Getting Started With Affiliate Marketing
You can get paid to create content about products you use
I accidentally stumbled into affiliate marketing a few years ago.
In 2014, I was in the middle of setting up my first content website.
I wanted to change the look and feel of the site using CSS and Adobe Photoshop, but I didn’t know how to use either. So, I took a series of courses on Lynda (now LinkedIn Learning).
I wrote up my impressions about the course in a review and published it. I didn’t think anything more of it until a month or two later.
My review attracted lots of web traffic. Lter a Lynda rep invited me into their affiliate partner program. I added affiliate links and a disclaimer to my review.
The following month, I earned over $500 from the program. I used the money to buy a new set of tires for my car.
Like many affiliate marketers, I use content marketing and social media to promote products and services. Then, when a reader makes a purchase, I earn a commission on a sale.
Many content creators who want to earn high commissions on the products and services they promote. Some might even provide recurring commissions.
The Golden Rule for Affiliate Marketers
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn from creating content. But, before you try affiliate marketing or invest hours writing reviews and guides remember these two promotion rules:
1. Promote products and services only if you use or trust it
2. Promote a product or service only if it adds value to your audience
1. Amazon Associates (and Influencer Program)
Amazon Associates is one of the most popular affiliate marketing programs for content creators. The Amazon Associates program pays a commission on everything in the consumer’s shopping cart, not just the product to which you referred them. The percent commission varies depending on the product the consumer purchases. You just need to drive traffic with an Amazon link.
I’ve creating content for the Amazon Influencer program lately. It’s a nice way to get paid for reviewing products I already own. You need an active video channel (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram) etc. to apply. Then, start creating short videos for Amazon of you using or reviewing the product in question.
Advantages: Amazon’s affiliate program offers notably high conversion rates compared to other platforms, largely due to consumers’ trust and familiarity with the platform.
Amazon recently introduced a dedicated Influencer program that provides new opportunities for content creators to earn from their recommendations.
Disadvantages: The program’s commission rates are relatively low compared to other affiliate networks, and Amazon has a history of reducing these rates without much notice. They don’t accept everyone either (arguably an advantage!)
Content creators must also navigate strict guidelines regarding their promotional content, including restrictions on mentioning specific pricing information in their materials.
Payout Information
Amazon Associates doesn’t support Paypal. Instead, it offers direct deposit and also cheque or Amazon vouchers!
Most of the products used in the Amazon Associates program pay a commission between 2 percent and 4 percent. However, some of them do carry a commission as high as 10 percent. That said, Amazon Associates has a history of cutting commission rates.
2. ClickBank
ClickBank is an affiliate marketplace that’s been around for more than two decades and has over six million users.
It offers some of the highest commission rates for new affiliates and influencers, and the program is relatively easy to join. It contains lots of great promotion opportunities for content creators and bloggers.
ClickBank is a global retailer. You can access a wide variety of products. Using the affiliate marketplace, you can increase your sales with a myriad of advertising tools.
You can source products that convert, making it relatively easy for you to try affiliate marketing. I haven’t used Clickbank much as an affiliate marketer, but many content creators use it to source affiliates for their digital products.
Advantages: ClickBank provides extensive support for affiliates through ready-made advertising materials and promotional content. The platform is welcoming to beginners, with a straightforward onboarding Affiliates can promote products immediately without waiting for merchant approval.
Disadvantages: The platform’s accessibility is a double-edged sword, resulting in significant competition for popular products. The analytics tools available to affiliates feel outdated compared to modern standards, and some products and their associated advertisements can appear unprofessional or spam-like.
Payout Information
Products sold through Clickbank have high commissions, with some as high as 75 percent.
3. ShareASale
ShareASale has been around since 2000 and more recently was acquired Affiliate Window. ShareASale contains over 15,000 advertisers and is a good choice for beginners.
It provides a variety of tools you can use to search by brand, sector, or keyword to find publishers that are the right fit for you. In short, it’s ideal for content creators looking for monetistation ideas after [building a niche site].
You can use widgets and text links to promote a wide variety of products and services. There are more than that 1600 brands available across 77 separate sectors. You can also keep up-to-date on new product launches and creative for your content.
I joined Shareasale several years ago, and it’s a reliable, trustworthy network. I particularly like the Powerank dashboard. It enables affiliates to browse top converting products and services and get ideas for a niche site.
Advantages: The platform offers comprehensive real-time reporting capabilities that track essential metrics like clicks and sales. Their browser extension and plugins streamline the process of creating affiliate links.
ShareASale has a vast database of trusted advertisers, enabling global reach, and provides reliable customer support through both live chat and phone channels. Check out its rankings of top products for ideas about what to promote.
Disadvantages: New users often find the platform overwhelming due to its extensive features and options. Popular, high-converting products face intense competition from established affiliates. The user interface feels dated and can be challenging to navigate.
Payout Information
The commission varies depending on the product or service you promote, but affiliates are paid twice per month. There is a relatively low threshold to get paid.
4. CJ Affiliate by Conversant (formerly Commission Junction)
Formerly known as Commission Junction, CJ provides affiliate marketers access to more than 3,000 merchants ranging from VPN products to Home Depot.
Affiliates need to navigate an approval process by merchants. They expect a professional-looking website or brand. So before applying, create high-quality, relevant content that’s already ranking in search engine results.
Once accepted, content creators gain access to numerous products from established brands. Like with Shareasale the trending products and services are popular, so new affiliates should expect competition.
Advantages: The platform offers a quick and free signup process, coupled with access to diverse advertising materials, including mobile-optimized ads.
Their reporting features include a click report to help monitor link activity. The ability to manage multiple affiliate websites through a single publisher account streamlines operations for content creators.
Disadvantages: The commission rates typically fall below what merchants offer through their in-house programs.
The process of applying to individual affiliate programs within the network can be time-consuming and often requires follow-up. I’d to manage more than one application managed manually, which can become overwhelming for newbees
Payout Information
The commission varies depending on the product or service you sell. You are paid once per month, and you must have a minimum of $50 in your account to get paid. You are either paid for direct deposit or check.
5. Rakuten Advertising (formerly LinkShare)
The Rakuten Advertising network has been around since 1996. It provides access to over 1,000 merchants. Some of these merchants are popular brands, so you may want to look at what they offer. As a content creator, it is free for you to join, reducing the barrier to entry.
Rakuten is known for its intuitive user interface, making it easy for you to get started. You can also create a rotating ad banner, using only a single snippet of code that makes it easier for you to manage your website.
You can also take advantage of some neat deep-linking tools. This allows you to direct potential customers to a specific product with ease. Through the sister program Pop shops, you can also use a wide variety of plugins.
Advantages: The platform features an intuitive user interface. Their deep-linking capabilities are good. It also provides real-time reporting features. The platform also offers a help center equipped with training tools, online courses, and detailed tutorials.
Disadvantages: Payment scheduling can be inconsistent and less reliable compared to other networks. The merchant network, while quality-focused, is smaller than competing platforms.
Their reporting features lack the depth and insight found in other programs, and their payout terms are less competitive. Content creators often need to submit multiple applications before gaining approval.
Payout Information
You are paid once per month, but the date rotates. You need to stay updated through Rakuten LinkShare to know when your next payout is coming.
6. Impact
Impact (formerly Impact Radius) is another established, dominant network for affiliate marketers. Like CJ and Shareasale, you can browse and apply to over a thousand high-converting programs inside of this platform.
I’ve also found many product owners and SAAS software companies send new affiliates directly to Impact after applying.
Advantages: The platform provides detailed and insightful reporting tools that help affiliates optimize their performance.
They offer an impressive selection of high-quality products and services to promote, and their support team is known for being responsive and helpful to affiliate needs.
Disadvantages: The platform is less user-friendly compared to other affiliate networks, and better terms might be available by negotiating directly with product providers. The platform is not suitable for beginners as it requires an established content website (or brand) with traffic, rankings and or a following.
Payout Information
Payout is to your bank account or via PayPal once you reach a certain threshold.
7. Skimlinks
If you’re building a content website and don’t have time or the inclination to manage relationships with multiple affiliates, consider [Skimlinks]. This network provides access to affiliate programs from over 24,000 companies.
Content publishers apply directly to Skimlinks and verify their WordPress website or digital property by installing some code.
Once accepted, Skimlinks prompts users to add an affiliate script to their site. This script automatically generates affiliate links across your content. Skimlinks then pays out on behalf of other affiliates each month. If you like, you can turn off this autogeneration feature and add affiliate links manually. It’s a relatively user-friendly process once your site is verified.
Advantages: The platform excels in simplifying the affiliate link creation process with its automated tools. Their automatic link generation feature can save significant time for content creators by converting regular product mentions into affiliate links across their entire site.
Disadvantages: The platform requires an established content website for acceptance, making it inaccessible to new creators. The commission rates are typically lower than what’s available through direct affiliate relationships. I found that the additional scripts required for automatic link generation can impact website loading speeds.
Payout Information
Payout is to your bank account every 30 days.
8. Sovrn Commerce (formerly Vigilinks)
This affiliate network works similarly to Skimlinks by offering affiliate marketing tools for content publishers.
Again, apply direct, add some code and then install a script. Cover Commerce then inserts affiliate links automatically across your WordPress website. You can also browse trending products on its dashboard and identify what converts.
Interestingly, many companies with affiliate programs on Shareasale, CJ and Impact, are also on Sovern Commerce and Skimlinks.
Both Sovern and Skimlinks are good options if you’re running more than one website with traffic and want to monetise quickly and easily.
Advantages: The platform offers streamlined product link creation tools and automated affiliate link insertion across websites. Their dashboard provides valuable insights into trending products and conversion rates, making it easier to identify profitable opportunities.
Disadvantages: Like Skimlinks, they require an established content website for participation, limiting access for new creators. Payout terms are less favorable than direct affiliate relationships, and the required scripts can slow down website performance.
9. Inhouse Affiliate Programs
If you use a product or software by a well-known brand, chances are they have an affiliate program. Google the brand name and “affiliate program” or “partner program” to find out. For example, hosting providers like Bluehost have affiliate programs that content publishers can apply directly to.
Usually, a company’s programs pays out at a higher rate versus via an affiliate, although expect competition if it’s well-known.
Similarly, if you recently purchased and enjoyed an online course, chances are the course creator offers an affiliate program for a referral. Ask them, apply, and then create content about what you learn from the course. Again, the payout terms for affiliates promoting courses are much higher than traditional programs.
Advantages: These programs typically offer generous commission rates and special rewards for top-performing affiliates. Direct relationships with brands can lead to exclusive promotional opportunities and better support for content creators.
Disadvantages: Managing individual affiliate relationships requires significantly more effort in sourcing programs and creating targeted content. Don’t blindly accept or apply for every program!
I find it’s sometimes challenging to assess the conversion potential of individual programs before creating content. Inhouse programs often favor creators with established email lists and large audiences.
Payout Information
Payout terms vary by company, but it’s usually every 60 days and over Paypal. Or you need to hit a threshold.