One of the keys to being a successful online affiliate is to find your niche and partner with other reliable affiliates. You should also learn how to effectively employ affiliate marketing tools. Choose affiliate companies you can partner with that offer a wide variety of affiliate products.
Some of the types of programs that tend to have the highest affiliate payouts are those that specialize in digital products such as ebooks, web design tools, etc. Learn how to navigate and create your affiliate links so they can earn you money as soon as possible. Start looking through the different categories that interest you and start promoting those.