Audible Affiliate Program
The Audible affiliate program is one of the best affiliate programs to join if you run a book review site or a blog about motivation, entrepreneurship, and self-mastery.
Similarly, if you blog about any topic and your readers would be interested in audiobooks to expand their knowledge, the Audible affiliate program provides an excellent earning opportunity.
Here’s all you need to know about this program, how it works, and how to join.
Brett Helling is a digital marketing expert with over 10 years of experience building, managing, and scaling websites.
Here Are the most important details about the Audible affiliate program in a nutshell for those of you who don’t have time to read the whole article.
- Cost per action (CPA): N/A
- Commission rate: $0.50 per audiobook, $5 per trial signup, $10 per paid membership signup
- Cookie duration: 24 hours
- Payment payout threshold: $10
- Payment options: Direct deposit, Amazon gift card, physical check
Audible does have an affiliate program. It is part of the broader Amazon Associates affiliate program, operating under similar rules.
Amazon owns Audible—it’s just one of many products that Amazon owns. However, it is part of a specific subsection of the Amazon Associates program—the bounty affiliate program.
What Is the Audible Affiliate Program?
The Audible affiliate program allows bloggers, freelancers, and influencers to promote Audible products in exchange for a commission.
When you get someone to purchase an audiobook on Audible or sign up for an Audible membership, Amazon will pay you a fixed bounty. It’s similar to a commission, but the reward is fixed and not dependent on the price of the audiobook.
How Does the Audible Affiliate Program Work?
Once Amazon approves you to join the Amazon Associates program, you can start promoting Audible using your unique affiliate link.
You can put this link on your blog or in your social media posts. When someone clicks on the link, signs up for an Audible membership, or purchases an Audible audiobook, you will earn a bounty.
Is the Audible Affiliate Program Free?
Yes. It is free to join the Audible affiliate program. You don’t need to have an active Audible membership to promote Audible, either.
As a general rule, stay away from affiliate programs that require you to pay a monthly fee or purchase the product you’re promoting. That’s a red flag and a sign of a multi-level marketing scheme.
Products to Promote
Once you join the Amazon Associates program, there are many products you can promote. Let’s take a look at the top Audible products you can promote.
1. Audible Free Trial
Unlike many other affiliate programs, The Audible affiliate program pays you for every trial member you refer. When someone clicks on your link and signs up for a one-month free trial for Audible, you will earn $5.
The one-month trial of Audible Premium Plus gives trial members two free audiobooks. As a trial member, they can also purchase additional audiobooks during the trial month for 30% off.
2. Audible Gold/Premium Plus
If you refer someone and they sign up for the Audible Gold/Premium Plus membership, you will earn a bounty of $10.
This plan gives members one credit per month, which they can use on one title. They can also purchase additional titles for 30% off the price for non-members.
3. Audible Plus
Audible also has a lower-priced plan you can promote. While Audible Plus Premium gives members one free credit a month, Audible Plus costs $7.95/month and does not give users any credits.
However, members get access to Audible Original audiobooks, podcasts, guided meditation sessions, and more.
4. Audible Audiobooks
People can also purchase audiobooks without signing up for a membership. You will earn a $0.50 bounty on every audiobook you sell, regardless of how much the book costs.
Furthermore, you will earn this bounty even if the person you referred uses a credit they got as part of their Premium Plus plan to purchase the audiobook.
4. Audible Gift Membership
You can also promote gift memberships. These are special memberships that users can buy for family and friends for a period of several months or a year.
5. Other Things You Can Promote With This Program
Audible also has a UK site. If you’re promoting the UK version, you will receive £5 for every trial membership and £8 for every referral who signs up for the £7.99 plan.
You will also earn £0.50 for every audiobook purchase.
What Products Are Excluded From the Audible Affiliate Program?
If someone was an Audible trial member or paying member in the past 365 days, they do not qualify for a new Audible trial, even if they are currently not a member.
However, you will still earn if you refer them to a paying plan, even if they were a past trial or paying member.
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The amount you will make depends on how much traffic you can drive to your affiliate links. With earnings of $5 per trial membership, getting just ten referrals a day will earn you $50 a day.
Audible Affiliate Program Commission Rates
There are multiple products you can promote with the Audible affiliate program. However, you will earn a fixed bounty for each referral, as opposed to a percentage of the sale.
- Audible Trial Memberships: You will earn $5 per Audible trial membership. Your referral does not have to become a paying member for you to make this commission. It also doesn’t matter which trial membership they sign up for.
- Audible Plus and Premium Plus Memberships: If a referral signs up for an Audible Plus or Premium Plus membership, you will earn a fixed bounty of $10. However, they must pay within the specified cookie window (more on that in the next section).
- Audible Gift Memberships: For gift memberships lasting 12 months, you will receive $10. However, for gift memberships lasting only three or six months, the bounty is a bit lower—just $8.
- Audible Audiobooks: For individual audiobook purchases, you will receive a commission of $0.50. That applies regardless of the cost of the audiobook.
How Long Does The Audible Cookie Last?
One of the downsides of the Audible affiliate program is that the cookie window is incredibly short compared to most affiliate programs.
Amazon has a cookie window of just 24 hours, which is how it defines a session as per its Amazon Associates operating policies.
Twenty-four hours is a bit short, but the fact that you can earn for trial membership sign ups helps compensate for that. People are more likely to sign up for a trial membership as they don’t have to pay anything.
How Payments Work
The Audible affiliate program follows the general Amazon Associates affiliate program rules regarding payment.
The first option is a direct deposit to your bank account. This option is best if you want to receive cash earnings for your work.
The second option is an Amazon gift card, which you will receive in a digital format. You can use this gift card to purchase products on Amazon.
The final option is a physical check. However, Audible will deduct a $15 processing fee from each check it sends you. There are no fees for the other payment methods.
Furthermore, you must have at least $100 in accumulated rewards to request a payment via check. The minimum threshold for the other two payment methods is just $10.
Amazon pays its affiliates approximately 60 days after the end of the calendar month in which you made the commission.
Is the Program Worth It?
Like any other affiliate program, the Audible affiliate program has both pros and cons. Here is what you need to know before deciding to join the program.
Pros of the Audible Affiliate Program
What are the main advantages of joining the Audible affiliate program?
- Earn for trial memberships: One of the best parts about the Audible affiliate program is that it pays you for trial memberships, which makes your job of converting readers a lot easier.
- It’s a well-known brand: Amazon owns Audible. Amazon is one of the most famous brands in the world, so you will have built-in credibility.
- Low minimum payout threshold: You can receive your earnings as soon as you have $10 in your account, which is pretty low. That translates to just two trial membership sign ups or one premium membership signup.
- Multiple payout methods: You can receive your earnings either via direct deposit, an Amazon gift card, or a check.
- Many options to promote: When you join the Amazon Associates program, you also get access to many other products in the Amazon bounty program. For example, you can promote Amazon Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Amazon Kids+.
Cons of the Audible Affiliate Program
On the other hand, the Audible affiliate program does have some drawbacks, including the following ones:
- Short cookie window: The cookie window of 24 hours is perhaps the biggest drawback of Amazon Associates.
- No PayPal payment option: Some people might prefer to receive payment via PayPal or Payoneer. However, your only options to receive cash are currently a bank transfer or a check.
- It doesn’t accept everyone: It’s not that difficult to get accepted into the Amazon Associates program, but it doesn’t accept everyone. You need to have an active blog (you should have at least 10 published posts) or a decent social media following.
- It can take a while to get your payment: It can take up to three months to receive earnings for your sales, which means that it’s not a good option if you need cash quickly.
- Audiobook commission rate is low: At just $0.50 for every audiobook sale, you’d be better off promoting the trial or paid membership options.
Conclusion: Is the Audible Affiliate Program Worth It?
Yes. While the cookie duration window is short, the program makes up for it in other ways, such as by giving you a commission on trial signups.
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How to Join
To join the Audible affiliate program, you’ll first need to apply to be an Amazon Associate, as the Audible affiliate program operates under the Amazon Associates umbrella.
Requirements To Join the Audible Affiliate Program
You need an active blog or social media following to join the Amazon Associates and Audible affiliate programs. Here are some ways to qualify:
- Have a blog with original content published in the last two months. You should have at least ten published posts on your blog of decent size.
- Have a social media account on approved sites (like Facebook—fan pages only—or a verified Twitter account) with at least 500 followers.
- Have a free mobile app with original content that is available for download on Android, iOS, or Amazon devices. You can not hide the app content that contains Amazon links on your app behind a paywall.
As you can see, the requirements are not strict. Nevertheless, you can’t apply if you don’t have some sort of following or online presence.
How To Apply [Step-by-Step Tutorial]
Here is how to apply to the Amazon Associates program, step by step.
- Make sure you meet the policies Amazon has outlined on this page.
- Visit the Amazon Associates page and click on the yellow “Sign Up” button.
- Sign in to your Amazon account. If you don’t have an account, create one.
- Confirm your payout information. You can select your personal details (name, address, phone number, etc.) from your existing Amazon account data.
- Enter your website URL or mobile app. You can list up to 50 websites. You must list at least one website. If you don’t have one, a Facebook fan page or a verified Twitter account can work, but you must have enough followers. Personal Facebook profiles are not acceptable.
- Fill out your profile and complete the application.
It usually takes less than 24 hours to receive a response from the team reviewing your application. However, in some cases, it may take several business days, so be patient.
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