I stopped watching the news shortly after the United States Presidential race concluded last year. Why? Things are so depressing with the economic crisis and the latest recession, the news is unbearable to watch. No matter what your favorite cable news network is – CNN, FOX News or MSNBC – they are all reporting the same thing; more doom and gloom. There are serious issues when it comes to the current state of the economy with the high rate of unemployment and issue over health care. However, not everyone is suffering from the recession.

Ryan, John and I have been able to successfully grow our business in the midst of one the biggest economic crisis’ since the Great Depression. That is because advertisers are looking more to affiliates rather than traditional advertising because affiliates produce a direct response. We, as affiliates, do the demographic research and build campaigns geared toward offers. So that leads me to an interesting question – does a recession benefit affiliate marketers?

The answer, unfortunately, is no. However, affiliate marketing is a way to produce a more than livable income regardless of the current economic condition (unless the entire economy was to collapse, which if it does, we are all seriously screwed). For those thinking of getting into affiliate marketing, understand it is not an instant goldmine. Affiliate marketing is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done; however, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

The biggest thing when it comes to affiliate marketing is setting a realistic budget. Once you’ve got the money to invest, you have to be willing to take the risk. A lot of people trying to break in either do not have the money or are scared to spend the money. This is why I spend so much time talking about the Super Scared Affiliate. If you’ve got the money to spend and are serious about getting into affiliate marketing, the time is now.

There is a multitude of ways to make money through affiliate marketing. You can use pay-per-click if you’re on a limited budget or media buying if you have more capital. There are all kinds of offers to promote and with a little practice; you’ll be making money in no time.

If you do not take anything else away from this blog post, understand you have what it takes to make money online. Yes, you have what it takes. Don’t find yourself getting zoned out to the news, feeling hopeless and depressed. People are still making money regardless of what the media is reporting. Today I give you hope, now get out there and make it happen!