What are the best affiliate programs for bloggers?
There are many affiliate marketing programs that bloggers can join to monetize their blogs. Below are some of the best affiliate programs for bloggers:
1. Amazon Associates.
One of the famous and world’s largest affiliate networks with over 900,000 members.
Amazon Associates hosts millions of brands and offers a wide variety of products to promote, making it a popular choice amongst bloggers (no matter your niche). You can earn up to 10% commission on qualifying purchases.
One of the beauties of monetizing your blog with Amazon Associates as a blogger is, you’ll earn commission for every single product purchased through your affiliate links whether it’s the product you promoted or not.
For example: If your blog visitor clicks through your affiliate link and makes a purchase of another product (instead of the product you promoted) you will still earn a commission for that product. As long as the user has clicked through your affiliate link and made a purchase, you will earn every single commission attached to the product purchased through your links whether you promoted them or not.
Amazon has a beautiful algorithm of recommending related products to shoppers, which is an added benefit to Amazon Associates users, because when a user clicks through your links to make a purchase, Amazon recommends varieties of related products which could lead the user to purchase many more products which will yield more commission to you as an affiliate blogger, making Amazon Associates one of the best affiliate programs for bloggers to plunge into.
The only downside of Amazon Associates is poor affiliate commission. They have a product commission list ranging from 1% to 20% depending on product categories. Click here to see the Amazon Associates commission chart.
As a longtime Amazon Associates member, I have made over 700 – 3k monthly using my masterpieces techniques and approaches based on my personal experience. Want to know about that? Click here to contact me for my Master-Class Amazon Associates course for ($10 only). Click here to sign-up for Amazon associates. Buy my Master Guide Book On Amazon Affiliate Marketing For Newbies.
Amazon Associates Payment Methods.
Amazon Associates pay approximately 60 days after the end of the month. Example: Payment for January is made in late March. Payment method includes:
- Direct deposit.
- Amazon gift cards.
- Gift certificate.
- Through checks.
- Through Payoneer.
Pros
- Easy signup process & easy to use.
- One of the largest affiliate networks.
- Offers a wide variety of products.
- Pays you commission for every product purchased through your affiliate link (including the ones you didn’t promote).
- Has good customer care service.
Cons
Low affiliate commission.
2. ShareASale.
If you’re an old timer affiliate blogger, definitely you will be familiar with ShareASale affiliate network.
ShareASale is a large affiliate network with over 3,900 merchants in various niches. Bloggers can earn commissions by promoting products from the network’s merchants.
ShareASale was acquired by Awin (Affiliate Window) in 2017 for US$35 million, but the site still exists as a separate brand, for now.
ShareASale affiliate program has an easy sign-up process (not complicated) and also easy to use and navigate.
They’ve got a wide range of affiliate brand products on their platform that offer a mouthwatering commission per sale which will leave more money in your pocket as an affiliate blogger. Click here to sign up for the ShareASale affiliate program.
ShareASale Payment Methods.
ShareASale pays on the 20th of every month at a default minimum of $50. Payment method includes:
- Check sent by mail or by FedEx,
- Direct deposit.
- Wire transfer.
- Through Payoneer.
Pros
- Easy to sign up.
- Has a large affiliate brand products.
- Easy to use with ease of functionality.
- Offers mouthwatering commission rate.
Cons
- Customer service isn’t that great.
3. Commission Junction.
Commission Junction is another popular affiliate network with over 2,500 merchants. This is one of the oldest affiliate marketing programs, it has existed since 1998.
Just like the aforementioned affiliate networks, it also offers a wide range of products to promote and guess what? It provides real-time tracking and reporting.
No matter your niche, Commission Junction got you covered with its numerous affiliate offers to make the most as an affiliate blogger. And when it comes to commission offers, Commission Junction has one of the best.
Not to mention their easy-to-use and robust dashboard features. Click here to sign-up for the Commission Junction affiliate program.
Commission Junction Payment Methods.
Commission Junction pays publishers within 20 days of the end of the month as long as you have a minimum payment threshold of US$50 (Direct Deposit) or US$100 (Check). Payment method includes:
- Check
- Through Payoneer (for non-US folks)
Pros
- Has good commission offers.
- Provides real-time tracking and reporting.
- Has variants of affiliate brand products.
- Platform is easy to use and has robust dashboard features.
- Has good customer service.
Cons
- Acceptance Into Some Affiliate Program Could Be Difficult: You must submit a separate application to each advertiser’s program after joining Commission Junction. And sometimes it takes a long time to get accepted.
4. Skimlinks.
Similar to ShareASale and CJ affiliate, skimlinks (a Taboola company) houses 48,500 (and counting) of commission-based affiliate brands that relate to numerous niches for product promotion.
The good thing about skimlinks is, you don’t have to individually apply for brand affiliate programs when you join Skimlinks.
Once Skimlinks accepts you into their affiliate network, automatically you’ll gain access to 48,500+ commission-based brands, and you can choose to promote any brand’s product of your choice and earn commission attached to the product when purchased by visitors.
Skimlinks has sophisticated dashboard features that enable you track and monitor sales. You can navigate around your dashboard to track sales date, link, merchant, device and the country the sales were made from. Click here to sign-up for Skimlinks.
Skimlinks Payment Methods.
Publishers receive payment once Skimlinks has been paid by the merchant. This is normally three months following the sale being made. For example, if you generate a sale in October, you should receive payment in January. Payment method includes:
- Direct deposit (to publishers with US, EU or UK, bank accounts)
- Through PayPal (to publishers located outside the US, EU or UK).
Pros
- Has sophisticated dashboard features to enable prompt sales tracking.
- Houses thousands of affiliate brands to choose from (about 48,500+).
- Once you’re accepted into skimlinks affiliate networks, automatically you gain access to thousands of affiliate programs.
- Has a good customer care service (although, you may experience delayed response sometimes).
Cons
- Delay In Payment: Skimlinks pays you after they have been paid their own commission from the brands. This process sometimes instigates delay in payment. So you have to have the heart to be patient.
- Acceptance into the affiliate program isn’t always easy.
5. Rakuten Marketing.
Before Rakuten, there was a platform called LinkShare which has existed since 1996 during the very earliest days of affiliate marketing.
In 2005, Rakuten acquired LinkShare and rebranded it to Rakuten Marketing which you hear of today.
Rakuten Marketing is a global affiliate network with over 1,000 merchants. Its robust merchants put it on the list of the best affiliate marketing programs for bloggers to join. Bloggers can promote products from these merchants and earn commissions on sales.
This affiliate program doesn’t have a complex sign-up process and has no hassle while using it, making it an easy-to-use platform. Click here to sign-up for Rakuten Marketing affiliate program.
Rakuten Payment Methods.
Rakuten pays on every three months. Which means revenue earned in January will hit your account in late March. Payment method includes:
- PayPal.
- Big fat check.
Pros
- Has good commission offers.
- Easy signup process and easy to use.
- Has numerous affiliate brand products.
Cons
- Pays every three months.
6. ClickBank.
Founded in 1998. ClickBank is a popular affiliate network that specializes in digital products such as ebooks and online courses. And also physical products too.
You can make money with ClickBank as a physical or digital product vendor or affiliate marketer without working your ass off. Bloggers can earn commissions by promoting these products to their audience.
Talking about affiliate brands under clickbank?, I put it to you that clickbank has the numbers. Speaking of numbers, Clickbank has over 200 million customers spread across 190 countries, 87th largest Internet retailer in North America, 276 categories and 21,562 product listings, 6 million entrepreneurs on the platform and over 200 million dollars in annual sales.
Isn’t that fantastic?
Clickbank can pave the way for you to make a killing affiliate commission in revenue. All you have to do is sign-up for their affiliate program, and get accepted, then you start promoting products related to your niche. Click here to sign-up for Clickbank affiliate program.
Clickbank Payment Methods.
Clickbank pays on a weekly and biweekly (two weeks) basis depending on your chosen option. Payment method includes:
- Check.
- Direct deposit.
- Wire transfer.
- Through Payoneer.
Pros
- Easy sign-up process and easy to use.
- Robust dashboard features.
- Has numerous affiliate brand products.
- Jaw-dropping commission rate (upto 70% to 100%).
Cons
- Customer Service Is Too Slow: According to some users’ claims, ClickBank may require up to 7 days to respond to customer emails.
- Charges On Dormant ClickBank Accounts: You are charged $1 per day after 90 days of no earnings, $5 per day after 180 days of inactivity, and a hefty $50 per day after 360 days of no sales.
In Conclusion.
Here comes a wrap-up of the best affiliate programs for bloggers.
There are hundreds of affiliate programs out there, but I’ve done the homework for you by selecting the best of them all.
Each of the aforementioned affiliate programs contains thousands of commission-based-merchants which are related to almost every niche in blogging.
All you have to do is make a choice, apply or sign-up as a publisher, wait for approval and when approved, congratulations to you, you can start promoting your affiliate links on your blog.
Remember to always disclose any affiliate links to your readers, – it’s a sign of honesty.
