. Systeme.io is an all-in-one marketing platform that eliminates the "tech headache" of running an online business. It consolidates everything – email marketing, sales funnels, website builder, online course hosting, and affiliate management – into one dashboard. It's a more affordable alternative to tools like ClickFunnels or Kajabi.
With Systeme.io, you can create high-converting landing pages, set up automated email sequences, and even build and sell online courses. Its pricing is aggressive: there's a robust Free Forever plan that allows you to build a fully functioning business before paying anything. Paid plans start at $27/month for 5,000 contacts and include features like custom domains and email automation.
For affiliate marketing hobbyists, the Free plan is a great starting point. You can create a simple website or blog, host your Benable lists, and set up an email list to nurture your audience. As you grow, you can upgrade to access more advanced features.
Try Systeme.io Free and automate your affiliate marketing
How to Start Your Affiliate Marketing Hobby Together
1. Choose a Niche: Talk with your partner about topics you both enjoy. It could be travel, tech, beauty, fitness, or home decor. Pick something you're passionate about – it'll make content creation fun.
2. Set Up Your Tools: Sign up for Benable (it's free) and start creating your first list. Consider getting ExpressVPN to keep your browsing private and access global content. Set up a free Systeme.io account to manage your email list and build a simple landing page.
3. Create Content Together: Write blog posts, make YouTube videos, or share on social media. Use your Benable lists to recommend products naturally. For example, if you're reviewing travel gear, include a Benable list with your top picks.
4. Promote Your Links: Share your content on platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok. Use ExpressVPN to access different regional internet to see what content resonates globally.
5. Automate and Scale: Use Systeme.io to create an email sequence that sends your best recommendations to subscribers. You can even set up a freebie (like a checklist) to grow your email list.
6. Track and Optimize: See which products perform best and double down on what works. Benable and Systeme.io both provide analytics to help you improve.
Final Thoughts
Affiliate marketing as a hobby can be incredibly fulfilling. It's a way to learn new skills, work as a team, and potentially earn extra income. With tools like ExpressVPN for security and global access, Benable for effortless list curation, and Systeme.io for automation, you and your partner can build a sustainable affiliate business without the technical overwhelm.
Start small, have fun, and watch your hobby grow into something rewarding. Happy marketing!
