Your Audience Knows You’re Selling to Them (And Why That’s Good). Readers troll your blogs looking for opportunities, give them one
post by Peter Hanley coachhanley.com
Your Audience Knows You’re Selling to Them (And Why That’s Good)
There’s this weird thing that happens when you start making money from your content.
You suddenly get awkward about it.
You bury your affiliate links. Maybe you apologize for having a sponsor. Then you dance around the fact that yes, you’re running a business, not a charity.
I did this for months. And you know what happened? My income stayed flat while my traffic grew.
Then I tried something radical: I stopped pretending I wasn’t trying to make money.
The Transparency Experiment
I was writing a review for a productivity app. I’d been using it for six months, loved it, and wanted to recommend it.
But I was so nervous about seeming “salesy” that I buried my affiliate disclosure at the bottom, wrote a super neutral review, and casually mentioned my link at the end.
Result: 3,000 views, 12 clicks, zero sales.
The next month, I rewrote it. Right at the top, I added:
“Real talk: I’ve been using this app daily for six months and it’s changed how I work. I’m an affiliate, which means if you buy through my link, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend stuff I genuinely use. Here’s why this one’s worth it…”
Same traffic. 187 clicks. 8 sales.
What changed? I stopped being weird about money.
People Aren’t Stupid
Here’s what I finally realized: your audience already knows you’re trying to make money.
They’re not idiots. They understand how the internet works. They know that free content needs to be monetized somehow.
The question isn’t WHETHER you’re making money. It’s whether you’re being honest about it.
When you try to hide your monetization, you don’t seem more trustworthy. You seem shadier.
The Apology Problem
How many times have you seen this:
“Sorry for the ad, but…” “I hate to promote this, but…” “This is an affiliate link (sorry!)…”
Stop. Apologizing. For. Running. A. Business.
You created valuable content. You’re recommending something useful. You deserve to be compensated for your time and expertise.
Apologizing for that sends the message that making money is somehow wrong or shameful.
It’s not. You’re providing value. Getting paid for value is how the world works.
What Transparency Actually Looks Like
Let me show you the difference between transparency and manipulation:
Manipulative approach:
- Hide affiliate disclosure in footer
- Use phrases like “I found this product” (implying you’re not affiliated)
- Only mention the upsides
- Create fake urgency
- Pretend you’re doing them a favor
Transparent approach:
- Clear disclosure at the top
- Honest about your relationship with the product
- Mention both pros and cons
- Explain who it’s good for and who should skip it
- Acknowledge when there are better or cheaper alternatives
Guess which approach builds long-term trust?
The Paradox of Honesty
Here’s something weird I discovered:
The more transparent I am about wanting to make money, the more money I make.
When I started being upfront about:
- Which links were affiliate links
- How much commission I earn
- Why I choose to promote certain products
- When I DON’T recommend something despite the commission
My click-through rates went up. My conversion rates went up. And my email open rates went up.
People don’t trust perfection. They trust honesty.
The Balance Nobody Talks About
Okay, but here’s the tricky part: there IS a balance.
Being transparent doesn’t mean:
- Making every piece of content a sales pitch
- Mentioning money in every paragraph
- Putting affiliate links in every sentence
- Only creating content about products you can monetize
I follow a rough rule: 80% pure value, 20% monetization.
For every four pieces of content that genuinely help people with no strings attached, I’ll create one that includes product recommendations.
This way, my audience knows that when I DO recommend something, it’s because I genuinely think it’ll help, not because I’m desperate for a commission.
When Your Audience Calls You Out
Let me tell you about the time someone left this comment:
“You’re just promoting this because of the commission. You don’t actually care about helping people.”
My first instinct? Get defensive. Delete the comment. Prove them wrong.
Instead, I replied:
“You’re right that I earn a commission. I’m upfront about that. But I’ve been using this tool for eight months and it genuinely solved my problem with X. I wouldn’t recommend something I don’t believe in. If you’ve had a different experience or found something better, I’d love to hear about it.”
The commenter replied with an apology. Said they appreciated the honesty.
But here’s the thing: not everyone will appreciate your transparency. Some people will always think you’re a sell-out.
That’s okay. You’re not building a business for everyone. You’re building it for people who value honesty and understand that you need to make a living.
The “Just Give It All Away Free” Crowd
There’s always someone who says: “Real experts give everything away for free. If you’re charging, you’re not adding value.”
You know what I say to that?
Those people aren’t your audience.
Your audience understands that expertise takes time to develop. That quality content takes effort to create. That you have bills to pay.
Your audience is happy to support you if you’re genuinely helping them.
The freeloaders who demand everything for nothing? They were never going to buy anyway.
How to Be Transparent Without Being Annoying
Here’s my framework for disclosure that doesn’t kill conversions:
1. Lead with value, follow with disclosure
Don’t start with “THIS IS AN AFFILIATE LINK.” Start with why the product matters. Then disclose.
2. Make it conversational, not legal-speak
“I’m an affiliate” is better than “This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.”
3. Explain what affiliate means
Not everyone knows. A simple “which means I earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you” goes a long way.
4. Be specific when it matters
High-ticket items? Mention the commission amount. “Full disclosure: I earn about $500 if you sign up. I’m telling you this because I want you to know my incentive, but I only promote this because I genuinely believe in it.”
The Email List Transparency Test
Your email list is where transparency really matters.
I send weekly emails to my subscribers. Some weeks, there’s no sales pitch at all. Some weeks, there is.
But I’m always upfront about it. My emails with product recommendations start like this:
“Hey, today I’m recommending a tool I use. Yes, I’ll earn a commission if you buy. No, you don’t have to. But if you’re struggling with [problem], this might help.”
My open rates on these emails? Higher than my “pure value” emails.
Why? Because my audience trusts that when I recommend something, it’s worth their attention.
When NOT to Disclose (Just Kidding, Always Disclose)
I’ve seen affiliates try to justify hiding their affiliate relationships:
“It’s implied.” “Everyone knows how blogs make money.” “The FTC rules are vague.”
No. Stop. Always disclose.
Not just because the FTC requires it (they do). Not just because it’s legally safer (it is).
But because it’s the right thing to do.
Your audience deserves to know when you have a financial incentive. Period.
The Mental Shift That Changed Everything
For the longest time, I viewed affiliate marketing as this dirty secret I had to hide.
Then I reframed it:
I’m not “just an affiliate.” I’m a curator.
I spend hours researching, testing, and comparing products so my audience doesn’t have to. I save them time and help them make better decisions.
That’s valuable. That deserves compensation.
When I started viewing myself as providing a valuable service rather than “trying to get people to click links,” everything shifted.
I became more confident in my recommendations. More transparent about my process. More selective about what I promoted.
And ironically, I made more money.
What Good Transparency Looks Like in Practice
Here’s a real example from one of my top-performing posts:
“I’ve tested 12 different project management tools over the past year. Yes, I’m an affiliate for some of them, which means I earn a commission if you sign up through my links. But I’m also an affiliate for tools I DON’T recommend in this article, and I’m leaving them out because they’re not good enough. My goal is to help you find the right tool, not to maximize my commission. Here’s what I actually recommend…”
That paragraph increased my conversion rate by 35%.
Because people appreciate knowing that I’m turning down easy money in favor of giving good advice.
The Trust Equation
Here’s how trust actually works in affiliate marketing:
Trust = Consistency + Honesty + Selectivity
- Consistency: You show up regularly with valuable content
- Honesty: You’re transparent about your business model
- Selectivity: You only recommend things you genuinely believe in
Get all three right, and your audience will support you. Miss even one, and you lose credibility.
The Bottom Line
Your audience knows you’re trying to make money.
Stop pretending you’re not. Then Stop apologizing for it. Stop hiding it.
Be honest about what you’re doing and why. Be selective about what you promote. And always Be consistent in providing value.
The people who respect that? They’re your real audience.
The people who don’t? They were never going to support your business anyway.
Transparency isn’t just ethical. It’s profitable.
So stop being weird about money. Own your business model. And watch what happens when you treat your audience like adults who can make their own informed decisions.
They might just surprise you.
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