10 Best Practical Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners

I know you are only here to learn affiliate marketing programs for beginners. But before that, let’s discuss why you should bother.

The affiliate marketing industry will grow to $27.78B by 2027. However, there’s a caveat.

According to a Statista survey of 2000 affiliate marketers, 57.5% don’t even earn up to $10K annually. And mind you, these are global players.

How much more for a beginner like you?

What affiliate marketing programs can a beginner join to bag a piece of the $27.78B cake?

Are there leaders you can learn from?

This article examines the 10 best affiliate marketing programs for beginners and the expected earnings. It also discusses successful affiliates and factors to consider before joining a program.

Awin

Awin is one of the leading affiliate marketing programs for beginners. With Awin, affiliates can help advertisers build online partnerships and drive more sales. An Awin affiliate can work with brands in these sectors:

• Travel

• Telecommunications

• Retail and shopping

• Finance and insurance

• Fashion

To start as an affiliate marketer for Awin, you must follow a 4-step registration process. These involve account setup, promotional type, promotional space, and verification. You can also sign up for Awin’s affiliate program through Instagram or Facebook. Awin’s affiliate program offers:

• Updated product feeds

• 5% default commission rate. If sales reach $20,000 monthly, affiliates get a 6% commission.

• Debit and credit card payment options

• 30 days cookie period

• 45 days validation period

• Learning experiences

Advertisers aiming to own an affiliate marketing business on Awin should register for virtual training. The training has 10 webinars, which are only accessible after signing up. If busy, you can cover between 1-2 webinars per week, helping you finish the webinars in 7 weeks.

For instance, you can use the 2-1-1-2-1-1-2. You can watch two webinars during the first week, one each during the second and third, and two during the fourth. Also, you can continue with one each on the fifth and sixth and finish by watching 2 on the seventh week. Unlike other programs, Awin requires a $5 sign-up fee.

ShareASale

ShareASale has 250 affiliates that join daily and 30,000 brands in all sectors. The affiliate marketing program for beginners allows the promotion of brands such as:

• Freshbooks

• Etsy

• Deluxe

• Vevor

• Embark

• Bambu Lab

You can join ShareASale as a blogger, website owner, influencer, vlogger, or affiliate. The platform pays between 5%-20% in commission.

ShareASale provides affiliates tools for promoting partners. You can also access the website’s reporting tool. That helps you track performance and errors. Yet, the website has an unpredictable affiliate approval process.

Joining the affiliate program requires understanding how the platform works. Learn about the affiliate program on ShareASale Merchant Program Academy & Resource Center. The training has six courses, and you can learn each in about 30 minutes.

If you’re swamped with work, you can set aside 30 minutes weekly for the training. If not, you can study each course per day and finish all in a week. Register to start as a ShareASale affiliate. You can also watch Matt Diggity analyze how to set up a ShareASale affiliate account.

Market Health

Market Health is a health and beauty affiliate program. It has over 200 products in 100 countries. It sells products in these categories:

• Supplements

• Skincare

• Health

• Weightloss

• Beauty

This affiliate marketing program for beginners pays affiliates between 60%-70% commission. It provides real-time optimization software. The website helps its affiliates stay ahead of product trends and customer behavior.

Its cookie duration is 30 days. The supported payment methods are Skrill, wire, check, and bank.

Market Health affiliates do not only earn from selling products. They also earn by marketing through coupon offers and newsletters. There are free resources for creating advertising materials on the website. Sign up to join Market Health’s affiliate program.

Walmart

Walmart’s affiliate membership offers a sales growth team and low product prices. Affiliates can earn between 1% to 4% commission depending on their product categories. Electronics, cameras, Walmart Express orders, and Media/gaming products pay a 1% commission. Groceries pay 2% commission, while items that pay 3% include:

• Books and magazines

• Hardware and tools

• Sporting materials

• furniture

• Toys

• Home decor

Products that pay affiliates a 4% commission are:

• Accessories

• Intimate apparel

• Jewelry

• Men’s apparel

• Women’s apparel

• Apparel for babies, toddlers, boys, or girls

• Shoes

Walmart’s affiliate website platform is easy to use. It also has a simple onboarding process. Affiliates have a 3-day cookie duration. Sign up to join the Walmart affiliate program. Compared to other programs, Walmart’s commission rate is low. Learn more about the Walmart affiliate program on YouTube.

CJ Affiliate Network

CJ affiliate is another affiliate marketing program that beginners can explore. The affiliate company represents Buzzfeed, NordVPN, Priceline, and JCREW.

Joining the affiliate program exposes you to industry expertise and cutting-edge tech solutions. This way, you can grow and succeed.

The platform provides affiliates with omnichannel tracking. It lets you track your activities online or offline on different devices.

You can view payout history and receive commissions in different currencies. CJ pays commissions twice per month.

The insights and analytics option allows you to measure performance. You can measure transaction data via metrics such as:

• Coupon code

• Commissions

• Audience location

• Device type

• Browser type

• Conversion rate

Measuring this data helps you to make informed decisions. Note that CJ’s interface is complex to navigate. Register as a publisher to join the CJ Affiliate Network. You can also watch this video to learn how to set up your account on the CJ Affiliate network.

Elementor

Joining the affiliate program of this famous WordPress website builder is easy. The website requires you to;

• Register

• Get your affiliate link

• Promote products

You can then earn up to 50% commission on every sale. Elementor offers support tailored to your needs. It has a library of creative assets for promoting its products and solutions. Your affiliate link has a 90-day cookie duration. The program also has a payout threshold of at least $200. This minimum payout is relatively high for affiliates.

To succeed as an Elementor affiliate, you need to;

• Create blog posts about website building. Share your experience building websites with Elementor.

• Be consistent when sharing about Elementor on your social media platforms.

• Create educational content – guides, how-tos, videos, and webinars.

• Recommend Elementor to prospective users.

You can watch the video guide on how to set up an affiliate account on Elementor.

Avangate

Avangate is the leading CPS network focused on software and digital products. It represents merchants such as Malwarebytes, Kaspersky, Movavi, and Bitdefender.

This affiliate program has a deep linking feature. That allows you to create affiliate links that direct people to a product checkout page. That way, you can increase your conversion rate.

Avangate offers insights and reports on;

• Refunds

• Earnings per click

• Clicks

• Conversion rates

• Refunds

• Sales

The website pays commissions monthly through Avangate MasterCard, wire transfer, PayPal, or Check. This is after an affiliate reaches at least $100. There is 24/7 support available to affiliates via email.

Register to join the Avangate affiliate program. Then, you can request partnerships and drive traffic to products. You can make up to 75% commission on Avangate. The website does not allow you to sell physical products. Get more guidance on setting up an Avangate affiliate account here.

Semrush

Semrush is a tool for everything online marketing. Companies use it for SEO, social media/content marketing, and competitor research. The Semrush affiliate program is open to;

• All-around marketers

• Marketing agencies

• Course creators

• Content publishers

• Paid search specialists

The program allows you to earn at least $200 for every new first sale. Also, you earn $10 for every new trial activation. Sadly, there’s no payment for a referral’s subscription renewal. Semrush has a 120-day cookie duration.

You can market Semrush through its pre-designed marketing materials. You also have access to a support team. The program has four affiliate tiers – basic, silver, gold, and platinum. The tiers differ in the following aspects;

• Number of sales per quarter

• Personalized creatives

• Partner commission

• Special offers

• Content bonus per quarter

• Semrush access

• Educational materials

The program pays commissions through checks, wire transfers, deposits, or PayPal. To join the program, sign up here. Watch how to set up your account here.

Shopify

This affiliate program allows audience monetization and commission earning through merchant referral. It also allows people to teach their audience entrepreneurship. These people include educators, entrepreneurs, content creators, and influencers.

You can earn money through Shopify Plan referrals and POS Pro referrals. The Shopify Plan referrals let you get paid when you refer new merchants to Shopify’s plans. The Shopify POS Pro referrals pay up to $150 for every referral.

Shopify provides a library of tools you need as an affiliate. You have access to lead magnets, performance insights, and creative materials. The program supports bank deposits and PayPal payments.

You can withdraw at least $10 and choose to receive payments twice per month. Shopify only pays in Dollars, regardless of your location. Apply to join the Shopify affiliate program here. Here’s a video guide to setting up your Shopify affiliate account.

Clickbank

Clickbank is a marketplace for over 4,000 products. Its top products are self-help, sports, home & garden, e-business, and health & fitness-based.

The website has device-level tracking, allowing you to get paid for every sale. It also ranks products by top conversions to track their performance. Clickbank offers you dedicated account management and access to exclusive networking events.

You can receive commissions through revenue sharing or CPA (Cost per action). Through revenue sharing, you get a percentage of every sale. You can also earn more with upsells and generate recurring revenue with rebills.

CPA lets you get a specific Dollar amount as a commission. You can also scale faster with ad spend. Despite this, the program can close your account (without notifications) if it is inactive.

The program has a free affiliate training course to help you understand the platform. The course contains six lessons you can finish within a few days to a week. Sign up to become an affiliate on Clickbank. Learn more about the program here.

How Much Can You Make from an Affiliate Program in Nigeria?

As an affiliate marketer in Nigeria, you earn a lot depending on your vendor’s products. Your earnings also depend on the commission you receive and sales volume. Below, we highlight 4 successful affiliate marketers in Nigeria.

Oladejo Elisha

Obviously, I’m an affiliate marketer. How else will I know a lot about the business?

Interestingly, I’m not a full-time affiliate marketer like the other names on this list. Yet, I make thousands of dollars from commissions.

How so?

I leverage my digital assets and influence as a local SEO expert to earn commissions.

Here is how that works in 3 steps:

1. I curate a list of products I love using

2. I run ads on FB and IG for the products using my affiliate link

3. Alternatively, I write review articles & buying guides on my websites

Whether I use 2 or 3, I earn a commission when prospects buy via my link.

Toyin Omotoso

Toyin is the founder of Expertnaire, an affiliate marketing program. He is worth $1.8 million. The website is open to vendors and affiliates who want to sell/promote digital products. Expertnaire has a program called Newbie Expert Marketing Expo (NAME). The program teaches new affiliate marketers how to make money. Toyin also created the 72IG program dedicated to teaching affiliate marketing.

The website has over 180 vendors affiliates can sell for and has sold over 400,000 products. To start selling on Epertnaire, vendors must send an email to [email protected]. The email must contain the vendor’s product details and access to the product. Vendors also have to pay an annual ₦25,000 fee. The website processes the registration within 3-5 working days.

Sam Harvard

Sam is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Learnoflix. He is worth $160K. His website focuses on educational subjects, including affiliate marketing. Larnoflix interconnects with Zibarr, an affiliate program.

Zibarr accommodates vendors of digital products/services and affiliates. These products include SaaS, ebooks, and events. It also sells physical products. Zibarr powers over 30,000 businesses and has sold 5.7 million products. Vendors only need to sign up on Learnoflix to become a Zibarr seller.

Caleb Nwanneka

Caleb became successful as an affiliate marketer through Expertnaire. He sold digital products online and created products as an affiliate. He makes eight figures per month. His marketing strategies include:

• WhatsApp marketing

• Live webinars

• Google, Instagram, and Facebook Ads

What to Consider Before Joining An Affiliate Marketing Program?

Check for these before committing your hard-earned money to any program or network:

Commissions and Payment

Not all affiliate marketing programs for beginners ask for a sign-up fee like Awin. Yet, you must confirm that a program’s commission is satisfactory before signing up. For example, Walmart’s 1%-4% might not be okay for you when you can sign up to get almost 75% commission on Avangate.

Also, you need to check a program’s payout duration before registering. Is the minimum withdrawal okay for you? Can you wait to receive your commission after two weeks? If yes, then go ahead and sign up.

📌What is the best affiliate program?

If we’re basing the “best” on commissions, I recommend the Avangate program. You can earn up to 75% in commission.

On the other hand, if you prefer fixed amounts to percentages, stick to Semrush’s program. Your affiliate link can earn you up to $200 for each conversion.

Reviews

Getting reviews and proof from members of an affiliate program is essential. It shows you what to expect from a program or network. In some cases, it might dissuade you from signing up.

Clear Communication

You can know if an affiliate marketing program is suitable by its quality of information. Is there information about the program structure, commission, and tools on its website? Are there FAQs to cater to more uncertainties? Is there a support team to contact? Is the program explicit on what can get affiliates disqualified?

Access to Tools

Before joining any of the listed affiliate marketing programs for beginners, ensure it has the necessary tools. Confirm it has a library of assets to aid your affiliate marketing work. Also, be sure the program has reporting tools that can help you track performance.

ALSO READ: 10 Best Web Hosting for Affiliate Marketing 2024

Conclusion

Affiliate marketing is lucrative for beginners and experts alike. But to earn big bucks like Toyin Omotoso, you must know which programs to choose.

In your case, the right programs are affiliate marketing programs for beginners like:

• Awin

• ShareASale

• Market Health

• Walmart

• CJ Affiliate Network, etc.

You can make good money as an affiliate in the program listed. But remember to consider the factors discussed as well. In short, up your affiliate marketing efforts.

To start, click on the links provided, register, and become a dedicated affiliate manager.