16 Best Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners in 2024 (2024)

One of the biggest challenges when building an affiliate marketing business is finding the best programs for beginners.

After all, there are thousands of high-paying affiliate programs to choose from.

Choosing the wrong affiliate program could set you back months, whereas the right one could see you generating your first affiliate buckaroos before your site is even “finished.”

Because we are often asked this question, we will dedicate this blog post to reviewing the best affiliate programs for beginners.

We’ll also try to give you a far more balanced view of why signing up for affiliate networks sometimes makes more sense than an in-house affiliate program and vice versa.

Let’s get to it.

Affiliate Marketing Programs For Beginners

1. Amazon Associates Affiliate Program
2. CJ (Commission Junction) Affiliate Program
3. ShareASale Affiliate Program
4. ClickBank Affiliate Program
5. Rakuten Advertising Affiliate Program
6. Impact Affiliate Program
7. Awin Affiliate Program
8. Etsy Affiliate Program
9. eBay Partner Network Affiliate Program
10. Fiverr Affiliate Program
11. Refersion Marketplace
12. PepperJam Network
13. FlexOffers Affiliate Program
14. Avangate Affiliate Program
15. MaxBounty Affiliate Program
16. LinkConnector Affiliate Program

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Affiliate Networks vs. Affiliate Programs

The first mental hurdle is understanding the difference between in-house affiliate marketing programs (merchants) and affiliate networks.

Some beginners treat these terms as if they’re interchangeable – they’re not.

Let’s say you build an affiliate website promoting outdoor sporting equipment, such as trampolines, water slides, lawn sports, etc.

You’d then have the choice of signing up for several (or dozens!) affiliate marketing programs for different manufacturers and suppliers.

You could also sign up for a network that connects you with most of the product suppliers you want to work with.

The sensible route for somebody new to affiliate marketing is to sign up with affiliate networks and go from there simply.

But affiliate networks aren’t some panacea.

Some affiliate programs only exist outside of affiliate networks, so you’d have to sign up for them individually.

My favorite example of this was when I started out as an affiliate marketer… focusing on replica lightsabres.

True story – I made a lot of money selling toy lightsabers.

The company behind them was Master Replicas, which ran a great affiliate program. So I had to sign up directly with them because they “owned” the prop and replica lightsabre market back then.

Years later, they migrated to an affiliate network, but the payouts were lower, the terms were pretty bad, and eventually, I just let the affiliate site die of a broken heart…and broken affiliate links.

So, we’re going to look at both sides of the game.

Firstly, the best and most popular affiliate networks, and secondly, a range of diverse and reasonably generic enough affiliate programs that apply to most audiences.

What To Look For In A Good Affiliate Marketing Program

Ease of Use

When starting out in affiliate marketing, you should make things as easy as possible for yourself.

That includes signing up for relevant affiliate programs offering excellent management and great design.

After all, the last thing you want to deal with is an affiliate program with a clusterf**k of an interface.

This can make creating affiliate links or uploading a banner an absolute nightmare.

I’ve been that soldier – crying over my keyboard because the geniuses behind a given affiliate program created an interface so complex that the only person capable of “solving it” would have to be a hybrid of Stephen Hawking and Doctor Strange.

Affiliate networks tend not to have that problem – they aim to make your life in affiliate marketing as easy as possible.

Because if you’re not making money (i.e., passive income), then they’re not making money either – nor are their clients.

That said, there are just as many in-house affiliate programs that are the affiliate marketing version of the Sistine Chapel.

But we want to reinforce here that ease of use should be a deciding factor for your affiliate program.

It won’t be as much of an issue when you have more skin in the game.

Point of contact

Things will go wrong from time to time.

Links will stop working, or you’ll have a question about why last month’s sales report looks upside down.

That’s precisely when you’ll need help from a dedicated affiliate manager.

Affiliate networks tend to have a slight advantage here because you can rely on their support staff and the affiliate manager for whatever program you have a question about.

Just bear in mind that affiliate managers are no different from face-to-face managers in that some are really good, and some are awful.

Always check what kind of support you’ll get before you sign up for any affiliate program. For example, do you have a dedicated affiliate manager?

“Jack, the guy from IT takes care of that” isn’t the answer you want or should accept.

Commission & Payments

Find out not only how much a given affiliate program will pay you but also when you’ll actually be paid.

Most affiliate programs are Net 30, but some are Net 60 and even Net 90.

What the above means, in plain English, is that most affiliates are paid 30 days after making a sale, but others are not paid for 90 days.

That’s a long time to wait for your affiliate income, especially if you have bills.

Best Affiliate Marketing Programs For Beginners

Now, look at the best affiliate marketing programs for first-timers— those that give you the best chance of making money online with your new business.

1 Amazon Associates

Jeff Bezos is a pretty clever guy. He’s also indescribably wealthy – his bank balance looks like his name converted to binary.

That wealth comes from foresight, like being one of the first online retailers to offer an affiliate program in 1996.

Yes, there was an Internet in 1996, except you could hear it when you picked up the phone. Ask your parents what that means if you don’t understand.

The Amazon Affiliate Program (aka Amazon Associates Program) is one of the oldest affiliate programs and the most popular, with 58.5% of affiliate marketers using it, according to our affiliate marketing statistics page.

It’s also vast, encompassing all of Amazon’s products sold online. So, if you can find something on Amazon, you can sell it and earn a profit.

That includes everything from books to bullhorns and anything in between—there’s something for every audience.

Amazon’s affiliate marketing program is the first place we send brand-new affiliates simply because it’s so easy to use, especially when creating your first affiliate link(s).

• URL:Amazon Associates Program
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• You get paid: Net 60
• Payment threshold: $10
• Best suited to: Affiliate marketing beginners building their first site

2 CJ

CJ — formerly known as Commission Junction — is one of the oldest affiliate networks out there. I’ve been using it since about 2002.

What makes them different from Amazon is that CJ specializes in big brand names, as well as smaller product and service suppliers.

When writing this, they represent major companies such as Zappos, Walgreens, Verizon, Under Armour, Trip Advisor, Staples, Sonos, Disney Shops, Sears, and Samsung.

And roughly 2,473 other affiliate marketing programs.

In addition to the super diverse range of brands and products, you also get all the tools successful affiliate marketers need — from excellent support to simple affiliate link creation.

But what I really love about the CJ Affiliate network is its metrics – I can clearly see if an affiliate program is profitable or not.

That’s a huge time saver.

There’s no guesswork involved, so you can map out exactly what affiliate programs you’ll promote and roughly how much you can expect to make per sale.

• URL: CJ
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• Payment threshold: $50
• You get paid: Net 30
• Best suited to: Affiliate marketers with 3 – 6 months of experience.

ShareASale is probably one of the most overlooked affiliate networks out there.

Part of this is because the interface looks very 2002 – it hasn’t changed since I first signed up for my account many, many moons ago.

And the lack of a “Wow” factor puts some new affiliate marketers off.

But my friends, my friends – ShareASale has some of the best affiliate programs out there. Some pay $300 – $350 per sale. And no, those affiliate programs have nothing to do with…umm, “enlargement” products or anything like that.

In fact, they represent around 5,000 different affiliate programs, but these are focused more on smaller but profitable companies rather than large brand names.

The affiliate marketing dashboard is basic but functional; sometimes, the lack of complexity is a good thing.

ShareASale is one network you should seriously consider signing up for.

• URL:ShareASale
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• Payment threshold: $50
• You get paid: Net 30
• Best suited to: An affiliate marketer looking for emerging brands or more tangential products and services.

4 ClickBank

ClickBank is yet another affiliate network that falls into the “grandparent” category — they’ve been online since 1998.

It’s a real rags-to-riches business story—one started by friends sitting around a garage but eventually transformed into a business with US$3 billion in sales per year.

While every other affiliate program was trying to figure out how to ship goods while still generating a profit, the guys at ClickBank turned that idea on its head by focusing instead on selling digital products.

That meant instant delivery, almost no overheads, and the ability for them to work directly with creators. Although they could never have imagined social media to be a thing, their range of products can also work extremely well with those audiences.

You can find all of their products in the ClickBank Marketplace, but they also feature some physical products.

The Marketplace interface is functional, but it hasn’t changed since 1998. It’s a minor gripe, but it’s long overdue a facelift.

If you need more help getting started as a ClickBank affiliate, check out our (well, Gael wrote it, so it’s a collective we) article on how to make money with ClickBank.

• URL: ClickBank
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• Best suited to: Marketers who prefer promoting digital products
• Payment threshold: $50
• You get paid: Net 60

5 Rakuten Advertising

You might not have heard of Rakuten, but they’re a Japanese affiliate marketing service provider.

They put their foot in the door of the affiliate marketing scene when they acquired LinkShare in 2005.

Since then, they’ve grown the Rakuten Linkshare platform from a market presence to a winner of many awards.

So….is it suitable for beginner affiliates?

The short answer is “Yes,” but let me elaborate:

1. The interface is pretty similar to most other affiliate networks
2. They represent 1,000+ brands and businesses
3. Their merchants supply everything from gifts and flowers to consumer electronics and office supplies.

The only potential downside is that Rakuten is a serious player in the affiliate marketing scene, so the approval process can be slow, especially if your site has little or no traffic.

That said, Rakuten is a sleeping giant most newbie affiliates don’t pay enough attention to.

Some affiliates have implied this network is slow to pay out, but I’ve never had an issue with them.

• URL: Rakuten affiliate program
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• Best suited to: Affiliates who want to broaden their horizons beyond Amazon and eBay.
• Payment threshold: $50
• You get paid: Net 30

6 Impact

Impact is essentially another major affiliate marketing network, despite its claims otherwise. However, it is not as old as ClickBank and ShareASale.

But age, after all, is just a number, so Impact’s comparative youthfulness definitely shouldn’t stop you from signing up. Its founders created Commission Junction, so they clearly know what they’re doing!

Like the other big-name networks, Impact features many household names, including Adidas, Airbnb, and HSBC. At the time of writing, 2,517 brands were using the platform to reach new audiences, and new advertisers were always joining the network.

Unsurprisingly, for a (relative) newcomer to the world of affiliate marketing, Impact’s user interface is a lot fancier than most affiliate networks.

But this isn’t just about cosmetic appeal — it also incorporates some smart, user-friendly features.

One of my favorites is the “brands to work with instantly” section, which lists all the advertisers offering instant approvals. This fantastic feature makes it easy for new affiliate marketers to get up and running quickly.

• URL: Impact
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• Best suited to: Affiliate marketers looking for programs offering instant approvals
• Payment threshold: Varies by payment method
• You get paid: Monthly

7 Awin

While it’s hard to quantify, Awin can definitely claim to be the largest affiliate network, with more than 16,500 advertisers and 225,000 publishers at the time of this writing.

In 2020 alone, the platform generated an impressive 182 million sales, and its affiliates earned $1 billion in commission, so it’s a pretty big deal.

And it’s not only big; it’s also one of the oldest networks. Although Awin has technically only existed since 2017, its roots can be traced back to the Zanox and Affiliate Window networks, both of which started out in 2000.

Not content with running its own network, Awin also acquired another of the networks on this list—ShareASale—a couple of years ago. However, they operate as totally separate entities with their own merchants, so successful affiliates can sign up for both.

As you’d expect, there are plenty of big names on Awin, including Emirates, Etsy, and Under Armour.

However, as an affiliate marketer, my favorite thing about Awin is its commitment to fast payments. Many of its affiliate programs offer accelerated payments, plus you’ll get paid for validated transactions regardless of when Awin gets paid by the advertiser.

• URL: Awin
• Cost: Free
• Type: Affiliate network
• Best suited to: Affiliates who want to get paid promptly!
• Payment threshold: From $20
• You get paid: Once or twice a month (you choose)

8 Etsy Affiliate Program

The Etsy program is an affiliate marketing hybrid.

That’s because the products sold through the platform are made by independent crafters, vintage traders, and artists, although there has been some “creep” with overseas manufacturers trying to stake a claim here.

So it’s an affiliate network for sole traders if that makes sense.

Etsy has become the leading platform in its niche. In just a few short years, it has gone from zero to a publicly traded company.

What I find interesting about Etsy is that a surprising number of people I know have either bought something on Etsy or are selling their own handicrafts on the platform.

You can make money through Etsy’s affiliate program by linking to products you find on the platform and/or reviewing them. Then, when one of your visitors makes a purchase, you’ll receive a 4% commission

So, is this one of the best affiliate marketing programs for newbies? Well, you probably won’t retire on Etsy commission payments, but it does offer you a great chance to make worthwhile cash.

• URL: Etsy affiliate program
• Cost: Free
• Type: Merchant (via Awin)
• Best suited to: Affiliates interested in handmade items, personalized products, or vintage goods.
• Payment threshold: $50
• You get paid: Net 30

9 eBay Partner Network

We won’t insult you with a brief history of eBay because everyone knows what it is.

But what started out as a way for people to clear out their garages and make a few bucks has become a global marketing platform for individuals and big brands alike.

Did you know that more than 80% of the 1.4 billion listings on eBay are for new items?

It’s not just a marketplace for used goods and/or junk.

So, while most newbies jump straight into bed with Amazon (not a wrong decision), few pause to give the eBay affiliate program a second look.

eBay also manages its own affiliate program, so there are no “middlemen” involved—you work directly with them.

That means building a relationship with their team of affiliate managers, which could be invaluable to you in years to come.

In short, this affiliate program — officially called the eBay Partner Network (EPN) — isn’t perfect, but it can be an excellent place for brand-new affiliates to start out, usually in conjunction with the Amazon Associates Program.

• URL: eBay Partner Network
• Cost: Free
• Type: Merchant
• Best suited to: Anyone – if you’ve ever been on eBay, you’ll understand why
• Payment threshold: $10
• You get paid: Net 30

10 Fiverr Affiliate Program

Speak to many other affiliate marketers, and I bet they’ll tell you that selling services is usually much easier than selling physical products.

Present an audience with a list of service providers, and they’ll take care of the rest.

Fiverr took that basic concept and ran with it, monetizing the gig industry for services covering the following umbrella categories: graphic design, marketing, writing, video and animation, music, programming, business, lifestyle, and industries.

Although you can sign up for their program on CJ.com, we will focus on their in-house affiliate program instead for simplicity.

It’s potentially one of the highest-paying affiliate programs out there. The Fiverr affiliate program offers up to $150 per referral, depending on the category of the service provider you’re promoting.

Unlike other affiliate programs, you also have multiple ways of earning affiliate revenue with Fiverr, including their ‘Learn from Fiverr’ courses, where you get paid 30% per sale.

Although this gig platform built its reputation on selling digital services like WordPress installations and backlink building, you can now also find “lifestyle” services like arts and crafts, tarot readings, or even relationship advice.

Oh, and their affiliate program takes about 30 seconds to sign up to – enter your name and email address and choose a password.

• URL: Fiverr affiliate program
• Cost: Free
• Type: Merchant
• Best suited to: Any blog with a topic that is directly or tangentially related to a Fiverr gig category, although business-style services do tend to sell very well.
• Payment threshold: $100
• You get paid: Net 30

11 Refersion Marketplace

Refersion is an affiliate network I stumbled across recently.

I had never heard of them because they’ve only been around since 2015. At that time, they managed to onboard 17,000 advertisers.

That’s no mean feat in an industry where other networks struggle to sign on a few hundred merchants.

What the Refersion Marketplace lacks in style, it more than makes up for with its sheer volume of advertisers.

• Signup URL: Refersion Marketplace
• Offer types: CPS
• Payment options: PayPal
• Payment terms: Dependant on advertiser
• Payment threshold: Dependent on advertiser
• Most suited to: New affiliate marketers having trouble getting accepted by other platforms.

12 PepperJam

PepperJam might not be a name you’re instantly familiar with.

But they’ve been part of the affiliate marketing industry for a long time, making a big enough splash to be acquired by eBay in 2009.

They were then relaunched under the PepperJam brand again in 2016.

They represent a mixture of huge brands, including Puma, Nordstrom, Orion, Lindt, and many more niche brands.

• Signup URL: PepperJam
• Offer types: CPS
• Payment options: Net 60
• Payment terms: PayPal – you have to contact support for other options.
• Payment threshold:$25
• Most suited to: PepperJam is a solid network for new and experienced affiliates alike.

13 FlexOffers

FlexOffers stand out from the crowd…by not standing out from it.

Affiliate marketing is overflowing with hype, but FlexOffers avoids doing that.

Instead, they humbly get on with being an affiliate network.

They do this despite providing an affiliate marketing platform for companies such as Macy’s, Walgreens, Kohl’s, Hulu, McAfee, and AT&T, among others.

They have 12,000 advertisers to choose from, although they consider only 500 of these to be “premium” merchants.

• Signup URL: FlexOffers
• Offer types: CPS, CPL, Flat rate, Per Install
• Payment options: Check, Bank transfer, wire transfer, PayPal
• Payment terms: Net 60
• Payment threshold: $25
• Most suited to: Affiliates who need or want access to the broadest selection of advertisers possible.

14 Avangate Network

Avangate was founded in 2006, and like ClickBank, they only promote digital products.

However, unlike ClickBank, the brands they represent are software and digital courses – but 99% software.

Now, before we go any further, Avangate is basically two companies – Avangate is their affiliate software platform.

However, their affiliate network is 2Checkout, which is massively confusing because they’re also a payment processor.

Anyways, 2Checkout has 22,000 software advertisers signed up with them, and it also has a handful of online courses, like SuperReading.

In terms of software, you’ll find everything from Hide My Ass, Bit Defender, Malware Bytes, SEO PowerSuite, and Filmora to FTP software.

• Signup URL: Avangate Network
• Offer types: CPS
• Payment options: Check, direct deposit, PayPal and Avangate Mastercard
• Payment terms: Net 30
• Payment threshold: $100

15 MaxBounty

MaxBounty is a Canadian network that’s been around since the early days of affiliate marketing in 2004.

While most other networks provide a wide range of offers, MaxBounty focuses on what it does best: CPA offers.

You get paid when affiliates take a specific action, like installing software or completing a form.

Typical CPA offers tend to be far more lucrative than, say, CPS or flat-rate offers.

They have around 2,000 campaigns on their books, including those for more popular niches like online dating and dieting.

• Signup URL: MaxBounty
• Offer types: CPA, CPL, and CPI
• Payment options: Direct deposit, check, PayPal, Payoneer
• Payment terms: TBC
• Payment threshold: $50
• Most suited to: Established affiliates with plenty of traffic and who need new CPA offers to push.

16 LinkConnector

Although LinkConnector has been around for over a decade, they’re rarely featured in roundups like this.

But that happens when you plagiarize other affiliate marketing blogs for your own content.

So, what makes them different from every other network?

Well, they might not be widely known, but they’ve landed some pretty big names, including Reebok, Levi’s, Dockers, Omaha Steaks, Brain Sensei, and Deposit Photos.

That gives you a decent mix of physical and digital products to promote.

However, their advertiser directory also contains several more niche offers—it’s pretty eclectic.

• Signup URL: LinkConnector
• Offer types: CPS, CPL, Per Click, and Pay per Call
• Payment options: Check or PayPal
• Payment terms: Net 30
• Payment threshold: $100

Wrapping Things Up

And there you have it – our in-depth blog post on the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners.

We covered as much ground here as possible, hopefully giving you enough affiliate program choices to work with.

The cool thing is that if you have some existing traffic, you could start earning passive income from your visitors literally tomorrow, with some payments arriving in the next 30 days.

Don’t miss out on our valuable affiliate marketing tips and tricks to boost your earnings

How many businesses can you think of where you can profit in your first month?

Exactly.

But if you’re sitting there thinking, “Well, that’s wonderful, but I’m still feeling a bit lost…” – never fear, Gael and Mark are here!

They are also available through our free training, where the guys show you how to get started in affiliate marketing.

Take a second to type in your email address here, and we’ll shoot you an invite to our free training to discover seven secrets that make 83% of new sites more successful.