Thousands of independent creators, entrepreneurs, and online publications use affiliate marketing to drive thousands of dollars in revenue every single month.

So do hugely respected websites such as the New York Times, Forbes and NerdWallet.

And according to Statista, spend on affiliate marketing programs by businesses will grow to $ 8.2 billion in the US this year. That's up 76% in the last 6 years alone.  

But getting a slice of the billion-dollar pie isn't as simple as slapping a few affiliate links on your blog.