Do you want to monetize your blog or earn a passive income? If so, you might be considering joining a few affiliate marketing networks.
This article aims to set out all of the facts about what they are, why you should consider joining one, and the top networks on the market.
What are Affiliate Marketing Networks?
Affiliate Networks match companies or sellers with publishers or affiliates. In essence, Affiliate Networks simply provide a platform for sellers to get in touch with affiliates, and for affiliates to get in touch with sellers.
This is a well-established marketing method that is used by many companies and affiliates in order to increase their sales and revenues.
The most popular example of an affiliate network is Amazon, which allows publishers and influencers to promote thousands of products and earn a commission for each purchase their readers or followers make.
How Do Affiliate Networks Work?
Affiliate networks work as a marketplace for affiliate programs. Publishers or site owners sign up, choose the products or services they want to promote, and receive custom links that track how many people purchase from their sites.
Then, they are paid a small commission (usually around 5%) for each sale.
Why Should You Join an Affiliate Network?
Affiliate networks can connect you to hundreds—even thousands—of brands. This makes them one of the most straightforward ways to monetize a blog or earn passive income.
Here are a few more benefits of joining an affiliate network:
- No need to wait for payments; the platform handles everything for you
- Select products or services to promote that make sense for your audience
- Some affiliate networks offer bonuses and incentives – so that the more you sell, the better your commission rates may be
- Access to metrics and analytics so you can track your progress
- There are a few pros and cons to an affiliate network. For instance, some networks pay out very little in comparison to others, but others might ask for a certain amount of traffic before they will accept your site into their program. In the end, however, affiliate networks can be a powerful way to monetize your website traffic.
Top Affiliate Networks To Consider
Type in “affiliate networks” into Google and you’ll see hundreds of platforms to choose from. Some will look better than others, but each has its pros and cons.
For example, digital marketers are more likely to be interested in SEO tools than women’s fashion, so I might choose an affiliate platform that can connect me with online tools and marketing analytic platforms.
Here are a few other considerations when comparing the top affiliate networks:
- Commission rates: How much will you earn per sale? Networks can vary widely.
- Product/service selection: Will the network connect you with brands your audience will be interested in?
- Approval requirements: Some networks require your site to be well-established or have a certain amount of traffic.
- Other fees: Some affiliate networks charge fees for training or setup.
- Cookie duration: Cookie duration refers to how long a program tracks and gives you credit for a prospective buyer. Durations can vary drastically from platform to platform. For example, Amazon’s cookie duration is 24 hours, while Adclickmedia is 90 days.
Now that you know what to look for and what to avoid, let’s explore some of the best affiliate marketing networks.
Amazon Associates
The Amazon Affiliate Program grants access to nearly all products listed on Amazon.
It’s one of the best-known affiliate networks since it is partnered with one of the largest e-commerce websites globally – making the Amazon Affiliate Program very popular for individuals wanting to make money by promoting products.
The platform is quite easy to use. Setting up your profile only takes a few minutes, and the tasks are related to product reviews you can start doing immediately after signing up.
Plus, you can earn money whenever someone buys a product within 24 hours that you have reviewed!
However, it’s important to note that they are rather strict about their terms and conditions, so it might be worth getting in touch with an affiliate manager if there are specific products you would like to promote regularly.
- Commission Rate: Around 5%; varies by product type
- Product Types: Nearly any physical product you can think of: gardening, school, books, cooking, home goods, fashion, accessories, makeup, etc
- Best For: Any type of affiliate marketer
Sharesale
This Chicago-based affiliate network has been around since 2000 as a ShareASale affiliate, so you can connect with more than 4,000 programs and earn commissions on a wide range of products, including Reebok, Cricut, and Etsy .
However, they can be pretty strict about their terms and conditions and commission rates tend to be lower than most other platforms.
This is one of the largest players in the affiliate marketing field, and they offer highly competitive commission rates.
However, the interface can be a bit tough to use, so I suggest taking advantage of the training they offer.
- Commission Rate: Varies by merchant; averages between 5% and 20%
- Product Types: Wide range, including accessories, clothing, art, computers, automotive, and even online dating services
- Best For: New or established affiliate publishers looking to promote physical products
CJAffiliate
Previously known as Commission Junction, CJ Affiliate is one of the world’s largest and oldest affiliate marketing networks.
They connect companies with more than 14 billion users each year and help affiliates earn more than $1.8 billion every year through their numerous advertising platforms.
They’re kind of a big deal in the affiliate marketing field, and it’s pretty easy to see why. CJ Affiliate works with thousands of brands, including big names like Lowe’s, Barnes & Noble, Priceline, and Overstock. Overall, their approval process is pretty fast, and you won’t need to pay any fees to apply.
Cooperative relationships are established between vendor companies and individual service providers.
Each product is ranked based on earnings per click (EPC).
- Commission Rate: Varies by merchant
- Product Types: Retail, software, travel, and finance
- Best For: Mid-level to experienced level affiliates
Adclickmedia
Adclickmedia is a Cost-Per-Action (CPA) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) affiliate network serving brands and affiliates worldwide.
Currently has over 2300+ affiliates and website publishers working with us.
Join 2,600 site owners, content creators, and bloggers who earn revenues from their websites. Get instant offers to promote.
The competitive payout for PPC & CPA offers. Advanced tracking and reporting are included in your plan.
A personal account manager will help you manage your business campaign opportunities with advertisers.
- Commission Rate: CPA up to 75%. PPC 60%
- Product Types: 22 different verticals
- Best For: New and experienced affiliate marketers.
Clickbank
ClickBank is a well-known platform that helps affiliates and content marketers promote digital and physical products (usually in the health and fitness niche), plus it provides access to a wide variety of review products.
Overall, ClickBank is easy to join and provides access to a wide range of products.
However, be sure to check out the quality of the product before you promote it – not all of the available products are of high quality.
- Commission Rate: Up to 90%, though most are much lower
- Product Types: Wide variety, including arts and entertainment, business, marketing, games, parenting, health, fitness, languages, and self-help
- Best For: All levels of affiliate marketers who want to promote mostly physical products
Conclusion
As a blogger, it’s important to find a way to monetize your blog. There are a number of different ways to do that, including selling goods on your own website or using your blog as a stepping stone for establishing other revenue streams.
One of the most effective ways is by signing up with affiliate marketing networks.
Adclickmedia affiliate program, for example, offers affiliates the opportunity to earn income by paying you for PPC, CPA, and referral programs.
