Affiliate Marketing for Over 60

Retirement is supposed to mean freedom — not stress over whether your Social Security check will cover the electric bill and your favorite snacks. If you’ve ever thought, “A little extra income would be nice,” then affiliate marketing might be your new best friend.

And don’t worry — you don’t need to be a Silicon Valley tech wizard or a pushy salesperson with a garage full of leggings. Affiliate marketing is refreshingly simple: recommend products or services online, and when someone buys through your link, you earn a commission.

So grab your reading glasses and your favorite drink (coffee, tea, or that mocktail I keep bragging about), and let’s dive in.

Step 1: Get the Basics Down — What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is basically word-of-mouth with a paycheck. You share something useful, someone buys it through your special link, and the company says “thanks” with money instead of a fruit basket.

The short version:

Find a product or service you like.
Join their affiliate program and get your special link.
Share that link (blog, email, YouTube, social media).
Someone clicks, buys, and you earn a commission.

No inventory. No shipping boxes. No awkward garage sales. If you can tell your neighbor about a great deal at Costco, you’ve got the idea.

Step 2: Find Your Niche (AKA: Don’t Be a Jack-of-All-Links)

Promoting everything under the sun is a one-way ticket to burnout. Instead, pick a niche — one topic you actually enjoy talking about.

Think about:

Your hobbies (gardening, travel, golf, crafts).
Life experience (maybe you’re the go-to fixer of gadgets or you know way too much about bird feeders).
Whether people care about it (search Facebook groups or Google Trends).

The narrower, the better. “Gardening for small patios” beats just “gardening.” Specific advice builds trust and attracts the right people — the ones most likely to click your links.

Step 3: Join Reliable Affiliate Programs

Once you know your niche, it’s time to find companies that will actually pay you. There are loads of affiliate programs out there:

Amazon Associates — Easy to start, endless products.
ShareASale — Great for home goods, crafts, hobbies.
CJ Affiliate — Strong in travel, tech, and lifestyle.
ClickBank — Digital products like ebooks and courses, often with higher commissions.

These are all solid, but here’s the catch: if you’re brand-new, bouncing between different programs can feel like herding cats.

👉 That’s why I recommend starting with Wealthy Affiliate.

Wealthy Affiliate isn’t just an affiliate program — it’s an entire platform built for beginners. Inside, you’ll get:

Step-by-step training that makes sense (even if the last “tech” you learned was programming the VCR).
Built-in website hosting + tools so you don’t need to juggle five different services.
Access to affiliate programs across dozens of niches — so whether you’re into fitness, travel, or yes, small-space gardening, you’ll find options.
A supportive community (seriously, ask a question and someone will help — no eye-rolling grandkids required).
And best of all, it’s free to start.

So yes, Amazon and the others are excellent places to expand later — but if you’re starting from scratch, Wealthy Affiliate is like training wheels, a safety net, and a GPS all in one.

👉 Click here to try Wealthy Affiliate free →

Step 4: Choose Your Platform

You don’t need 50,000 Instagram followers or Spielberg-level video editing. Pick one platform you’re comfortable with:

Blog — Write reviews, how-tos, stories. No coding required.
YouTube — Share reviews or tutorials (your phone camera is plenty).
Social Media — Facebook groups, Pinterest, or even your personal page.
Email Newsletter — Share directly with people who sign up.

Pick one and start there. Blogs are usually easiest for retirees because you own it and can update whenever you want.

Step 5: Create Content That’s Actually Helpful (Not Sleazy)

Nobody likes a never-ending sales pitch. The goal? Be helpful, be honest, and if you can, be funny.

Content that works:

Reviews (the good, the bad, the “meh”).
How-tos (solve problems with the product).
Lists (“5 Easy Travel Gadgets for Over-60s”).
Stories (how you fixed, found, or enjoyed something).

If you wouldn’t recommend it to your best friend, don’t recommend it online.

Step 6: Be Honest & Legal

Affiliate marketing has one golden rule: disclosure. A simple line like “This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you buy — at no extra cost to you” keeps you legal and trustworthy.

Transparency = trust. And trust = clicks.

Step 7: Get Traffic (Without Going Viral)

You don’t need to be famous. You just need people consistently seeing your content.

Share in Facebook groups (where it’s allowed).
Pin to Pinterest (amazing for crafts, recipes, DIY).
Learn basic SEO so Google can send people your way.

It’s about small, steady actions. Ten minutes a day adds up faster than you think.

Common Questions

“I’m not techy. Isn’t this too hard?”
Nope. Between step-by-step tutorials, YouTube videos, and communities like Wealthy Affiliate, you’ll be fine. And hey, cookies are still a fair trade for grandkid tech support.

“How much can I make?”
Depends on your niche, effort, and consistency. Some earn $20 a month, others hundreds or even thousands. Just don’t expect “instant millionaire” nonsense.

“What if I mess up?”
You will — and that’s fine. Typos, broken links, clunky posts… all fixable. The beauty of online business is that you can always edit and improve.

Your Next Step

Affiliate marketing isn’t about building an empire overnight. It’s about learning something new, helping people, and earning a little (or a lot) along the way.

If you’re over 60 and looking for a side hustle that keeps your brain sharp, your budget healthier, and your freedom intact, affiliate marketing could be your perfect second act.

👉 Ready to start? Try Wealthy Affiliate free and see for yourself how simple it can be.

Your truly,

~Lisa

Affiliate Marketing For Retirees, or Before: A Step-by-Step Beginners Guide