I am often asked about how I go about finding new marketing to test as an affiliate.  Most people are very surprised that I don't list keyword research as my primary research method. 

Keyword research is important but you will be leaving a lot of money on the table due to the nature of the data.  You see, keyword research can only give you what phrases were hot in the past and I want more current data that could get me ahead of the next wave.

Given that, here are 3 sites that I use to give me what markets are hot and what products with that market sell well.

1.  EzineArticles

EzineArticles is a great way to determining what markets are hot!  When you look at any article be sure to check out the section where it says, "Most Viewed EzineArticles in the (category name) in the last 90 days".  If you notice that the top viewed articles have a few thousand views (look at the bottom of the page to see) than you may have a hot market.

2.  Amazon Best Sellers

Amazon is the de facto standard when it comes to ecommerce.  They sell everything!  Luckily for affiliate marketers, they also show the top selling products in all their categories and sub-categories. . .an absolute goldmine of information!  They also have a pretty good affiliate program too.

3.  eBay Pulse

eBay, the auction giant, also has a segment of their site dedicated to telling you what is selling well withing its categories.  Again you are getting data on what people are actually buying so that trumps keywords in my book.

Be creative when you are looking for ways to discover interesting niches and products to sell.  Too often people get bogged down with basic keyword research and forget about using all of these wonderful sites.  This isn't an all encompassing list but these 3 sites will give you more ideas than you'll know what to do with starting today.