Most indie hackers obsess over MRR from their own products. Meanwhile, some of the most successful solo founders quietly pocket $5K-$50K/month from affiliate revenue — promoting tools they already use.

Marc Lou makes $23K/month from ShipFast. But he also pulls significant revenue from affiliates for the tools he recommends (Stripe, Vercel, etc.). Same product ecosystem, multiple revenue streams.

Here's how to do it without being sleazy.

The Math That Makes Affiliates Worth It

Quick numbers on popular programs:

Tool	Commission	Cookie
ConvertKit	30% recurring	90 days
Notion	50% first year	90 days
Webflow	50% first year	90 days
Beehiiv	50% for 12 months	60 days
TailwindCSS	$50-150 per sale	60 days
AWS/GCP	$100-500 per qualified lead	Varies

The insight: Recurring commissions compound. One ConvertKit referral paying $49/month = $176/year in your pocket. Get 50 people to sign up over a year, and that's $8,800/year in passive income — growing as long as they stay subscribed.

The Three Models That Actually Work

1. The "Tools I Use" Page

Create a dedicated page listing your entire stack. Be specific about WHY you use each tool. Pieter Levels does this on his site — it converts because people trust his technical judgment after following his work.

2. Tutorial-Embedded Links

Write a tutorial about solving a specific problem. Naturally mention the tools you used. "Here's how I set up automated email sequences" → ConvertKit link in context. This converts 3-5x better than random link drops because the reader is already in problem-solving mode.

3. Comparison Content

"Beehiiv vs ConvertKit for Technical Newsletters" — these pages rank well and attract high-intent traffic. Be honest in your comparison. Recommend based on use case, not commission rate. Long-term trust beats short-term conversions.

The Tactics Nobody Talks About

Negotiate custom rates. Once you drive 10+ conversions for any program, email the affiliate manager. Ask for a bump from 30% to 40%. Most will say yes — they'd rather keep a proven affiliate happy than lose you to a competitor.

Stack bonuses. Offer your own bonus for people who sign up through your link. "Use my ConvertKit link and I'll give you my email template pack free." This differentiates you from every other affiliate promoting the same tool.

Track everything. Use separate links for different placements (newsletter vs. blog vs. Twitter). You'll discover that one channel drives 80% of conversions. Double down there.

Email sequences convert best. A welcome sequence mentioning your recommended tools (with context) outperforms random newsletter mentions 10:1. New subscribers are in "setup mode" — they're actively looking for tool recommendations.

The Ethics Framework

Simple rule: Only promote tools you actually use and would recommend without the commission.

Disclose affiliate relationships. Not just because FTC requires it, but because transparency builds trust. A simple "This is an affiliate link" doesn't hurt conversions — people appreciate the honesty.

Say no to bad products with good commissions. Your reputation is worth more than a one-time payout.

The Bottom Line

Affiliate marketing isn't a primary business model — but it's a solid revenue diversifier. If you have an audience (even 500 newsletter subscribers), you're leaving money on the table by not thoughtfully recommending tools you already use.

Start small. Pick one tool you genuinely love. Write one piece of content about it. See what happens.

The founders making real affiliate revenue aren't running spammy link farms — they're sharing tools that helped them, with audiences that trust them.