Top Affiliate Programs for Beginners in 2023

One of the primary obstacles you will encounter while establishing an affiliate marketing enterprise is the search for the most suitable affiliate programs for those who are new to the field.

There are numerous high paying affiliate programs available, considering the fact that there are thousands to select from.

If you choose the wrong affiliate program, it could delay your progress for months. On the other hand, with the right program, you could start earning your first affiliate profits even before completing your website.

Since we often receive this question frequently, we will dedicate this blog post to exploring the top affiliate programs suitable for beginners.

We will aim to provide a more balanced perspective on the advantages of becoming a member of affiliate networks compared to establishing an in-house affiliate program, and vice versa.

Let’s begin.

What To Look For In A Good Affiliate Marketing Program

Ease Of Use

If you are new to affiliate marketing, it is advisable to simplify things for yourself.

Signing up for affiliate programs that not only make sense but also feature excellent management and design is part of the thoughtful approach.

The last thing you want to deal with, once you consider everything, is an affiliate program with a complicated and confusing interface.

Creating affiliate links or uploading a banner can become an extremely difficult task.

I have experienced being that soldier who sheds tears while sitting at my keyboard, because the creators of a certain affiliate program have designed an interface that is incredibly complicated. The only person who could successfully navigate and figure it out would have to possess the combined intelligence of Stephen Hawking and Doctor Strange.

The goal of affiliate networks is to ensure that your life in affiliate marketing is as easy as possible, thereby avoiding such issues.

If you are not generating passive income, they are not generating income either, and neither are their clients.

There are just as many in-house affiliate programs that can be compared to the Sistine Chapel in the world of affiliate marketing.

However, what we want to emphasize is that when choosing an affiliate program, ease-of-use should be a crucial consideration.

Having a little more skin in the game will make it less of an issue.

Point Of Contact

Occasionally, unforeseen events will cause things to go awry.

If the links stop working, you will question why the sales report from last month appears to be upside down.

When you find yourself in that situation, it is the precise moment when you will require assistance from a committed affiliate manager.

Affiliate networks have a small advantage in this regard as they offer both the assistance of their support team and the affiliate manager for any program-related queries you may have.

Just like face-to-face managers, affiliate managers vary in their abilities and can range from highly skilled to extremely ineffective.

Before signing up for any affiliate program, it is crucial to consider the kind of support you will receive, such as the presence of a dedicated affiliate manager.

The answer you don’t want, or should accept, is “Jack from IT takes care of that.”

Commission & Payments

In addition to determining the amount you will receive from a specific affiliate program, discover the timeframe in which you will actually receive the payment.

Affiliate programs typically have a payment term of Net 30, although there are instances where it extends to Net 60 or even Net 90.

In plain English, this means that majority of affiliates receive their payment 30 days after making a sale, while some affiliates have to wait for 90 days to get paid.

If you have bills to pay, waiting for your affiliate income for such a long period can be challenging.

Our Recommendations

Amazon Associates

For beginners, Amazon Associates is considered the top affiliate marketing program.

In just a few minutes, you can register for its affiliate account and it offers a wide range of products for sale. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to advertise Amazon products, no matter what your area of interest.

Although its commission rates are very low, you can refer to this page for the most recent rates. Nevertheless, the majority of rates at present hover between 1-3%.

AvantLink

AvantLink is the affiliate network I signed up for initially. Although I’m not particularly fond of its reporting dashboard as it is not very user-friendly, it is extremely simple to sign up and begin.

AvantLink offers some of the best and highest-paying affiliate programs that are available.

FFL123.com | 50% commission | Firearms/Tactical
Super Speciosa | 40% commission | Health/Wellness
Reddiyo | 30% commission | Cycling
Wedding Hashers | 30% commission | Custom/Personalized Products
Sprinkle & Sweep | 25% commission | Pet Products

AvantLink’s merchant list provides thousands of other programs, all classified by niche, including the aforementioned programs and many others.

ShareASale

ShareASale is another well-known network among affiliate partners. Although it may not excel in the reporting aspect, it is satisfactory for beginners.

ShareASale offers a selection of excellent affiliate options that are worth considering.

Northwest Registered Agent LLC | $100 commission | Business Registrant
Promaster | 15% commission | Photography
Print Games Now | 35–45% commission | Printing/Games
FreshBooks | $55 commission | Small Business/Finance
Aviron Interactive | $110 commission | Fitness

ShareASale’s merchant page has a variety of merchants available for you to explore, including the ones mentioned above.

Commission Junction

With its establishment in 1998, Commission Junction (CJ) is considered one of the oldest affiliate networks, offering a vast range of affiliate programs as a result.

A few of the interesting programs on CJ are-

Slova Cosmetics | 20% commission | Bath & Body
Separatec Underwear | 20% commission | Clothing
US Service Animals | 25% commission | Pets
Puraclenz | 25% commission | Equipment
eHarmony | 30% commission | Dating

The only disadvantage of CJ is that its dashboard appears outdated, and it is more challenging to filter through its affiliate merchants in comparison to the other platforms mentioned here.

TUNE

TUNE stands out for me among other affiliate software because of its remarkable reporting dashboard and user-friendly interface. Nevertheless, it differs slightly from the rest mentioned here. Instead of offering the option to browse its affiliate partners, TUNE requires users to find someone already using its platform in order to utilize it.

Instead of providing recommendations for specific partners in this case, I suggest applying to become a TUNE media partner. By signing up, you will be seamlessly connected with the most suitable affiliate partners for your particular niche.

In order to apply, it is essential to have an existing affiliate business.

Impact Radius

Brand partners such as Airbnb, Adidas, Lenovo, and others have found great success with Impact Radius in the field of affiliate marketing.

An advantage of Impact is its ability to regularly suggest brand partners to you, taking into account your niche and existing partners. This simplifies the process of discovering new affiliate programs with little effort required.

On Impact, there are several excellent affiliate options available.

Canva | 16–80% commission | Graphic Design
Pure Hemp Botanicals | 50% commission | CBD
Thumbtack | 30% commission | Services
Hyphen Sleep | 18% commission | Mattresses
Skillshare | 40% commission | Education

Refersion Marketplace

Refersion, which has partnerships with renowned brands such as Amazon, Shopify, and BigCommerce, is an extremely prosperous affiliate software. Its dashboard is remarkably uncomplicated and user-friendly, making it an ideal choice for beginners.

To locate affiliates for collaboration, you have the option to register on the Refersion Marketplace, which offers a user-friendly interface enabling you to filter and discover potential brand partnerships.

Refersion includes several exceptional options for brand partners.