8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

ShareASale

One of the most well-known affiliate networks is ShareASale.

ShareASale hosts affiliate programmes for more than 4,500 merchants, large and small, as opposed to Amazon Associates, which is solely focused on Amazon products. 8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

You can create links, monitor your statistics, and sign up for all of these merchants from a single location on the ShareASale dashboard.

This affiliate network follows a very normal procedure in that each retailer must approve your application when you submit it.

A fantastic choice for both digital and tangible goods is ShareASale.

For instance, there are numerous WordPress theme and plugin stores, hosting companies, etc. on the digital side.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

ShareASale pros and cons

Pros:

• There are thousands of merchants, many of them well-known ones, that sell both tangible and digital goods.
• There are several upmarket retailers. The vast majority of ShareASale’s 1,000+ merchants only use that platform.

Cons:

• The dashboard design has much improved, although it still has a slightly uncomfortable feel about it.

How to use ShareASale and what you need to know

• Niche/product types: a tad of everything, including both analogue and digital goods.
• Average commission rate: Depending on the particular retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Minimum payout: $50

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Awin

Another well-known affiliate network that allows you access to over 13,000 other businesses is Awin, a simplified version of the original Affiliate Window.

Awin actually bought ShareASale in 2017, but the two continue to operate independently and use different merchants.

Awin offers a wide variety of possibilities for both physical and digital goods thanks to its 13,000+ merchants.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Awin pros and cons

Pros:

• Depending on the particular retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Dedicated WordPress plugin to facilitate product import
• Low minimum payout (only $20)

Cons:

• $5 registration fee (refunded if you’re accepted; forfeited if you’re not)

How to use Awin and what you need to know

• Niche/product types: You may get physical and digital goods for practically every specialty thanks to Over 13,000 vendors.
• Average commission rate: Depending on the particular retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Cookie duration: Depending on the exact retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Minimum payout: $20

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Amazon Associates

Amazon Associates is a wonderful choice if you want to promote tangible goods on your website.

You can get a cut of everything sold on Amazon.com by using Amazon Associates.

This programme is even more useful because you get paid a commission on every new item a referral buys, even if it’s not the one you connected to.

You still receive the fee, for instance, if you link to a $5 toothbrush but the customer ends up purchasing a $500 TV.

the compensation rate you received from Amazon Associates depended on how much revenue/sales you generated. The flat-rate commission structure, which Amazon switched to January 2017, pays you a fixed percentage based on the category that each product is in:

Due to the elimination of the sales volume threshold, which may have displeased some high-volume affiliates, this change makes Amazon Associates even more tempting for smaller websites.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Amazon Associates pros and cons

Pros:

• large number of product options
• You will receive credit for all purchases made by customers when the cookie was active.
• Extremely low payout threshold ($10)

Cons:

• The universal cookie is only allowed to be used for 24 hours.
• Each country requires a separate registration.
• Amazon has a history of occasionally lowering commissions.

What you need to know about Amazon Associates

• Niche/product types: anything bought from Amazon.com.
• Average commission rate: varies based on the category from 1% to 10%.
• Cookie duration: Cookies have a 24-hour shelf life. If you allow users to directly add items to their shopping carts, you will receive a 90-day cookie, but only for the specific product that is there.
• Minimum payout: $10 for a direct deposit or gift card to Amazon.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

CJ Affiliate

Another affiliate network that unites a huge variety of retailers under one roof is CJ, formerly known by the longer term commission Junction.

You’ll be able to connect with thousands of large and small businesses because of CJ’s position as one of the largest affiliate networks, along with ShareASale. The precise amount is 2,696 distinct retailers as of right now.

Some of the big physical and digital companies using CJ are:

• Lowes
• Priceline
• GoPro
• IHG (Hotels)
• Grammarly

There are also a number of smaller retailers to be found.

You will submit individual applications to these merchants from the CJ dashboard, just as ShareASale. Following that, you’ll be able to create links and see statistics.

Compared to ShareASale, I believe CJ’s affiliate dashboard has a little steeper learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, I much prefer it.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

CJ pros and cons

Pros:

• There is a wide assortment of national and regional merchants.
• A fantastic back-end dashboard may be used to oversee your affiliate marketing activities.
• has a bookmarklet deep link generator that makes building links really easy.

Cons:

• The dashboard is a little difficult to use at first.

What you need to know about CJ

• Niche/product types: Like ShareASale, CJ covers a range of niches and both physical and digital products.
• Average commission rate: When you first use the dashboard, it can be a little difficult.
• Cookie duration: Depending on the particular retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Minimum payout: $50 for direct deposit or $100 for check.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

ClickBank

A lot of the products offered by affiliate network ClickBank are digital, but it also sells tangible goods.

While ShareASale and Awin have a large number of well-known, large-scale merchants, ClickBank clearly has more “smaller” merchants.

You can find several retailers selling eBooks, online courses, or membership websites, for instance. These retailers might not be as well known as well-known national or international brands, but if they meet your niche, they can be excellent bargains.

Though some of the ClickBank products aren’t exactly of the highest calibre, there is a drawback. You should be vigilant about the merchants you select to promote, even if ClickBank has improved its vetting procedure to weed out unreliable vendors.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

ClickBank pros and cons

Pros:

• a large number of small speciality offers that aren’t present on other affiliate marketplaces
• commissions for the majority of very large retailers
• Simple to get paid with a minimum payout of $10
• Offers weekly payments

Cons:

• You run the danger of losing commissions after the fact because of ClickBank’s lax refund policy.
• You have to sift through some useless goods.

What you need to know about ClickBank

• Niche/product types: Despite the fact that ClickBank clearly favours digital goods, you might find some physical things there.
• Average commission rate: Depending on whatever retailer you decide to register with, but usually very pricey. There are both flat-rate and percentage commissions available.
• Cookie duration: varies depending on the particular retailer you join up with, but often 60 days.
• Minimum payout: $10

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Rakuten Marketing

A lot of significant retailers are part of the well-known affiliate network known as Rakuten Marketing. Known retailers are:

• Walmart
• Best Buy
• Macy’s
• Papa Johns

Despite having a smaller network like ShareASale, CJ, or Awin, they do have a few smaller merchants.

Therefore, you might be better off with one of the other networks if you want to have access to a big selection of merchants. But if you want to access the big guns, Rakuten is a fantastic alternative. They also have some interesting features, such the ability to rotate advertising without the use of an external solution.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Rakuten Marketing pros and cons

Pros:

• makes it possible for you to buy at renowned retailers like Walmart and Best Buy
• a respectable company (Rakuten is a billion dollar company)
• additional features such as simple ad rotation

Cons:

• fewer choices compared to a few other affiliate networks

What you need to know about Rakuten Marketing

• Niche/product types: You can definitely still discover offers in the majority of niches with 1,000+ merchants.
• Average commission rate: Depending on the particular retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Cookie duration: Depending on the exact retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Minimum payout: $50

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Avangate Affiliate Network

An affiliate network with a concentration on digital products and software, as opposed to tangible things, is called Avangate Affiliate Network.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

For example, you’ll get access to popular software merchants like:

• Bitdefender
• Kaspersky
• Hide My Ass (the VPN)
• Awario

Avangate Affiliate Network gives you access to more than 22,000 pieces of software in total, so if your website frequently promotes digital goods, you should join this one.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

Avangate Affiliate Network pros and cons

Pros:

• You have the option of receiving payment via PayPal.
• numerous intriguing software choices
• The vast majority of retailers provide large commissions. Commissions of 50% or more are typical.

Cons:

• The $100 minimum payout is more than most other affiliate networks’ minimum rewards.

What you need to know about Avangate Affiliate Network

• Niche/product types: Avangate Affiliate Network focuses primarily on software and digital products. You may search the full marketplace for merchants without needing to register.
• Average commission rate: Avangate promises commission rates of up to 85%, depending on the specific merchant you choose to work with, and its digital products often have higher commission rates than those of rival networks’ physical goods.
• Cookie duration: Depending on the specific store you decide to register with. Because Avangate Affiliate Network allows merchants to choose their cookie length anywhere between 30 and 180 days, you are guaranteed at the very least 30 days.
• Minimum payout: $100

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

FlexOffers

You can access 12,000+ different advertisers and merchants with FlexOffers, a reputable and well-liked affiliate platform.

It features one of the more attractive dashboards, in my opinion, and FlexOffers adds 50+ new merchants every day, so you can always find fresh deals.

Numerous deals are available on FlexOffers from both large and small companies, including well-known names like Priceline.com, Macy’s, Skechers, Lenovo, and more. If you wish to examine what’s available before registering, you can browse a complete directory of all the retailers.

FlexOffers has been around for a while, much like the other major affiliate networks, so you can be sure that they won’t disappear anytime soon.

Every publisher is also given a personal account manager by FlexOffers, which is a great touch. Your account manager can assist you in identifying the best offers to promote and can also help you make other affiliate marketing improvements.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

FlexOffers pros and cons

Pros:

• There is a vast assortment (12,000+ retailers to pick from).
• aesthetically pleasing backend dashboard
• You receive an attentive affiliate manager.

Cons:

• PayPal is the only payment method available if you are outside of the USA.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners

What you need to know about FlexOffers

• Niche/product types: You may find physical and digital goods across all categories thanks to the more than 12,000 sellers.
• Average commission rate: Depending on the particular retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Cookie duration: According to the exact retailer you choose to sign up with.
• Minimum payout: $50 within the USA or $100 outside the USA.

8 best affiliate platforms for beginners