If you’ve decided to begin your affiliate marketing journey, it’s essential to set yourself up for success from the very start. The first and most critical step is choosing the right affiliate network that fits your needs and goals. With thousands of affiliate networks available, selecting the best one can feel overwhelming. However, finding a network that helps diversify your income, provides lucrative offers, and creates opportunities to monetize can set you on the path to affiliate marketing success.
Regardless of your chosen industry or niche, there’s an ideal affiliate network waiting for you. This guide will help you understand the basics and provide insights into making the right choice.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Before diving into affiliate networks, let’s briefly explore what affiliate marketing entails. In simple terms, affiliate marketing involves partnering with a company or an affiliate network that offers various brands and products. As an affiliate marketer, you promote these products or services and earn a commission for every sale or action generated through your marketing efforts.
These actions may include a user clicking on a unique affiliate link that leads to a specific product, such as one on Daraz.com or Alibaba, and making a purchase. Even if a sale isn’t made immediately, driving traffic and leads to the product increases the chances of future conversions—and ultimately, boosts your revenue.
Affiliate commissions are typically paid out based on the actions generated, such as clicks, sales, or sign-ups, and are budgeted as part of the affiliate marketing company’s expenses.
Choosing the Right Affiliate Program
To kickstart your affiliate marketing career, it’s essential to choose a program that aligns with your niche or area of interest. Focusing on a specific niche helps you build authority and maximize your return on investment (ROI). Some of the most well-known and successful affiliate marketing models include Amazon Associates and Google AdSense.
However, before settling on a niche, it’s crucial to conduct thorough research to ensure its profitability. Look at whether others have successfully benefited from promoting similar products or services. Review SEO-focused websites or WordPress blogs using the same niche to evaluate the demand for these products.
If you notice many other affiliates promoting in the same niche, it’s a good indication that the niche is profitable. Once you’ve found the right network, you can organize your efforts by creating a spreadsheet to track and rank different affiliate program offers. This will help you build a strong foundation for scaling your affiliate marketing business.
Best Affiliate Networks For Beginners In 2024:
Now that you know what affiliate marketing is and how it works, we will take a look at some of the Best Affiliate Marketing Programs or Networks in 2024 and 2025.
- Amazon Associates
- Cj- Commission Junction
- FanFuel
- ShareASale
- FlexOffers
- Impact
- Awin
- NordVPN
- ClickBank
- Rakuten Advertising
1. Amazon Associates :
You may have heard of Amazon associates since it has become so popular. Not only do they provide the most extensive range of courses to make money through this monetization method but also give you a platform to start earning from it.
You will find hundreds and thousands of courses on Amazon associates. But before starting to work with Amazon it is important to consider a few things.
Amazon is not actually an affiliate program but it is rather an eCommerce site. Affiliate networks are the ones that provide a platform to the publishers and advertisers to engage and attain their objectives; however it is a great foundation for beginners and has proven itself useful through its courses.
Pros:
- Amazon has become a popular source of learning about affiliate marketing and actually making money through it. There have been some updates in the commission system however people that expanded their income stream were less affected.
- Amazon will always pay you on time and the most it goes is for 30 days.
- This program is also one of the easiest to use, navigate and implement in your business.
- There is diversity in their products and they have a global reach which is useful in affiliate marketing.
Cons:
- One of the biggest fears of affiliates is to be flagged for unknown reasons and that commonly happens on Amazon. They have really strict policies and you can be flagged for breach of any rules in the policy.
- Amazon Associates have lower payouts due to the sheer number of affiliates.
- There is no supervision or an affiliate manager to help you through any issues.
2. CJ- Commission Junction :
Commission junction is one of the best affiliate programs and is effective for beginners. It is a great network to start out your journey and generate some income from it.
CJ has been in this industry for about 20 years. So, with that much experience, you will get to learn a lot of things and benefit from their offers. They operate on a global level and have a variety of offers to provide.
Pros:
- This program is great for beginners. With their global reach, it can drive in a lot of traffic and connect you with some big names in the industry to promote their products and services. Consider this network if it matches your business goals.
- You can easily find profitable programs that are strongly suggested to you
- They provide extensive support and tutorials to help you learn everything
- They have partnered up with some big brands.
Cons:
- The brands are not permanent members so they keep changing
- As compared to Amazon their learning programs are not really extensive
3. FanFuel :
FanFuel is a brand of Wolfson which is a company that specializes in health and beauty. It is considered one of the best affiliate networks in general and for beginners. They focus on the marketing of products by sponsoring various athletes or health and beauty influencers, mostly fitness influencers. As those people have a huge following it is obvious, they drive in a lot of traffic and effectively contribute towards the increase in sales.
Other than fitness products they also promote nootropics that help to treat hair loss and for other cosmetic reasons. This enhances the overall performance of people. Therefore, you will have a lot of products to promote that are popular in many categories. You can earn about 40% commission from their offers which is a very high amount and thus causes a significant increase in your revenue.
Pros:
- Provides offers of various niches to attract large audiences
- Uses influencers and celebrity athletes to help endorse those products.
- Offers high commission
- Their cookie duration is 90%
Cons:
There are no apparent cons to this network which is why it is considered as a clean and easy way for beginners to start their journey, especially the ones specializing in health and beauty.
4. ShareASale :
ShareASale is one of the best and also neglected affiliate networks. One of the reasons people would not use it is because they haven’t updated their dashboard for ages. However, they have some of the best affiliate marketing offers in the industry.
Their offers are not related to huge brand names and sometimes that is not something you need to make the campaigns successful. The offers are more for smaller and profitable companies that are accessible. Their offers are so good that you can even earn $300-$350 per offer. They provide around 5000 offers.
Besides the few flaws such as their dashboard and a wow factor, they are actually pretty good at doing what an affiliate marketing network is supposed to do. However, the dashboard is still functional, and sometimes it is beneficial to have it simpler and easier to use rather than a complex and updated one.
Pros:
- A large number of offers to choose from.
- Smaller but more profitable affiliate programs.
- Faster payouts
- The ‘search for merchants’ option is much better than that of CJ.
Cons:
- Outdated dashboard
- The approval process for the offers can be lengthy and unpredictable.
5. FlexOffers :
FlexOffers is one of the best affiliate networks for beginners. Though they might not be as well-known as CJ and Amazon, they have an amazing management team that will put in all their efforts to help you learn and succeed. As a beginner this is a good start even though you probably won’t get high commission because they get their own cut from each offer.
Which means that you are a sub-affiliate in each offer you get. But you will get a readily available offer. You just need to promote it further and get commission. No efforts required which I don’t think is a bad deal for a beginner.
The best thing about them is that their affiliates are readily provided with offers that otherwise would have declined them. you can get accepted and earn profit from it. This could be a good kick start for you as a beginner.
You can also find out some offers that are not advertised on their homepage but they offer through this network. Another amazing thing about FlexOffers is their Net 7 payments which mean that based on the good performance you can get paid weekly.
Pros:
- Offers readily available offers to start earning
- Less effort required
- Provided offers that can be promoted off the network
- Gives weekly payout based on performance
Cons:
- You will be a sub-affiliate in this network
- They cut a percentage of the commission
6. Impact :
The impact is well known for its updated user interface and amazing dashboard functionality. It is a great affiliate network to start out your journey as an affiliate marketer. They have a well-detailed interface that also has a tracking and reporting system.
It will track your performance and report it to you on a timely basis. This is highly effective because you can get data on your progress and what to improve. This feature is beneficial for those people that want more performance metrics so that they can improve the quality of their work and gear business decisions.
They have partnered up with about 1000 brands and have a large variety of offers in different niches. Impact is a great network for beginners because it provides them with support to start their journey. Their acceptance process is also easy as many brands will accept you in little time.
Pros:
- They have a track system for performance tracking
- Updated interface and functional dashboard
- Has 1000 brands in a wide array of niches
- Have learning articles on their site
- Brands accept in little time
Cons:
- Not as user-friendly to join as other options
- The learning curve to understanding this program is complicated
- Some bugs and other backend issues have been reported
7. Awin :
Awin is one of the best affiliate networks for beginners because of many reasons. This is a great start for newbies because you will be entering a network that already has a lot of advertisers and publishers.
It has been estimated that they have about 16500 advertisers and 225,000 publishers on their network. Their publishers have earned as much as $1 billion in commission and it still continues to grow. In 2020 they managed to generate sales of about 182 million.
And it’s not only big in terms of these numbers but it is also an experienced network. Awin was really established in 2017 but its roots go back to zanox and affiliate windows which are some of the oldest networks existing in the 2000s.
Awin acquired another successful network ShareASale a few years ago but they operate as separate entities each with its own affiliates and offers. So you can sign up for both. Another best thing about Awin is their fast payment. You will get paid right on time when your work is done.
Pros:
- A wide variety of affiliate offers
- Easy to use network
- Partnered up with big brands
- Fast payments
- Tracking is easy through dashboards
Cons:
- The competition is tough
- Operates globally but focuses more on the EU and UK.
8. NordVPN :
NordVPN is originally a security service that was established by friends back in 2012 with a single VPN server. Now they have developed into offering thousands of servers to millions of users globally.
VPN is a competitive niche that is growing every year. It experiences 11% growth every year. You might be asking what makes it so special compared to other networks.
Well, besides the apparent numbers that indicate their success, they are endorsed by some popular influencers which adds up to their popularity and success. The big influencers take this offer because they get big money from it. NordVPN offers about 40% commission to its marketers/ endorsers.
Pros:
- Offers large commission
- Endorses huge influencers
- Is a reliable network
- Has 11% growth every year.
9. ClickBank :
ClickBank is considered one of the oldest or you can say the oldest affiliate marketing network that has been operating since 1998. Their story is very interesting as they grew from rags to riches.
A group of friends started out with this idea in a small garage and later turned the idea into a money-making machine source. They started earning $3 billion every year.
While everyone else was trying to figure out an efficient way of shipping goods, ClickBank shifted its dynamic towards selling digital goods and its profits skyrocketed yet again.
With digital goods, they could deliver instantly, with no overhead, and no labor expenses. Instead of all these expenses, they diverted towards forming direct relations with digital creators.
You can find all of their products easily on ClickBank Marketplace and they also have some physical products these days.
Pros:
- The best network for working as an affiliate without a website
- For promoting most programs, you would not need approvals
- You can promote many offers with repeating commissions
- Creating an affiliate link is the easiest for them
Cons:
- The marketplace website is very outdated and hasn’t been updated in 19 years. However, it is still functional.
- There are many programs that can result in refunds and the rates of those refunds can be high.
10. Rakuten Advertising :
Rakuten Advertising is a Japanese affiliate network. Originally, they weren’t an affiliate network but they started these activities after acquiring LinkShare back in 2005. Rakuten LinkShare has had significant growth and success since its emergence and has won many awards. Now, you must be asking, Is it good for beginners?
The simple answer is, yes! There are many reasons why it is one of the best networks for complete newbies. They have an easy-to-use interface; they have partnered up with more than 1000 brands and companies, and they have a huge variety of products and services offered.
Overall, this is a good start for beginners as they will have the guidance, the right platform, and the right offers with many choices to begin.
Pros:
- Partnered up with big brands
- One of the experienced affiliate networks
- User-friendly and informative interface
- Deals with $100 million sales per year.
Cons:
- The interface is outdated
- They lack metrics data.
Conclusion
Starting a career in affiliate marketing can be incredibly rewarding if approached strategically. The first step is choosing the right affiliate network that fits your niche, helps you diversify your income streams, and gives you ample monetization opportunities. With proper research and commitment, affiliate marketing can become a lucrative venture that leads to long-term success.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the most important step when starting affiliate marketing?
The most important step is choosing the right affiliate network that fits your niche and offers opportunities to generate revenue through a variety of offers.
How do I choose a profitable niche?
Research is key. Look at whether other marketers are promoting similar products and evaluate the competition in your niche. If others are benefiting from it, it’s likely profitable.
What are some examples of successful affiliate marketing models?
Popular affiliate marketing models include Amazon Associates, where you earn commissions by promoting Amazon products, and Google AdSense, which allows you to monetize your website through ads.
How do I earn commissions through affiliate marketing?
You earn commissions by promoting products or services through unique affiliate links. When a user takes a specific action, such as clicking a link or making a purchase, you receive a commission.
Can I promote multiple affiliate programs at once?
Yes, you can promote multiple programs, but it’s important to ensure that they complement each other and align with your audience’s interests. This helps increase your chances of earning more through diverse streams.