Best Affiliate Networks
Affiliate marketing is increasingly becoming popular among people looking for career shifts and secondary income streams.
It allows people to advertise products and services for merchants and make commissions on each sale, website visit, ad view or ad click.
Some of the best affiliate networks globally provide thousands of merchants access to numerous affiliates to push their products to clients.
Read on for an in-depth analysis of the best affiliate networks in the industry and advice on how to select a network that best suits you.
Brett Helling is a digital marketing expert with over 10 years of experience building, managing, and scaling websites.
We’ve included an overview of our top picks below. For detailed information on each pick, scroll down.
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Affiliate networks are platforms that connect affiliate marketers with businesses that want to sell their products.
In affiliate marketing, the network helps affiliates find products they can advertise to consumers while providing exposure to businesses.
Therefore, affiliate networks help both businesses increase their sales, and marketers earn a commission from encouraging consumers to buy specific brands.
How Do Affiliate Networks Work?
First, the affiliates (publishers) and merchants (advertisers) sign up for an affiliate network.
Once the network accepts their applications, the merchant can add affiliate programs to the network, thus giving affiliates access to numerous programs that promote various products.
The affiliate then applies to join merchant programs of interest and gains access to promotional materials to use on marketing platforms, like social media, once accepted.
The affiliate also receives a unique ID to attach to the marketing links they use to enable the network to track their sales once a customer taps the link and purchases a product on a merchant’s website.
My Honest Thoughts
There are numerous affiliate networks in the marketplace.
However, only a select few are worth considering joining.
Here are some noteworthy examples of the best affiliate networks:
1. ShareASale
ShareASale is one of the most popular affiliate networks globally.
The network provides access to a wide range of physical and digital products.
Signing up to ShareASale is free for affiliates, while merchants must pay a one-time $550 fee.
ShareASale offers education to its affiliates and merchants in the form of blogs, webinars, and other materials.
They also provide data to affiliates to enable them to analyze the performance of their promotions and make adjustments to their strategy.
2. FlexOffers
FlexOffers is an affiliate network that offers access to over 12,000 affiliate programs.
It also connects affiliates and merchants to 65 other affiliate networks, some of which are on this list, like Awin.
Signing to FlexOffers is very straightforward since it requires basic information and verification of your contacts and platforms you will use for advertising, like your website.
FlexOffers pays its affiliates via wire transfers, checks, bank transfers, and PayPal.
They also offer advances to cash-strapped affiliates.
3. ClickBank
ClickBank is an appropriate affiliate network for product creators, unlike other networks focusing more on recognized brands.
It offers small and medium-sized businesses access to a large marketplace to promote their unique products.
Merchants pay a 7.5% commission on all products sold through the network, meaning advertisers do not have to contend with upfront fees.
Another benefit of ClickBank is it offers customers a 60-day money-back guarantee.
See our ClickBank Review for more information on the network.
- Related: How to Make Money on ClickBank
4. Commission Junction
Commission junction has thousands of merchants on its network.
They include traditional physical product companies and digital-based companies that offer services in industries in retail, finance, and travel.
Commission junction allows you to determine who you want to work with and offers flexibility in commission based on the output of the affiliate marketers.
5. Amazon Affiliate Program
The Amazon Affiliate Program allows publishers to advertise products hosted on the Amazon website, even those posted by third-party vendors.
Amazon Affiliate Program offers fixed commission payments to affiliates ranging from 1% to 20%, depending on the product you sell.
Amazon Affiliate Program also offers bounty commissions for sign-ups to products and services like Amazon Prime and Audible.
For more on the commission structure, see Amazon Associates.
6. Impact
Impact handles the relationship between affiliates and merchants differently than other affiliate networks.
With other networks, affiliates apply to work with a merchant and get approved.
However, with Impact, the affiliate has to contact the merchant and propose a working relationship.
Therefore, it is vital to have pitching experience when working with Impact.
Impact offers the ability to negotiate your commission directly with the merchant.
7. Awin
Awin, formerly known as Affiliate Window, is an affiliate network with over 20,000 merchants.
Awin began in Germany, but therefore it offers access to not only North American but European merchants.
The network does not offer fixed commissions meaning you get to negotiate your rates with the merchant.
Another benefit is that Awin offers payouts of as low as $20.
Best Affiliate Marketing Platforms for Beginners
Not all affiliate networks and programs are conducive for beginners.
Some are very complex and have strict requirements.
Hence, as a beginner, you should consider the following affiliate programs:
1. Amazon Associates
The main reason why Amazon Associates is appropriate for beginners is that it offers over one million products and services to promote.
Therefore, you can always find a niche of products and services that suit your interests.
Moreover, if a customer buys a product using your unique ID, you will receive a commission.
You will also still get a commission if they buy something else without buying the product you are promoting.
2. Commission Junction
Commission Junction, now known as CJ Affiliate, is an affiliate network with merchants globally, making it easy to find products to promote.
It also gives affiliates six months to generate a commission which is adequate time to develop relationships with merchants and customers.
They also provide several earning methods, including pay-per-call and pay-per-action programs.
3. Skimlinks
Skimlinks offers access to over 50,000 merchants with the freedom to determine the commission they will pay their affiliates.
The network also has partnerships with other affiliate networks hence negating the need to sign up to several affiliate networks.
Skimlinks also make finding merchants easier because affiliates install a widget that links with their websites and assesses their content to determine viable merchants.
4. Fiverr
Fiverr offers education to new affiliates through tutorials making it easier for them to establish themselves.
The platform also has an easy-to-use dashboard that helps them find merchants and track their product promotions.
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