Are you looking for an e-commerce platform to promote?
The WooCommerce affiliate program is excellent for bloggers with large audiences looking to promote a reputable e-commerce product. However, joining the WooCommerce affiliate program isn’t easy.
Read on to learn why you should consider promoting WooCommerce, how much you can earn, and more.
Here’s all you need to know about the WooCommerce affiliate program in a nutshell:
The WooCommerce affiliate program works by allowing you to promote WooCommerce products and earn commissions on sales.
When you join the program, you receive a unique referral URL to share on your website, social media, or other platforms.
If someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, such as buying a WooCommerce extension, you earn a commission from that sale.
The program provides you with a dashboard where you can track the traffic you send, view sales data, and monitor your earnings. It’s free to join, and there are no fees to participate.
As a WooCommerce affiliate, you have a wide range of products you can promote. Here are the main products you can promote as a WooCommerce affiliate.
You can also pair WooCommerce with another product, like top-rated WooCommerce hosting providers, and promote both products at the same time.
Since WooCommerce is free, you can’t earn commissions from referring users who only create free sites.
Furthermore, if you promote WordPress.com plans, you need your referrals to sign up for annual billing.
Find profitable keywords and topics to scale your niche site.
Amazing Discover untapped niches & topic clusters.
Strong Pay once, and access forever.
Powerful data-driven insights to grow your affiliate income.fit
Search, filter, and choose the best affiliate program and niche.
A Done-For-You Research Solution.
Find low-competition, high-traffic niches.
Quickly analyze the landscape for any niche.
Best in class ANC
WooCommerce affiliates generally make a decent income from promoting WooCommerce, as the program only accepts bloggers with large audiences.
In addition, you must have $100 in accrued rewards consistently to remain part of the program.
Ultimately, though, the amount you will make depends on how much traffic you can drive to your links.
The WooCommerce affiliate program pays a 20% commission on each sale you generate.
For example, if someone purchases a WooCommerce extension that costs $50, you will earn a $10 commission.
This 20% commission rate applies to all products in the WordPress referral program, including Jetpack products and WordPress.com plans.
For example, the WordPress Premium plan costs $96/per year. You will earn, therefore, a commission of around $19 when someone signs up for that plan.
However, there is an exception.
As of January 2023, things have changed a bit, and WordPress offers a more generous commission on the WordPress.com e-commerce and Business plans.
Instead of a 20% commission, you will earn a 100% commission for the first year when a referral signs up for an annual WordPress.com e-commerce or Business subscription.
However, that commission is capped at $300, which is how much WordPress.com e-commerce costs per year anyway.
WordPress.com Business costs more, but you still won’t earn more than $300 per referral.
The WooCommerce cookie lasts for 30 days. When someone clicks on your affiliate link, they must purchase a WooCommerce extension within 30 days for you to earn a commission.
Furthermore, if the user clicks on a different affiliate’s affiliate link after yours and then makes a purchase, you will not get credit for the referral. The same applies if they click on an ad that promotes WooCommerce.
Finally, it must be a new user who is not yet using WooCommerce.
WooCommerce now pays its affiliates through Tipalti, a third-party payment processor that allows you to receive your payment in a variety of ways.
Most people opt for PayPal or a direct ACH bank transfer, but those aren’t the only options. You can also receive a wire transfer or get a physical check in the mail.
It will take at least 45 days from the end of the calendar month during which you made the referral for WooCommerce to pay you.
In other words, if you made a referral on the first of January, it will take until mid-March, at the minimum, for you to receive your payment.
Typically, you will receive your payment between the 16th and last day of every month.
So, for a sale that you made in January, you will receive your affiliate earnings between the 16th and final day of March.
For referrals you made in February, you will receive your payment in the last half of April.
That might seem like a lot of time, but there is a reason for that. WooCommerce has to verify each sale and ensure the customer doesn’t request a refund.
Is it worth promoting WooCommerce? There are only so many affiliate programs you can join.
If your site focuses on e-commerce, should you promote WooCommerce, or would it be better to promote a competitor like Shopify?
Let’s start with some of the reasons you might want to promote WooCommerce as an affiliate.
Despite its pros, there are some drawbacks to promoting WooCommerce as well.
Here are the top reasons you might want to avoid WooCommerce and promote alternatives to WooCommerce, such as Shopify, instead.
Considering how difficult it is to get into the WooCommerce affiliate program, it might be better if you found another program instead.
Shopify, for example, pays a fixed bounty of $150 for any referral who signs up for a Basic, Shopify, or Advanced plan. That does not include trial signups.
Shopify, unlike WooCommerce, is not free to use. You need an active plan to use it. Therefore, it’s a lot easier to earn from your referrals.
As long as a referral sets up a store on Shopify and stays past the trial membership period, you will make a referral. With WooCommerce, however, they will need to take an extra step – purchasing a premium extension.
Remember, there are a lot of free extensions on WooCommerce as well, so there’s no guarantee you will earn money.
Furthermore, it’s a lot easier to calculate your earnings with a program like Shopify. If you make 10 sales, you will earn a fixed $1,500.
If your intent is only to promote an e-commerce platform, I can’t recommend the WooCommerce affiliate program.
However, if you also plan on promoting WordPress.com plans, it would be worth it, as you can earn $300 for every e-commerce or Business member you refer.
Interested? Don't wait - join the program today
Joining the WooCommerce affiliate program isn’t easy, as it’s an invite-only program. However, there may still be a way for you to join.
To join the WooCommerce affiliate program, you must receive an invitation, which will only happen if you are a blogger or influencer with an established reader base.
There is an alternative, but it’s probably not what you’re looking for. The WordPress Refer-a-Friend program doesn’t require you to apply.
For every paying customer you send to WordPress, you will receive a $25 credit, but you can only use that towards an annual WordPress.com plan. Your friend will receive a $25 credit as well.
If you did not receive an invitation, here’s how to apply for the WooCommerce affiliate program:
There is no specific period for WooCommerce to approve you for the program.
However, if you don’t hear back within a few weeks, you can assume that they did not accept you. Don’t feel bad – WooCommerce only works with select affiliates, and the bar is high.