Starting affiliate marketing without a lot of money or upfront investment can be done, it just requires some patience and a good strategy. Here's how I got started

First, I chose a niche that I was interested in. For me it was the make money niche, If you’re getting started you should choose a niche that you're truly interested in or knowledgeable about. This will make creating content easier, content is key. Look for affiliate programs related to your niche that are free to join or have low barriers to entry. Some like marketplaces like click bank and amazon affiliates. I got started with a private affiliate program called the Four Percent.

Next, I start creating free content like blog posts and creating videos, using what ever social media I was comfortable with (back then it was Facebook and YouTube). While doing this, I really focus on providing valuable content to my audience, relevant to my niche, not just pushing products. By building trust and establishing expertise I was able to start building a small community.

As I wrote content, I was sincere, honest and transparent. Naturally weaving in recommendations for affiliate products and services that I was promoting. I found it is good practice to clearly disclose your affiliate relationship, and not just randomly insert affiliate links - make sincere recommendations.

By promoting my content for free, by engaging on social media, posting in relevant online forums and groups, reaching out to other bloggers for cross-promotion opportunities. I was able to build my email list. This email list would become a great asset to me, by creating free lead magnets, like guides or cheat sheets, in exchange for someone's email address. I was able to sending newsletters and have direct engagement, with my audience. I started by using the free 30 day trial that the autoresponder Get Response offered. By using automated emails I was able to stay in contact with my audience and provide more content. Also, I could promote affiliate products through my own email list. Which became very profitable

I also Leveraged search engine optimization (SEO) to get my content ranking higher in search engines. I generally focused on target long-tail, low competition keywords in my niche and created content around them.

Once I started making some money, I reinvested my affiliate earnings to make improvements to my website, bought tools to make content creation easier, paid for online courses to scale my knowledge, and improve my mind set business.

For me it took some time and effort to see success, but by consistently publishing high-quality, focused content, and providing authentic value to audiences I was able to get started with very little monetary investment.

Know days it is a lot easier to do affiliate marketing, if you find the right mentor to lead you in the right direction. I suggest you find one or two successful people to follow and learn from. If you try to follow more than that you may get confused because of the different styles of teaching. I chose 1 Vick From the Four Percent which I still follow to this day, and mention throughout my site.

Hope this helps