Your site has a niche and you have carefully chosen the merchants or advertisers you feel (or after time, know) your visitors buy from. There are ways to increase the sales of your merchants and your affiliate commissions. Instead of just having the banners, links or ads on your site, you need to actively promote the use of these products and services, in a useful way. This is called pre-selling.

For instance, say you have a site relating to kayaking in certain region or river, with all the tips, maps and guides. It stands to reason, of course that you will have affiliate relationships with local kayak stores as well as outfitters, book and map sellers, camping gear vendors etc.

But if your site only includes kayaking techniques, maps of special areas, events etc, that you should of course have, you will be missing on making a real connection to the merchant and helping the visitor get something he needs to make kayaking safer, and more enjoyable or adventurous.

If you write about a stream with currents and mention how your paddle tether is a godsend when you felt you would lose the paddle and be up a creek, it is helpful information. So is discussing the relative merits of different kinds of kayak covers, and the fact that theyre needed in certain months in your area to keep out spiders. Who knew? You have provided a service to your visitors, and done some pre-selling for your vendors. You dont need to mention a particular brand, unless there is a certain product that has no competition. You are giving helpful information and advice to people who are able to act on it with a click. Its like placing them in a store with a need the likelihood of purchase is much higher.