Interested in learning more about the affiliate program for my book, Thinking Outside the Gift Box? Well, friend, you’ve come to the right place!
Who This Book Is For
Thinking Outside the Gift Box was written for readers who want to give more meaningful gifts, but are at a loss for new ideas. It’s for those who are tired of being paralyzed by “Gifter’s Block.” It’s for those who are through with the last-minute scramble and ready to rediscover the joy of giving.
What the Book Is About
The main thrust of Thinking Outside the Gift Box is that when it comes to gift-giving, it’s not about the money spent, time invested, or creative resume. Rather, it’s about the heart behind the gift. Plain and simple.
And my intention is spark readers’ limitless creativity through sharing a collection of 75 unique gift ideas—gift ideas that celebrate loved ones in simple yet meaningful ways—ways that may not always fit inside a box.
And if this kind of gift-giving strikes a chord within you, well, then read on, rockstar!
What Readers Get
There are three different package options available for the book. The best place to explore a full run-down of each package item is to visit our sales page.
Packages as of 2023 include:
- PDF Package: $9.99
- Paperback Package: $24.50
- Ultimate Book Package: $45
What Affiliates Can Earn
Affiliates of Thinking Outside the Gift Box will earn 40% commission for every sale made after a user clicks through from her unique affiliate link.
So, for a quick breakdown of earnings based on current package pricing (soon to increase):
- PDF Package: $9.99 sale = $4.00 commission
- Paperback Package: $24.50 = $9.80 commission
- Ultimate Book Package: $45 = $18.00 comission
How Affiliate Links Work
All approved applicants of the Thinking Outside the Gift Box Affiliate Program, will receive an email from Gumroad with four unique links: one to each of the three packages and one to the sales page. It’ll look something like this:
Once you start sharing your unique link, Gumroad will cookie customers when they visit the link. As long as a customer purchases the product within 30 days of visiting your affiliate link, you will get credit for the sale. Booyah!
Disclosure of Affiliate Links
When sharing affiliate links, always appropriately disclose them as such in accordance with FTC guidelines. On social media, that means using the #ad or #sponsored hashtags. In posts and emails, that means disclosing your use of affiliate links at the first inclusion of a link.
Here’s an example of my disclosure statement:
Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping to support this site!
How Affiliate Payments Work
In your Gumroad account settings, you can turn on the feature to receive a happy sales notification email whenever a sale is made through your referral. It will look something like this:
Affiliates will be paid out every Friday (yay for weekly payments!). US, Canada, and Australia residents will be paid out via direct deposit. You’ll need to provide your bank account number and routing number when setting up a Gumroad account. If you are located outside of the the US, Canada, or Australia, you’ll be paid via PayPal.
You can log in to your Gumroad account at any time and visit your balance dashboard to see how much you’ve earned in commission. It’s a little tricky to find sometimes, so here are some screenshots to guide you.
Click the dollar bill that has your next scheduled payout amount, and you’ll be sent the page below.
There you’ll see an overview of how much you’ve made for the past 7 days, month, and all-time.
Your next payout date is shown with the amount you made, the fees they took out, and taxes.
Then below that is “affiliate commission,” which shows how much you made. This is the magic number you’ve been looking for!
How to Maximize Sales!
I personally have found affiliate income to be quite lucrative, and I continue to earn commission for an eBook that I promoted in one epic blog post back in June 2015. And my hope is that you find our partnership to be just as advantageous!
There are several different ways to set yourself up for success as an affiliate without feeling like a slimy salesperson. Here are some ideas to get your gears turning. I’ve even included examples of affiliate shout-outs in action, since that’s how I learn best.
1. EMAIL LIST
- Personal Testimony: Introduce the book to your readers and share how it addressed a struggle you faced or sparked inspiration. Example: The Thinking Closet Weekly: May 4, 2015.
- Favorite Resource: Have a spot in your email newsletter for favorite finds or helpful resources? Link to the book!
- Interview with the Author: Feel free to send me a short list of questions to respond to that you think might engage your audience, and I can make a virtual appearance in your newsletter. Example: Scroll down to the bottom of this blog post.
TOP TIP: Keep it real. Emails are a great opportunity to talk to your audience like you would a friend. I find that headlines and newsletters written in my authentic voice resonate the most.
2. BLOG POST
- Printable Project: Use one of the 11 printables from the toolkit to create a gift you share with your audience. Link to the book when sharing how to get their hands on the printable. Example: Our Budget Binder and Should it Stay or Should It Go? | A Decor Date by The Thinking Closet
- Top Ten List or Round-Up: Perhaps you want to feature the book in a round-up of 5 or 10 gift-giving resources or tools for a stress-free holiday. The pinners love ’em some lists! Example: 5 Non-Digital Activities to Refuel Your Creativity by The Thinking Closet.
- How To: If this topic really resonates with you, share your own HOW TO related to simple and meaningful giving. You’ll find plenty of opportunities to organically mention Thinking Outside the Gift Box as follow-up reading. Example: How to Give a Priceless Gift by Creative Savings and How to Build a Loyal Blog Following Through Storytelling by The Thinking Closet
- Optimize Popular Blog Posts: Dig into your Google Analytics to discover your most popular post(s) on gift-giving. See if you can optimize them to improve the reader experience and include an organic mention of the book. Tap into the traffic you already have.
- Recommended Resources Page: Add an affiliate link to the book on a “Recommended Resources” or “Favorites” page. Example: My Faves by Nikki Elledge Brown.
TOP TIP: Posts that are “evergreen” meaning they will still be relevant years later are the best kind of posts in which to use affiliate links. Think about what post title and topic will get pinned over and over again. Think about what you can share that speaks to your readers’ needs, and then go write that epic post!
3. BLOG SIDEBAR
Add an image of the book to your sidebar or to the bottom of a popular gift-related post.
{Snazzy promo images await you at the bottom of this post!}
4. SOCIAL SHARES
- Photo with the Book: Share a photo of you with the book! Example: Instagram by ToriGrantDesigns and Instagram by LisbethRea
- Printable in Action: Share a photo of you working on a gift with one of the printables. Example: Instagram by Creative Savings and Instagram by MistryFam
- Gift Idea: Share a photo of an “outside-the-gift-box” idea. Example: Instagram by MistryFam
- Personal Testimony: Be honest and real, sharing in your own words why you’re a fan of this book! Example: Facebook Post by Just a Girl and Her Blog and Facebook Post by Weekend Craft
TOP TIP: Use our official hashtag #ThinkingOutsideTheGiftBox to reach even more people. And if you want some ready-to-share captions and tweets, click HERE.
5. VIDEO
- Periscope Shout-Out: Consider using the live broadcasting app, Periscope, to share quality content related to gift-giving with your audience. Then, give a shout-out to Thinking Outside the Gift Box. Example: 5 Non-Digital Activities to Refuel Your Creativity by The Thinking Closet (shout-out is at 36:18).
- Gift Tutorial: Shoot a short video of a simple yet meaningful gift idea from the book or inspired by the book.
- Video Interview: If you have an idea for a video interview you’d like to conduct with me on Skype on Google Hangout, let’s chat! Here’s a peek at my interview with Jackie Hernandez from School of Decorating in Fall 2014 during my eBook launch.
TOP TIP: Use the Pretty Link Lite free plug-in to create a shortened “pretty link” that redirects to your affiliate link, making it easy to share via video. It also allows you to track how many visits you get!
Have ideas to add to this list? Or any questions? Email me at thethinkingcloset {at} gmail {dot} com.
APOLOGIES, WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.
But reach out to me (Lauren) at thinkingcloset @ gmail dot com if you have a collaboration idea!
Promo Images
Affiliates! Feel free to grab these images to use to help promote the book. You’ll find that several of them include different size options for sidebars (300 pixels), blog posts (600 pixels), and social media (1200 pixels).
300 pixels | 600 pixels | 1200 pixels
300 pixels | 600 pixels | 1200 pixels
300 pixels | 600 pixels | 1200 pixels
Book Covers:
The Author
The Book in Action
