affiliate-blog-builder
Skill$ curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Affitor/affiliate-skills/main/skills/affiliate-blog-builder/SKILL.md | pbcopyAffiliate Blog Builder
Write full SEO-optimized blog articles that rank on Google and drive passive affiliate revenue. Supports four formats: product review, head-to-head comparison, best-of listicle, and how-to guide. Each article includes keyword strategy, structured headings, comparison tables, CTAs, FAQ schema, and FTC-compliant disclosure.
Stage
S3: Blog — The highest-value content type in the affiliate funnel. Blog articles rank on Google, drive organic traffic for months/years, and convert at higher rates than social posts because readers have high purchase intent.
When to Use
- User wants to write a blog post reviewing an affiliate product
- User wants a comparison article (Product A vs Product B)
- User wants a "best of" listicle for a product category
- User wants a how-to tutorial that naturally promotes an affiliate product
- User has a product from S1 (affiliate-program-search) and wants to create long-form content
- User says anything like "write a blog", "SEO article", "product review post", "roundup post"
Input Schema
product: # REQUIRED — the affiliate product to feature
name: string # Product name (e.g., "HeyGen")
description: string # What it does
reward_value: string # Commission (e.g., "30% recurring")
url: string # Affiliate link URL
reward_type: string # "recurring" | "one-time" | "tiered"
cookie_days: number # Cookie duration
tags: string[] # e.g., ["ai", "video", "saas"]
format: string # OPTIONAL — "review" | "comparison" | "listicle" | "how-to"
# Default: "listicle" (highest traffic potential)
compare_with: object[] # OPTIONAL — competitors for comparison/listicle formats
- name: string # Competitor name
description: string # Brief description
url: string # URL (non-affiliate OK)
pricing: string # Starting price
target_keyword: string # OPTIONAL — primary SEO keyword to target
# Default: auto-generated from product name + category
blog_platform: string # OPTIONAL — "wordpress" | "ghost" | "hugo" | "astro" | "webflow" | "markdown"
# Default: "markdown" (universal)
tone: string # OPTIONAL — "professional" | "conversational" | "technical"
# Default: "conversational"
word_count_target: number # OPTIONAL — override default word count for the format
Chaining from S1: If affiliate-program-search was run earlier in the conversation, automatically pick up recommended_program from its output as the product input. The field mapping:
recommended_program.name→product.namerecommended_program.description→product.descriptionrecommended_program.reward_value→product.reward_valuerecommended_program.url→product.urlrecommended_program.reward_type→product.reward_typerecommended_program.cookie_days→product.cookie_daysrecommended_program.tags→product.tags
If the user says "now write a blog about it" after running S1 — use the recommended program. No need to ask again.
Workflow
Step 1: Determine Format
Choose the article format based on user request or defaults:
| Signal | Format |
|---|---|
| User says "review", "my experience with" | review |
| User mentions two+ products, "vs", "compare" | comparison |
| User says "best", "top", "roundup", numbers | listicle |
| User says "how to", "tutorial", "guide", "step by step" | how-to |
| No clear signal | listicle (default — highest traffic potential) |
If format = comparison and compare_with is empty or has only 1 product:
- Use
web_searchto find 2-3 top competitors in the same category - Search query:
"best alternatives to [product.name]" OR "[product.name] vs" site:g2.com OR site:capterra.com
If format = listicle and compare_with is empty:
- Use
web_searchto find 4-6 products in the same category - Search query:
"best [product category] tools [year]"
Step 2: SEO Framework
Read references/seo-checklist.md for the complete SEO guidelines. Then:
-
Generate target keyword (if not provided):
- Review format:
[product name] review - Comparison:
[product A] vs [product B] - Listicle:
best [category] tools - How-to:
how to [goal] with [product/category]
- Review format:
-
Generate secondary keywords (3-5):
- Use
web_searchfor:"[target keyword]" related searchesand "People Also Ask" - Include:
[product] pricing,[product] alternatives,[product] pros and cons,is [product] worth it
- Use
-
Build title using the formula from seo-checklist.md matching the format
-
Write meta description (150-160 chars) following the checklist format
-
Plan heading structure:
- Map out all H2/H3 headings before writing
- Ensure target keyword appears in at least 2 H2s
- Ensure secondary keywords appear in H3s
- Follow the heading hierarchy from seo-checklist.md
-
Generate slug from target keyword (lowercase, hyphens, no stop words)
Step 3: Write Article
Read references/blog-templates.md and use the template matching the chosen format. Then write the full article following these rules:
Content Rules:
- Follow the exact template structure for the chosen format
- Write in the specified
tone(default: conversational) - Hit the word count target for the format (review: 2-3.5K, comparison: 2.5-3.5K, listicle: 3-5K, how-to: 2-3K)
- Use short paragraphs (2-4 sentences max)
- Include bullet points and numbered lists for scannability
- Write like a real person who has used the product — specific details, not generic fluff
Required Sections (all formats):
- FTC disclosure near the top — read
shared/references/ftc-compliance.mdand use the medium format - Comparison table (at least one, even in reviews — compare to alternatives)
- Pros and cons for every recommended product
- "Who is this best for?" audience targeting
- Pricing information with affiliate CTA
- FAQ section (3-5 questions)
- Final verdict with clear recommendation and affiliate CTA
Affiliate CTA Placement (2-4 per article):
- After the pricing section
- After a key feature demonstration
- In the final verdict
- Optionally: in a callout box after the "who is this for" section
CTA Formats:
- Soft:
[Try [Product] free →]([affiliate_url]) - Medium:
**Ready to get started?** [Sign up for [Product] →]([affiliate_url]) - Strong (verdict only):
**Our recommendation**: [Get [Product] here]([affiliate_url]) — [brief value prop].
Things to AVOID:
- No Affitor branding in the article body (this is the user's blog, not ours)
- No "AI-generated" disclaimers (the user will edit and personalize)
- No placeholder text like "[insert your experience here]" — write complete content. If personal experience is needed, write realistic example scenarios clearly marked as examples
- No keyword stuffing — natural language only
- No false claims about products
Step 4: Format Output
Produce the final output in this exact structure:
Part 1: SEO Metadata Block
---
SEO METADATA
---
Title: [SEO title]
Slug: [url-slug]
Meta Description: [150-160 chars]
Target Keyword: [primary keyword]
Secondary Keywords: [comma-separated list]
Word Count: [actual count]
Format: [review/comparison/listicle/how-to]
---
Part 2: Full Article The complete markdown article ready to paste into any blogging platform.
Part 3: Supplementary Data
---
SUPPLEMENTARY
---
FAQ Questions (for schema markup):
1. [Question] → [Answer]
2. [Question] → [Answer]
...
Image Suggestions:
1. [Description] — alt: "[alt text]"
2. [Description] — alt: "[alt text]"
...
Products Featured:
- [Product 1]: [affiliate URL] (featured/mentioned)
- [Product 2]: [affiliate URL] (compared/mentioned)
...
Next Steps:
- Personalize: Add your own experience, screenshots, and results
- Images: Take product screenshots and add them at suggested locations
- Links: Replace affiliate URLs with your own tracking links
- Publish: See references/wordpress-deploy.md for WordPress setup guide
- Promote: Run viral-post-writer to create social posts promoting this article
---
Output Schema
article:
title: string # SEO-optimized title
slug: string # URL-friendly slug
meta_description: string # 150-160 character meta description
target_keyword: string # Primary keyword targeted
format: string # review | comparison | listicle | how-to
content: string # Full markdown article
word_count: number # Actual word count
headings: # Article structure
- level: number # 2 for H2, 3 for H3
text: string # Heading text
seo:
secondary_keywords: string[] # 3-5 secondary keywords used
faq_questions: # For FAQ schema markup
- question: string
answer: string
image_suggestions: # Recommended images
- description: string # What to screenshot/create
alt_text: string # SEO alt text
placement: string # After which section
products_featured: # All products mentioned
- name: string
url: string # Affiliate URL
role: string # "primary" | "compared" | "mentioned"
reward_value: string # Commission info
Output Format
Present the output as a single markdown document with three clearly separated sections:
- SEO Metadata — fenced block with all SEO settings for easy copy into WordPress/Yoast
- Article — the full blog post in markdown, ready to paste
- Supplementary — FAQ for schema markup, image suggestions, products list, and next steps
The article should be immediately publishable — not a draft or outline. The user should be able to copy-paste it into their blog editor, add their own screenshots and personal touches, and publish.
Error Handling
- No product provided: "I need a product to write about. Run
/affiliate-program-searchfirst to find one, or tell me the product name and I'll research it." - Comparison with only 1 product: Auto-search for 2-3 competitors using
web_search. Search:"best alternatives to [product]"on G2/Capterra. - No compare_with for listicle: Auto-search for 4-6 products in the category. Inform user: "I found these products to include — let me know if you want to swap any."
- Unknown blog platform: Default to markdown output. Add note: "This is universal markdown — works with WordPress, Ghost, Hugo, Astro, and most platforms."
- Product has no public info: Use
web_searchto research the product. If still insufficient: "I couldn't find enough information about [product] to write a credible article. Can you provide more details about features, pricing, and your experience?" - Controversial or questionable product: Include balanced pros/cons. Add note: "This product has mixed reviews — make sure you've personally verified these claims before publishing."
Examples
Example 1: Product Review (chained from S1)
User: "Now write a detailed review of HeyGen for my blog" Context: S1 previously returned HeyGen as recommended_program Action: Auto-detect format=review, pick up HeyGen product data from S1 output, generate full review article targeting "heygen review" keyword.
Example 2: Comparison Article
User: "Write a comparison blog post: HeyGen vs Synthesia vs Colossyan for AI video creation" Action: Format=comparison, primary product=HeyGen (if from S1, else first mentioned), compare_with=[Synthesia, Colossyan], target keyword="heygen vs synthesia vs colossyan".
Example 3: Listicle (Default Format)
User: "Write a blog post about the best AI video tools" Action: Format=listicle (matches "best"), web_search for top AI video tools, target keyword="best ai video tools", write 3-5K word roundup with 5-7 products.
Example 4: How-To Guide
User: "Write a tutorial blog post on how to create AI-generated videos for YouTube with HeyGen" Action: Format=how-to (matches "tutorial", "how to"), target keyword="how to create ai videos for youtube", write step-by-step guide featuring HeyGen with affiliate CTAs.
Example 5: Minimal Input
User: "Blog post about Semrush" Action: No format specified → default to listicle? No — single product implies review. Use format=review, web_search Semrush for features/pricing/reviews, target keyword="semrush review", generate full article.
Format detection logic for ambiguous cases: If only one product is mentioned with no format keyword, default to review. If a category is mentioned with no specific product, default to listicle.
References
references/seo-checklist.md— Title formulas, meta description rules, heading hierarchy, keyword density, content depth guidelines. Read in Step 2.references/blog-templates.md— Four article format templates (review, comparison, listicle, how-to) with exact structure. Read in Step 3.references/wordpress-deploy.md— WordPress publishing guide, Yoast SEO setup, Pretty Links, FAQ schema implementation. Reference in Step 4 next steps.shared/references/ftc-compliance.md— FTC disclosure requirements and format templates. Read in Step 3 for disclosure text.shared/references/affitor-branding.md— Affitor brand guidelines. Note: NO Affitor branding in article body (user's blog). Only in tool output metadata.shared/references/affiliate-glossary.md— Affiliate marketing terminology reference.
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