General Blogger

So if you’re going to make money as an affiliate blogger, you’re going to have choose what products you promote very carefully. After all, blogging is about building trust and communities. If you betray that trust by showing your community of readers ads and links that have nothing to do with what brings them to your blog, you’re going to look like a spammer. Not only will you end up not making any money, but it might cost you the community of readers you’ve worked so hard to build.

Of course, figuring out what to promote is easier for some bloggers than it is for others. For example, if you blog about fashion, then you should probably promote clothing that your readers would wear. However, if you blog about politics, it might not be so easy to figure out what kind of products to promote.

So if you’re one of those confused bloggers, how do you figure out what kinds of products to promote? Well, since you share an interest with your readers, you can just ask yourself what kinds of products you like, but that won’t necessarily give a shortlist of products that are contextually relevant. What you have to do, then, is some good ol’ fashion media buying research.

Researching Your Readers

When online advertisers are trying to figure out where they advertise, one of the things they do is try to figure out where their competitors are advertising. For bloggers, similar research is much more straight forward.

As a blogger, you’re already aware of what other authority sites are relevant in your niche. Consequently, you simply have to check out those sites, and see what kinds of products are being advertised there.

Once you have an idea of what products are being advertised on similar sites and blogs, you can look into (1) whether those products are being promoted through an affiliate program, and/or (2) whether any of their substitute or complementary products are being promoted through an affiliate program.

For example, if you notice that many mainstream sites in your niche feature ads for mp3 players, and you can’t find any affiliate programs for mp3 players, then you might want to look into affiliate programs for music downloads.

Controlling Quality

Before throwing affiliate ads up on your blog, put yourself in your readers’ shoes and ask whether or not you would want to see (or even possibly be put off by seeing) such product promotions next to the content. After all, even though the media buyers have done a great deal of research before placing their ads on mainstream sites in your niche, they don’t necessarily have the same goals (referring sales) or common sense (respecting communities) that you do.

For instance, their goal might be to raise their brand profile simply by plastering their logo everywhere they can. Furthermore, the advertisers you’ve seen on similar sites might not care about the site’s readers.

So when you’re doing research on the kinds of products being advertised on sites with similar content, remember to take your findings with a grain of salt. Researching products to promote as an affiliate marketer is about finding something that your community of readers will find value in.

Mainstream advertisers don’t have the same mandate as affiliate marketers. They’re often content to just throw their message all over the web. As a blogger, you have to maintain the rapport of trust that you’ve built with your readers, and respect them as valued members of a community that is larger than you.

Right ear is better in picking up rapid speech while the left ear is better at picking up sounds and music.

This causes the vomer bone to rock, which loosens your congestion and clears you up. After 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses start to drain.

At this sleeping position, it will keep you from suffering from acid reflux. This position, your stomach is lower than your esophagus which help keep stomach acid from sliding up your throat.

Alcohol dilutes the blood in the part of your ear called the cupula, which regulates balance. This is the reason why after drinking lots of liquor, you will feel really dizzy. Putting your hand on something stable gives your brain another reference point. It gives the brain a second opinion thus making you feel in balance. The nerves in the hand are sensitive thus making this kind of body hack more effective than conventional foot on the floor wisdom.

The thumb has a pulse of its own. Blowing your thumb will calm it down and eventually, it will calm your heart too!

Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth and cover as much surface area as possible. Brain freeze occurs because the nerves in the roof of mouth get extremely cold when you are consuming, eating or even drinking ice cold foods/drinks. When this happens, your brain thinks that your whole body is cold. It compensates by overheating which causes your head to hurt. By doing the hack above, you will chill your brain and feel better.

Staying hydrated before a meal can prevent you from overeating. This is a time tested method.

When the nerves in the ear get stimulated, they create a reflex in the throat thus causes a muscle spams which cures the itch.

Coughing causes a sudden but temporary rise in pressure at your chest. It inhibits the pain conducting work of the spinal cord that leads to pain free injections.

Between the bloating, the cramping, the cravings, and the mood swings, the time of the month is usually not the best week in any woman’s life. Premenstrual symptoms (PMS) symptoms have caused diets to derail, as you begin to lose count how many times you’ve been caught with your hands in the cookie jar. Optimizing your energy, and relaxing your mood swings can be as simple as adhering to a healthy balanced diet, or eating right.

Women tend to jones for junk food before and during their period due to the fluctuation in hormones. Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone — the main reproductive hormones — go down, and remain at low levels during your menstrual cycle. These changes are responsible for your cravings going into overdrive, signaling the need to have replace unhealthy food cravings with the specific nutrients the body needs.

While it may sound overwhelming to fit all these specific nutrients in your diet, Natalie Stephens, registered dietician, nutritionist, and on the executive committee of the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests keeping it simple by getting back to basics. "[E]at a balanced diet every day (get all your food groups in every day), eat fruits and vegetables with as many meals as possible, get a variety within each food group-eat what’s in season or buy frozen foods that are picked at their prime to get a variety of vitamins and minerals daily,” she told Medical Daily in an email. To prevent, and cope with PMS symptoms, replace seriously unhealthy cravings with these seven healthy foods by adding them to your diet to consume the adequate amount of nutrients needed.

Salmon, and other fish are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids that not only have heart benefits, but can also provide menstrual relief. A 1996 study published in Obstetricians and Gynecology found women who received a daily dose of 6 grams of fish oil, providing 1,080 milligrams (mg) of EPA, and 720 mg of DHA, had experienced significantly less menstrual pain while taking the fish oil supplements. The women were between the ages of 15 to 18, and took these pills over the course of two months.

The consumption of healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids is recommended by physicians like Dr. Jennifer Burns, of The Bienetre Center in Phoenix, Ariz. “Omega 3 helps along with decrease caffeine, vitamin b-6, decrease sugar intake, more complex carbohydrates, and use of liver herbs like milk thistle and dandelion,” are ideal foods to consume to treat PMS symptoms, she told Medical Daily in an email. These healthy fats are not only found in salmon, but also avocados, nuts, and olive oil.

This green vegetable has a high fiber content that can actually ease bloating. Broccoli has calcium, vitamins A, C, B6, and E, potassium, and magnesium — nutrients that help alleviate PMS symptoms. A 2000 study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology found a low-fat, vegetarian diet that emphasized the consumption of plant-based foods, significantly reduced pain and PMS for many women. The symptom effects could be due to the dietary influences on estrogen activity.

Since broccoli is 91 percent water by weight, it helps eliminate bloating while getting rid of puffiness, gas, and fatigue. Stephens advises to stay away from salt and salty foods that can exacerbate symptoms. “Salt can cause bloating and water retention. Ergo, salt can make those problems of PMS worse,” she said.

Pumpkin seeds are no longer just a seasonal delicacy, these seeds can help alleviate water retention, and mood swings due to its magnesium content, and its ability to regulate serotonin levels. “Magnesium is a great way to decrease water retention during PMS,” Burns said.

Bananas are known to be rich sources of potassium, but also have a high magnesium content. This fruit is known to be a natural sleep aid since it contains melatonin that helps regulate the body’s natural rhythms, and provide a good night’s rest. Pain and sleep is a vicious cycle as pain interrupts sleep, and a lack of sleep makes pain worse. Eating bananas could help combat both.

Quinoa has recently become the new health food superstar since it is rich in proteins containing all nine essential amino acids, and twice as much fiber as most other grains. The complex carbohydrate can help regulate mood swings, and stimulate energy production since its high in iron and vitamin B12. A 2010 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found those who followed a low-carb diet were more prone to being depressed, anxious, or angry than those who consumed whole grains on a daily basis. It is believed carbs promote the production of serotonin — the feel-good brain chemical — which helps carb eaters feel happier and more energized than their counterparts.

Calcium and vitamin D nutrition go hand-in-hand when to reducing PMS symptoms. A 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found a high intake of calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk of PMS. Researchers recommend getting four servings of skin or low-fat milk, orange juice, or low-fat dairy foods like yogurt, to get the adequate amount of vitamin D which is 400 International Units a day. “Vitamin D helps to increase the immune system thus helping to fight off free radical damage thus decreasing cancer cells. Food with vitamin D fish, fortified food products, mushrooms, and egg yolk,” Burns said.

Similar to vitamin D, calcium can act as a smooth muscle relaxant, according to Burns, which is great for anyone who has PMS. Foods high in calcium include leafy greens, cheese, almonds, soy, sesame seeds, and milk. High levels of vitamin D and calcium together help ward off PMS symptoms.

It’s important to gradually add these foods to your diet to not overwhelm yourself with keeping a balanced diet, and to ease period pain.