Learn about beginner-friendly affiliate programs, perfect for starting your affiliate marketing journey.
There are a lot of affiliate marketing programs out there, and it can be difficult for people who are just starting out with affiliate marketing to decide on one.
To solve this problem, I put together a list of the best beginner-friendly affiliate programs for 2024. These programs are great for beginners to join, as they are easy to get into and trustworthy.
To be clear, this list contains both affiliate networks and affiliate programs.
Affiliate programs are what businesses use to get affiliates to promote their products. It works by businesses paying commissions out to affiliate marketers for every sale or sign-up that they bring. A few different kinds of affiliate programs consist of pay-per-lead and recurring.
Affiliate networks, on the other hand, serve as a “network” of affiliate programs. They aim to help connect affiliates to businesses that want affiliates.
The reason why I put affiliate networks on the list is that they simplify the affiliate program joining process. Beginners might find using a network easier than searching the web for affiliate programs that fit their niche.
There are a ton of people who shop on Amazon. This makes Amazon Associates the perfect affiliate program for beginners.
Not much convincing needs to be done to get someone to shop on Amazon. You simply have to point them in the right direction to a product that they may already be looking for.
The main downside to Amazon’s affiliate program is the low commission rates. This means you don’t get as much commission on each product you sell.
However, because users already trust Amazon, you will be able to sell more products. So in a way, it evens out.
ShareASale is a prominent affiliate marketing network known for connecting a vast array of merchants with affiliate marketers.
Established in 2000, it has grown to include a diverse range of merchants spanning various industries. This variety provides affiliates with many options, from fashion and beauty to technology and home goods, catering to a wide range of niche preferences.
The platform is praised for its user-friendly interface, which simplifies the affiliate marketing process, making it straightforward even for beginners to navigate through merchant offerings, generate affiliate links, and track performance metrics.
Impact Radius, now known as Impact, is a comprehensive partnership management platform. They claim that there are 9 million products that can be protected to earn affiliate commissions.
Impact is a great affiliate network for beginners, as it makes it easy to become partnered with hundreds of different brands with only one account. This saves you the hassle of making an account for every single affiliate program you want to join.
This program also covers another key pillar by offering affiliate programs with credible brands such as Adidas, Lenovo, Allstate, StockX, and more. This makes it easier for beginners to convert link clicks into commissions, as the brand has already established trust with any potential buyer.
The eBay Partner Network allows you to earn commissions for promoting other people's listings on eBay.
Similar to the Amazon Associates program, eBay doesn’t offer high commissions. However, it offers an impressive network of products that you can earn commissions on by promoting.
The program is designed to be approachable and provides tools for creating ads and campaigns, driving traffic, and optimizing results, which makes it great for beginners.
Fiverr makes for a great affiliate program for beginners, as it covers a variety of niches while offering generous commission rates.
Fiverr is also a well-known and trustworthy network that goes on to increase the conversion rate of people that you send to their site. This means more commissions for you!
Also, the Fiverr affiliate program is a two-tier affiliate program. This means that you can refer more affiliate marketers to their program and earn a cut on what they make.
CJ Affiliate is known for its large selection of big brand names for affiliates to promote, making it a popular choice among affiliate marketers. CJ Affiliate offers a simple and intuitive user interface, a wide variety of link creation tools, and the ability to "sell" ad placement space on websites.
They are known for their reliable monthly payments to affiliates and provide a range of tools on a stable platform with ample support.
Shopify is arguably the best e-commerce platform out there currently. It is an all-in-one e-commerce kit. I have used it many times in the past and have genuinely enjoyed the product.
The Shopify affiliate program pays commissions up to $150. They also offer a 30-day cookie life for when someone clicks on your affiliate link.
However, the downside to the Shopify affiliate program is that they are selective in the application screening process. To be approved, you will need an established audience or website.
This doesn’t mean that you should avoid this program; it is just something you will have to work up to.
ClickBank is another option for new affiliate marketers. There is no screening process to become an affiliate, which is great for beginners who don’t have an established audience yet. At the time of making this, there were nearly 2,000 different offers available to promote on ClickBank.
The platform is convenient for affiliates, offering reliable tracking of sales, refunds, and chargebacks, and handling commission payments automatically.
A problem with ClickBank is that many of the offers seem scammy and poorly made. So it may take some time to find ones that you feel good promoting.
Many new affiliates that don’t yet have a website wonder if they can start affiliate marketing.
The answer to the question is no, you don’t need a website. There are several alternatives, such as building an audience on social media or running ads to a landing page with your affiliate links.
With this being said, a website can still be a useful tool in your affiliate marketing strategy, as it can be used alongside a social media following and can turn into an asset that has an exit value.
In the end, you can find success with any of these affiliate programs if you find the correct audience for the offers. I recommend first picking an audience that you can create content for and then picking an affiliate program to promote.
Now that you have the affiliate programs necessary to start earning commissions, it is time to start driving traffic to your affiliate links. If you already have an established audience, this step will be relatively easy.
However, if you don’t have any sort of website or social media following, you will need to take time to build one, assuming you don’t want to go the route of using ads to promote your affiliate links.
