Black Friday is still months away, but if you're running affiliate links — and especially if you have gear lists that drive regular traffic — now is the time to start thinking about it.
Here's why: most affiliate links point to specific products. Those products go on sale. If your links are already getting traffic, you don't have to do anything special for Black Friday — the commission rates go up automatically, and your existing audience is already primed to buy.
But there are things you can do ahead of time to capture more of that traffic.
Update your gear lists before November
Go through your gear lists and make sure they're current. Replace discontinued products. Add newer versions of gear you've upgraded. A gear list that was last updated in January is less useful to someone who finds it in November.
Check your affiliate program terms
Some programs run special Black Friday rates. Check in with your main networks — CJ, ShareASale, Impact — in October and November for any Black Friday-specific commission bumps or bonuses.
Short links stay live
One advantage of using mkr.ms short links (or any short link tool): when a product changes or gets replaced, you can update the destination without breaking existing links. If you've shared your gear list URLs in old YouTube descriptions, they'll all point to your current list automatically.
Amazon specifically
Amazon Associates typically runs elevated commission rates on some categories during Black Friday. Amazon's geo-routing (built into MakerManifest) means international visitors automatically get directed to their local Amazon store — so you're not leaving international commissions on the table during the highest-traffic period of the year.
Create a dedicated "Best Black Friday Deals" list
In October, create a separate gear list specifically for Black Friday recommendations. Pin your best deals, mark the ones with the most commission potential. Share it specifically around Black Friday week. Then archive it after Cyber Monday and use the same URL next year for the updated version.