Choosing the wrong affiliate program could potentially set you back months, whereas the right one could see you generating your first affiliate buckaroos before your site is even “finished”.
So – because this is a question we get asked a lot – we’re going to dedicate our time together in this blog post looking at the best affiliate programs for beginners.
And we’ll try to give you a far more balanced view of why signing up for affiliate networks sometimes makes more sense than an in-house affiliate program, and vice versa.
How do affiliates make money?
The affiliate gets a unique link (an "affiliate link") from which clicks can be tracked — typically using cookies. The cookie then tracks the user to see if they make a purchase. If they do within an allotted amount of time, then the affiliate will earn commission.
Each cookie has a "length" or "cookie life", which simply defines how long the cookie will be tracking the user's online activity.
For example, if a cookie has a 30-day life, your referral needs to make a purchase within 30-days of clicking your affiliate link in order for you to get paid — otherwise the lead will no longer be trackable.
If you’re interested in starting an affiliate program, there are different types of affiliate programs, and you'll want to pick the one best-suited for your business. Let's dive into the types of affiliate programs, next.
Types of Affiliate Programs
If you're looking to promote products or services, there are a few affiliate programs you can consider. When choosing an affiliate program, you'll want to keep in mind the avenues or platforms where your audience spends the majority of their time.
For instance, does your buyer persona typically read blog posts, scroll Facebook, or use search engines when researching new products?
Alternatively, is your buyer persona someone who's always looking for a good deal, and would appreciate a link on a coupon site? Or are they more interested in doing tons of research before purchasing, making your promotion efforts more worthwhile on a review site?
While those are questions you'll have to consider for yourself, let's take a look at some general types of affiliate programs so you can begin brainstorming potential avenues for your own marketing efforts:
Search Affiliates
With this program, marketers pay their own money to promote affiliate offers on search results or other online advertising platforms like Facebook Advertising. This is a great option for marketers with an SEO background and want to A/B test to see which ads result in the most referrals — and ROI.
Influencer Programs
If you’re a blogger or social media influencer who engages with a specific audience, consider partnering with a company whose products would appeal to them.
For instance, if you are a food blogger or YouTube influencer who creates recipe content, consider partnering with a company that sells kitchen appliances by featuring their product in your content in exchange for commission for every product sold via your affiliate link.
Ideally, this would result in additional revenue if your audience likes the products you’re promoting.
Review Sites
Blind buying products online can be daunting for consumers, which is why they often turn to review sites during the buyer’s journey so they can conduct research before purchasing.
Review sites partner with individual companies or affiliate networks to review products and services in exchange for an affiliate link.
Coupon Sites
Similar to review sites, coupon sites partner with companies to provide buyers with discounts on products and services in exchange for a kickback.
Email Marketing
This is best in small doses. You don't want to send out bulk emails to an audience who isn’t interested in promoted products or services. However, with proper consideration for who's receiving the email, this could be an effective method.
For instance, if you work for a marketing agency, you could partner with a company that sells design tools and include an affiliate within emails you send to design clients. This could help your clients create higher-quality content while providing an added source of revenue.
1. ClickBank
ClickBank is yet another affiliate network that falls into the “grandparent” category — they’ve been online since 1998.
And it’s a real rags-to-riches business story – one started by friends sitting around a garage, but that eventually transformed into a business with US$3 billion per year in sales.
While every other affiliate program was trying to figure out how to ship goods while still generating a profit, the guys at ClickBank turned that idea on its head by focusing instead on selling digital products.
That meant instant delivery, almost no overheads, and the ability for them to work directly with creators. And although they could never have imagined social media being a thing, their range of products can also work extremely well with those audiences.
You can find all of their products in the ClickBank Marketplace, but they do also feature some physical products these days.
The Marketplace interface is functional but looks like it hasn’t changed since 1998. It’s a minor gripe, but it’s long overdue a facelift.
If you need a little more of a helping hand to get started as a ClickBank affiliate, check out our (well Gael wrote it, so it’s a collective we) article on how to make money with ClickBank.
URL: ClickBank
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Best suited to: Marketers who prefer promoting digital products
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 60
2. Semrush: $200 per Subscription
Commission: $200 per subscription, $10 per free trial, and $0.01 per new sign up
Cookie life: 10 years
Semrush is a SaaS company that specializes in SEO and competitive analysis tools for digital marketers. Its affiliate program offers $200 per subscription, so if you refer 10 people only, you’ll be bringing in $2,000 per month. Plus, they offer a very generous 10-year cookie life.
Since Semrush’s affiliate program functions under a first cookie attribution model, if a referral were to cancel their subscription and sign up again in the future (within 10 years), you still get a commission on that second subscription.
Exclusive Semrush promotional material is available in five different languages, and applicants are automatically pre-approved, so the sign-up process is only a few minutes, enabling you to get started right away.
3. Liquid Web: $150% Per Sale
Commission: $150 per sale, or 150% of managed hosting cost
Cookie life: 90 days
Liquid Web is a web hosting and cloud management service provider. They offer a range of dedicated servers, WordPress server plans, and virtual private servers (VPS) for 45,000 customers across 150 countries.
Liquid Web affiliates earn 150% of the monthly hosting cost with a $150 minimum. Depending on the plan selected, affiliates can earn several hundred dollars per sale. For example, if you get a $400 per month Dedicated plan customer, you would earn a $600 commission, vs $150 if you referred a $29 managed wordpress site plan. There’s also a 50% bonus for prepaid plans.
Affiliates also have access to a dedicated support team, custom landing pages, and get advanced of exclusive promotions.
4. Coursera: Up to 45% Per Sale
Commission: 10-45%
Cookie life: 30 days
Coursera offers over 1,000 courses and specializations ranging anywhere from Digital Marketing to Applied Data Science and Personal Development. Each course consists of pre-recorded videos, puzzles, and assignments.
Coursera's affiliate program runs on the Linkshare network and offers a commission ranging from 10% to 45% with bonuses for strong performance. Courses and Specializations are generally priced between $29 and $99. As a Coursera affiliate, you get access to professionally-designed banners and a monthly affiliate newsletter with curated content recommendations.
5. BigCommerce: 200% per Sale
Commission: 200% or $1,500 per enterprise customer
Cookie life: 90 days
Founded in 2009, BigCommerce is an online store builder that powers thousands of e-commerce stores in over 150 countries. It serves a wide variety of industries, including
fashion, automotive, manufacturing, food, and health.
When you refer visitors to BigCommerce, you earn 200% of the customer's first monthly payment (that's up to $500 per referral!), or $1,500 per enterprise customer.
Commission: 200% or $1,500 per enterprise customer
Cookie life: 90 days
Founded in 2009, BigCommerce is an online store builder that powers thousands of e-commerce stores in over 150 countries. It serves a wide variety of industries, including
fashion, automotive, manufacturing, food, and health.
When you refer visitors to BigCommerce, you earn 200% of the customer's first monthly payment (that's up to $500 per referral!), or $1,500 per enterprise customer.
6. ShareASale
ShareASale is probably one of the most overlooked affiliate networks out there.
Part of this is because the interface looks very 2002 – it hasn’t changed since I first signed up for my account many, many moons ago.
But my friends, my friends – ShareASale has some of the best affiliate programs out there. Some pay $300 – $350 per sale. And no, those affiliate programs have nothing to do with…umm “enlargement” products, or anything like that.
In fact, they represent around 5,000 different affiliate programs, but these are focused more on smaller but profitable companies, rather than just huge brand names.
The affiliate marketing dashboard is basic but functional, and sometimes the lack of complexity is actually a good thing.
ShareASale is one network you should seriously consider signing up for.
URL: ShareASale
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 30
Best suited to: An affiliate marketer looking for emerging brands or more tangential products and services.
ShareASale is probably one of the most overlooked affiliate networks out there.
Part of this is because the interface looks very 2002 – it hasn’t changed since I first signed up for my account many, many moons ago.
But my friends, my friends – ShareASale has some of the best affiliate programs out there. Some pay $300 – $350 per sale. And no, those affiliate programs have nothing to do with…umm “enlargement” products, or anything like that.
In fact, they represent around 5,000 different affiliate programs, but these are focused more on smaller but profitable companies, rather than just huge brand names.
The affiliate marketing dashboard is basic but functional, and sometimes the lack of complexity is actually a good thing.
ShareASale is one network you should seriously consider signing up for.
URL: ShareASale
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 30
Best suited to: An affiliate marketer looking for emerging brands or more tangential products and services.
7. Shift4Shop: $5 - $25 per Signup
Commission: $5 - $25 per Signup
Cookie life: 120 days
Shift4Shop is an e-commerce platform with a high focus on SEO. It provides you with all the tools you need to build, promote, and grow your online store. Users can use Shift4Shop to start an online business, add a shopping cart to an existing site, or replace their current shopping cart platform.
Affiliates earn a commission from $5 to $25 on each referred customer and have access to a wide range of marketing tools and content, including banner images, affiliate marketing-specific newsletters, and more. Affiliates are also put in touch with a dedicated affiliate manager for guidance. Shift4Shop’s affiliate program runs on the ShareASale network.
Commission: $5 - $25 per Signup
Cookie life: 120 days
Shift4Shop is an e-commerce platform with a high focus on SEO. It provides you with all the tools you need to build, promote, and grow your online store. Users can use Shift4Shop to start an online business, add a shopping cart to an existing site, or replace their current shopping cart platform.
Affiliates earn a commission from $5 to $25 on each referred customer and have access to a wide range of marketing tools and content, including banner images, affiliate marketing-specific newsletters, and more. Affiliates are also put in touch with a dedicated affiliate manager for guidance. Shift4Shop’s affiliate program runs on the ShareASale network.
8. Flywheel: 300% per Signup
Commission: 300%, up to $500 per referral
Cookie life: 90 days
As another dedicated WordPress hosting solution, Flywheel aims to take away all the hassle that comes with web hosting so users can focus on doing what they do best — creating and designing websites.
Flywheel affiliates can earn up to $500 per referral. You get access to tons of creative assets, from banners to co-branded landing pages to stylish social images. The Flywheel team will even work with you to create custom images that can take your commissions to the next level.
It's worth noting that there is no minimum threshold limit to receive a payment.
Commission: 300%, up to $500 per referral
Cookie life: 90 days
As another dedicated WordPress hosting solution, Flywheel aims to take away all the hassle that comes with web hosting so users can focus on doing what they do best — creating and designing websites.
Flywheel affiliates can earn up to $500 per referral. You get access to tons of creative assets, from banners to co-branded landing pages to stylish social images. The Flywheel team will even work with you to create custom images that can take your commissions to the next level.
It's worth noting that there is no minimum threshold limit to receive a payment.
9. TripAdvisor: Minimum 50% per Booking
Commission: Minimum 50% per booking
Cookie life: 14 days
Crowned the "world's largest travel site", TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do, and where to eat. The site helps you compare prices from 200+ hotel booking sites so you can find the lowest price on the hotel that's right for you.
Powered by Commission Junction, TripAdvisor's affiliate program pays a 50% commission off the revenue generated from a user clicking on links and/or ads that send them to a TripAdvisor partner site. Which means, unlike most other affiliate programs in this list, you don't have to wait for your referral to make a purchase to earn your commission. As soon as someone comes from your website and clicks on one of the ads or links on the TripAdvisor website, you get paid.
On average, affiliates will earn between $0.15-$0.75 per click-out. While it may not seem like a lot, since your revenue is only dependent on clicks (and not purchase), this can add up quite nicely.
Commission: Minimum 50% per booking
Cookie life: 14 days
Crowned the "world's largest travel site", TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do, and where to eat. The site helps you compare prices from 200+ hotel booking sites so you can find the lowest price on the hotel that's right for you.
Powered by Commission Junction, TripAdvisor's affiliate program pays a 50% commission off the revenue generated from a user clicking on links and/or ads that send them to a TripAdvisor partner site. Which means, unlike most other affiliate programs in this list, you don't have to wait for your referral to make a purchase to earn your commission. As soon as someone comes from your website and clicks on one of the ads or links on the TripAdvisor website, you get paid.
On average, affiliates will earn between $0.15-$0.75 per click-out. While it may not seem like a lot, since your revenue is only dependent on clicks (and not purchase), this can add up quite nicely.
10. Volusion: 200% per Signup
Commission: 200% per Signup
Cookie life: 45 days
Volusion is an e-commerce solution that enables small businesses to create, manage, and expand their online stores. They provide customers with exports to help them every step of the way, including help with domain purchase, web design, cart integration, SEO, and security.
Affiliates get paid a 200% commission on the referred customer's first monthly payment, which can range anywhere from $29 to $299 (or even higher with their Prime custom tier). As an affiliate, you get access to marketing material to assist in your promotional efforts.
Commission: 200% per Signup
Cookie life: 45 days
Volusion is an e-commerce solution that enables small businesses to create, manage, and expand their online stores. They provide customers with exports to help them every step of the way, including help with domain purchase, web design, cart integration, SEO, and security.
Affiliates get paid a 200% commission on the referred customer's first monthly payment, which can range anywhere from $29 to $299 (or even higher with their Prime custom tier). As an affiliate, you get access to marketing material to assist in your promotional efforts.
11. CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate — formerly known as Commission Junction — is one of the oldest affiliate networks out there, one I’ve been using since about 2002.
What makes them different to Amazon is that CJ Affiliate specializes in big brand names, as well as smaller product and service suppliers.
So, at the time of writing this they represent mahoosive companies such as Zappos, Walgreens, Verizon, Under Armour, Trip Advisor, Staples, Sonos, Disney Shops, Sears, and Samsung.
And roughly 2,473 other affiliate marketing programs.
In addition to the super diverse range of brands and products, you also get all the tools successful affiliate marketers need — from excellent support to simple affiliate link creation. That’s a huge time saver.
There’s no guesswork involved, so you can map out exactly what affiliate programs you’re going to promote and roughly how much you can expect to make per sale.
URL: Commission Junction
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 30
Best suited to: Affiliate marketers with 3 – 6 months experience under their belt.
CJ Affiliate — formerly known as Commission Junction — is one of the oldest affiliate networks out there, one I’ve been using since about 2002.
What makes them different to Amazon is that CJ Affiliate specializes in big brand names, as well as smaller product and service suppliers.
So, at the time of writing this they represent mahoosive companies such as Zappos, Walgreens, Verizon, Under Armour, Trip Advisor, Staples, Sonos, Disney Shops, Sears, and Samsung.
And roughly 2,473 other affiliate marketing programs.
In addition to the super diverse range of brands and products, you also get all the tools successful affiliate marketers need — from excellent support to simple affiliate link creation. That’s a huge time saver.
There’s no guesswork involved, so you can map out exactly what affiliate programs you’re going to promote and roughly how much you can expect to make per sale.
URL: Commission Junction
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 30
Best suited to: Affiliate marketers with 3 – 6 months experience under their belt.
12. Invoice Ninja: 50% per Signup
Commission: 50% on all referrals for four years
Cookie life: N/A; instead of cookie, Invoice Ninja tracks by account creation from referral URL (for four years)
Invoice Ninja, a free open-source invoicing app for freelancers and businesses, offers a Ninja Pro Plan for just $10 a month — and, as an affiliate partner, you can make 50% on all referrals for four years. That means, if you refer 100 Pro users, you'll receive $5,000 every year for the next four years.
Additionally, any user can start free and upgrade when they decide it's worthwhile, so it's easy for your site visitors to give the tool a try. You can provide their affiliate link in your email signature, on a blog post, or in an email newsletter, and Invoice Ninja provides both logos and ads to make it easy to promote their tool. If your social media followers or website visitors are typically online entrepreneurs or freelancers, this could be a good partnership to consider.
Commission: 50% on all referrals for four years
Cookie life: N/A; instead of cookie, Invoice Ninja tracks by account creation from referral URL (for four years)
Invoice Ninja, a free open-source invoicing app for freelancers and businesses, offers a Ninja Pro Plan for just $10 a month — and, as an affiliate partner, you can make 50% on all referrals for four years. That means, if you refer 100 Pro users, you'll receive $5,000 every year for the next four years.
Additionally, any user can start free and upgrade when they decide it's worthwhile, so it's easy for your site visitors to give the tool a try. You can provide their affiliate link in your email signature, on a blog post, or in an email newsletter, and Invoice Ninja provides both logos and ads to make it easy to promote their tool. If your social media followers or website visitors are typically online entrepreneurs or freelancers, this could be a good partnership to consider.
13. Capitalist Exploits: 50% per Sale
Commission: 50%
Cookie life: 365 days
Capitalist Exploits provides trade recommendations for investors and anyone looking to outperform the market by sharing only the best low-risk/high-reward opportunities to subscribers.
If your target audience consists of investors, high net-worth individuals, people interested in investment, financial advisors, or wealth managers, then this program might be for you.
Capitalist Exploits pays a 50% commission on any referred sale with absolutely no limits. Their products range from $1,575 to $3,499. This means each referral brings you a minimum of $787.50. Affiliates also receive exclusive access to paid membership trials for your audience.
Commission: 50%
Cookie life: 365 days
Capitalist Exploits provides trade recommendations for investors and anyone looking to outperform the market by sharing only the best low-risk/high-reward opportunities to subscribers.
If your target audience consists of investors, high net-worth individuals, people interested in investment, financial advisors, or wealth managers, then this program might be for you.
Capitalist Exploits pays a 50% commission on any referred sale with absolutely no limits. Their products range from $1,575 to $3,499. This means each referral brings you a minimum of $787.50. Affiliates also receive exclusive access to paid membership trials for your audience.
If you’re a new affiliate marketer, try signing up for programs through a network like ClickBank or ShareASale. Sign-up takes minutes, and it’s free. You can generate affiliate links to promote in your content right away, and if you don’t like a program, you can simply stop promoting it.