Congratulations on your decision to venture into the lucrative realm of affiliate marketing. Well done!
If you are new to affiliate marketing, you might be curious about the various types of affiliate marketing programs available that can help you generate substantial income.
If you are considering diversifying your income for a content site that earns money through display advertising, or if you seek opportunities to make money from your blog content, it is likely that there is an affiliate platform available that will suit your requirements, regardless of the industry or specific category you choose.
We have designed this guide to assist beginners in finding the best affiliate marketing programs. Within this guide, you will discover all the necessary details required to begin your journey in affiliate marketing.
Here Is a Quick Recap of What Affiliate Marketing Actually Is
If you are still unfamiliar with the concept of affiliate marketing, it is advisable to begin from the basics. In simple terms, affiliate marketing involves joining a company or network that offers various products or services. By promoting these offerings, you can earn a commission whenever someone makes a purchase or completes a specific action.
The desired actions may involve individuals clicking on a link in your blog to buy a product on Amazon or fulfilling an offer from any of the affiliate networks mentioned in this guide. In return, you receive a commission when the traffic you directed to the retailers’ offer successfully completes the desired action. Typically, this payment comes from the online marketing budget of the company or affiliate program.
In this article, various instances of affiliate programs will be presented. However, the crucial focus resides on affiliate networks. Although often used interchangeably, it is essential to understand that a network serves as a platform to discover specific programs.
I wrote this article to provide beginners with the best networks, and within each network, I offer various programs (and their specific fields) that you can register for.
These networks are ideal for you irrespective of your niche, making them the ultimate method for sharing affiliate programs.
Here’s Our List of the 10 Best Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners
1. Amazon Associates
If you’re new to affiliate programs, it’s likely that you’re familiar with the Amazon Associates program. This program is highly regarded and has a multitude of resources available to help beginners make money. Its popularity is evident, which is why it’s included at the top of our list. However, there are important factors to take into account when considering this program.
2. CJ – Commission Junction
Commission Junction, a massive affiliate network, collaborates with companies worldwide to market their products. Boasting over two decades of experience in the affiliate industry, it has established itself as an excellent choice for newcomers. This affiliate program is ideal for beginners due to its long-standing presence and reliable basis for starting out. With a wide range of brands and companies to partner with and promote within your specific niche, it is crucial to evaluate this network if it aligns with your business objectives.
3. Impact
When starting out in affiliate marketing, Impact is a recommended affiliate program that excels in dashboard functionality and user interface (UI). Its intuitive interface provides comprehensive performance tracking and reporting, making it an ideal choice for individuals seeking additional performance metrics to support their business decisions.
4. Awin
Awin, like Amazon and Etsy, is a regular online marketplace that currently has more than 13,000 advertisers in its affiliate network. The program encompasses products and services from four distinct categories.
- Finance and Insurance – these are your traditional loans, personal banking, property, savings and investments, credit cards, and insurance company offers.
- Retail and Shopping – this includes clothing, accessories, electronics, and so on.
- Telecommunications and Services – this category includes offers related to education, training, web hosting, services, and so on.
- Travel – everything from cruises to holidays, trains, hotels and accommodation, car rental, airlines, and general tourism.
By providing various digital products and services across diverse niches, the Awin affiliate program enables affiliates to select categories for promotion purposes. Serving as a marketplace, this platform serves as an excellent tool for content creators, site owners, influencers, and technology-based partners seeking to build profitable relationships by advertising their products.
5. ShareASale
ShareASale, which collaborates with the Awin network, is mentioned as another popular option on this list. It offers cutting-edge technology to assist both affiliates and merchants in finding opportunities to collaborate on lucrative marketing campaigns. This network provides client services that encompass tools for building and expanding your own affiliate business, as well as an extensive range of brands and products to select from.
6. TUNE
My personal preference for affiliate software is TUNE because of its exceptional reporting dashboard and user-friendly interface. Unlike the other options mentioned, TUNE operates differently. Instead of providing a browse feature for affiliate partners, it requires users to find someone already using the platform in order to access TUNE. In this case, I suggest applying to become a TUNE media partner rather than recommending specific partners. After signing up, TUNE will seamlessly connect you with the most suitable affiliate partners according to your niche.
7. Ace Hardware
Indeed, it is correct! A prominent player in the tools and home improvement industry in the United States has developed its own affiliate program, which serves as a fantastic choice for individuals aiming to promote content in this particular market segment. This exceptional affiliate program offers an extensive selection of products to select from and grants you the advantage of instantly gaining trust from visitors due to the strong reputation of the brand, which is widely recognized in this industry.
8. Refersion Marketplace
With renowned partners like Amazon, Shopify, and BigCommerce, Refersion stands out as one of the most thriving affiliate software in existence. Its user-friendly dashboard is highly intuitive, making it an excellent choice for newcomers. In order to discover potential affiliates for collaboration, one can conveniently register on the Refersion Marketplace, which offers a remarkable user interface for filtering and connecting with brands.
9. FlexOffers
The affiliate network called FlexOffers boasts an impressive 12,000 affiliate programs and more than 500 advertisers. Its affiliate program categories span a wide range of industries, including automotive, business, education, entertainment, legal services, sports, travel, and many more. The newly introduced publisher platform has garnered numerous positive reviews, solidifying the affiliate program’s position as one of the largest in the industry.
10. Rakuten
Rakuten Advertising, established in 1997, is one of the oldest affiliate networks available. Similar to CJ, it displays outdated interfaces, yet boasts a vast array of brands. Despite offering intriguing affiliate programs, Rakuten remains my least preferred network primarily due to its inadequate interface.
Final thoughts
If you want to align your business objectives and target market, it is important to comprehend the distinctions between various programs and learn how to obtain approval for affiliate programs. Numerous affiliate site owners fail to consider expanding their affiliate income beyond their current network.
Diversifying your affiliate offers is crucial to ensure the survival of your business in case any of your other affiliate income sources suffer. By generating substantial traffic and revenue through various affiliate offers, you enhance the value of your business for potential buyers, allowing you to command a higher sales price.
