Competitions and Reviews

Affiliate Programs Guide, What Works Well For Me!

If you read my blog then you see I will include ads and advertising links on my site. I’m not in favour of sticking an ad in the middle of my posts because I like to focus on my writing first and foremost. But something has to pay for my web presence and to keep Raisiebay running. I do this by using affiliate programs and you’ll find them in the side bar and at the bottom of my posts. Or occasionally I might single a program out and tell you more about it.

I’m going to break my rule for no advertising in the text for this post because I want to give some examples of how the ads work.

What is an Affiliate Program?

Basically, it’s just advertising for someone. But by putting their products and links on your site they can be tracked so that when someone makes a purchase you get rewarded. Often the rewards are small, but they can add up. I generally make enough money to cover the costs of my hosting so thank you to everyone who has even clicked a link. It never costs you any extra and I can often bring you special offers and codes to make your purchase even cheaper!

I use a couple of programs but my favourite is Awin. Here’s an affiliate link 🙂

Awin is one of my preferred programs because it’s easy to use and there are many advertisers to choose from. You get to choose how and when you get paid. For example I get paid monthly so long as I’ve earned more than £50. You can also get paid in Euro’s or Dollars if you advertise from other Countries.

Awin has a plugin on WordPress which automatically changes all your links from them to affiliate links. You can also have them highlighted or with a little asterix after them but I chose not to do this as it seems to affect all my none affiliate links. I do always tell my readers if I am including affiliate links in my post. There was a time when this was not necessary, but readers need to know when they are clicking an advertisement.

How to Use Affiliate Links

There are a few ways to use affiliate links. One is to place ad images (creatives) These are generally available from the affiliate site and you just copy the code and the ad appears on your site. Which is what I did with the Awin banner above and the ads in my sidebar.

You can also include a link in your text. For example, look at these gorgeous baby shoes I found at Dotty Fish. When you include links like this you really need to tell your readers that it is an affiliate link. Some companies usually pay for click throughs to their site too, but the amounts are really small, you need a LOT of people clicking through to make any money.

One of my favourite ways of using affiliate links is to write about the site and the lovely things you can find there. I do this quite frequently with Etsy which has to be one of my favourite sites for quirky and beautiful gifts. Sometimes I will write a shopping guide for a special events like this special Valentines Post. I tend to do one for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas too. I can’t help myself, I love browsing the site and sharing what I find. These posts can be incredibly time consuming, but I enjoy doing them and if they make me some money then it’s worth it. Plus, I like to think I’ve helped someone find a perfect gift for someone else, or even themselves.

You can also do a competition post from your favourite affiliate program. Sometimes they will provide you with a little something to give to your readers in return for a dedicated post. I find chocolate does really well and I love to run a choccy competition, like this one here. (It’s over now, I’m just sharing an example.) But giving something away attracts a lot of visitors, and a few will click through and buy something which earns you commission.

My Favourite Affiliate Programs

I think that affiliate programs that fit in with your site are often the best ones. If you write gift guides a lot then think about making them pay, if you have a hobby or particular interest then look for a program that will work for you. You don’t need a niche blog but carefully placed ads will bring in a little extra cash.

Sometimes, writing gift guides and dedicated posts can become dated. Someone might come across one and click through to find that the item has now sold out or is not longer available. However, by clicking through from your site if they go on to find something else to buy from the site you will still earn commission from it.

I tend to do really well with my gift guides and dedicated posts. There is always something that gets a click or two. But I often think carefully about what ads to go at the end of my posts too, because these get clicked a lot especially if they have some relevance to the post.

The ads in my side bar I like to keep refreshed. I check the affiliate program site regularly for new ads and ideas.

I also think carefully about which programs I want to join and check through them often. If I haven’t used a program in a while then I’ll drop it. If I see something doing well, I’ll use it more. I also check that the program is still collecting clicks and paying it’s bills. (You do have to be careful that the program has a good history of paying, some just disappear and you never get your money.)

I’ll now share with you my top five advertisers for this year, remember, these are the ones that work for me and my blog. Choose carefully who you decide to advertise for.

The Centre of Excellence do many different courses for adults and kids. I wish they’d update their creatives (ad images) though! I do really well with people signing up through my ads, and I also have a code RAISIEBAY466 which gives my readers 70% off any course.

I just love Etsy so much, and they even run competitions for their affiliates, I won a £500 voucher last year! I think when you love a site you advertise it more, which is probably why I earn more from it. They are also pretty good at updating their creatives.

I love to crochet and Deramores is my go to store for wool. I guess this is why it gets a little more promotion, but probably more on my other blog At Home A Lot where I talk about my passion a little more. I love that Deramores creatives update by themselves.

Who doesn’t love chocolate. Cadbury’s feature a lot in my posts and I feel a special connection seeing as I live so near their original factory. (I can log in to Cadbury World on Facebook from my sofa!) The Gift shop online is a great place to order gifts and I do so often when I should get off my sofa and go to the shop! Their creatives are not updated often, but they do have ones for most special occasions. This one above is from 2020, but appropriate this year too! (Darn it, I’ve just added the link and now I’m on the site drooling over the new Caramilk, quick, hide my debit card!)

Dotty Fish sell gorgeous baby shoes, shimmy shoes (For toddlers) and baby slippers. They recently kindly gifted me some of their adorable shoes for my great nephew which proved to be popular with some of my readers. Sadly, they don’t have any creative banners on the affiliate program so I’ve just included a picture of one of their new arrivals.

Thank You

I hope you have found this post on affiliate programs interesting. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. I’d also be interested to know what affiliate programs work for you.

I think it’s pretty obvious, but I’ll state it anyway. This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a little money if you click through and purchase something. There will be no extra cost to you so thank you for supporting my blog.

And a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has ever purchased anything from any of my affiliate links.

Dotty Fish baby shoes, a Review

by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

I was asked by Dotty Fish if I would like to review some of their baby shoes. Well, it’s been a long time since I had a baby, but I thought of my gorgeous great nephew and decided to try some shoes for him and let you know all about Dotty Fish.

I am an affiliate of Dotty Fish so any links used may earn me some commission at no extra cost to yourself, thank you for supporting my blog.

Dotty Fish Baby Shoes

Dotty Fish is a small business selling shoes and bibs and run by a Mum of two, Helen. The company has a passion for creating beautiful affordable shoes for babies which are podiatry tested. The shoes all have a soft flexible sole which is just what is needed for babies and toddlers taking their first steps. It’s the next best thing to bare feet and the shoes are very well made and incredibly cute.

I asked my neice what shoes she would like and she chose these gorgeous Nya the Elephant Shoes.

I was really impressed with them. They not only looked good, they felt really soft. As my Great nephew was born a little early his tiny feet are still not big enough for the shoes, but he’ll be wearing them soon seeing how quick he is growing.

The shoes arrived in a shimmery bag which was a nice touch. I like that the packaging is kept to a minimum but still looks very sweet and a treat to receive. The postage bag was covered with Dotty Fish doodles (great for colouring in!) and the address label pealed off so it was nice enough to give as a gift.

Also in the parcel were some matching bandana bibs.

There were three bibs, one grey, one red and one with Nya the Elephant printed on it. They were such good quality and together with the shoes would make a perfect gift for a new baby.

For the toddler in the house, Dotty Fish have a superb selection of toddler shoes with rubber soles for extra traction. These are called Shimmy Shoes and are really very cute as well as great value.

You can buy a pair of soft sole shoes from Dotty fish for just £12.99 and the Shimmy shoes are only £16.99. The bibs start at £3.49 but you can get a deal if you buy a pack of three for just £6.99. Package and postage is free to the UK and all packaging is sustainable (And very cute!)

I honestly think Dotty Fish shoes are the cutest baby shoes at such a reasonable price. There is a lot more to see over the website so do take a look and let me know what you like best.

How many times have I said ‘cute’ in this post…can you tell I’m in love with these shoes!

Dom and Geri Unique Designs for Celebrations

by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

I was asked to review some items from Dom and Geri and with a very special birthday coming up I decided to see what they have to offer. I was impressed by their unique designs for all sorts of celebrations.

Dom and Geri

Dom and Geri offer personalised cards, wrapping paper, banners and gifts in unique designs for all occasions. They offer high quality products with a super fast delivery and prices that can compete with other online companies.

During the pandemic I have had to buy so many cards and wrapping paper online and I’ve always gone to the well known stores. I find them overpriced and some of their products quite tacky. I had a few cards that I decided not to send because the personalisation hadn’t been printed very well.

Dom and Geri offer a really good service and the products I received where great quality and I can’t wait to use them. I chose the Balloon Milestone collection starting with a banner which is huge! I decided against a photograph but the personalisation was really nice and I love the 3D balloon affect image. I also chose a matching roll of paper to wrap up her gifts and a lovely card. I was really pleased with the quality of all three items.

I’m so looking forward to this special birthday. All I need now is a few balloons. She has decided that she doesn’t want a big party just a couple of close friends and her boyfriend and weather permitting a BBQ. I’m also treating them to day out. But in the end, it’s the little details like the lovely items from Dom and Geri that make the day really special.

You can follow Dom and Geri on Facebook, Twitter Instagram and Pinterest and sign up for their newsletter for some great special offers.

Chicken Kiev Recipe and Win a Garlic Crusher

by Anne Sweet 4 Comments

Today I’m bringing you two wonderful things. My recipe for our favourite Chicken Kiev and the chance to win a Garlic Crusher from Oliver’s Kitchen.

The competition prize is being provided from Oliver’s Kitchen and you can enter at the end of this post. It’s the best Garlic crusher I’ve ever had, as soon as I took it from the box I knew it was built to last. It’s heavy, smart and does the job beautifully.

You can win one of these too in my latest competition. It’s currently out of stock on the website but you can buy one on Amazon for £14.99.

Chicken Kiev Recipe

My favourite garlic based recipe is Chicken Kiev and I like to make it at home. It’s a lot easier than you think.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken breasts with skin removed

For the garlic herb butter

3-4 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
3-4 tbsp freshly chopped chives
115g soft butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
salt and pepper

For the Kiev coating

50g/2oz plain flour
4 eggs, beaten
175g/6oz natural breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Method

First make the garlic butter filling. Add the herbs to the butter along with the garlic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix together with a fork.

Divide the butter into four and using cold hands (run them under the cold tap) roll them into bullet shapes. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Take your chicken breast and lifting the fillet part up, cut through about two thirds of the breast.

Unwrap your butter bullets and place them inside your chicken breast, pulling your fillet part down to fully seal the butter.

Put a pan of oil on to warm up.

Beat the 4 eggs up in a bowl. fill another bowl with the flour and a third bowl with the bread crumbs.

Take each breast and place in the flour bowl until coated, then place in the egg until coated and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure each piece is completely covered.

Gently put the chicken into the fat until golden then remove and place on a baking tray.

Pop into the oven on 170 degrees for a further 15 minutes (keep an eye on them and take them out if they start to leak.) Let them rest.

We serve our chicken kievs with pasta, when you cut open the chicken the garlic, herb butter sauce dribbles all over the pasta. You can also serve them with rice or potatoes.

What do you serve your Chicken Kievs with?

Win an Oliver’s Kitchen Garlic Crusher

Now you can own an Oliver’s Kitchen Garlic Crusher yourself by entering my competition using the widget below.

Oliver’s Kitchen is a family run website that promises to bring you the best kitchenware, sourced with love with fast hassle free delivery and loved by their customers with over 2000 five star ratings. Go to the site and join the club for some fantastic offers in your e-mail.

Now before the competition here’s a few

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

The competition prize is a Garlic Crusher from Oliver’s Kitchen
The winner must be living in the UK
No information is collected other than for contacting the winner
The prize cannot be exchanged for cash
The competition starts on 7th July and finishes on 9th August
Prize winner will be selected from the widget.
Not all parts of the competition need to be completed, but you need to have completed the part you have been selected for if you win.
Winners will be contacted by e-mail
Oliver’s Kitchen is responsible for the prize

Here’s the widget to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you seen my recipe for Mapo Tofu Curry?

A Beautiful New Canvas from Photowall

by Anne Sweet 5 Comments

I was asked if I’d like to review something from Photowall and I spent hours browsing through all of the gorgeous feature walls. I picked out around 16 favourites, but in the end my circumstances meant that I wouldn’t be able to get the wall decorated any time soon so I started looking at the canvas instead.

I had in mind what sort of image I was looking for, which is good because the choice is immense. I wanted a window view type picture. I remember, as a child, my grandma had a window view picture on her wall and I was really fond of it, so I thought if I could find something similar it would remind me of my grandma too. The colour was important too, i needed to have at least a little purple or mauve in it to fit in with my décor.

Photowall

Photowall have lots to offer and you are bound to find something you like. You can choose designer wallpaper, wall murals, canvas prints or posters. If you want, you can even submit your own image.

As there is so much to choose from, the designs are split into categories such as animals, space, nature, cities, fantasy, food and many more.

As a special treat for my readers I also have a discount code for any product from the photowall website. Just use raisiebayii25 for a big 25% discount. Do let me know if you buy something nice.

A Window With a View Canvas

So, after much deliberation here is the canvas that I chose, A Window with a View.

We originally put it on a wall near the corner, in a place where I would love a window but if we did have one there all we would see is our garden fence. After, some thought we decided it would go better above our settee, and it really looks good there. It’s a full 100cm by 60 cm and bigger than any canvas I have bought before. It came in a small box and had to be put together. The instructions were simple and my husband had it finished in no time. For help there is a video on how to put the canvas together.

You really are spoilt for choice at Photowall, and orders are despatched quickly. We received ours in just days after ordering.

What do you think? Would you choose a feature wall, canvas or poster? Where would you put it?

I’m still pining for a feature wall in my bedroom when the time is right. I think the children’s rooms are fabulous too. I would definitely choose a fantasy wall for a nursery. My Little Man would love to continue the space theme in his room so I may consider a feature wall for his room too.

Don’t forget, if anything does interest you on the Photowall site you can use my code raisiebayii25 for a super 25% discount!

I was gifted my canvas from photowall in return for this post. Do let me know if you buy something yourself, and don’t forget my discount code raisiebayii25.

Other posts in my Home Improvement Category.

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