Reality Sites - the Next Big Affiliate Type

Thanks for visiting the Affiliate Tip blog. Subscribe to my RSS feed or enter your e-mail on the top left to get updates by e-mail.

When people think of affiliates, many erroneously think of content sites as synonymous with affiliate sites.

That was the case at the turn of the century, but things have changed significantly over time. In the past several years, affiliates have innovated and redefined the modern affiliate.

Data feeds, coupon sites, social networks, PPC players, rewards sites, SEO experts, and bloggers are examples of affiliates going beyond the content site to generate commissions.

Next up, reality sites. Kevin McCormick, owner of DressKevin.com, claims to have created the world’s first Internet “reality site” where thousands of armchair fashion experts visit his online wardrobe daily, to help him decide what he should wear for upcoming real-life events and activities.

DressKevin.com is working affiliate product links into the site as a means to fund the reality.

I figured it was only a matter of time before other innovators figured out a way to work the reality site into an affiliate cash machine.

Enter Kilimanjaro2006.com. This is the project of a couple, Carrie and Jonathan, who are trying to fund an expedition to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro via advertising on their site.

They are also going to wear sponsor advertising on their clothing and gear as they travel to many popular destinations in Washington D.C., New York City, Amsterdam and Tanzania, Africa before climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

They are working their site, a blog about the trip and sponsor ads via Dutch auction on eBay.

While they are not currently leveraging affiliate programs, I think their project presents an interesting opportunity for both merchants and affiliates.

Currently, they’ve got available slots to sponsor them for $100 each. Assuming this develops the buzz I think it will, a merchant who sells a product or service that has relevance here can essentially pay a $100 slotting fee for a presence on a popular site.

The link they place can be an affiliate link to (a) track the returns, and (b) further compensate Carrie and Jonathan for potentially better placement (contact them to see what you can work out).

On the affiliate side, I think affiliates who have sites that tie into this project in any tangential way could benefit from getting their link up.

Not only might they get some search engine benefits from the inbound link, but also targeted eyeballs.

The moral of the story, latch on to somebody else’s novel idea, or come up with your own.