Every platform and affiliate program gives you numbers. You don't need all of them. Three tell you most of what you need to know: views, clicks and orders.
From views to orders
- Views: how many times the video was watched, from the platform's analytics. Also look at how long people watch: if most leave in the first seconds, work on the hook.
- Clicks: how many people opened your affiliate link, from the program's reports or your link page. Many views and few clicks usually means the video didn't make people curious, or the link was hard to find.
- Orders: how many purchases the program counted. Many clicks and few orders can mean the price, the reviews or the product page put people off, or the product didn't match what the video showed.
Each step is much smaller than the one before. That's normal. Compare your own videos with each other, not with other creators.
Change one thing at a time
If you change the product, the hook and the posting time all at once, you won't know what made the difference. Pick one thing to test for a week or two:
- the hook (problem first, or result first)
- the length (15 or 30 seconds)
- the type of product
- the time of day you post
- how you mention the link
Small numbers move a lot by chance. Wait for several videos before deciding that something worked.
Keep a simple log
A spreadsheet or a notes app is enough. One line per video:
- date posted and platform
- product and program
- the hook, in a few words
- length
- views after 7 days
- clicks and orders, from the program's report
- one note: what you'd do differently
Once a month, sort by clicks and look at your top five videos. What do they have in common? Make more of that, and drop what never works.
Reading program reports
Affiliate programs report with a delay, and orders can be cancelled or returned, so the numbers keep changing for a while. Commissions are usually confirmed weeks after the purchase, depending on the program. Read each program's definitions: they don't all count clicks and orders the same way.
A slow start is normal. Your numbers say more about what to try next than about whether you are “good at this”.