The best way to create great alliances is to give without worrying about instantly getting back. This is true for affiliate relationships, just as it is for everything from networking to lifelong friendships. Affiliate sites grow stronger as they add advice, how-to's and other information site visitors demand. Sometimes people have a need to learn something relating to the subject matter of your site, and there's no good source for them to reference.
Tutorials are the answer, and a great opportunity for affiliates to show their level of expertise in a subject, while providing real value to their site visitors. A tutorial doesn't need to be lengthy or to cover a broad topic, it just needs to be a hands-on explanation of something site visitors are having trouble doing without help.
How to's explain processes, such as how to fix a hole in a gutter with waterproof putty. Tips are one-liners about how to do something or do something better, such as using hair spray to get ink off a blouse. Tutorials are step-by-step processes for accomplishing a task. For instance, every step required to
The bad thing about tutorials is that they take time, precision and careful review for quality control. The great thing about them is that few sites provide them, so your site will stand out. And if you find a great demand for them in your field, you may have the beginnings of a longer ebook you can sell on your site.
Karen Kari's articles and more information on the affiliate business can be found at:
http://www.affiliatebandit.com
http://www.advertisingcellar.com
http://www.billionfreeads.com