🔗 Niche content site with affiliate income
A useful website or YouTube channel on one topic, earning commission when readers buy recommended products.
Modelled monthly, once steady
€0 – €600
Capital
from €50 (typical €300)
Your time
150h to set up, ~20h a month
Time to income
first ~6 mo · steady ~18 mo
The assumptions behind that range
- 5,000–20,000 visitors a month after 12–18 months (many sites never get there).
- 1–3% click an affiliate link; 3–8% of those buy; average commission €2–€10.
- Low end is zero: plenty of sites earn nothing.
A model, not a promise. Your result can be lower, including zero.
First three steps
- Pick a topic you can write 50 genuinely useful pages about
- Check affiliate programmes exist for it
- Publish two pages a week for six months before judging it
Before you start
- Disclose affiliate links clearly (CCPC and platform rules).
- GDPR-compliant cookies if you use tracking.
Risks
- Search-engine changes can cut traffic overnight.
- Takes a year or more before meaningful income.
Irish tax
Declaring side income as a PAYE worker (2026). Side income is taxable from the first euro. If your net non-PAYE income is under €5,000 (and gross under €30,000) you can declare it on Form 12 through myAccount. At €5,000 net or more you are a “chargeable person” and must register for self-assessment and file Form 11 by 31 October. Source · reviewed 2026-09-25
VAT registration thresholds (2026). You must register for VAT once turnover exceeds, or is likely to exceed, €42,500 a year for services or €85,000 for goods. Source · reviewed 2026-09-25