Affiliate programs are one of the best things to happen to online marketing. You’re able to promote a product or service you stand behind while also making money. Sounds pretty great, right? Getting involved in one of the best affiliate programs for beginners doesn’t need to be as hard as some make it seem. We’ve done a ton of research to make becoming a part of an affiliate program as easy as possible. 

Below you will find everything you need to know, including tips and trips of the trade, as well as a list of the best affiliate programs for beginners to try out! You’d be surprised how many options are available for newbies! There are pros and cons to joining, just as with anything else! Let’s talk a bit about why you may want to become an affiliate.

Benefits Of Becoming An Affiliate

There are plenty of benefits when it comes to becoming an affiliate for a product or service. We here at Long Tail Pro wanted to highlight a few of those benefits to give you a better idea of whether or not becoming an affiliate is right for you. Below are the top five reasons why being an affiliate can be great! 

1. Working Remotely

Just about everyone’s dream is to be able to work from home, right? There’s no commute, you can stay home with your kids, and you can stay in your sweat pants a little longer. While the majority of people who are affiliates also have day jobs, it can be a great way to make more money from the comfort of your own home.

On top of that, you can really work from anywhere. Whether on vacation, taking public transportation home, at a coffee shop, when bored on a long flight, or whatever the case. As long as you have internet access and an electronic device, you’ll be able to take part in affiliate programs from just about anywhere.

2. It’s Fairly Easy

Another benefit of becoming an affiliate is that it’s fairly easy work. Most of the time, all you need to do is post an ad or a link for a specific product or service. You then hope your audience clicks the link and uses it to purchase said product or service for themselves. Depending on the type of affiliate program, you may be paid based on the number of clicks on your link or the number of sales from your link. The more people you refer, the more money you make.

3. It Won’t Cost You Anything

This doesn’t apply to all affiliate programs, but the majority of them are free to join. This is a really big benefit if you’re worried about start-up costs or if you don’t have any money to start with. There are so many great products and services that have affiliate programs; you’re bound to find one that you can stand behind that is also free to join. 

If you run a blog about a specific topic, it may be in your best interest to find a product that’s relevant to the topic of your blog. Let’s say you have a website dedicated to educating people about pets. You can look for affiliate programs from places like dog food companies, businesses that sell cat toys, or even veterinary clinics. If the product or service you’re an affiliate for is related to your blog, you’re much more likely to get referrals.

4. You Can Be Lazy

I bet you didn’t think you’d be reading about the benefits of being lazy today. You may enjoy knowing that being an affiliate doesn’t take much effort at all. You’re essentially posting a link or an ad in the form of a photo you post or a snippet of your story on social media. 

As you’ve already read, this can be done from just about anywhere. It only takes a few minutes and then you wait for people to use your referral link. Keeping that in mind, the more effort you put into being an affiliate, the more likely you are to see more money rolling in. 

5. Little To No Risk

Since there is usually no cost for affiliates, you could probably guess that it’s a little-to-no-risk program. Not only that, but if a product you’re trying to make money from isn’t selling or is no longer popular, you can likely drop it at any time. There are usually no long-term contracts that you have to stick to, which can be a big plus for beginners that are a bit naive about the subject. 

The Best Affiliate Programs For Beginners

Below you’re going to read about the 9 best best affiliate programs for beginners to make money. There is a wide range of options, making it easier to find something that works for you. If you don’t see something you like, there are a plethora of affiliate programs out there. Be sure to do your research to find the best fit! 

1. Amazon Associates

Amazon is the largest eCommerce site in the entire world. They have an associates program that is free to join for everyone. All you have to do is create an account and choose which products you want to be an affiliate for. You can even be an affiliate for things like Amazon Prime.

The percentage of commission you make when you’re an Amazon Affiliate is based upon the type of product you’re affiliated with. For things like luxury beauty, there is a fee rate of 10%. For products like DVDs or computers, there is just a 2.5% fee rate. Payments are made via direct deposit, Amazon gift cards, or checks. 

2. Udemy

Udemy is a platform for online learning that is one of the most popular in the world. People of just about every age use this platform each day. There are over 30 million students and 50,000 instructors on Udemy. There is a commission rate of 15% and payments are made via direct deposit. It’s important to note that you do not get paid until you make at least $50. There are tons of classes for you to become an affiliate for and they even have tools to help you drive more referrals to your link.

3. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie has over 11 million users that complete surveys and gives their input for points. As your points build up, you can turn them into gift cards or a direct deposit. For each person that signs up using your link, you will receive $1.50. 

Survey Junkie pays you through Paypal and there is a $10 threshold on your account that you need to hit to get paid. You and your referrals can take surveys to build up your points to earn even more money. Most surveys take between two and 20 minutes to complete.

4. CreativeLive

Another service that offers online courses and classes is CreativeLive. This program has been around for nearly a decade and hosts live courses for students from anywhere in the world. 

There is a 20% commission rate for purchases made by new customers. The commission rate for returning customers is 10% in addition to a $1 lead payout for people who register using your link. CreativeLive will pay you via check or direct deposit. It’s important to note that there is a $50 threshold on your account until you’re able to receive a check.

5. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is another eCommerce platform. It is built for people who are designing online stores or need help maintaining them. It is easily one of the best e-commerce platforms available today. There is a whopping 200% commission rate of your referral’s first monthly payment. 

Also, there is a $1,500 bonus for each enterprise customer who uses your link. Payment methods are available via direct deposit or wire transfer. It’s important to note that your referral has to make an account and purchase within 90 days of using your link.

6. Shopify

Shopify is an eCommerce platform that is designed for business owners. Whether you’re starting a business, trying to grow a business, or managing a business, they’re there to help. They have a commission rate that averages to about $58 for every referral who signs up for a paid plan. 

There is also a commission rate of $2,000 for each Shopify Plus account purchased via your affiliate link. They pay their affiliates via PayPal and there is no minimum threshold to get paid

7. Skillshare

Skillshare is a popular website that offers a plethora of different courses and classes to anyone. Some classes teach you how to run a business or gives you tips for becoming a better photographer; there are even courses for people who enjoy cooking. 

There is a commission rate of $10 for each referral that signs up using your affiliate link. Skillshare pays affiliates via direct deposit once a month. If you have a large audience with a variety of different interests, this is a great option! 

8. Adobe

Adobe is a well-known company in the creative industry. Search programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and InDesign are used by photographers, editors, and filmmakers every day. There are a few different ways to earn commission through Adobe. 

One of their affiliate programs will give you an 85% commission of your referrals’ first month of a monthly subscription and 8.33% of a first-year subscription. They also offer an affiliate program for Adobe Stock. You will earn $72 for monthly subscriptions. They pay their affiliates via direct deposit monthly. 

9. BlueHost

Lastly, there is BlueHost. This is a popular web hosting provider that hosts over two million domains. There is a $65 commission rate that can increase based on the number of referrals you get. They will pay you via PayPal, sometime between 45 days and 60 days after the initial referral. 

There is a $100 threshold on your account that you must meet to get paid. It’s free to join, easy to sign up, and there is incredible customer support. If you want to be part of their affiliate program, you have to sign up and get approved before you can make any money.

Tips For Beginners

Now that you’re more aware of the benefits of becoming an affiliate, we wanted to share with you a handful of important tips that may make the whole process easier. Whether you are a beginner or you’ve dabbled in a program before, check out these tips to see if you can learn something new that will benefit you.

Have A Website

One of the best tips we can give you is to have your own website. Earlier you read an example about running a website about pets and how it can help bring in more money. This is usually the case if you have a website that has a blog. Blogs are an amazing marketing tool that is accessible to just about everyone. 

You can write about a topic and nonchalantly add in your affiliate link. If you’re nervous about coming off as too much like a salesperson or money-hungry, this is a great avenue to check out! Not everyone can have their own website, which is alright since there are so many other options available! 

Create Social Media And Have A Following

Social media has played an important role in the marketing world for a few years now. Chances are, you can’t follow a celebrity without seeing a sponsored post at some point. If you have an incredibly large following, you can make a surreal amount of money just off being an affiliate and posting about it on social media. 

That being said, if you don’t have a large following, you’re less likely to make money. Being an affiliate is all about how many people buy a product or click on your referral ad. When you have a larger audience, more people are likely to click.

Sell Something You Believe In

It’s fairly easy to tell when someone is selling something just to make money. Obviously, making money is part of the job, but coming across as money-hungry can actually prevent people from using your affiliate link. This is why we suggest promoting a product or service that you can get behind. 

Let’s say you’re promoting a lotion that’s really helped your skin. If you have experience with using the product and have gotten the results people are wanting, they’re more likely to use your link. On this topic, you’re likely knowledgeable about a product or service you’re passionate about. This is a giant plus when it comes to affiliate marketing. 

Create Content

Whatever avenue you’re using to promote your affiliate link, you want to create content relating to it. This can be something as simple as a photo on your Instagram story, a mention in a YouTube video, or a blog about how the product has changed your life. We live in an incredibly visual society. People are constantly consuming content, so why not take advantage of it?

Promote Yourself

Another tip is to not be scared of promoting yourself. Whether you have your own blog or you’re just using social media, everyone you know is promoting themselves in one way or another online. A great tip is to promote one social media account on another social media platform. You could do this by telling your Instagram followers to go check out your latest tweet or asking your Facebook following to take part in the poll on your Instagram story.

Pay Attention To Analytics

Our last tip is to pay attention to analytics. Analytics will show you how many people are clicking on your link, how many people are buying the product from your link, and more. Analytics is a great way to show you whether or not the work you’re putting in is paying off. You may notice that one type of content may get more engagement than another. If you see this, try posting more of the content that gets the most engagement.

Bottom Line 

We’re hoping one of the nine affiliate programs that we mentioned above will work for you. Whether you’re referring people who use creative software such as Adobe, or you’re encouraging your followers to use your link to sign up for online courses for their hobbies, there’s something out there for everyone. Remember that just like anything else, there are benefits and downsides to becoming an affiliate for a product or company. 

It doesn’t take a lot of work and can be done from almost anywhere. Make sure you find a product or service you’re passionate about and can honestly stand behind. Now it’s up to you to find a program that works best for you. Good luck!