How to make Affiliate Marketing your Newest Side Hustle

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Looking for a way to supplement your income from home? Why not try affiliate marketing?

You’ve probably seen affiliate marketing without even realising that’s what it is. Boiled down to basics, affiliate marketing is when you promote a product through a link, and every time someone buys through your link, you make a commission!

About 80% of brands have an affiliate program, including Nike, eBay, and Amazon. They benefit from marketers promoting their products to social media, and the marketers benefit by making commissions!

There are many different ways to do affiliate marketing. You just need to sign up to an affiliate program and get your promotional link. Then, push that link everywhere you can! It’s important to only promote things from brands you believe in, because your audience should be able to trust you.

The most popular kind of affiliate marketing is low-ticket offers: these are products that your audience only buys once, like a book. They usually don’t pay much, but you can easily promote lots of different offers this way!

A platform I use for low-ticket offers is Benable. It works like Pinterest, where you build lists of your favourite things. Then if people purchase through your link, you make money!

High-ticket offers pay quite a bit more, but they’re a bigger commitment for your audience. These often include courses, like the one I’ve signed up with. If you make an affiliate sale through a course, you’ll get a recurring commission!

The course I’m in is SUPER supportive and offers you all the training you could ever need. It’s a worthwhile investment just to know you’re not doing it alone.

I love affiliate marketing because it lets me work from home and make money passively. Because I’m chronically ill, I get sick a lot. I can take time to heal and still be making commissions in the background!

If you’re looking for a way to make money online, try affiliate marketing today!

Why Learning Piano is Good for Your Mental Health

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Have you ever thought about picking up an instrument like the piano? Did you know that on top of playing beautiful music, piano also has incredible mental health benefits?

Learning any instrument is a great hobby that relieves stress and sharpens your mind, but piano in particular is my favourite. My grandparents used to have an organ in their lounge room – back then I could only play “Three Blind Mice”, but I was endlessly fascinated by the thought of the simple black and white keys becoming gorgeous music with the tap of a finger.

We studied the piano in my year 7 music class, where I learned to play “Ode to Joy”. There was a pattern and a flow to the musical notes that felt satisfying. I struggled to read music, but my frustration was worth it when I correctly played a chord and the notes sounded divine.

At one point I bought an electric keyboard. I had a few lessons, but the instructor didn’t teach in a way I could understand. So I taught myself, finding free sheet music online on my laptop with the keyboard perched on the desk in front of it.

Playing the piano is wonderful for your mind. Reading music is no easy feat, so you’re exercising your brain. It’s also incredibly relaxing and almost meditative, especially when you don’t need to look at the sheet music and can just be swept away by the music.

Piano music has always spoken to me. The keys elicit such strong emotions that they can bring anyone to tears. So many people say they would love to learn an instrument, but they never start. Piano lessons can be expensive and time-consuming – they can also be very prescriptive. My lessons were strict and mathematical, taking all the magic out of the music. I always felt like I was falling behind.

But music should be accessible to everyone. If you’re not concerned about having the perfect instrument, electric keyboards can be bought pretty cheaply. You could do what I did and painstakingly annotate free sheet music, or you could learn online. Programs like Piano for All take you from beginner to expert with their tutorial videos. The complete package comes with Ebook, video, and audio lessons, so you can find a method that helps you learn best.

Piano for All is one of the most popular online piano courses and for good reason! Take a look at these testimonials from students:

“Your course is everything that you and others said it would be. The lessons are do-able and satisfying. Your videos and sound bites make everything quite clear. I didn’t think I could make the piano sound this good so quickly. If I weren’t so lazy, I would be doing even better. I would highly recommend your course to anyone who wants to learn the piano. Thanks so much. You are making a dream come true.” – Mike Epstein, Ramat Razi’el, Israel

“Recently bought your series and think it is incredible.  My mother was a classically trained pianist and my father was a bar room “by ear” player and I always wanted to be sort of combination of them.  Your set of books has made it all fun for me again.  Could never be bothered by all the technical stuff, just wanted to sit and play.  Piano For All is great. Thanks.” – Andy Godfrey, NY, USA

“Thank you so much for this course.  I have wanted to learn to play my favorite instrument as long as I can remember.  Now that I’m an adult, I am so glad to not have to learn from the child books.  Already being able to play popular songs just amazes me!  I am having so much fun.” – Vivian Bell, Fairborn, Ohio, USA

If you want to join these students and 450,000 others in learning piano, don’t hesitate! Use my affiliate link here to get 38% off the regular price!

Self-Care Resources to Make You Smile

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Like so many people, you’re probably not investing as much in self-care as you should. If you need a little help tending to your mental health, then check out these resources from Self Love Rainbow!

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything from these links, I’ll earn a commission at no extra cost to you!

There are so many self-help books out there that promise these huge, life-changing results but they cost a fortune! Sometimes all you need is a little guidance, some small reminder to take care of yourself.

I was looking for little ways to integrate self-care into my routine, and I came across Self-Love Rainbow. Dominee started this online store after struggling with her own mental health, with the goal of helping others. She knows that self-care looks different for everyone, so she has gone above and beyond with over 600 articles on self-love, personal growth, and mental health.

One of Dominee’s most popular products is the Self-Care Planner. It’s a brilliant way to keep track of good habits and boost your mood with encouraging affirmations! This planner makes your mental health a priority without making you feel guilty.

Another great product is the self-love workbook! This is a more in-depth look at your mental health and goes deeper into how you can change your life for the better.

Dominee has an endless amount of products like these. Her printables and digital products are cute and colourful, making it easy to take in information and fun to tick off the boxes. Not only that, they’re also super affordable!

Keeping tabs on your mental health has never been easier with Self-Love Rainbow. Check out the store now!

How to Make Your Email List

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I started my marketing business last year, and until recently I had no idea how to set up an email list! 

All the tips I could find told me it was vital to build an email list and stay connected to your audience, but no one told me how! 

As a business owner, it’s so important to keep in touch with your followers. Build a relationship of trust with them, and they’ll start seeing you as a welcome presence in your inbox. 

But how do you send emails to a list of subscribers, without manually going through your list one-by-one? 

Let me introduce you to FloDesk! (check it out here)

You can use FloDesk to not only send emails, but link specific emails to your websites or products. This lets you nurture your audience by welcoming them into your world. Write your emails like you’re talking to a friend, and your audience will soon be ready to buy from you!

Make sure you keep your subscribers in the loop for any sales or discounts you have going on!

Speaking of discounts, use my referral link to get 50% off your FloDesk subscription! 

If you want to learn more about running a small business and how to manage social media, check out my Stan Store for my resources!

Buy My Neurodivergent Guide to Content Creation

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If you’re a neurodivergent small business owner who uses social media, this guide is for you!

BUY THE GUIDE HERE

Marketing tips are saturated with strict schedules and detailed rules. TikTok gurus tell you there are specific things you need to do to succeed – post 3-5 times a day, make high-quality videos with cinematic techniques, and never EVER make mistakes.

If you’re neurodivergent – someone with differing brain functions from the typical – these “tips” just don’t sound realistic. Our minds work differently, so how can we be expected to meet the same standard as everyone else?

But not every neurodivergent person is the same. Writing a broad guide for everyone under the umbrella would be impossible. That’s why this guide is not definitive – it offers a few different structures, and you can pick the one that suits you best.

This guide explains what it means to be neurodivergent; obstacles that may cause; ways to stay productive as a content creator, and how to make TikTok more fun for you.

If you’re neurodivergent or want to learn what that means, this is for you. The goal is to help content creators, especially those on TikTok, stay consistent. But anyone can read this guide!

You can buy it and other products from my Stan Store. Check out more neurodivergent marketing tips on my TikTok!

My Life as an Artist with Chronic Pain

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If you didn’t know, I’m an artist, and this year I’ve decided to take my art more seriously. But there are days when I remember that being a full-time artist was never in the cards for me. 

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was 17, and I’d taken a few art electives. 

Chronic pain was having an effect on my schooling at this point. But luckily I was able to type out my essays and exams (with supervision, of course). Then in Year 12 Studio Arts, we got to experiment with some different methods, one of them being printmaking. I sketched out my design, then used a scalpel to carve it into the sheet of hard plastic.

This process was near excruciating. My wrists felt like they were being torn with every bit of pressure I forced them through. Maybe it was foolish and impulsive to keep pushing through. I think I was testing my limits, seeing how far I could go. I was really happy with the result, but I don’t think it was worth the pain. 

People like to say that art is pain, but that takes on a bit of a different meaning for me. Being an artist with chronic pain means I can’t set aside a whole day to draw and be productive the entire time. Every artist should take breaks to stretch and rest their wrists, but it doesn’t take very long for me to reach that point. Sometimes I get so carried away with a drawing that I ignore the pain, then I’ll be out of commission for days afterwards. 

The designs that I sell on RedBubble are fun, and they don’t tend to take up too much time. But my real passion, what I love drawing most, is detailed character portraits. These can take me a long time to finish, but they’re very personal and become something I’m very proud of. The problem is, sometimes I’ll give up on a project if it’s taking too long. I’ll finish the sketch and be daunted at the thought of line art. Or I’ll finally finish blocking out my colours and decide there are too many little details to shade. 

I’ve been experimenting more, especially with my RedBubble designs. I want to challenge myself to draw more complex scenes, maybe with multiple characters. 

If you’d like to help me have more time for art, you can buy something from my artist shop! 

Don’t forget to check me out on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok as well!

End of 2022: Year in Review

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As another year comes to a close, I thought I’d write one last blog post. I haven’t been great at updating this blog, but that’s because so much has been happening I really haven’t had time!

This year has had a lot of ups and downs, but it’s been the most productive year in my life so far! For the first time, I was without the schedule of school or university, and I had no idea where my life was going. I just knew I wanted to write.

I began work as a freelance copywriter. It wasn’t a lot of money, but it was something. I kept working at it, and now I have more frequent work, greater responsibilities, and higher pay!

In October, I started a program to become a digital marketing coach, and I’m now running my own business! It’s been an uphill climb, but I’m learning so much about social media and content creation, and I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve learnt to see the value of my knowledge, time, and talents.

I’ve also started monetising my art, something I never thought I’d be able to do! I’m selling products on my RedBubble Store; I have a Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook page, and TikTok for my art.

I’m gaining more confidence in my talents and I’ve opened myself up to learning new skills. This year has been emotionally exhausting and tough in a lot of ways, but I’m proud of all I’ve achieved.

New Year Resolutions

Now, I also hesitate to make these kinds of promises to myself because I know how hard it is to keep them. But it’s important to have goals, and writing them down will help me stick to them.

  1. Finish my manuscript. This time last year, I started a novel about the princess in the Minotaur myth, called Centre of the Labyrinth. I had hoped to finish it by now, but I know I can get it done by the end of next year. Then I can move on to other writing projects!
  2. Draw what makes me happy. I’ve spent most of this year drawing what I think will sell. While it’s fun for me to check the trends, it can be more rewarding to draw what I feel passionate about.
  3. Update this blog more often. I’ve loved writing my Creature Features and posts about mythology. I hope to write here at least once a month (that’s much more realistic for me than twice a week). I love hearing your comments and seeing you interact with my posts, and I want to keep that going!

I hope you all have a wonderful new year!

Fibromyalgia Care Pack – Buy Now!

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Do you have fibromyalgia (FMS) and struggle to explain it to people? Are you tired of explaining yourself over and over? Or do you need some encouragement to keep going when your chronic pain is flaring up?

The Fibromyalgia Care Pack contains poster pages that you can print out and hang on your wall when you need a reminder. Pages include lesser-known symptoms; important statistics related to FMS; myths about fibromyalgia and the truths behind them; some self-care tips for those rough days, and some affirmations when you need to remind yourself that what’s happening to you is not your fault.

These are handy to give to people who are curious about the condition, or don’t believe it exists. It can give them a better understanding of what you’re going through so you don’t need to exhaust yourself by explaining every time.

They’re also useful to have nearby when you’re feeling low. The self-care tips and affirmations are a reminder to be kind to your mind and body.

I’ve had fibromyalgia since I was 17. It’s made me feel isolated and frustrated. If I had had someone else with FMS to give me advice and reassure me that I wasn’t alone, I would have been much happier.

This is a digital product, so you will not receive anything physical. Just print them out to make a little booklet; hang them on your wall, or keep them on your device to look at when you need it.

I hope this care pack helps you or your loved ones with fibromyalgia. It’s a lonely thing to deal with, but we have to remember that we are not alone <3

Buy it Now on my Stan Store!

My Gripe with Movie Musicals

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I love musicals. I was in my high school’s production from Year 8 to Year 12 and loved every minute of it. It’s always exciting when you learn that your favourite story is being made into a movie. But as many of us know, film adaptations often leave a lot to be desired. In my experience, movie musicals have it the worst. 

My first movie musical was Chicago, which I loved. The dream sequences are a perfect example of a film doing what a stage musical can’t. Stagecraft is amazing, but film can take the characters across a range of real locations in a way that’s more immersive than a stage backdrop – in a sense. 

Theatre never hides the fact that it’s performing to an audience. This makes the audience feel close and intimate with the show, especially when the actors interact with them. Movies are immersive in another way – they want to make the film seem real as possible, making the viewers voyeurs. 

You just don’t get that level of connection with movies, and the humour doesn’t land in the same way (see Into the Woods, and how the darkness was toned down for a cinema audience).

Mixing these two mediums can be successful, but movie studios seem to have trouble getting it right. 

Pitch Perfect

There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to singing in movie musicals. 

The recent Disney live-action remakes record in the studio, then play it over the actual scenes. But they use a lot of editing to make the voices sound “pure”, which ends up erasing all the personality. Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast is being pitch-corrected to make her sound as sweet and melodic as a Disney princess should, but all it does is make her sound manufactured. They remove the natural ridges and grittiness of the human voice for the sake of sounding “pretty” and lose all emotion. 

But musical theatre is about emotion, and a convincing performance will naturally have some rough edges. Think of the biggest Broadway divas: their voices waver at the most intense part of their solos. 

A Little Too Realistic

On the other end of the scale is Les Miserables, which purposely tried to avoid the over-correcting of its vocalists. They did this by having the actors sing live while filming to get the rawness of each scene. 

Sounds good in theory, right? 

In truth, the set of the Les Mis movie was a disaster. Hugh Jackman was severely dehydrated to look the part, damaging his voice. Anne Hathaway lost a frightening amount of weight and once spent 8 hours shooting the same scene, only to use the first take. 

It was the actors leading the timing of the music, not the band, so many of the songs were out of time. The musicians had to keep up with whatever the actors were doing, and there’s a reason that isn’t the standard method in musicals. 

The casting for this movie was incredible, and the actors can actually sing in the right conditions. This movie failed because the creative team were too fixated on making it seem realistic that they forgot to make it sound good. 

I love Les Mis, but no amount of gritty realism will make these kinds of conditions ok. 

Hope Going Forward?

I’ve just seen the trailer for the new Little Mermaid, and it looks amazing. As far as I can tell, they’ve toned down the pitch correction for Halle Bailey. It wasn’t necessary anyway, because she’s a great singer and you can hear it even in the brief footage we’ve seen. As the biggest maker of movie musicals, I hope Disney learns to embrace unique voices and let singers just be themselves. And I hope future movie musicals will reconsider recording the songs “live”. 

Most of the facts here came from these videos by Sideways. Check it out if you’re interested in music!

And as a reminder, I have a RedBubble store with designs like this adorable fairy dragon!

My New Digital Marketing Business

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I am excited to announce that I am now a Digital Marketing Strategist! This is a new step in my life’s journey and I want to share it all with you. 

I’ve been working as a copywriter for a long time, and I see business owners make the same mistakes over and over. Their products and services could be the best in the industry, but they don’t have a good marketing strategy to attract customers. So I’ve come up with a 7-week program to develop an organic marketing strategy for online course creators. 

Why online courses? It’s a booming industry right now. You can learn just about anything online, and people pay good money to be taught. I work with online course creators because they provide an educational service – but often don’t know how to market it. 

The most common mistake I see people make is paying for ads. This is a waste of money because it just means people see your ads, not that they’ll interact with them. An organic digital marketing strategy means that you’re the face of your business. You’re doing outreach, posting to social media, and helping clients feel like they’re talking to a person and not a robot. 

My program has many tools to help attract at least 3 extra ideal clients per quarter. While I’ve just started running business owners through the program, the strategies in it have been proven to work. I want to help people make the most of marketing and get their content to the audience that will appreciate it most. 

To learn more about the TCM Digital Marketing Program, visit my website here or email me at tahlialauren16@gmail.com. 

I know this is a bit of a departure from my usual post, but I’m really excited about this new stage of my life! I’ll still be writing here about bizarre animals, myths, and chronic pain stories, but you might see fewer posts from me. Thanks for supporting me!

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