Most new bloggers have a common question in their minds: how can I make money off my blog? One way to do this is through affiliate programs. Here I will share the top affiliate programs for bloggers, some of which I still use!
To start, let’s answer the question:
what does it mean to have affiliates on your blog?
Affiliates are when you promote a product or service on your website, social media, email, etc., then you get a predetermined commission if you make a sale.
To make a sale, the reader needs to click on your affiliate link and make a purchase within a certain window of time. Sometimes this is 24 hours, sometimes it’s 3 months. This is all up to the company.
You will get a specific link that is attached to you for that product, company, service, etc., so if the reader makes a sale, you get some credit!
This is a great way to start earning a passive income, especially as a new blogger!
There is typically no minimum traffic requirement to use affiliates, although this is up to the affiliate program to determine the rules!
As a new blogger, you should begin using affiliates immediately, even in your very first post! It doesn’t hurt your content if used correctly, and can bring in some extra money!
Whenever using an affiliate, you must include a disclosure on your page. This must be shown before any affiliate links, and cannot be hidden. It needs to be in clear sight to your readers.
My disclosure is below, feel free to take it and use it on your blog if you want!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
You had to know this would be first on the list, right?!
Naturally, it is my favorite affiliate program for bloggers, because it helps you and me!
You can sign up for our affiliate program here!
Our program includes every product we sell: courses, ebooks, our Etsy shop, Pinterest pin templates, etc. If we sell a product you want to sell that is not included, please let us know and we will add it!
You will receive a 20% commission from all sales made through your affiliate links!
Awin is one of my favorite affiliate programs for bloggers because you can make money simply by someone signing up!
When you sign up with Awin, you will get a referral link. You can use this link to encourage your readers to sign up too! Once they use your link, sign up, and make their first sale, you automatically get $30!
This is a pretty easy way to make money for doing practically nothing!
Additionally, Awin has tons of programs you will recognize such as Etsy, Udemy, Trip Advisor, Swarovski, and more!
Keep in mind that you need to pay $5 to sign up with Awin. However, you get this money back when you join the Etsy program!
Amazon Associates is one of my favorite affiliate programs for bloggers! This was the very first affiliate I joined, and I still use it to this day!
Amazon is probably the easiest way to make money blogging as a new blogger.
With Amazon Associates, you can recommend virtually any product you can find on Amazon. You have access to both affiliate links, and images!
For example, if I was recommending a good moisturizer, it might look something like this:
“My favorite moisturizer is Olay Whips Regenerist. It goes on smooth, and even has SPF!”
You can see the underlined portion of the sentence is a link to the product on Amazon. It looks no different than any other Amazon page!
If the reader purchases the item you recommended or ANY OTHER PRODUCT on Amazon, you get a percentage of the sale! How amazing is that!?
Before you sign up, know that you must make 3 sales within the first 6 months. However, as long as you are working on increasing your traffic, you should have no problems with this!
Amazon Associates have a 24 hour cookie, meaning that if a reader clicks your affiliate link, then makes any sale during the next 24 hours, you will make a commission!
If you have not yet heard of Tailwind, you should definitely learn about it! Pretty much every blogger I know uses or has used Tailwind!
Tailwind is a tool that allows bloggers to schedule pins for days, weeks, and months at a time!
Click here for more Pinterest Tips!
You simply upload pins, put them into your schedule, and they will automatically publish to Pinterest at the specific time of day you selected!
If you want to give Tailwind a try, use my link for a free month trial, here!
When you join Tailwind Plus (which I highly recommend- you are able to schedule more pins, making your life SO much easier), you also get access to their affiliate.
The affiliate link gives you a commission if the reader uses the free trial and upgrades to Tailwind pro. Just like my link above! Easy as that
Tailwind affiliate links have a 90 day cookie, meaning if the reader makes the purchase even after 3 months of clicking on your link, you will get commission!
Tailwind also now has Create, for which you can become an affiliate for as well!
Example banner from CJ Affiliate. Bluehost is another great host you can use for your blog!
CJ Affiliate is another one of my favorite affiliate programs for bloggers. Applying is simple, and you get access to so many affiliate links!
Here are some examples of companies you can get affiliate links through CJ:
- Barnes and Noble
- Best Western Hotels
- Columbia Sportsware
- Zales Jewelry
- Walgreens
- Verizon
- TJ Maxx
- Staples
- Michael Kors
- …and Hundreds more!
No matter what your blogging niche is, you will definitely find brands here that you can use affiliate links for!
Keep in mind, after you get accepted into the affiliate program, you will also need to apply for each individual company’s affiliate program.
Don’t be afraid to apply for bigger brands, or hundreds of brands! Typically even as a small or new blogger, you will get into a handful of the ones you want!
ShareaSale is another one of my favorite affiliate programs for bloggers. It is similar to CJ Affiliates, and offers hundreds of affiliates to apply to!
You can find affiliate links for all sorts of companies ranging from niches of health, real estate, education, clothing, weddings, travel, and more!
The application process was a bit more difficult, at least in my experience. For my first website I needed to apply a few times before I got in, but my second website got in the first try.
Like CJ Affiliate, once you get in you will need to apply for each individual program you want to use.
Each individual program has different commission rates, so be sure to research each one to see what is best for you and your business!
If you have not heard of Siteground, I highly, highly, highly, recommend you take some time to learn about it.
As a new blogger, you might not be self-hosted yet, meaning, you are using a platform like WordPress.com instead of WordPress.org.
If you are serious about monetizing your blog, you need to be self-hosted. In my (and many other bloggers opinions), Siteground is the best hosting platform for your blog.
The customer service is phenomenal, and they will help you almost immediately with any question you might have!
When I first started my first website, I used WordPress.com, and eventually switched over to using Siteground as my host (you still use WordPress for creating your blog, just the host is different).
Almost immediately after I switched over, my website was so much faster, and everything just worked better!
Take a look into Siteground, here!
As far as their affiliate program goes, you can make $50 per sale (with 1-5 sales a month), and your commission gets higher the more sales you make! This can seriously add up!
When you use Siteground as your host, you are able to use their affiliate program immediately, which is great because you typically have to wait to get approved!
Ultimate bundles
Ultimate Bundles is another popular affiliate program among bloggers.
The banner above is an example of what you can expect from this program. This bundle is called the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit, which you can get 40% commission for, if a reader clicks the image and makes a purchase – go ahead, try it 😉
This program is a bit different than the others listed here. Ultimate Bundles works with eBook and eCourse creators, rather than some of the larger companies in previous affiliate programs.
Topics range from home, health, blogging, photography, and more!
The best part? You get 40% of every sale!
Thats huge. Typical affiliate programs don’t offer nearly that high of a commission! Plus, you will get access to free marketing training to help build your business and make more money through affiliates!
Additionally, there is no application process. All you need to do is fill out the form, and you’re in!
affiliate programs for bloggers: Courses
Another one of my favorite affiliate programs for bloggers is to use what you already have.
Say you took an amazing course online (Like the one below!), or read an awesome eBook. If it relates to your niche in some way, reach out to the author or creator.
Most of the time, they will have an affiliate for you to use! Now, you can recommend a product you love, and make money for doing it!
If you can’t find any information on their website, simply send an email to the person responsible for the product, and inquire about an affiliate opportunity. The worst they can say is no!
Be sure to explain why you love the product, how you will promote it on your site, and any other valuable information about how your niche relates to the product.
Don’t initially inquire about commission rates or pricing- leave that up for discussion at a later point in time.
affiliate programs for bloggers: Brands you love
One of the best parts about affiliate marketing is that pretty much every company has one- Even Queen Bee Bloggers!
That clothing store you love? They’ve got one. That beauty store you’re obsessed with? Guaranteed they have an affiliate! The site you use to book all your travel? They definitely have one.
All you need to do to figure out if there is an affiliate available is to google “company name + affiliate”
You will be surprised by how many are out there! Even big named brands like Target and Etsy have affiliate programs!
You might also want to reach out to local brands if you are interested in working with them. Explain why you love their products or services, how you will promote their company, and how it relates to your niche!
Most of the time, brands are willing to work with you and provide you with an affiliate- they might even already have one before you asked!
What to look for in affiliate programs for Bloggers
When it comes to applying for affiliate programs for bloggers, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. It is easy to lose track of what you have applied for, who you asked for links, and who you’ve already been accepted to!
Remember to document your applications. Even just jot down in a notebook who you’ve applied for, and the status of each one. Stay organized, and you’ll figure it out!
As far as what to look for in a good affiliate program, there are a number of important factors:
- Who is the brand? Are they reputable? How do they treat the bloggers they work with? Search some reviews of the company before applying.
- Do you like the brand? Would you feel comfortable recommending them to friends and family? Do they have a good reputation?
- Does the brand fit your niche? Would you be able to use it naturally within your writing? Would your readers be interested in it?
- What is the commission? Are you getting a fair rate for the service you are providing? Is the commission a one time payment, or recurring payment? Is there room to earn higher rates the more you sell?
- What is the cookie length? Do you only get 24 hours to make a sale, or 3 months? Is that a fair length of time?
- What kinds of ads are provided? Are there in text links? Can you use banners or images? What fits well with your website?
- What is the payout schedule? Do you get paid once a month, or once every other month? How long do you need to wait to get paid? Is there a minimum payout requirement? How do you get the payment?
finding this information
Okay. Don’t be overwhelmed! Sure, there are a lot of questions you should ask yourself and research, but most of the time these are answered in the FAQs. You work hard on your website, so you want to make sure you are getting a fair deal!
Think about it- you wouldn’t accept a job without knowing all the ins and outs, right? So using affiliates should be no different!
If you feel something is unfair or unjust, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions, or make recommendations.
Most of the time, affiliate companies want your feedback. How can they make things better if they don’t know!
applying to affiliate programs for bloggers
Applying to affiliate programs for bloggers is typically very simple, as they want more publishers working for them!
Usually, you need to provide your name, website information, and sometimes traffic information. Don’t worry if your traffic is too low- this often doesn’t matter in terms of your acceptance.
Typically it will take a few days to hear back from the program. If you don’t get in, you can always apply again and again!
Once you get accepted, start searching for the brands you want to work for (if it is a large affiliate network), and apply to those separately. These applications are usually just a few clicks, and very simple.
Once you get accepted into those, you can start using their affiliate links to make some money!
Want More?
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me! Leave a comment below, or visit the contact link at the top of your page.
You can find more information on affiliates and monetizing your blog here!
Don’t forget to sign up for your FREE Pinterest pin templates below!
Oh, and don’t forget to join our affiliate to start making sales immediately!
Fantastic resource as usual! I’d also add that if you’re using an email marketing provider, they usually offer affiliate rewards too.