I cheered inwardly during our “Super Affiliate PPC Marketing Strategies” session at Affiliate Summit, when Amit Mehta stated that he would eventually focus primarily on creating content or ‘authority sites’, adding that is what all search affiliates should consider doing.

The other day I cheered aloud after reading Jeremy Palmer’s latest newsletter in which he states, “Over the past few years my focus has shifted from building dozens of mini-sites to developing a handful of authority sites.“

So, why was I cheering?

I cheered because although Amit and Jeremy (both students of the Super Affiliate Handbook) are best known for earning millions as search affiliates, they’ve both publicly recognized the value in the affiliate marketing model I’ve used and taught for years – the content model.

Jeremy explains the difference perfectly when he says “I still have several mini-sites in my portfolio. I think they’re good for testing new niches and generating short term profits.“

Fundamental point there – short-term.

As a search affiliate you build landing page after landing page and continually have to throw PPC traffic at them because they never attain significant search engine rankings. Because of competition, each landing page (product promotion) is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Not only does the work never end, but creating landing page campaigns for products you really don’t care about is pretty boring work.

On the other hand, as an affiliate publisher you invest most of your time and energy upfront building out content on a topic you know and love. Pay per click advertising (PPC) can be used to market the site initially, but you can lower your PPC spend over time as the site grows in search engine favor (traffic) and likewise, earnings. By offering a number of related products on a single site, the site doesn’t die because one product is no longer offered or the market is saturated with competitors. Best of all, once your content site has attracted a significant following and your mailing list is a good size, you might only have to post to your blog once or twice a week – or, in other words, your workload decreases.

Fundamental points there – similar earnings with less work and sustainable over time.

To learn more about the benefits of being a content publisher or the authority site model of affiliate marketing, read Choose Your Affiliate Business Model Wisely.

OK… I’m awake now.

After spending the weekend in Vegas at Anik Singal’s 2-day PPC Classroom LIVE seminar which included a few late nights as well as a few travel challenges and delays — I was totally wasted.

Maybe I’m getting too old to try and keep up with ‘kids’ like Anik who are half my age.

Or, perhaps I’ve been spoiled by my 2-hour work day which allows for plenty of exercise, nutrition breaks and rest.

Actually, the term ‘spoiled’ is incorrect.

Working less to live more was always my goal — a goal that took only a couple years to achieve with affiliate marketing — the why’s and how-to’s of which I talked about during my presentation.

That topic resonated deeply with both attendees and speakers, many of whom I spoke with afterwards.

Their comments included “you have the BEST business model“, “I’m SO tired of the rat race, that’s EXACTLY how I want to work!” and “guess I should have bought your book“.

Well, yaaaaa!

After about 50 such comments, I realized that I haven’t emphasized the point strongly enough here at NPT – the issue being that you choose a lifestyle when you choose your affiliate business model.

To rectify my oversight, I’ve posted an article titled “Choose Your Affiliate Marketing Model Wisely“. It accurately describes the difference between lifestyles of a PPC search marketer and my (more relaxed) way of doing business as an affiliate.

Read it.

It could help you avoid choosing a business model that requires you to work 8, 10 or 12 hours a day just to keep up… and boy, doesn’t that sound like a J.O.B.?

Moreover, I want to hear you say the same thing that Andy Huang said to me this weekend with a BIG smile on his face…

“Your book changed my life”.

Comments like that are the reason I have kept the Super Affiliate Handbook updated for the last 4 and a half years and will continue to revise it.

Not only do I want you to succeed in business, I want you to have time to enjoy your life.

And now I’d like share some fun.

So, check out the Lightbulb Joke Contest: Win a Copy of “Insider Secrets To Marketing Your Business On The Internet”.

Too, I’ve uploaded the conference pictures for your amusement.

And last but not least, the bear still needs a name.

Until next time, work smarter… not harder.