10+ Best Affiliate Programs for 2023: Maximize Your Earnings

It is much convenient to join affiliate programs when you know what to do and how to generate leads for a business. Here’s a compiled list of the best affiliate programs for 2023 to help you kickstart your your growth with most attractive commissions as an affiliate.

Affiliate marketing has been popular for decades. Eight in ten brands offer affiliate marketing programs. Many leading brands and multinational organizations offer affiliate programs to promote their businesses through a network of growing agents or partners. The partners earn a commission when they recommend and convince clients to use the brand they promote. This is a win-win situation for both parties.

Statistics show that there has been a sharp increase in affiliate marketing since 2016. The graph peaked in August 2022, as the Covid-19 pandemic pushed more people to become affiliate partners and earn money. Anyone, including students, freelancers, homemakers, marketers, small business owners, bloggers, and anyone can become an affiliate marketer.

You can become an affiliate marketer for a single brand or join a network to promote multiple brands. Since most transactions occur online, geographical restrictions aren’t a cause of concern either.

What are Affiliate Partnerships?

An affiliate partnership is a contract between a merchant and a publisher. The publisher will list the merchant’s products or services on their website and promote them to their audience. The affiliate gets a referral link which can be shared in the network via any communication channel. The merchant will pay the publisher a commission for facilitating this sale. The commission percentage, payout methods, etc., are usually mentioned in the agreement.

Brands that run affiliate programs have a payment structure for their affiliate marketers. You can become an affiliate partner for a business/brand if you satisfy the eligibility criteria. This depends on the business type, niche, commission plan, etc.

How to Become an Affiliate Partner?

Becoming an affiliate partner is not hard. However, it requires planning and consistency. Your website should be active and get substantial visitors. Also, networking is vital to promote your website and the brands you partner with.

Optimize Your Website

If you own a website, make sure it is optimized for search engines. This increases your chances of attracting more visitors to your site.

Select Niche

Select niches/ industries that align with your business or content. (You can be an affiliate marketer for brands outside your niche as well . However, it involves more work as your target audiences are different.)

Make a Shortlist

Make a shortlist of brands you want to promote or affiliate networks you wish to join. Go through blogs that list the best affiliate programs to make money and gather information.

Contact the Brands

Start contacting the best affiliate partners after comparing their payout system, brand value, niche, target market, etc. Follow their social media handles and sign up for newsletters to get the latest updates. For beginners, it is important to choose brands/ networks that have a straightforward commission plan.

Attend Events

Network online and offline by attending events, conferences, gatherings, etc. Interact with different businesspersons and entrepreneurs to build an association and become an affiliate partner.

Become an Affiliate Partner

Become an affiliate partner by completing the registration process according to the agreement. Some of you might ask if affiliate programs are worth it. The answer is yes. It can be a side hustle or even a full-time job.

More than 31% of publishers say that affiliate marketing is their primary income source.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Affiliate Programs

• Commission rate (this can be a single digit or touch 50%)
• Earnings per click (how much is the pay for every 100 clicks on the advertisement/ link to the affiliate partner)
• Average order value (what is the average amount spent by the user)
• Cookie duration (longer cookie duration is advantageous as you earn a commission for sales made days after the user clicks on the link)

What are the Most Profitable Affiliate Programs for 2023?

We categorized the affiliate programs based on their complexity, business size, commission amount, etc.

Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners 2023

1. DataToBiz

DataToBiz is a data science and artificial intelligence solution provider with clients from the US, the UK, the Middle East, and Australia. The company offers business development and product/ web development services.

For example, PrepAI is an artificial intelligence question generator tool developed by DataToBiz to help educators, students, parents, and trainers automatically generate question papers and quizzes. The company offers

• Up to 60% flat commission on every sales conversion
• Up to $100 credit (instant) for each qualified lead
• Up to $1000 incentives for upselling

DataToBiz offers on-time payments and expert assistance to newbie affiliate partners to attract more users and increase the conversion rate. The company also provides a recurring commission on each sale.

2. Binance

Binance is one of the leading crypto exchanges in the global market. The platform has an affiliate program for crypto lovers who want to monetize their website reach and earn a handsome commission. Simply fill out and submit the form on the website to initiate the process.

Binance offers

• 20% commission fees on eligible buys/ trades in their first six months.
• $10 when referrals complete $100 trades/ buys within 30 days(after account verification).
• Monthly payments in USD to the bank or PayPal account.
• No maximum limit- earn up to $1000 per referral.

3. Lemonads

Lemonads is a marketing network for affiliates. It has more than 10,000 businesses, with new ones joining regularly. Statistics show that affiliates can increase their revenue by 85% within three months of joining the network. It’s a great place for publishers and advertisers to find the best options based on their niche. Right now, there are 235,000 active publishers in the network.

Lemonads offers the following benefits:

• Different commission rates based on the affiliate program you choose.
• Minimum payout of $100.
• Weekly payments through bank transfers, PayPal, Paxum, and ePayments.
• Access to affiliate tools to optimize the website for more leads.

Best Affiliate Programs for Small Business

Affiliate programs and small businesses can be linked on multiple levels. One, you can promote products/ services used by small businesses to help them better their processes. Here, your target market consists of startups, solo businesses, and small business owners.

Two, a small business owner can also be an affiliate to earn side income. Since small businesses also have a website, you can become an affiliate partner and a user. This allows you to network with other small business owners as well. So, these are some of the best affiliate programs to promote your small business.

1. Yelp

Yelp is a web development, hosting, and marketing website that also offers online reservation services. It is mainly a crowd-sourced review database with countless reviews and testimonials for a brand collected in one place. It allows users to write reviews, interact with each other, plan events, make reservations, etc. Businesses use Yelp similarly to Google My Business (GMB) by updating their business-related information for users to easily reach them online and offline.

Yelp affiliate program delivers great rewards. It offers:

• $100 commission when a small business pays for an ad.
• Promotional materials to boost your affiliate links.
• 60-day referral period.
• $300 credit to use for Yelp ads for your business.
• Dashboard to track the progress.

2. Wix

Wix is a website-building platform with more than 200 million active users. The platform offers an easy method for small businesses to bring unlimited referrals to earn good money. It also provides affiliate tools to optimize your website and get more clicks on the ads and affiliate links. Every affiliate partner is given access to an intuitive dashboard to track their clicks, conversions, earnings, etc., through the program.

Wix affiliate partnership offers:

• $100 per sale or other payout options

You need to sign up for the program to get the full commission and payout details.

3. SocialPilot

SocialPilot is a social media management and marketing tool for business owners, marketers, etc. It offers various customization services to promote the business online and provide a seamless user experience to increase sales and profits. SocialPilot has an affiliate program with many tools and marketing materials.

A SocialPilot affiliate gets:

• 30% recurring commission for lifetime subscriptions
• Pay-per-sale
• 30% for every new paid subscription
• Monthly payouts via PayPal
• Tracking software for affiliates with a minimum of 2 customers or 50% balance

Best Affiliate Programs with Recurring Commissions

Only some companies offer Recurring commissions. Though the recurring payments may not be as much as the original commission, it adds to the income as you bring more leads to the business.

1. Shopify

Shopify is one of the best and easiest affiliate programs designed to attract small business owners looking to set up an eCommerce store. The platform is one of the leading solutions used by numerous sellers from around the world. Being a recognized name, it will be easy for you to market Shopify and earn a commission for your referrals.

Shopify provides:

• 200% initial payment as a commission
• 20% recurring commission
• Pay-per-sale option
• 30-day cookie period and
• No minimum payment

2. Eggflow

Eggflow is a SaaS marketing platform that offers automation and customer engagement tools. It helps develop a sales funnel to attract leads and convert them into customers. It allows third-party integrations with platforms like HubSpot, MailChimp, Shopify, etc. Eggflow can be used by small, medium, and large businesses to streamline their marketing strategies. The company’s affiliate program can provide good income to affiliates.

Eggflow offers the following to affiliate partners:

• 20% recurring commission
• Pay-per-sale
• Payments via PayPal & Payoneer
• 90-day cookie period
• Minimum £10 payment

3. SEMRush

SEMRush is a popular SEO platform with comprehensive tools to optimize a website and manage digital marketing processes. It’s one of the most trusted SEO tools for keyword planning, website auditing, PPC, and other services. SEMRush has an attractive affiliate program that also provides you with many opportunities to learn your craft. Several freelancers, marketers, and small business owners subscribe to SEMRush.

SEMRush offers:

• $200 for each referred software subscription (or)
• $10 for every user trial and one cent for each signup.
• 120-day cookie period.

Best International Affiliate Programs

International affiliate programs are the ones that can be joined by a publisher from different parts of the world. The program is not limited to a few countries or continents. This gives you a chance to earn money in dollars and pounds. It also provides you with a way to reach a wider set of audience and increase website visitors.

1. Amazon Associates

Amazon Associates is one of the easiest affiliate programs out there. It is suitable for both beginners and experienced publishers. It just takes a few minutes to become an Amazon Associate. Furthermore, niche restrictions aren’t an issue either. You can promote any product available on Amazon and create a strategy based on the initial responses. However, the income is quite less (due to the number of Amazon Associates in the network).

Amazon offers the following:

• 1–3% commission rate
• Different commissions for different products
• The highest commission for Amazon Games
• Global program

2. Twitch

Twitch is a huge online platform for entertainment and game lovers. Content creators and gamers have a great chance of monetizing their skills by becoming Twitch affiliates. The company has set eligibility criteria to approve affiliates. It invites people on the platform to join the program after they are eligible for it.

Major highlights of the Twitch affiliate program are:

• Monetize bits, ads, & subscriptions
• Global affiliate program
• An affiliate is different from a partner (you can’t be both)
• Multiple payment methods
• Should have at least 50 Twitch followers
• A minimum of 7 unique broadcasts in 30 days
• At least 500 total broadcast minutes in 30 days
• Average of 3 or more concurrent viewers in 30 days

3. FedEx

FedEx is an international delivery service provider with its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The company ships packages overnight and allows users to track their progress in real-time. Small business owners with international customers find it convenient and safe to use FedEx for shipping. The company has an affiliate program with a decent commission percentage and other benefits.

A FedEx affiliate partner is eligible for:

• 5.50% commission rate on qualified purchases
• Access to exclusive promotional tools
• Applicable to global users
• Several shipping and print solutions

Just fill out the sign-up form on their website to start the process.

Conclusion

The best affiliate programs to join depend on your website, niche, and experience. You can become an affiliate for more than one business and grow your network accordingly. Take your time to go through the eligibility criteria and payouts before making the final decision.

Affiliate marketing will continue to grow in the coming years. It can become your main source of income over time. Just make sure to choose what ignites your passion. You can get more leads when you believe in what you promote as an affiliate marketer.

Originally published on DataToBiz