Putting affiliate photo and link into posts

[ishabluebell]

Can someone please tell me how one puts an affiliate link and photo into a WPD post please?

It's referred to in this 30 Day Challenge thread but it doesn't say how it's done:

http://www.thirtydaychallenge.com/forums/general-chat/9730-word-press-direct-multiple-ads.html

Thanks in advance.

:)

[IMStrong]

When you go to write the post you need to have three things ready.
1. Affiliate link url
2. Image url(Can easily be found at your affiliate link)
3. Copy for the post.(Best if pasted into Notepad first)

Paste the affiliate link into your browser. This serves two purposes. First it tests the link, secondly it takes you to the source for your image. Find the image you want to use, right click it and save the image location. This will be your Image url.

Back at the WPD write post page. paste in your copy. Place the cursor where you want the image to appear.
Click the Insert Image icon on the toolbar(Looks like:http://screencast.com/t/lLHf2Em5G1)
That opens the insert image window.
Paste your image url here. (Looks like: http://screencast.com/t/go7iGiKNnb7)
Add a tag, click insert. Don't worry about the
Alignment
Dimensions
Border
Vertical space
Horizontal space

Now that your image is in you can add the hyper-link.
Click the picture and it will highlight.
The chain link icon will light up.(Looks like:http://screencast.com/t/quiuWN0JOOE)
Click the icon and the Insert/Edit link window opens.(Looks like:http://screencast.com/t/3MAn8NpWe7)
Paste in your Affiliate link, set target to Open in a new window, add a tag. Insert.
Repeat the same process to add links to text, just highlight the text you want to use as a link.
Categorize and save the post.

[ishabluebell]

Thank you IMStrong.

I very much appreciate the detail you have put into your reply - that helps so much!

:)

[andy]

Thank you IMStrong for the great reply. I am a visual learner and it really helps to see what people are talking about. Thanks also for all the time you put into answering these posts.

[ishabluebell]

Unfortunately a gremlin seems to have got into my works.

I'm trying to link my photos and (separate) text to my Amazon affiliate products.

Every time I do it, following IMStrong's directions to the letter I believe, all seems to be ok at first, then when I go back into the post again to make some edit, I find that the links have broken and I have to start again. I'm also getting "Name Your Link" suddenly appearing next to one of the pictures and one of the text links - but I've already previously named them! The "Name Link" bit also sometimes appears on the webpage.

The links that I'm using are definitely the correct ones, as I get the pages fine when I paste them into my browser.

I've tried doing it several times, and similar things happen every time.

Here is what it now looks like in my WPD editor:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/3038764698_91550c41d9.jpg

As you can see, the links have disappeared from the text (and, as it happens, from the photos), and I have these wretched "Name Your Link" items.

Neither the pictures nor text on the webpage are now clickable.

I'd be happy trying to do it in the WP html editor instead, except that I don't know how to connect the links with the pictures and text if I do it that way, and the html for that part of the webpage is now extremely long and rather hard to follow.

Can anyone see where I'm going wrong and how to fix it?

:confused:

PS At this moment in time it turns out that on my webpage the photo and text on the left (the Amazon.co.uk links) are still clickable (and the "Name Your Link" isn't showing on the webpage itself), but the photo and text on the right (Amazon.com) are not clickable. But some of the times that I've tried to put the whole thing right I've also lost the clickability for the Amazon.co.uk photo and text...

:eek:

[ishabluebell]

Ok, I went and had a closer look at what was happening - deleted the lot and started again.

The problem is that Amazon gives the affiliate link as html code - I was stripping out the <a href=" from the beginning and ;" /> from the end of the html code thinking that I then had just a url. But in fact I had other html code in there, for the Amazon book's image amongst other things.

I don't know anything about how html code works, and I don't know how to correctly translate the html code into the links I need in order to follow IMStrong's instructions.

So can someone please tell me either:

1. How to put the html code into my page so that the images and text look similar to my screenshot above (without the "Name Your Link" bits)

OR

2. How I take what I need from the html code in order to follow IMStrong's instructions?

Thanks in advance.

[IMStrong]

You could try pasting the whole code into the HTML editor, which link is upper/right(Looks like: http://screencast.com/t/5u60UMqX)
Once opened, the HTML editor looks like: (http://screencast.com/t/yhxgmNcxB)
Place the code in and update.

[ishabluebell]

Thanks IMStrong!

How on earth did I miss that?!

I like the way it opens in a separate window so that I can compare it with the non-html window & see exactly where I have to cut and replace with my Amazon affiliate html.

Fingers crossed that that will work.

You're very patient - thank you.

:)

[IMStrong]

I love the part about teaching and learning the best.
I learn more every day.
By the way, see the way you can place HTML in the HTML Editor?
Here's a cool trick I use to generate HTML, since I am a newbie.
I create the ad inside the Sales Offer. Place my images, text, links and all the formatting. Then, when I am finished, I open the HTML Editor and copy the code from there.
I can then place that code in a Text Widget from inside wp-admin and create an instant side bar ad.
Don't forget to paste your original Sales Offer code in a Notepad so you can put it back.