How Affiliate Marketing Works

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model where you promote someone else’s product or service and earn a commission when a tracked action happens, such as a sale or lead.

In this lesson, Professor Nathan Ward explains the core roles in the system, how tracking links and cookies connect a referral to a commission, and why affiliate marketing can scale without you needing to create your own product.

You will also learn the main risks and responsibilities: choosing legitimate offers, understanding the merchant’s rules, and focusing on trust so your promotions stay useful to your audience.