Imported from affitor/affiliate-skills (skills/blog/affiliate-blog-builder/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add affitor/affiliate-skills --skill affiliate-blog-builder. Copyright stays with the author (MIT).

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

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:

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, screenshots, and results
- Images: Take product screenshots and add them at suggested locations
- Links: Replace affiliate URLs with your own tracking links
- Publish: See references/wordpress-deploy.md for WordPress setup guide
- Promote: Run viral-post-writer to create social posts promoting this article
---

Step 5: Self-Validation

Before presenting output, verify:

• Word count meets format target (review: 2-3.5K, comparison: 2.5-3.5K, listicle: 3-5K, how-to: 2-3K)
• FTC disclosure near top of article, medium format
• 2-4 CTAs placed at: after pricing, feature demo, verdict, optional callout box
• Meta description is 150-160 characters
• Target keyword appears naturally in first 100 words
• No placeholder text, no AI-generated disclaimers

If any check fails, fix the output before delivering. Do not flag the checklist to the user — just ensure the output passes.

Output Schema

output_schema_version: "1.0.0"  # Semver — bump major on breaking changes
article:
  title: string             # SEO-optimized title
  slug: string              # URL-friendly slug
  meta_description: string  # 150-160 character meta description
  target_keyword: string    # Primary keyword targeted
  format: string            # review | comparison | listicle | how-to
  content: string           # Full markdown article
  word_count: number        # Actual word count
  headings:                 # Article structure
    - level: number         # 2 for H2, 3 for H3
      text: string          # Heading text

seo:
  secondary_keywords: string[]    # 3-5 secondary keywords used
  faq_questions:                  # For FAQ schema markup
    - question: string
      answer: string
  image_suggestions:              # Recommended images
    - description: string         # What to screenshot/create
      alt_text: string            # SEO alt text
      placement: string           # After which section

products_featured:                # All products mentioned
  - name: string
    url: string                   # Affiliate URL
    role: string                  # "primary" | "compared" | "mentioned"
    reward_value: string          # Commission info
    pricing: string | null        # Starting price (e.g., "$49/mo") — for S4 landing page chaining

Output Format

Present the output as a single markdown document with three clearly separated sections:

1. SEO Metadata — fenced block with all SEO settings for easy copy into WordPress/Yoast
2. Article — the full blog post in markdown, ready to paste
3. Supplementary — FAQ for schema markup, image suggestions, products list, and next steps

The article should be immediately publishable — not a draft or outline. The user should be able to copy-paste it into their blog editor, add their own screenshots and personal touches, and publish.

Error Handling

• No product provided: "I need a product to write about. Run /affiliate-program-search first to find one, or tell me the product name and I'll research it."
• Comparison with only 1 product: Auto-search for 2-3 competitors using web_search. Search: "best alternatives to [product]" on G2/Capterra.
• No compare_with for listicle: Auto-search for 4-6 products in the category. Inform user: "I found these products to include — let me know if you want to swap any."
• Unknown blog platform: Default to markdown output. Add note: "This is universal markdown — works with WordPress, Ghost, Hugo, Astro, and most platforms."
• Product has no public info: Use web_search to research the product. If still insufficient: "I couldn't find enough information about [product] to write a credible article. Can you provide more details about features, pricing, and your experience?"
• Controversial or questionable product: Include balanced pros/cons. Add note: "This product has mixed reviews — make sure you've personally verified these claims before publishing."

Examples

Example 1: Product Review (chained from S1)

User: "Now write a detailed review of HeyGen for my blog" Context: S1 previously returned HeyGen as recommended_program Action: Auto-detect format=review, pick up HeyGen product data from S1 output, generate full review article targeting "heygen review" keyword.

Example 2: Comparison Article

User: "Write a comparison blog post: HeyGen vs Synthesia vs Colossyan for AI video creation" Action: Format=comparison, primary product=HeyGen (if from S1, else first mentioned), compare_with=[Synthesia, Colossyan], target keyword="heygen vs synthesia vs colossyan".

Example 3: Listicle (Default Format)

User: "Write a blog post about the best AI video tools" Action: Format=listicle (matches "best"), web_search for top AI video tools, target keyword="best ai video tools", write 3-5K word roundup with 5-7 products.

Example 4: How-To Guide

User: "Write a tutorial blog post on how to create AI-generated videos for YouTube with HeyGen" Action: Format=how-to (matches "tutorial", "how to"), target keyword="how to create ai videos for youtube", write step-by-step guide featuring HeyGen with affiliate CTAs.

Example 5: Minimal Input

User: "Blog post about Semrush" Action: No format specified → default to listicle? No — single product implies review. Use format=review, web_search Semrush for features/pricing/reviews, target keyword="semrush review", generate full article.

Format detection logic for ambiguous cases: If only one product is mentioned with no format keyword, default to review. If a category is mentioned with no specific product, default to listicle.

References

• references/seo-checklist.md — Title formulas, meta description rules, heading hierarchy, keyword density, content depth guidelines. Read in Step 2.
• references/blog-templates.md — Four article format templates (review, comparison, listicle, how-to) with exact structure. Read in Step 3.
• references/wordpress-deploy.md — WordPress publishing guide, Yoast SEO setup, Pretty Links, FAQ schema implementation. Reference in Step 4 next steps.
• shared/references/ftc-compliance.md — FTC disclosure requirements and format templates. Read in Step 3 for disclosure text.
• shared/references/affitor-branding.md — Affitor brand guidelines. Note: NO Affitor branding in article body (user's blog). Only in tool output metadata.
• shared/references/affiliate-glossary.md — Affiliate marketing terminology reference.
• shared/references/flywheel-connections.md — master flywheel connection map

Flywheel Connections

Feeds Into

• landing-page-creator (S4) — products_featured for comparison landing pages
• content-pillar-atomizer (S2) — blog article as pillar content to atomize into social
• bonus-stack-builder (S4) — products featured inform bonus design
• internal-linking-optimizer (S6) — new article needs internal links within 48 hours

Fed By

• affiliate-program-search (S1) — recommended_program product data
• keyword-cluster-architect (S3) — target keywords and cluster topics
• proprietary-data-generator (S7) — unique data for differentiated articles
• internal-linking-optimizer (S6) — link suggestions for existing articles
• content-decay-detector (S3) — refresh instructions for decaying articles

Feedback Loop

• seo-audit (S6) and performance-report (S6) track article rankings and traffic → identify which article formats and topics perform best → optimize content strategy

Quality Gate

Before delivering output, verify:

1. Would I share this on MY personal social?
2. Contains specific, surprising detail? (not generic)
3. Respects reader's intelligence?
4. Remarkable enough to share? (Purple Cow test)
5. Irresistible offer framing? (if S4 offer skills ran)

Any NO → rewrite before delivering.

chain_metadata:
  skill_slug: "affiliate-blog-builder"
  stage: "blog"
  timestamp: string
  suggested_next:
    - "content-pillar-atomizer"
    - "landing-page-creator"
    - "internal-linking-optimizer"
    - "seo-audit"