Apply to the Commission Junction Affiliate Network as a Mom Blogger

By Wendy Piersall from Mom Blogging For Dummies

Getting started with affiliate marketing is remarkably easy. The basic process is to apply to join programs and post banners and text links after you’ve been accepted. Don’t apply to any affiliate program until you’re established with at least eight to ten blog posts so that you can get the best possible chance of getting approved.

When your blog is ready for affiliate network ads, follow these steps to apply with Commission Junction:

Go to Commission Junction and click the Publishers tab.
From the Publishers page, click the Join Now button.
Select the radio button for your language preference, select your country from the Country of Residence drop-down list, and select a currency from the Functional Currency drop-down list, and then click the Next button.
On page 2 of the application, scroll to the bottom of the Service Agreement list box and click the Accept button. Select the radio buttons for the Code of Conduct, Privacy Policy, Age Certification, and Certification of Authority policies.

Read through the information carefully — always know what you’re agreeing to!

The rest of the page is a long form requesting information about you and your blog.
In the Site Information section, enter the name of your blog in the Web Site or Newsletter Name field, and enter your blog URL in the Web Site URL field.
In the Website Description box, give a brief overview of your blog, putting an emphasis on the aspects of your content that are most relevant to your affiliate network application.

For example, “[Your Blog Name] is a mom blog that discusses health and green-living ideas for other moms and families. Topics include product recommendations, healthy cooking, giveaways, and daily tips for greener family living.”
Select your general topic from the Category drop-down list.

Just get as close as you can to the best match for your blog; you can change this later if necessary.
Select the range of visitors you have from the Current Monthly Unique Visitors drop-down list.
Select the appropriate check box(es) in the Define Your Promotional Methods section.

For a blog, you’ll mostly likely select the Web Site / Content option. Select the other check boxes if appropriate: Search Engine Marketing refers to paying for traffic from search engine ads, E-mail Marketing refers to using affiliate links in e-mail newsletters, and Software refers to adding affiliate links within a software program you create.
Disclose whether your site gives specific incentives to its visitors; if so, describe your blog’s incentives in the text box.

An incentive is a reward to offer — such as discounts (or other price-oriented rewards), points, or other direct compensation in return for making a purchase through your affiliate links.
Fill in the information in the Contact Information and Company Information sections, and select the method of payment in the Payment Information section.
Enter what you see under the Please Enter the Characters into the Box Below into the text box, and then click the Accept Terms button.

After you complete and submit your application, you can expect to wait 24–48 hours before your application is reviewed and either approved or rejected. Nearly all applications to affiliate networks are approved unless they suspect that your site is engaging in illegal or unethical activities.