If you're new to the Internet business world and would like to get started earning an online income without risking any of your hard earned cash, then this article will show you how to get involved for free.

We're going to discuss ways to promote affiliate programs without having your own website and without spending any of your own money!

Best of all, if you decide on a program related to your interests it won't even seem like any work is involved.

The 5 simple steps detailed in this article are aimed at promoting a product while you go about your normal daily web surfing activities.

Before we being with step 1, you need to locate and join an appropriate affiliate program.

This program ideally should be 2 tier, which means you get paid for sales made through your link as well as for the sales made by affiliates that you refer through your link.

To find an affiliate program search at Google for "affiliate directory" then visit the directories and search the directory for a keyword related to your interests.

After you have selected and joined a program, you'll receive a link to promote. You may also receive a second link to promote the affiliate program itself which can be used to recruit second tier affiliates.

After you have received a link, take the following steps to incorporate it into your online activities:

1. Add a signature to all of your emails. This will mean that every mail you send will have a tag line at the bottom which, in this case, will promote the service that you are affiliated with. You can refer to the help files in your email program for instructions on how to do this.

2. If you already visit forums related to the product add a signature to your profile. This means that every time you post your link will be added to the end of your post.

Locate more forums where people interested in the product might hang out. Do a Google search for the desired keyword followed by "forum".

Try and think of all the different related subjects that might have forums and identify as many as possible.

Visit all of the forums that you find and join the ones that allow posters to add a signature file to their posts. Then get involved in conversations be useful whenever possible and every time you post an item your affiliate link will be displayed. This will be a lot less like work if you are promoting in a niche that is of interest to you.

3. If you have an eBay account then create an About Me page and include details of the affiliate program there. Click help once logged in to eBay and search for About Me to find instructions on creating your page.

Whenever you create an auction listing include a line at the top of the description that invites viewers to visit your About Me page.

4. Locate websites that have visitors who might be interested in the product that you're promoting, especially those that maintain a mailing list or an ezine. Then contact the owner of the site and suggest that they join the affiliate program. If they join using your link you will earn a percentage of any commissions that they earn.

5. Repeat, repeat, and repeat again! As with so many things in business, success comes down to numbers. The more site owners you contact and the more forums that you post at the more commission you will earn and you'll enjoy a high online income.

Do all of the above and you will earn a good online income with absolutely no investment. It might take time and start slowly, but it will happen!