Honest answer: for most people building a content site, expect months, not days — often three to six months of consistent publishing before the first real commission lands. Anyone promising faster is selling you something. The flip side: the work compounds. Content you publish this month keeps working for years, which is why the people who push through the quiet early stretch end up with income that runs without them.

You can start learning free, and free starter platforms exist to test the waters. But realistically, treat this like a business with a small startup cost: a domain, hosting, and training will run you less than a night out per month. The bigger investment is time — expect to trade hours for the first year while the asset builds. Free-only paths exist, but they're slower and rented ground.

No — you need to be genuinely interested and honestly ahead of your reader. Some of the best affiliate content comes from documenting your own learning curve: what you tried, what worked, what you'd skip. Audiences trust the person one step ahead sharing real experience more than the distant expert reciting theory. Pick something you won't get bored of, because you'll be writing about it for years.

People asked that in 2012 when I started, and the answer's the same: no — but the easy modes are gone. Thin sites spamming keywords are dead. What works now is what should have always worked: real experience, real recommendations, and an audience that trusts you. The bar is higher, which is actually good news — most of your competition won't clear it.