Trust is an essential component if you hope to make a living online. There are certainly people who can make money without having the trust of their users, but I definitely DO NOT recommend ignoring the importance of trust.

It is vital, in my opinion, that you prove yourself worthy of being listened to. If you are recommending a product, especially an affiliate product, your readers need to feel that they aren’t being sold down the river. The best way to prove your trustworthiness is to recommend only products that you truly believe in – time and time again.

If you’ve actually used a product and know first-hand that it has worth, then you can easily convey that knowledge to others. When your readers see how obvious it is that you’ve actually tried the product, and that you obviously have first-hand experience with it, then they can easily believe what you are saying about the product. Once they’ve seen that your recommendations are genuine, you’ve established trust with them, and they will be much more likely to pay attention to your recommendations in the future.

If you fake the recommendations however, it is highly likely that you will be outed. Once you are outed as a faker, your readers will immediately lose any trust they may have had in you, and they will no longer be willing to heed any recommendations you make. Word of mouth is a powerful force, and it won’t be long before your reputation as a fake will make the rounds in your niche.

Your readers are putting their money in your hands – trusting that you won’t cheat them. Just like the graphic above of the flying acrobats, one acrobat is trusting that the other won’t let her down. Your users need to have that same level of trust in you. Don’t let them down.