Most Profitable Affiliate Marketing Programs to Join

1 April 2023

By daniele

One of the best ways for bloggers and content creators to make money online is by being an affiliate marketer and they can earn passive income without having to create their own brand by joining an affiliate marketing program.

What Is an Affiliate Program, and How Does It Work?

These are associations that pay commissions for selling a product or service on their websites or social media channels, and the affiliate can select products or services that they like and that may interest their target audience. With some links you can track the IP of the referred users, to follow the sales and analyze the commissions that you can get as an affiliate.

These three methods are used to evaluate affiliate marketing that is performance-based:

Pay-per-sale – Payouts are based on the number of affiliate sales the marketer can generate.
Pay-per-click: These payments are based on the amount of traffic they can bring to a merchant’s or brand’s website with the affiliate link.
Pay-per-lead: For every lead that takes the desired action, such as signing up for a newsletter or downloading a PDF file, the affiliate receives a commission.

Types of Affiliate Programs

As an affiliate, you must think about your interests, therefore affiliate programs can be segmented into the following types:

Bloggers and influencers: Those who constantly interact with a target audience and have a specific niche.
Search affiliates: This type can be expensive, as it is more for people who take advantage of online advertising, such as Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and other paid ads online.
Review sites: There are review sites that can help generate more product promotion.
Coupon sites: With discount codes, customers can be attracted more easily and it is one of the most popular programs.

Now, let’s see some options of the best affiliate programs:

Hostinger Affiliate Program

The first step is to complete the affiliate form with information such as contact details, the link to your website or social networks and the type of content you provide on your networks. Once you’re approved, you’ll be able to have an affiliate manager to help you succeed and start promoting.

The minimum amount to request a payment is $100 and is made on the 15th of each month through PayPal or bank transfer.

Program Stats

Industry: web hosting

Commission rate: 60%

Cookie life: 30 days

Pros: High conversion rate and commission, also easy to join and stay in the program, and personal affiliate manager.

Cons: Only accepts PayPal and bank transfer as a payment method, plus the payout threshold is high.

Semrush

Since October 2020, the company has partnered with ShareASale to improve its business and affiliate model, also, all affiliates have a fixed monthly commission that includes all Semrush subscription plans such as Business, Pro and Guru.

To receive a payment, the minimum amount is $50, and accepts PayPal and bank transfer as payment methods, you can also choose your payment day.

Program Stats

Industry: marketing

Commission rate: $200 for every new sale, $10 on new trial activations, and $0.01 for new signups

Cookie life: 120 days

Pros: Has an easy registration process, rewards for trial registrations, and a knowledgeable marketing team

Cons: Competition is high, plus the recurring commission model has been discontinued

Amazon Associates

The program is ideal for beginners, since there are a large number of products dedicated to different niches, also, it has a maximum fixed rate of 20%, this only applies to Amazon games, on the other hand, the lowest rate is of 1%, which is applicable to groceries, physical video games and video game consoles.

Its form of payments is by direct deposit, gift card and check, it does not include the PayPal option, but it has international bank transfers in 52 countries.

Program Stats

Industry: eCommerce

Commission rate: from 1% to 20%

Cookie life: 24 hours (extendable to 90 days)

Pros: Its reputation is known, plus it has a wide variety of products, and cookies apply to other item purchases made through your affiliate link

Cons: Highly variable commission rates, and no PayPal support

CJ Affiliate

It has cookie-free tracking, which is more privacy-friendly. On the other hand, the range of commission rates is very variable and cannot be defined, besides that CJ Affiliate charges $25/month, therefore if your account does not have a greater or equal amount, the account will be deleted. For payments, the program supports checks, bank deposits, and Payoneer for those outside the US.

Program Stats

Industry: affiliate marketing

Commission rate: vendor-based, negotiable

Cookie life: none (cookieless tracking)

Pros: Has a deep link builder and automation, also mobile-optimized conversions, and comprehensive reporting

Cons: Dashboard is not intuitive, and has a monthly fee

Fiverr Affiliates

This program has two plans for affiliates:

Cost-per-action (CPA) commission, depending on service categories, pay between $15 and $150.
Hybrid commission, with this plan you can receive $10 per purchase and a 10% revenue share for one year.

Keep in mind that commissions are paid by new buyers for the first time only, in the same way, payments are made by bank transfer, Fiverr Revenue card or PayPal.

Program Stats

Industry: online outsourcing marketplace

Commission rate: 10%

Cookie life: 30 days

Pros: Generous payouts, lots of marketing materials, and brand recognition

Cons: Commissions are limited to first time referrals, and has high competition

Moment Affiliate Program

This program is great for those who love photography, as you can get paid at a rate of 6-15% on all referrals, you’ll also get 10% of the online course promotion and $100 towards travel. However, the payment periods are very slow, you must wait at least two months to receive the payment and if you must travel from one place to another, it can take up to 90 days.

Program Stats

Industry: photography

Commission rate: from 6% to 15%

Cookie life: 30 days

Pros: You have exclusive access to resources and equipment, you can also join a community of creatives, and have monthly training sessions with certified guides

Cons: Has a 90-day pay hold for commissions that include travel, and long wait period for payouts

eBay Partner Network

There are a lot of niches in this program, and your earnings depend on the product category, however, earnings from expensive items like real estate are capped at $100, regardless of actual value.