$177,566 Average Affiliate Earnings?

Published January 7, 2026 | By marcus

The State of Make Money Online in 2026: The $177k Lie & The Path Forward

The make money online world is louder than ever, but trust is at an all-time low. Every day, we are bombarded with promises of easy riches, fueled by an explosion of AI-generated content. Viral clips claim companies like Adidas will pay you $10,000 a month, and screenshots of impossible earnings flood our feeds. But what is the reality behind the hype? This post breaks down the state of the industry in 2026, separating the scams from the legitimate strategies.

The Origin of the $177,566 Lie

One of the most pervasive myths circulating is the claim that the average affiliate marketer earns $177,566 per year with no experience. This number went viral, but where did it come from?

An NBC News investigation on March 21, 2024, traced the claim back to an influencer named Chelsea Ouimet, who was promoting a high-ticket program called Legendary Marketer. The business model was simple: buy a low-cost introductory course, get upsold to a $2,500 “blueprint,” and then earn commissions by recruiting others into the same system.

This is a classic example of a business model focused more on recruiting than on the value of the product itself—a major red flag for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC Red Line: Product vs. Recruiting

The FTC has a clear definition of what separates a legitimate multi-level marketing (MLM) business from an illegal pyramid scheme:

If the money you earn is based on your sales to the public, it may be a legitimate multilevel marketing plan. If the money you earn is based on the number of people you recruit and your sales to them, it’s probably a pyramid scheme.

Many programs in the “make money online” space operate in a gray area, but the principle is clear: if the primary way to make money is by selling the opportunity to sell the opportunity, it is not a sustainable or ethical business.

Deconstructing the Most Popular Models

To navigate this landscape, we developed the START Score, a system to evaluate the viability of popular online business models. Here’s how they stack up:

Business Model	Saturation	Technical Skill	Audience	ROI	Time	START Score
Dropshipping	High	Medium	Low	Low	High	4/10
Faceless Videos	High	Low	High	Low	Medium	5/10
Print on Demand	High	Low	Medium	Low	High	5/10
Affiliate Marketing	Medium	Low	Medium	High	Medium	8/10
High-Ticket Coaching	Medium	High	High	High	High	7/10
AI Agencies	Low	High	Low	High	High	8/10
MRR / Resell Rights	Very High	Low	Low	Very Low	Low	2/10

Master Resell Rights (MRR) and similar models score the lowest because they are fundamentally about recruiting. As seen with Digital Wealth Academy (DWA), claims of massive community sales often mask the reality. If 50,000 students generate $39 million in sales, that’s just the revenue from them buying the course—it doesn’t represent individual profit. It simply created 50,000 new competitors selling the exact same thing.

The New Reality: Tools Over Theory

The core problem with most of these failed models is that they are audience-first, relying on hype and personality to sell a dream. The sustainable path forward is demand-first, focusing on real-world problems and providing tangible solutions.

In 2026, the biggest opportunity is not in selling courses on how to get rich, but in promoting the tools and software that businesses actually use. With the power of AI, you can create valuable assets that serve a real need.

What’s Working Now: The Ethical Blueprint

So, how do you build a legitimate online business in this environment? Here are three proven models that work:

1.Curated Newsletters: Information overload is the problem; curation is the solution. Become the trusted filter in a specific niche, saving people time and delivering only the most valuable content.

2.Tool Tutorials & Reviews: Don’t just say “use AI.” Show people how. Create in-depth tutorials and honest reviews for specific software, helping people solve their problems. Affiliate commissions on SaaS products provide a recurring revenue stream based on real value.

3.Niche Communities: People are seeking smaller, private groups to connect and learn. Building a paid community around a specific interest or profession can be highly profitable and impactful.

Your Next Step

The era of hype is ending. The future belongs to builders who create real value. If you are ready to move beyond the scams and learn the strategies and tools that are actually working, the path is clear.