People will reach out to you. Your content will resonate with someone who's been searching for exactly this — who's been frustrated with shallow spirituality, disconnected from organized religion, or hungry for a synthesis that doesn't require them to pick a team. When they message you, how you respond determines everything.
The number one mistake affiliates make in DMs: jumping to the link. Someone says 'this sounds interesting' and immediately gets 'here's your affiliate link.' The conversation ends there. They've been pitched, not heard — and they feel it.
When someone reaches out organically — because your content resonated — they're already warm. Your only job is to not cool them down. Ask a genuine question: 'What brought you to this? Have you been exploring this kind of material for a while?' Let them tell you their story. Then share yours. Then, when it fits naturally, mention the course.
Sequence matters. The person who asks questions first, listens genuinely, shares their own experience second, and mentions the resource third will always outperform the person who leads with the link. Not because they're more strategic — but because they're more human.
Always recommend the free course first. This isn't strategic — it's honest. The free course exists to let people form their own genuine opinion before spending money. When you recommend it, you're respecting their autonomy. That respect builds more trust than any pitch ever could, and it means that when they do invest in the paid courses, they've made a genuinely informed decision.
People who discover the paid courses after experiencing the free course convert at dramatically higher rates — because they already know the quality. The affiliate who recommends the free course first makes more sales over time, not fewer.