What is affiliate marketing and how does it really work?

Affiliate marketing basically works on three parties: merchant (seller), affiliate (promoter), and customer. The affiliate uses different channels like blogs, social media, or ads to convince people. Once the customer buys, the system tracks it through cookies or tracking IDs. This way, affiliates earn money without direct product ownership.

I think affiliate marketing is just a modern referral system. Instead of referring friends face-to-face, you do it online. For example, if you write a blog about gadgets and include an Amazon affiliate link, you get a small commission every time someone buys through your link. It's simple in concept, but hard to master.

Affiliate marketing is a system where a person promotes products or services of another company and earns a commission on sales or leads generated. It works through a unique tracking link (affiliate link). When someone clicks and buys through that link, the affiliate gets paid. It's like being a sales partner without creating your own product.