Do you want to make passive income through affiliate marketing? Here I have made a list of the best affiliate programs for beginners.
Affiliate marketing is a business that enables you to make money by promoting other people’s products and services.
It is a serious business that can pay as much as a full-time job.
Affiliate marketers can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to millions per year.
There are hundreds and thousands of affiliate programs out there.
So, which ones are the best for you?
We have simplified the answer by providing a list of high-paying programs for newbies with good affiliate and marketing support.
[Sidenote: if you need accountability and would like a step-by-step process for building your affiliate marketing business, check out this 15-day challenge. [costs the same as a jumbo latte.]
Just choose the products and services that best fit your brand and your audience’s interests and witness the magic of affiliate marketing.
If you prefer video, I’ll leave you one here that shows some worthwhile affiliate programs.
Ok, let’s dive into the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners.
But first, let me quickly explain an important difference in the affiliate marketing industry.
Difference Between Affiliate Networks And Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs are the in-house programs run and managed by the actual vendor of the product or service.
Affiliate networks manage multiple affiliate programs under one roof.
Once you join a network, you get access to multiple affiliate offers from different websites.
Examples include the CJ network, Clickbank, and Shareasale.
Let’s review each in a bit more detail.
My Personal Favorite Affiliate Marketing Programs
Since there are a lot of great affiliate programs in this article, I first want to start you off with my personal favorites.
I am partnered with 150+ companies as an affiliate, but I am beginning to narrow the focus mostly to companies that we use within our own business.
This makes it easier to write helpful content about that can help others make purchasing decisions.
In return, we get paid a commission.
So here are some of my favorite affiliate partners.
Fiverr Affilate Program
Fiverr is one of the easiest affiliate programs to join.
It is one of the best affiliate programs for beginners as you can find almost any service here and easily link it to your blog.
You’ll have a dedicated affiliate manager that can assist with an effective affiliate marketing strategy.
Commission plan: It offers two plans
1- Fiver CPA: $15 – $50 depending upon what services your referred buyer purchases
2- Fiverr Hybrid: $10 CPA + 10% Revenue Share for 12 months
You get paid: Net 30
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payment threshold: $100 minimum
Related Reading: Fiverr Affiliate Program.- Click Here To Learn More About It.
Survey Junkie Affiliate Program
With a 10 million-strong community Survey Junkie is a popular survey site with a solid affiliate marketing program.
You drive traffic to their site and help others earn rewards for their opinions.
Those rewards can be redeemed for PayPal or gift cards.
It is a great way to earn a little side income.
Survey Junkie pays $1.50 per referral.
Amazon Associates
Starting in 1996, it is one of the oldest affiliate programs in the world.
With its global trust and millions of products to choose from, it allows content creators to make money from their traffic.
Amazon Associates program is free to join and easy to get accepted.
Because of this, it’s one of the best affiliate programs for beginners.
Commissions: 1%- 10% from purchases. The commission rates may change.
Cookie Duration: 24 hours
Payment threshold: $10
Sign up here
But be sure to watch out! As there are some secrets that affiliate marketing companies have. You need to be on the lookout for them. Watch below…
Ok, let me switch and talk a bit about some affiliate networks out there that have many different affiliate companies on their platforms.
Affiliate Networks
They are usually free to join and provide you with an affiliate manager.
They also pay after a certain time i.e 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days.
The longer the payment release time, the more you have to wait.
You also have to meet a certain payment amount for your payment to be released.
Therefore, make sure you read all terms before signing up for any.
Let’s go through the list of popular affiliate network programs I recommend for beginners.
CJ Affiliate Network
The CJ Affiliate Network, also known as Commission Junction, has been in business for over 20 years.
They have partnered with some of the largest brands in the world.
A few examples are Samsung and GoPro.
It pays $1.8 billion every year to its affiliates.
The CJ affiliate network is free to join.
Commissions: different per product
You get paid: after 60 days
Payment threshold: $10
Sign up here
ShareASale
According to 99 Firms, ShareASale holds 55.7% of the affiliate market making it the largest affiliate network.
Shareasale has also been in the business for the past 20 years and it is free to join.
They have established a partnership with some big brands like NBA and Lulu’s.
Commissions: different per product
You get paid: Net 60
Payment threshold: $10
Sign up here
ClickBank
Being one of the oldest affiliate networks, Clickbank’s affiliates represent 200 countries in total, and at the time of this writing over $4.2B has been paid in affiliate earnings.
Like others, it is also free to join and has thousands of offers to choose from.
Commissions: Vary from offer to offer. The default rate is 25%
Cookie duration: 60 days
You get paid: Net 60
Payment threshold: $100
Sign up here [and if you want to sell your product on Clickbank go here].
Skimlinks
Skimlinks is an all-in-one affiliate solution for publishers, used by 60,000 bloggers and many of the top publishers in the world, such as Conde Nast, Hearst, and Huffington Post.
After installing their Javascript, Skimlinks can automatically turn all the links on your site into affiliate links.
You’ll also have access to a range of useful tools and resources to help you grow your affiliate revenue, such as the Editor Toolbar chrome extension, which shows affiliate programs’ details in Google search results and on merchant websites.
Commissions: Across the 38,500 affiliate programs available on Skimlinks, commission rates vary per merchant and can go from 1% to over 50% of the sale transaction.
Cookie Life: Usually 30 days but they vary according to each Merchant’s terms.
Payment threshold: Skimlinks triggers payouts once your affiliate commissions reach the minimum threshold of $65.
Signup here.
Related Reading: The Best Recurring Affiliate Programs – Click To Earn Consistent Revenue.
Rakuten Advertising Affiliate Network
Rakuten Advertising is another affiliate marketing service provider that acquired Ebates (which pays you cash for shopping) in 2014.
They claim to be the largest affiliate marketing network on the internet and have 150,000 affiliates across the world.
In 2018, Rakuten has processed 100 million orders from 200 countries.
Commissions: Vary from offer to offer
You get paid: Net 60
Payment threshold: $50
Signup here: Rakuten advertising
The eBay Partner Network
From Global brands to local stands, eBay connects 183 million buyers across the world and has no longer remained an auction place for used products.
At any given time there are over 1.4B listings, 80% of which are new.
Its affiliate program is known as The eBay Partner network.
It is easy and free to join and affiliates usually get accepted within a few hours
Commissions: up to 6% of the purchase price
Cookie duration: 24 hours.
You get paid: after 21 days
Payment threshold: $10
Sign up here: The eBay Partner Network
Impact Marketplace (formerly Impact Radius)
The Impact Radius affiliate network has been in the market since 2008 and has grown fast since then.
It is also free to join and connects you with some of the world’s largest brands from Lenovo to L’oreal.
You get paid: Net 60
Payment threshold: $25 minimum
Signup here: Impact Radius Marketplace
Travelpayouts – Travel Affiliate Network
Travelpayouts is a cost-per-action affiliate network where you earn money every time someone who clicks a link on your website buys an airplane ticket, makes a hotel booking, or another travel-related purchase.
The network includes Booking.com, TripAdvisor, GetYourGuide, Rental Cars, and 60 other global travel brands.
You get paid: up to 25% of the total order value.
Payment threshold: $50 through PayPal or $500 through bank transfer
Signup here: Travelpayouts
Some programs pay you monthly for as long as the person you refer continues doing business with them.
So let me give you some examples of those recurring programs here.
Best Recurring Commission Affiliate Programs
Listed below are some affiliate programs that pay you ongoing money for as long as the customer you refer is there.
Buzzsprout – Podcast Host
Buzzsprout is a podcast hosting platform that has helped over 100,000 people to start their own podcasts.
Its affiliate program has a generous affiliate commission structure with a really helpful team.
Commission plan: It has two plans
1- Earn a one-time payment of $25 for every customer you send to Buzzsprout.
2- Earn a 20% recurring lifetime commission for all paid customers you send to Buzzsprout.
Cookie Duration: They do not expire and you will be paid for a referral even if somebody doesn’t upgrade to a paid account for years.
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: Buzzsprout Affiliate Program
Thinkific – Online Course Creation
Thinkific is an online course creation and selling platform which has helped over 51,000 people launch their own courses.
They use a third-party tool called Partner Stack to manage its affiliate program.
You will also be given access to marketing material created by Thinkific.
Commission plan: 20% recurring commission that can be as high as $1100 per referral per year.
Cookie Duration: 90 days
Signup here: Become a Thinkific Affiliate
Leadpages Affiliate Partner Program
Leadpages helps small business owners grow by connecting with their audience, getting leads, and closing sales and it does this by building websites, landing pages, and opt-in forms.
The Leadpages affiliate program is managed by Impact.
It provides you with marketing and ongoing affiliate support with an easy-to-use dashboard.
Commission plan: up to 50% in ongoing payments
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Signup here: Leadpages Affiliate Program
Related Reading: My Favorite High Paying Affiliate Programs – Read The Round Up Post Here.
Teachable
Teachable is another online course creation and teaching platform.
Their affiliate program is free to join.
Commission plan: 30% in ongoing payments
Cookie Duration: 90 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: Teachable Affiliate Program
GetResponse
Get Response is a marketing tool more famous for its email marketing and automation features.
It has a highly supported affiliate with a monthly payout program and two payment plans.
Commission plan:
1- One-time payment of $100
2- Long-term revenue of 33%, for every sale referred
Cookie Duration: 120 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: GetResponse Affiliate Program
SEMRush
SEMrush is all in on marketing tool kit which can help with keyword research and link building.
To note, they have a pre-approved affiliate application system.
This means once you apply you automatically get accepted.
It also provides marketing materials for its affiliates in five languages – English, Spanish, French, German, and Russian.
Commission plan:40% recurring commissions
Cookie Duration:10 years – first cookie attribution model
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: SEMRush Affiliate Program
Aweber Advocate Program
Aweber is a simple email marketing tool.
Its affiliate program is free to signup and you will be provided with all marketing materials.
Aweber support is available 24/7 through live chat.
Commission plan: 30% in recurring commissions
Cookie Duration: 365 days
Payout threshold: $30 for US affiliates and $50 for the non-US affiliates
Signup here: Aweber Advocate Referral Program
Elegant Themes
Elegant Themes is the home to the world’s most widely used WordPress themes including Divi.
They also offer a few products like the social media sharing plugin Monarch and email marketing tool Bloom.
Elegant Themes partners with over 30,000 affiliates and pays out over $3,000,000 per year.
Their affiliate program is free to join and offers one of the highest pay amounts, which is why it joins the list of great affiliate programs for beginners.
Commission plan: 50% commission on every sale (even when the customer renews)
Cookie Duration: 180 days
Payout threshold: $200
Signup here: Elegant Themes Affiliate Program
Canva
Canva does not need an introduction as it has 18 million users worldwide.
It is one of the best graphic design software and is perfect for both beginners (which makes it part of great affiliate programs for beginners) and advanced users.
Canva’s affiliate program is free to sign up and you’ll get free access to all the tools you need to promote Canva Pro and earn top commissions.
Canva provides 24 hours email and live chat support to their affiliates.
Commission plan: up to $36 per Canva PRO subscription
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: Canva Affiliate Program
ClickFunnels
Click funnels is a website and sales funnel builder for entrepreneurs.
They have a generous payment structure where every affiliate can earn commissions on all of their front-end offers.
Apart from funnels, click funnels have got a lot of other options in the form of books, courses, and challenges where you can earn up to $100 commission per referral.
They pay monthly and have excellent affiliate support.
Commission plan: up to 40%
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payout threshold: $100
Signup here: Clickfunnels Affiliate Program
Webinar Jam
Webinar jam is a webinar hosting platform used by 50,000 people in 40 different industries.
Their affiliate program is powered by the Genesis Digital Partner program.
Commission plan: 40% of every sale and recurring payment generated by your referrals during their first year of membership to WebinarJam.
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Signup here: Webinar Jam
Udemy
Udemy is an online learning platform with the world’s largest selection of courses.
It runs its affiliate program through Linkshare. It’s free to join and provides you with a dedicated affiliate manager and all promotional tools and assets to drive sales.
Commission plan: 20% commission
Cookie Duration: 7 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: Become A Udemy Affiliate
Convertkit
Convertkit is an email marketing and automation tool.
It has an in-house affiliate program that is endorsed by renowned blogger Pat Flynn.
The program is easy to join and provides you with all promotional and training material.
Commission plan: 30% commission
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Payout threshold: No minimum payout threshold
Signup here: Convertkit Affiliate Program
Landingi
Landingi is a platform for everyday marketing activities with landing pages.
The Landingi affiliate program is managed in PartnerStack. It’s free to join.
You get ready-to-use promo materials.
Commission plan: 25% recurring commission on every sale made (also on renewals)
Cookie Duration: 90 days
Payout threshold: $25 (for all of the Partner Stack affiliate programs)
Signup here: Landingi Affiliate Program
Moosend
Moosend is an all-in-one email marketing and marketing automation platform that enables users to scale and automate their email marketing efforts.
Becoming a Moosend affiliate is easy; there is no approval process, and you don’t have to be a pre-existing customer.
As an affiliate, you can get ready-made marketing materials, a dedicated account manager, and additional commissions every time your referrals upgrade their plan.
Commission plan:
The Moosend Affiliate program offers a tiered commission structure. More specifically:
- Bronze Group (0-5 paid accounts) with 30% recurring commission
- Silver Group (6-10 paid accounts) with 33% recurring commission
- Gold Group (11-25 paid accounts) with 35% recurring commission
- Platinum Group (26-35 paid accounts) with 37% recurring commission
- Diamond Group (36 or more accounts) with 40% recurring commissions
Cookie Duration: 90 Days
Payout threshold: $5
Signup here: Moosend affiliate program
Pixpa Affiliate Program
Pixpa is an all-in-one website builder platform for photographers, creators, and small businesses.
Pixpa’s affiliate partner program offers one of the highest payouts in the industry and puts no limits on the number of referrals you can make or on your earnings.
It is perfect for bloggers, website owners, and influencers who can use their website, blog, social media channels, offline networks, or other channels to direct genuine, organic, and targeted traffic towards Pixpa.
It is also a well-suited and lucrative option for web designers and agencies who would like to use Pixpa to build websites for their clients.
Commissions: 50% of the 1st year revenue generated from each successful referral. You can earn up to $144 with each referral!
You Get Paid: Payments are made on the 15th of each month.
You can also request a payout manually from the affiliate control panel.
Cookie Duration: Cookies expire every 30 days.
Payment Threshold: There are no minimum or maximum amounts for Pixpa’s affiliate payments. You get paid per referral.
Sign up for Pixpa’s Affiliate Partner Program
Affiliate Programs Offering One-Time Commissions
Printful
Printful is a platform that helps you set up the print-on-demand dropshipping store through which you can choose from over 220 products online and create and sell custom products online.
Printful’s affiliate program is free to join and is equally helpful for bloggers, influencers, and YouTubers.
Commission plan: 10% commission on every sale they make for 9 months
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payout threshold: $25
Signup here: Printful
Invideo
Invideo is another online video editor. It has 35,000 paid users from 13 countries.
They have an in-house affiliate program through which you can earn up to $40 per sale.
Commission plan: 50% commission on all referrals
Cookie Duration: 120 days
Signup here: InVideo
Envato
Envato Market is the world’s largest creative marketplace, selling millions of digital assets every year.
Its affiliate program is powered by Impact. Envato affiliates earn over $3 million per year.
Their program provides you with all the marketing material.
Commission plan: 30% per sale
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Signup here: Envato
Themeisle
Themeisle is home to famous WordPress themes – Hestia, Neve, and many other themes and plugins.
It has 471,000 users worldwide.
Their affiliate program of Themeisle is offered via Shareasale.
Every affiliate is provided with a dedicated account manager and promotional material including banners, email templates, text links, etc
Commission plan: 55%
Cookie Duration: 365 days
Payout threshold: $100
Best Website Hosting Affiliate Programs
Bluehost
Bluehost is a famous web hosting provider powering over 2 million websites worldwide.
The affiliate program is free to join and uses your tracking links to help monitor how different activity performs.
This was one of the first programs that I ever joined and it definitely deserves to be included in our list of best affiliate programs for beginners.
Affiliates can enjoy a wide selection of tried and tested creative assets.
Simply select the banners or ads that best fit your website’s look and feel and start making money.
Commission plan: $65 to $125 per qualified lead
Cookie Duration: 90 days
Payout threshold: $100
Signup here: Bluehost
HostGator
HostGator is another web hosting provider and its affiliate program is powered by Impact.
They offer flexible payouts starting with a progressive tiered payment structure.
The more leads you bring in a month the higher you will be paid per lead.
A team of Affiliate specialists is ready to assist you with their affiliate program.
There is absolutely no cost to you to be a HostGator Affiliate, and the earning potential is great!
Commission plan:
1-5 leads/month…………..$65 /signup
6-10 leads/month ………….$75 /signup
11-20 leads/month…………$100 /signup
21+ leads/month……………$125 /signup
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Payout threshold: $100
Signup here: HostGator
WP Engine
WP engine is a Webhosting platform and operates its affiliate program through Shareasale.
You can also promote Studio press, Genesis Pro themes through one program.
You will be given access to a friendly and dedicated WP Engine Affiliate Manager ready to help.
WP Engine rewards you for sending referrals every month.
Commission plan: 100% of the first-month payment
Cookie Duration: 180 days
Payout threshold: $100
Signup here: WPEngine
Kinsta WordPress Hosting
Kinsta is a managed WordPress hosting provider that helps take care of all your needs regarding your website.
Commission plan: $50 to $500 with 10% monthly recurring commissions
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: Kinsta
SiteGround
SiteGround is known for hosting over 2 million websites.
The SiteGround affiliate program is famous for its high commissions and short payout periods.
They pay weekly and the withholding period of commissions is only 30 days.
This is why they are the favorite hosting partner of 60,000+ affiliates worldwide.
Commission plan:
1-5 Sales /mo $50 /sale
6-10 Sales /mo $75 /sale
11-20 Sales /mo $100 /sale
21+ Sales /mo Custom Commissions
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Payout threshold: No minimum threshold
Signup here: SiteGround
Namecheap
NameCheap is known for domain names and website hosting.
Name cheap affiliate program is powered by three affiliate networks; CJ, Impact radius, and Shareasale. You can join through any of these.
Pay rates are as follows.
Commission plan:
| Product | Commissions |
| Domains (registrations/transfers) | 20% |
| Hosting Packages (Stellar, Reseller, VPS and Dedicated Servers plans) | 35% |
| EasyWP | $5 |
| SSL Certificates | 35% |
| Private Email | 20% |
| VPN free trial | $2* |
| VPN trial renewal | 40% for 9 months |
| VPN 1 Year Plan & 3 Year Plan | 50% |
| PremiumDNS | 20% |
| Apps | 0% |
| Marketplace and Premium Domains | 0% |
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: NameCheap
uMobix
uMobix – Cell Phone Tracker For Modern Parents. Monitor everything that happens on your kid’s smartphone or tablet in real-time.
They offer:
- Phone calls, text messages, GPS-location tracking, Cell Phone Tracker; (Monitor everything that happens on your kid’s smartphone or tablet in real-time)
- Real-time reporting on Androids;
- Full access to a person’s Instagram & Facebook profile (the ability to manage an account as your own);
- 20+ social media platforms and messengers monitoring, including Youtube, Tinder, etc.
- Info on app usage, battery state and much more.
Cookie Duration: 120 days cookie tracking
Payment threshold: $100 minimum
Average check: $82
Commission: Start at 40% and earn up to 65% commission rate
Bonus and commission increase for top-performing affiliates.
Quick and easy start. Wide GEOs. Support by personal Affiliate Manager
Signup here: uMobix Affiliates
[On a note, check out this video where I talk about making deals with affiliate markeitng managers.]
Best Website Affiliate Programs
Wix
Wix is a website platform where you can build your websites, e-commerce stores, or blogs.
It is being used by 109 million people.
Wix has an in-house affiliate program.
It provides you with creatives to help you promote and has a dashboard to track your sales.
Commission plan: up to $100 per sale
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payout threshold: $300
Signup here: Wix
Shopify
Shopify is a world-famous eCommerce store being used by 1 million businesses.
Shopify’s affiliate program offers industry-leading commission, support, and resources.
It’s free to join with no monthly charges and no minimum sales requirements.
To max out your earnings, each referral will be followed up with to help them transition from trial to paid plan.
You can get priority Shopify Partner support at any time via phone, email, or live chat.
You’ll get a dedicated Affiliate Manager, access to partner education, and discounts on tools that can help you grow your business.
Affiliates can save time and money on content creation by linking to blogs, webinars, video tutorials, tools, and automated funnels developed by Shopify for your audience.
Commission plan: $58 to $2000 per sale
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Payout threshold: $25
Signup here: Shopify
Weebly
Weebly helps you build self-hosted websites, blogs, and online stores.
Their affiliate program is hosted by Shareasale and it is completely free to join.
The more you drive, the more you make!
There’s no limit on how much you can earn with Weebly.
ShareASale pays affiliates via check, direct deposit, or Payoneer.
Commission plan: 30% commissions
Cookie Duration: 120 days
Payout threshold: $50
Signup here: Weebly
Sellfy
Sellfy is a powerful eCommerce platform to sell digital products, physical products, and subscriptions all from one place.
Through Sellfy’s affiliate program, affiliates have been paid $50 million.
Commission plan: 25% commission for 12 months
Cookie Duration: 90 days
Payout threshold: $100
Signup here: Sellfy
FAQs – Best Affiliate Programs For Beginners
How do affiliate programs work?
Businesses either run a small in-house program or take the help of an affiliate network to manage their day-to-day affiliate operations effectively.
How to start affiliate marketing for beginners?
In this article, we have covered all basics of affiliate marketing for beginners.
What are the best affiliate programs for beginners without a website?
It’s usually pretty hard to find programs you can join without a website. If you already have a huge social media following, you might be able to find some. But I’d recommend at least a basic website before applying.
What are some free affiliate programs for beginners?
All of the programs listed above in this article will be free. I’ve never seen a cost to join. The qualifications include you having the web traffic in order to send to the company to get sales.
Are there good programs for YouTubers?
Absolutely. Here is an article we wrote with some of the best affiliate marketing companies that work with YouTubers.
What is the most profitable affiliate program?
That depends on what your niche has, how much traffic your website generates, and what other methods you would be employing to bring qualified traffic to your website
What are some best affiliate programs for beginners without a website?
There are several offers at Clickbank, Shareasale, and Digistore24 which can be promoted without having a website. Some useful channels include email marketing, forums, social media, and running paid promotions.
Summary
This is just a sneak peek of some affiliate marketing programs for beginners.
There are hundreds of others that can be useful for you as a beginner.
Maybe you are into a specific niche and want to learn about something like credit card affiliate programs.
Or maybe affiliate marketing isn’t your jam and you want to learn some other ways to make some extra money.
Just don’t get overwhelmed.
Start within your niche, apply for 10-20, and then track them with a tool like ClickUp or simple Google Sheets.
There is no black and white line between ‘this affiliate program is for a beginner’ and ‘this affiliate program is for a super affiliate’.
The success of affiliate marketing depends upon two things.
The kind of product you promote and the quality of traffic you bring to your website.
Remember that your readers trust you.
Therefore, make sure that you trust the products that you are recommending to your readers.
Once you get going and make some affiliate sales, then you might want to create a serious business and form an entity.
Whenever you promote a product be upfront with your readers.
Provide value and educate them.
If you have personal experience with the product let them know that.
But if you don’t, be honest with that too.
Let them know the information they need based on research that you’ve done.
Your audience will appreciate you being honest and will buy from you based on the trust that they have in you.
