The High Affiliate Advertising Networks
Do you want to monetize your blog or make a passive income? In that case, you might consider joining an affiliate network.
This is a complete guide to choosing the right affiliate network for your platform, including what an affiliate network is, why you should consider joining, and an overview of the top networks out there.
What is an Affiliate Network?
An affiliate network connects publishers such as blog owners or influencers with companies that want to advertise their products or services.
These networks often provide reporting tools, training, and other resources that can help you become a successful affiliate marketer.
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 every purchase their readers or followers make.
How do affiliate networks work?
Affiliate networks act as a marketplace for affiliate programs. Publishers or website owners sign up, choose the products or services they want to promote, and receive custom links that track how many people shop on their websites. Then they get a small commission (usually around 5%) for every sale.
Why should you join an affiliate network?
Affiliate networks can connect you to hundreds or even thousands of brands. This makes it one of the easiest ways to monetize a blog or generate passive income.
Here are some more benefits of joining an affiliate network:
- No need to track payments; The platform does that for you
- Choose products or services that make sense to your audience
- Some affiliate networks offer rewards and incentives. The more you sell, the better your commission rates can be
- Access to analytical and reporting tools so you can track your progress
Affiliate networks have some drawbacks. For example, some offer very low commission rates or require websites to have a certain amount of traffic before they can apply. Overall, however, they can be a powerful way to monetize website traffic.
Top affiliate networks to consider
Type "affiliate networks" into google and you will see hundreds of platforms to choose from – some legitimate and others that look a bit dodgy.
How do you choose the right one?
First, look at your audience. What types of products and services are likely to interest your readers?
For example, digital marketers are more interested in SEO tools than in women's fashion. So I may choose a partner platform that connects me to online tools and marketing analytics platforms.
Here are some other considerations when comparing the top affiliate networks:
- Commission rates: How much do you make per sale? Networks can vary widely.
- Product / service selection: Will the network connect you to brands that your audience will be interested in?
- Admission requirements: On some networks, your site must be well established or have certain traffic.
- Other fees: Some affiliate networks charge training or recruitment fees.
- Cookie duration: Cookie duration relates to how long a program tracks and how much you credit a potential buyer. The duration can vary dramatically from platform to platform. For example, Amazon's cookie duration is 24 hours, while Avangate is 120 days.
Now that you know what to look for and what to avoid, it is time to explore some of the top affiliate marketing networks.
ShareASale
This Chicago-based affiliate network has existed since 2000. As a ShareASale affiliate, you can join more than 4,000 programs and earn commissions on a wide range of products including Reebok, Cricut, and Etsy.
This is one of the biggest players in affiliate marketing and they offer extremely competitive commission rates. However, the user interface can be a little tricky to use. I therefore recommend using the training courses offered.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer; Average values between 5% and 20%
- Product types: Great choices including accessories, clothing, art, computers, automobiles, and even online dating services
- Best for: New or established affiliate publishers looking to promote physical products
A victory
Awin is a global affiliate network platform with access to more than 15,000 advertisers who contributed to revenues of more than 150 million in 2019 alone. It's also worth noting that they own several other affiliate networks, including ShareASale, although those networks have their own websites.
Since Awin is one of the largest affiliate networks, it is worth considering. They provide access to a wide variety of retailers including StubHub, Hyatt, AliExpress, and UnderArmour.
Although they are trustworthy, they do charge a $ 5 application fee. It is more of a deposit as it will be added to your account when you are approved. Even so, it can be a bit off-putting. You also have to apply for each program individually, which can be a bit of a chore.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the retailer, but averages 5%
- Product types: Great choices including travel, fashion, technology, finance, insurance, and e-commerce
- Best for: Newbies or Established Affiliate Marketers
Amazon Associates
Probably the best known affiliate network is Amazon Associates. As the world's largest e-commerce store, Amazon offers access to millions of products, from baby equipment to housewares to makeup and much more.
The platform is pretty easy to navigate and it only takes a few minutes to get started. Plus, you can earn a commission for every product your readers buy in the next 24 hours – not just the specific products you share.
They can be pretty strict about their terms and conditions, however, and commission rates tend to be lower than most other platforms.
- Commission rate: Around 5%; varies depending on the product type
- Product types: Almost every physical product you can think of: gardening, school, books, cooking, housewares, fashion, accessories, makeup, etc.
- Best for: Any type of affiliate marketer
CJ partner
CJ Affiliate, formerly known as Commission Junction, is one of the largest and oldest affiliate marketing networks in the world. They connect merchants with more than 14 billion readers per year and help affiliate marketers make more than $ 1.8 billion annually.
They are a big deal in affiliate marketing, and it's pretty easy to see why. CJ Affiliate works with thousands of brands including big names like Lowes, Barnes and Noble, Priceline, and Overstock.
Overall, the approval process is pretty quick and you don't have to pay any fees to apply. Each product is rated based on the EPC (earnings per click).
There are some downsides: you need each merchant's approval before you can start advertising, and there is a chance you could get rejected. Also, your account can be deactivated if you don't make a sale within six months.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Retail, software, travel and finance
- Best for: Partner at intermediate to experienced level
Rakuten advertising
Rakuten Advertising was founded as a Japanese e-commerce brand and is home to one of the best affiliate marketing networks. They provide partners with access to hundreds of top brands including Wells Fargo, Lilly Pulitzer, Virgin Holidays and Ecco.
However, they don't make signing up easy. First, you need to join the affiliate network, then sign up and be approved by every merchant program you want to join. You also need to have a well-established site.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Retail, D2C, Finance, Travel, and more
- Best for: Established affiliate marketers with stable traffic
Avangate Affiliate Network
Avangate Affiliate Network connects publishers with digital goods retailers – think software companies and digital security companies like Malwarebytes. They have been ranked the world's leading affiliate network by Blue Book Global for the past six years.
They have one of the longest cookie runtimes on the market at 120 days and allow partners to create coupons to increase sales. The reporting tools are somewhat limited, however.
- Commission rate: Starts at 25%; With some traders it can reach over 50%
- Product types: Digital products like security and SaaS products
- Best for: Publishers in technology, business, SaaS, or related industries
ClickBank
ClickBank is a global affiliate marketing platform that provides access to a wide range of products for you to promote, including physical and digital products.
Overall, ClickBank is easy to connect and offers access to a wide range of products. However, be sure to check out the products before promoting them. Not all products available are of high quality. Their free training resources are also somewhat limited, although they do offer a paid training platform called ClickBank University.
- Commission rate: Up to 90%, although most are much lower
- Product types: Great choices including arts & entertainment, business, marketing, games, parenting, health, fitness, languages, and self help
- Best for: All levels of affiliate marketers who primarily want to promote physical products
Peerfly
Peerfly is promoted as “the fastest growing affiliate network” and is a new breed. They haven't been around as long as some of the other players on the field, but they have won multiple awards and are working hard to make sure their platform is as useful as it is easy to use.
They provide access to a wide range of products and services from brands such as Target, Fiverr, UGG and CBS. However, every merchant has their own requirements, which can be time-consuming to process. As such, this is not necessarily the best solution for those who are just starting out.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Mostly physical products, but some digital ones
- Best for: Established Affiliate Marketers
FlexOffers
FlexOffers connects publishers with more than 12,000 advertising programs and 500 premium advertisers.
Like many of the larger affiliate networks, they provide access to a wide variety of products including automobiles, apparel, accessories, electronics, education, health, and the home and garden.
Each publisher is also assigned a dedicated account manager who offers a fast approval process.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Mostly physical, some digital
- Best for: All affiliate levels, from beginner to advanced
Sovrn // Commerce (VigLink)
Formerly called VigLink, Sovrn // Commerce is a world class publishing network that connects publishers with hundreds of retailers. They do this automatically using natural language processing to connect you with the merchant with the highest commission.
They also provide access to detailed performance metrics to drive conversions. The platform also connects publishers to sponsored content opportunities.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Some digital, mostly physical products such as skin care, housewares, exercise equipment, clothing and accessories
- Best for: Any affiliate marketer with a blog
JVZoo
JVZoo is a huge affiliate network with more than 800,000 active affiliates. Unlike other networks that allow you to advertise a wide range of products, most JVZoo dealerships are in marketing, technology, and artificial intelligence.
JVZoo offers automatic payments and an easy-to-use dashboard to keep track of your performance.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Digital products in the fields of online marketing, AI, training and finance
- Best for: Partner in the fields of IT, AI and digital marketing
SKIMLINKS
SKIMLINKS works with publishers to automatically add affiliate links for merchants. This means you can focus on writing great content and SKIMLINKS takes care of the rest. They work with more than 60,000 publishers, including big names like HuffPost, CondeNast and Yahoo!
Just sign up, add their javascript to your website and start earning commissions. While this means you have less control over what you promote, it is an easy way to make affiliate income.
- Commission rate: Varies depending on the dealer
- Product types: Mostly physical products in areas like fashion and electronics, but also some digital products like dating apps
- Best for: Ideal for large publishers, but also suitable for beginners
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing can be one of the best ways to monetize your blog. An affiliate network makes connecting with merchants a lot easier, so you can focus on what you do best: posting great content.
However, juggling dozens of vendors and programs can be problematic. Also, you need to read the fine print. Not all affiliate networks are legitimate, and even popular names may not offer the kind of products your audience will be interested in.
Have you tried any of the above networks? Which is your favorite and why?