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One of the best ways to monetize your blog or YouTube channel is to join affiliate marketing programs. It’s one of the best ways to earn a passive income.
But, how do you get into affiliate marketing programs to start making that money? Below, are the 10 best affiliate marketing programs for beginners. But first, let me answer a couple of questions you may be asking.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is when you tell others about a brand or service to others, and earn a portion of every sale or click on an affiliate link.
What are affiliate links?
Affiliate links are URL links generated to take the potential customer over to the business website so they can shop or use the website as usual.
Within that URL link, it would have a code that would identify the referrer, so the business knows who referred that customer so. That way, the company knows who to pay for sending that person over to them.
Now, that you understand affiliate marketing, let’s run through which programs are best for beginners.
10 best affiliate marketing programs for beginners
1. Bluehost
This affiliate program is perfect for bloggers. Bluehost is a website hosting platform, that is just awesome! And they have one of the highest-paying affiliate programs, especially for beginners.
The Bluehost affiliate program pays $65 per referral. Talk about easy money!
Not only do they have a great affiliate program, but they also provide great service. So, if you’re a blogger, or looking to get into blogging, I highly suggest you give Bluehost a try. You can have a website for as little as $2.95 a month.
And if you use Bluehost, you can give a firsthand account of your experience as a customer.
Being an actual customer of a company that you’re affiliated with is the best way to prove to others that you really like the company. This means more referrals for you!
Click here to join the Bluehost affiliate program!
2. Amazon Associates
It’s quite obvious why Amazon would make a great affiliate program. Everyone uses Amazon!
While the Associates program doesn’t have the highest payout rates to their affiliates, you have a better chance of making sales because Amazon is a trusted company.
That’s why this is one of the best affiliate marketing programs around.
And if someone does use your link, you still get credit for anything they buy in the next 24 hours, as long as they don’t use another link.
For example, you may post an Amazon link for a blow dryer, and the customer doesn’t buy the blow dryer. But they come back to Amazon the next day and buy a laptop. You’d get credit for the sale of the laptop!
Amazon Associates is the affiliate program that gets the most clicks on my YouTube channel and blog.
Not to confuse you, but Amazon Associates has two programs:
- Amazon Affiliates
- Amazon Influencers
I am in both Amazon Affiliates and Amazon Influencers. And find them both to be beneficial in earning income.
But, what’s the difference between Amazon Affiliates and Amazon Influencers?
Amazon Affiliates is easier to get into because this program mainly provides affiliate links. This is perfect for bloggers.
The Amazon Influencers program is harder to get into because they have more features.
I can easily add products to my Amazon storefront. And I love to do the live streams.
Yes, you can go live on Amazon! It’s like creating your own version of the Home Shopping Network.
Amazon Influencers is more exclusive because influencers do have power in swaying an audience.
This program provides a storefront for influencers so it’s easy to create shoppable wish lists and images.
To join the influencers program, you must already have an audience on social media or YouTube. Amazon doesn’t specify how many followers you need. They will determine whether you are a fit for the program on a case-by-case basis.
If you want to get sales and followers fast, take advantage of the ability to stream live on Amazon.
Just know, that in order to solidify your spot in the Amazon Associates program, you’ll need to make at least three sales within 180 days (six months). Which may not be all that easy when you’re first starting out.
It took me three tries to get into the program. So, be patient with yourself.
Click here to join Amazon Associates!
3. Brandcycle
The Brandcycle affiliate program is perfect for lifestyle and fashion niches. They have affiliate links for many fashion brands. And they also have a lot of affiliate links for monthly memberships, such as meal delivery services, like Blue Apron.
Brandcyle also has some pretty good payout rates.
Brands found on Brandcycle include:
Tip: One of the biggest sellers from my Brandycle links is JustFab. It earned me $12 for every new member. Ladies love affordable shoes!
Click here to join the Brandcycle affiliate program!
4. Ultimate Bundles
Ultimate Bundles has an abundance of ebooks and courses for sale as bundles.
The bundles are based on a variety of topics including lifestyle and income for a reduced price of up to 95%.
And as an Ultimate Bundles affiliate, you not only earn 40% of sales, but you can buy bundles for a 40% discount!
My favorite bundle is the Genius Bloggers Toolkit.
The Genius Bloggers Toolkit is a yearly bundle that includes ebooks, videos, and courses. It has helped me learn so much from marketing my blog to partnering with brands.
So, I suggest that you not only join the Ultimate Bundles affiliate program but also take advantage of the education they provide.
Click this link to join Ultimate Bundles!
5. LTK
LTK, formerly known as, RewardStyle is a great affiliate marketing program for anyone that is into fashion, home decor, and that loves Instagram.
LTK, not only provides affiliate links, but on their LTK app (which used to be called LikeToKnow.It), you can create shoppable photos on their Instagram-like platform.
They also help increase sales with their downloadable events calendar on their platform. It will help you keep up on sales and upcoming holidays. That way, you can capitalize on letting your followers know about upcoming deals.
Tip: Gift guides and collages do very well on LTK. I use Canva to easily create beautiful images.
Brands on LTK include:
Click here to join the LTK Creator program.
6. Impact
Impact, formerly known as Impact Radius, is one of my favorite affiliate programs. Although, they consider themselves a “digital marketing company,” instead of an affiliate network.
Impact is great for creators that want to share digital products and websites with their audience.
I am affiliated with many companies through Impact. From websites that earn free gift cards to graphic design companies like Canva.
Since they have so many companies in my niche, I earn the most affiliate income from Impact than any other platform.
If you dream of getting brand deals, Impact can help. They have another platform, Activate, that has many brands that are looking for creators to partner with.
The biggest brand deal I ever had, came from Activate!
The opportunities with Impact are abundant. Don’t sleep on this one.
Companies found on Impact include:
MyPoints: Earn free gift cards and cash while having fun
Canva: Create graphic designs
Tailwind: Schedule Pinterest posts and Instagram posts
Upromise: Earn college savings for shopping
You can join Impact by clicking here!
7. ShareASale
The ShareASale affiliate program makes it easy to earn affiliate income from a variety of options.
They offer pay-per-sale, pay-per-lead, and pay-per-click options. That means you can make money from a user just by clicking on your link. A sale doesn’t have to be made!
Once you are accepted into ShareASale, they have many companies that you can link up with.
When you earn on ShareASale, you can cash out once you earn $50. And it’s paid via direct deposit.
ShareASale was one of the first affiliate programs I joined. And I still use it.
Some companies found on ShareASale include:
- Grammarly: Spelling and grammar checker
- PLR Products: Reselling books and videos for a passive income
- HealthyWage: Get paid to lose weight
Click here to join ShareASale!
8. CJ
The CJ affiliate program is a great opportunity to partner with brands worldwide.
They have an extensive list of companies with which publishers can connect.
You can cash out your earnings on CJ starting at $50. And it’s paid through direct deposit.
Brands found on CJ include:
Good Chop: Fresh meat and seafood delivery
Opinioninn: Get paid to do surveys
Gamefly: Online video game rentals
9. Fiverr
The Fiverr Affiliates program is a great way to connect your audience with affordable services.
Fiverr can be useful for freelancers, bloggers, and business owners. Some services include:
- Logo design
- Writing and translation services
- Video and animation
- Digital Marketing
- Music
Fiverr Affiliates can be paid as much as $1,000 for a referral!
This program is great for publishers that are in the business and finance niches.
I am a Fiverr customer, a seller, and I have referred many people to them, as well. Needless to say, I know Fiverr is an awesome platform.
Click here to join Fiverr Affiliates!
10. Clickbank
Clickbank is one of the more popular affiliate programs.
Clickbank has a variety of products and services available for advertising.
They have everything from computer software to dietary products. And many of the brands offer high commissions. It’s not uncommon to see commissions over $100.
And they pay through PayPal.
Hopefully, these 10 best affiliate marketing programs will help you earn more money, even as a new blogger or influencer.
Suggested: How to Make Money on YouTube
