affiliate-blog-builder

What this skill does

# Affiliate 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

```yaml
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.name`
- `recommended_program.description` → `product.description`
- `recommended_program.reward_value` → `product.reward_value`
- `recommended_program.url` → `product.url`
- `recommended_program.reward_type` → `product.reward_type`
- `recommended_program.cookie_days` → `product.cookie_days`
- `recommended_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_search` to 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_search` to 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:

1. **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]`

2. **Generate secondary keywords** (3-5):
   - Use `web_search` for: `"[target keyword]" related searches` and "People Also Ask"
   - Include: `[product] pricing`, `[product] alternatives`, `[product] pros and cons`, `is [product] worth it`

3. **Build title** using the formula from seo-checklist.md matching the format

4. **Write meta description** (150-160 chars) following the checklist format

5. **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

6. **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.md` and 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):**
1. After the pricing section
2. After a key feature demonstration
3. In the final verdict
4. 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, scree