Part 5 of the ‘Blog Monetization’ series. ← Previous: AdSense Ad Placement
Summary
- Affiliates pay you a cut when someone buys through your referral link.
- A cookie records that referral — like a receipt, the purchase counts only within its window.
- Longer cookie windows favor you, and usually the last click wins the commission.
- In Korea, an affiliate link legally must carry a disclosure (“contains paid promotion”).
How Affiliates Make Money
If ads earn on views, affiliates earn on purchases. Someone follows a link in your recommendation, buys something, and a slice of the sale comes to you.
So affiliates care less about raw traffic and more about trust and conversion. A hundred views that buy nothing is zero; ten that buy is income.
A Cookie — the Receipt for a Referral
A cookie is like a receipt that says “this shopper came through me.” Clicking your link drops that record in their browser.
If they buy within the cookie window, you get the commission. After it expires, the receipt is gone, and a later purchase is not yours.
Longer Windows Favor You
The longer the window, the more a delayed purchase still counts. So the same product pays differently depending on the platform.
- AliExpress — 30 days: good for slow overseas-shopping decisions
- Amazon — 24 hours: buy within a day or it is gone, which is quite stingy
- Temu — 30 days: long enough that the newcomer pushes it hard
Last Click Wins
Usually the person whose link was clicked last gets the commission (last-click). Even after your link, if they click someone else’s right before buying, it goes there.
And shopping in incognito mode, with cookies blocked, or on another device breaks tracking. A cookie is less a guarantee than a thin thread, easily cut.
Conversion Over Clicks
Affiliate success is the share of people who buy (conversion), not the click count. So “writing that makes people want to buy” is the core.
First-hand reviews, comparisons, and concrete use context lift conversion. A post that just lists links rarely earns clicks or sales.
Disclosure Is Required
If a post has affiliate links, you must disclose it. In Korea, hiding a financial interest violates advertising law.
Coupang Partners also requires its own wording, like “this post is part of the Coupang Partners program and earns a commission.” Disclosure is also a matter of reader trust.
What Not to Do
These lead to suspension or legal trouble.
- Buying through your own link (self-purchase)
- Slipping in links with no disclosure
- Tricks that force-set cookies
The next part covers signing up for and running Coupang Partners, Korea’s main affiliate program.
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