When you pick an affiliate product, how do you know it deserves your audience’s time, trust, and credit card number?
What Makes A Good Affiliate Product? A Simple 7-Point Checklist
If you’ve ever felt a twinge of guilt pressing publish on a product review, you’re not broken; you’re conscientious. The good news is you can stop relying on hunches. With a simple, repeatable checklist, you can evaluate any affiliate product with the cool temperament of a food critic who actually reads the health code.
This guide gives you a practical framework you can re-use for every product you consider. You’ll know what to look for, what to ask, and how to weigh your options without needing a crystal ball or a late-night pep talk.
How to Use This Checklist
You’re going to score products against seven criteria. For each item, you’ll give it a score from 1 to 5, multiply by a weight (how important it is to you), and add them up. If the total clears your threshold, it earns a spot in your content plan; if not, you pass gracefully and keep your reputation intact.
Here’s a quick reference for the scoring scale:
- 1 = Poor
- 2 = Below average
- 3 = Adequate
- 4 = Strong
- 5 = Excellent
If you like things tidy, use weights that sum to 100%. If you like chaos, at least write the numbers down.
The 7-Point Checklist at a Glance
Before you roll up your sleeves, here’s what you’re measuring. Think of these as the “must haves” before you attach your name to anything:
- Audience-Problem Fit: Does this solve a real, felt problem for your specific audience right now?
- Real Value and Outcome Proof: Is there credible evidence the product works?
- Conversion-Ready Offer and Funnel: Will your clicks reasonably turn into purchases?
- Fair Economics: Are commissions, cookie windows, and EPCs worth your effort?
- Vendor Reliability and Support: Will the partner treat you and your audience well?
- Low-Friction Buyer Experience: Is buying and using it painless—or a maze?
- Ethics, Compliance, and Brand Alignment: Does promoting it match your values (and the law)?
You’ll go deeper on each point in a moment. For now, imagine your future self thanking you for doing this properly.
1) Audience-Problem Fit: The “Who Actually Cares?” Test
If you get this wrong, nothing else matters. You could have commissions that make your accountant sigh with joy, but if your audience doesn’t want the product, your conversions will nap peacefully in the single digits.
Ask yourself:
- Who are you talking to? Be specific. “Busy dads in small apartments who want to cook faster” is infinitely better than “home cooks.”
- What problem are they actually trying to solve? The real one, not the one the vendor wishes they had.
- Does this product solve that problem distinctly better, faster, or cheaper than what they already use?
Keep an eye on timing. Some problems are evergreen (better sleep, saving money), and some are seasonal or situational (tax filing, back-to-school). If your audience’s need is faint, you’ll feel it in your conversion numbers.
Here’s a simple mapping table you can copy to test fit:
| Audience segment | Core pain | Product’s role | Evidence of demand | Score (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance designers | Invoicing chaos | Automates invoices, late-fee reminders | Reddit threads, G2 reviews, your reader survey | 4 |
| Apartment gardeners | Limited space, light | Stackable planter with grow lights | Amazon reviews, YouTube community comments | 3 |
| New podcasters | Editing takes forever | AI-based editor with templates | Creator forums, trial conversion data | 5 |
You’ll notice the “Evidence of demand” column. Your guesswork improves dramatically when you anchor it with:
- Reader surveys and comments (what they ask repeatedly)
- Search volume trends (especially branded queries)
- Community forums or subreddits (actual grievances)
- Competitor content (what keeps showing up)
If you can’t map your audience’s pain to the product’s payoff in a single sentence, you probably need a better fit.
2) Real Value and Outcome Proof: The “Show Me” Rule
You might trust easily. Your audience shouldn’t. If a product can’t show outcomes someone would brag about (or at least not regret), keep moving.
What counts as compelling proof:
- Independent reviews (G2, Trustpilot, BBB, Reddit)
- Sober, specific testimonials with measurable results
- Transparent demo or free trial that demonstrates the core benefit
- Clear guarantee or refund policy with sane terms
- Case studies with before/after metrics (even simple ones)
Avoid vague proof like “Our customers love us” competing with the “You are the product” business model. You’re looking for receipts—numbers, screenshots, and third-party validation. A helpful indicator is the refund rate. For many consumer products, a refund rate under 10% is a good sign. For software, churn under 5% monthly for subscription products suggests people stick around for reasons other than forgetting their password.
Quick reality checks you can run in an afternoon:
- Use the trial. If you can’t generate a small win within 48 hours, it may be too complex for your readers.
- Email support with a simple question. If you get a vague or canned answer, your audience will too.
- Search “[Product] scam” and see what surfaces. One or two angry blogs happen. A chorus is another story.
If the product can’t demonstrate outcomes without theatrics, your reputation ends up as collateral.
3) Conversion-Ready Offer and Funnel: The “Don’t Make Them Work” Principle
Your audience is busy. If the landing page loads like it’s using a hamster on a wheel, you’re going to lose clicks and then your patience. You want a journey from click to checkout that’s tidy, mobile-friendly, and honest.
Key elements to check:
- Page speed under 3 seconds on mobile
- Clear headline that mirrors your promise
- Specific call-to-action above the fold
- Minimal form friction (drop optional fields)
- Obvious price and what’s included
- Trust signals near the purchase button (ratings, guarantees)
- No endless upsell labyrinth that feels like a hostage situation
Benchmarks to help you sanity-check expectations:
- Cold traffic conversion rates for consumer products: 1–3%
- Warm audience traffic (email list, loyal readers): 3–10%+
- Simple lead-gen funnels: 10–30% opt-in, then 1–5% sales conversion post nurture
- Mobile share of traffic: often 60%+; the page must work flawlessly there
You also want tracking and attribution to be robust:
- Cookie duration: 30 days is the classic baseline. Shorter windows make your job harder.
- First click vs. last click attribution: You need clarity on how credit is assigned.
- Cross-device tracking: Helpful if your readers research on phone and buy on desktop.
- Post-purchase upsells credited: You should get credit for the cart growth you trigger.
Use this quick landing page audit table during your check:
| Element | Requirement | Pass/Fail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page speed (mobile) |