A few years ago, my sister was planning a trip and scrolling through Google looking at pictures of French Polynesia.

She stopped, zoomed in on a thumbnail, and screamed:

“Wait… is that YOU, Laura??”

And sure enough, it was a photo from one of my old Mo'orea blog posts.

Then she asked the question every blogger hears at some point:

“So if I click on your blog post… do you make money from me?”

I told her, "yes, if you land on our website, we earn ad revenue; just like how YouTubers make money with ads before their videos. But there’s more to it than that.."

I explained that if she clicked on one of the recommendations inside the blog post (like a hotel or a piece of travel gear) and then made a purchase on that site (even if it wasn’t the specific thing I recommended), we’d earn a commission at no extra cost to her.

Her mind was blown.

Most readers have no idea how affiliate income works.

And believe it or not, a lot of bloggers don’t really understand how affiliate income works either, or at least how to maximize it.

You see, there's this trick that I've never heard anyone else talk about..

.. and yet, it could easily 3x-4x your affiliate income in less than 10 minutes of work.

So here's the trick: Short, personal videos.

They build trust quickly (even if you never show your face), convert far better than a normal affiliate link, and they don’t require large view counts to make an impact.

Let me show you how I used one video (with only 13 total views) to bring in over $200 in affiliate income just yesterday.

The 10-Minute Video That Made Over 200 Dollars With Only 13 Views In Less Than 6 Hours

Yesterday, I recorded a simple 10-minute video walking my subscribers through the ThriveCart Black Friday sale.

Note: ThriveCart is a platform that lets you create high-converting checkout pages, sales pages, and funnels for things like digital products, services, and courses.

And it turned into more than 200 dollars in commissions.. with only 13 people watching it.

Here’s why this video worked:

1. I built trust upfront

A lot of people promote things simply because there’s a commission attached. And sometimes it converts, but it almost never feels aligned.

When you share products you actually use, trust, and/or believe in, people can feel the difference immediately.

Therefore, I didn't just say, "ThriveCart is great, you should buy it."

I showed my audience that I actually use this platform myself, and I've used it extensively.

I also showed my past Teachable income/account so people could see my full history with both platforms and understand why I switched to ThriveCart.

2. I helped them avoid the confusing parts to get the biggest discount

This ThriveCart Black Friday deal had loopholes that weren’t obvious.

So I recorded the exact steps to signup and showed people what to click so they didn’t overpay.

3. I explained who it’s not right for

This is huge.

I’m not trying to sell something to someone who won’t use it or benefit from it.

So I clearly outlined who ThriveCart is perfect for and who shouldn't buy it.

People trust you more when you’re willing to be honest.

4. I made it easy to buy

At the end, I simply said where my affiliate link was and how to grab the deal.

That’s all it was. There was no heavy pitch, just a clear and transparent walk-through.

And again… only 13 people watched (so far).

Oftentimes that's really all you need.

How to Use This Strategy With Your Travel Audience

I realize this example is a little more “B2B” since I’m talking to travel bloggers about a tool for selling products and services.

But I use this same approach with travelers, and it works just as well.

You just have to frame it around the things your readers need or struggle with.

So let me show you a few real-world examples I recorded for you.

Example #1: Black Friday Travel Deals With Booking.com

For my first example, I recorded a quick video for travelers showing them something incredibly simple but genuinely useful..

..how to find Black Friday travel deals on Booking.com (I had no idea this was a thing).

Here's the video:

It's not polished, and I didn't do any fancy editing (because I'm a blogger, not a vlogger).

It's just a fast walkthrough of:

• How Booking.com’s Black Friday deals actually work
• Where to find the hidden discount section
• What the fine print looks like
• What these discounts really means in real booking situations
• How much they could realistically save on hotels

And don't forget, a "click here to check out Black Friday deals on Booking.com" call to action.

It took me 3 minutes to record this video, but it could generate hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars for me over the span of a few days.

And if Black Friday is over, don’t let that stop you. This strategy works year-round.

All you’re doing is taking a problem your readers already have and walking them through the solution.

Here are a few ideas:

• How to find mistake fares (people love these)
• How to pick the cheapest day of the week to fly
• How to skip the line at the Colosseum
• How to get the best price on rental cars
• How to use points or miles even if you’re a beginner
• How to avoid international phone and data charges
• How to save money on airline baggage fees

The most important thing to remember is these videos don’t have to be perfect; you don't need fancy lighting or even your face if you don't want to show it.

When you combine helpful content with your genuine experience, you create the kind of trust that drives affiliate income on its own.

Example #2: Why I Don’t Recommend Saily​
(Even Though I Could)

I also recorded a video about the Saily eSIM (for using your phone while traveling), but my take was very different from the typical glowing recommendations.

Check out my video here:

A lot of creators suggest Saily like it’s the obvious phone choice for international travel, and I kept seeing it mentioned everywhere.

So I figured, “Okay, let’s actually try using it.”

And since we’re in Portugal right now, it seemed like the perfect test run.

Pretty quickly though, I ran into issues I haven't heard others talking about like..

• It’s data-only, which I didn’t initially realize.
• I couldn’t send normal text messages.
• I couldn’t make calls
• And I actually missed important texts because of it.

In hindsight, I probably should’ve looked more closely before purchasing a Saily eSIM. But if I, someone who travels for a living and researches nearly everything, misunderstood it, then I can assume many travelers will make the same mistake.

And my audience deserves the real experience, not a polished “this is amazing” recommendation just because there’s a commission attached.

So in my video, I walked people through:

• Why Saily didn’t work well for me
• What I wish I’d known ahead of time
• Who it might be useful for
• Who should avoid it
• The alternative I genuinely recommend instead

That alternative recommendation earns me affiliate income, but more importantly, it’s simply a better fit for most travelers.

And this is exactly where these videos build massive trust (and income).

When you’re willing to be honest, even at the expense of a sale, that’s when your audience truly starts to rely on you.

Where Should These Videos Live?

Everywhere.

Here are a few of the best places:

• Inside your email newsletters (your warmest audience)
• Embedded in your blog posts
• Repurposed into short-form (or long-form) versions for TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook pages
• Inside your Facebook group (add your affiliate link in a first comment for more reach)

Another quick tip: You can use simple tools like Loom or even a quick Zoom recording to capture these short videos.

Want To Make More Money From Your Blog?

If you enjoy the free strategies I share in this newsletter, you’ll love how deep I go within my course and coaching program, Scale Your Travel Blog.

I’ve been running it since January 2021, and it has become the #1 rated program for travel bloggers who want to start, grow, and scale their websites and email newsletters into real, sustainable businesses.

Enrollment is currently closed, but doors will open again in January 2026.

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>> Click here to join the waitlist!​

My Favorite Content This Week

I haven’t included this section in my newsletter for a while, which honestly bums me out because I’m constantly learning new things about blogging and online business, and I love to share what I'm learning.

The truth is, no matter how “advanced” you are or how well things are going, there’s always more to learn.

Staying curious is what keeps your business growing.

So here are a few of my favorite pieces of content this week:

• ​4 Blogging Success Stories You’ll Actually Relate To - Mike & Laura Travel (me), I loved these interviews!​
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• ​How I Write My $50k/Month Newsletter (Step-By-Step Process) - Matt McGarry, Newsletter Operator​
  ​
• ​I Helped 100 People Get 1,000 Newsletter Subscribers (Without Ads) - Matt McGarry, Newsletter Operator

Have a great week,

Laura

P.S. If someone sent you this newsletter, and you want to receive more from me, click here to join 30,000+ bloggers already subscribed!​

Scale Your Travel Blog is currently CLOSED for enrollment until January 2026. To join our waitlist, please click here!​