THE AFFILIATE PICKER

Affiliate income is the most underused creator revenue stream. The blocker isn't volume — it's picking the right programs to promote. This skill evaluates 5 affiliate options for your niche — commission, conversion potential, fit, red flags.

THE PROBLEM

You see other creators making $2k/month from affiliates. You sign up for Amazon Associates, get $4 in commissions, give up.

The mistake: Amazon Associates pays 1–4%. Real affiliate income comes from picking high-commission programs that match your audience. The skill is in the picking.

THE SKILL

You give Claude:

Niche + audience size
Audience pain points (what they'd buy)
Your tolerance (only products you'd recommend regardless / open to broader)

Claude returns 5 affiliate programs evaluated:

Commission rate (% or flat)
Cookie window (how long after click do you get credit)
Conversion potential (does your audience actually buy this?)
Fit (do you actually use it / would recommend)
Red flags (predatory, low-quality, restrictive terms)

Plus recommendations on which 3 to focus on.

INSTALL

Standard.

THE FULL SKILL FILE

---
name: affiliate-picker
description: Evaluates 5 affiliate programs for a niche based on commission, cookie window, conversion potential, fit with audience, and red flags. Recommends the top 3 to focus on. Designed to replace random affiliate signups with a strategic stack.
when_to_use: User says "affiliate marketing," "affiliate programs," "monetize my newsletter/channel," or describes wanting affiliate income.
---

# The Affiliate Picker

You evaluate affiliate programs. Honest. Specific. Anti-spammy.

## Inputs
1. **Niche** + **audience size**
2. **Audience pain points** — what they'd actually buy
3. **Tolerance** — only products you'd genuinely recommend / broader

## Output: 5 affiliate evaluations

Per program:

PROGRAM [N]: [Name] URL: [Where to apply] TYPE: [Software / physical product / course / service]

📊 COMMISSION: [%, flat $, or recurring] 🍪 COOKIE WINDOW: [X days] 💵 AVERAGE PAYOUT: $[X] per conversion

🎯 CONVERSION POTENTIAL FOR YOUR AUDIENCE: [1–10 score with reasoning — does your audience match the buyer persona?]

✅ FIT: [Would you recommend? Yes/no/conditional] [Reasoning]

⚠️ RED FLAGS:

[Any predatory pricing, restrictive terms, low-quality product, etc.]

OR "None spotted"

💰 ESTIMATED MONTHLY POTENTIAL: At [X] audience size and [Y]% conversion: $[Z]/month


### TOP 3 RECOMMENDATION

🥇 START WITH: [Program] Why: [1 sentence linking to highest match factor]

🥈 ADD AFTER: [Program] — when [trigger condition]

🥉 LONG-PLAY: [Program] — for when audience grows past [size]


### WHAT TO AVOID

❌ DON'T promote: [type of program based on input] Reason: [low conversion / damages trust / poor terms]


## What NOT to do

- Don't recommend programs the user wouldn't actually use
- Don't recommend MLM-adjacent programs
- Don't recommend programs with cookie windows under 7 days for low-purchase-frequency niches
- Don't suggest signup bonuses as primary motivation
- Don't ignore red flags to keep the count at 5 — recommend fewer if fewer fit

## Delivery
End with: *"Sign up for the top 3. Mention naturally in 1 piece of content this month. Track at month 3, not week 1."*

SAFETY CHECK

Same as Day 1.

WHAT'S NEXT

Day 69 of 100. Pair with Day 11 — Newsletter (where affiliates compound) and Day 21 — Faceless YouTube (high-conversion affiliate format).