Blog Post

Best Affiliate Marketing Programs

by: Kristin Crabb June 16, 2021

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No matter if you’re a beginner or advanced affiliate marketer, you already know that joining an affiliate marketing program is one of the best ways to generate online revenue.

But which types of marketing programs will exalt your marketing platform to new levels? That’s exactly what our digital marketing firm is here to help you find out.

Follow along as we explore the best affiliate marketing program by type, paying special attention to niche industries. Let’s get started.

How Affiliate Marketing Programs Work

If you’re new to the world of affiliate management and marketing, let’s revisit how to start affiliate marketing.

An affiliate marketing program isn’t really a program at all, but rather an agreement between a company and an affiliate. The affiliate can be another business or an online influencer that wishes to market the company’s products or services to their audience—for a price.

The programs give marketers the opportunity to earn a fixed commission in return for driving traffic to the businesses’ product pages. Typically, an affiliate marketer will only earn commissions if a purchase is made, though some affiliate marketing programs also pay a commission rate simply for driving traffic to the company’s site. Marketers can achieve this through web content such as:

Blogs
Social media
Video streaming

Oftentimes, marketers promote products using product integration. Product integration is essentially a covert product placement, in which the marketer takes a more authentic approach to sell the product. For example:

Small scale – A popular Youtuber who regularly talks about mental health in their videos may draw upon their own experience when promoting an online therapy portal they’ve partnered with.
Large scale – A television show may write an entire storyline around visiting a popular retailer, such as Target.

Either way, product placement is a more authentic form of advertising. And in today’s world, authentic means credible. That’s partly why affiliate marketing is so fruitful.

Affiliate marketing also offers marketers a flexible and cost-effective way to grow their brand. With an affiliate marketing program, marketers can expand their marketing reach, too.

Choose a Niche to Choose a Program

As an affiliate marketer, you’ve most likely identified your target niche market. A marketing niche is an incredibly specific marketing strategy typically defined by a singular product or service.

For example, as a motorcycle aficionado and blogger, an affiliate marketer will target a niche market rather than the general population of motorcycle enthusiasts. A motorcycle blogger’s audience may be motorcycle enthusiasts who work a 9-to-5 and are looking for a comfortable chopper they can take for epic cross-country adventures during their annual two-week vacation. Or, that audience may be sports bike fanatics who make extreme speeds a part of their daily life.

Generally speaking, niches with evergreen value are the most profitable. These include:

- Tech – Webhosting, gaming, and software
- Health and Fitness – Weight loss, yoga, lifestyle diets, CBD, essential oils, and marijuana

Lifestyle, Home, and Family – Home security, home appliances, clothing, and pet products.
Financial – Cryptocurrency, investing, credit cards, and mortgage companies

Take your niche into account when determining which affiliate marketing program to join.

Best Tech Affiliate Marketing Programs

Tech is not only evergreen, it’s ever-evolving—and the industry’s innovations don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. As such, tech affiliate marketers are some of the top earners.

While there is truly a wide array of tech affiliate marketing programs, we’ve compiled three of the most reliable and profitable programs in the biz:

Razer – Gamers across all platforms recognize the Razer brand as the top guns of gaming equipment and accessories. It’s elite and expensive, meaning commissions are rather large, even if you’re only getting 5%. More specifically, the Razer Affiliate program offers up to 10% of affiliate commission on the sale of Razer products once a visitor makes a purchase through an affiliate link. Commissions are paid on a monthly basis, and there are no sign-up fees.
Logitech – More mainstream than Razer, Logitech offers a slew of everyday technology from wireless mouses to Bluetooth speakers. Its marketing program offers the successful affiliate 4-10% commission on product sales. The affiliate links also have a 30-day cookie, meaning any purchases made within 30 days of following the link will count toward the affiliate’s commission. Customers’ orders typically average at $125, meaning higher commissions for affiliates.¹
Microsoft – The multinational technology company offers a Microsoft 365 affiliate program, in which affiliate marketers can earn commission by referring their audience to Microsoft 365 products. Once purchased, an affiliate partner will earn a fixed dollar amount (USD) depending on which service the customer bought. The highest price point is $20 for Microsoft 365 Business Premium. It’s free to sign up and the affiliate link’s cookie life lasts 60 days. Marketers can also choose from a variety of content and banners to best represent their brand.

Of course, if your niche is environmental lighting, Razer, Logitech, and Microsoft’s affiliate marketing programs may not be the best pick for your brand or your audience.

Helpful tip: When choosing an affiliate marketing program that fits your niche, research top companies in that category to identify whether they have an affiliate marketing program. If they do, you’ve found the right fit!

Best Health and Fitness Affiliate Marketing Programs

Health and fitness never go out of style. For those swimming in the world of Shavasana and veganism, here are a few top-earning health and fitness affiliate programs to consider joining:

Fitbit – The electronics and fitness company is widely recognized and compatible with a just as wide range of devices. What does that mean? Name recognition will mean your audience will be more likely to make a purchase. Affiliates can earn up to 3% on commissions. Additionally, affiliates that drive larger numbers to the website are subject to higher rates. Fitbit also provides a WordPress plugin that lets affiliates add and manage multiple affiliate links from any program.²
Reebok – The sports and clothing company offers 7% on all click-through sales. In addition, each link has a 30-day cookie, allowing affiliates to get credit on purchases made within 30 days of the original click. The program allows marketers to display Reebok’s products directly on their websites, too.³
Weight Watchers – The weight loss program offers a $10 commission for every subscription. It’s also partnered with Commission Junction, a third-party affiliate commission tracker, where affiliates can create a secure account and create various banners and links for their affiliate platform.

Helpful tip: When in doubt, partner with a big-name company. They’re more likely to get clicks as they’re a trusted name in the industry.

Best Lifestyle Affiliate Marketing Program

For those marketers who dabble in the realm of lifestyle blogging (or vlogging), the number of affiliate marketing programs is just as bountiful as your online shopping cart, but of course, there are a few that stand out. Let’s dive in.

Amazon Associates – The multinational Amazon marketplace is a treasure trove of products just waiting to be shipped to doors worldwide. As such, Amazon is a great partner for the affiliate marketer. But what is the Amazon Affiliate Program exactly? The Amazon affiliate marketing program, called Amazon Associates, offers a commission rate by product category, the highest being 10% for luxury beauty products. The program also offers fixed-rate earnings for referrals to its subscription services.
ShareASale – Not a program, but a network, ShareASale connects affiliates to a wide variety of merchants within the lifestyle niche, including home, fashion, wedding, and sports products. It’s a great opportunity for marketers to expand their reach while receiving a whopping 20% payout.
Awin – Like ShareASale, Awin connects affiliates to a global network of advertisers and publishers. In addition to home and lifestyle, Awin also includes markets in dating, insurance, and travel for bloggers looking to spread their wings.

Helpful tip: An affiliate marketing program primarily relies on click-through purchases when calculating affiliate income, while a marketing network determines affiliates’ pay by the size of the marketer’s network. Additionally, a portion of the commission will be awarded to the network itself, since it acts as a third party.

Best Financial Affiliate Marketing Programs

For marketers immersed in the world of BitCoin and stock exchanges, consider an affiliate partnership with a financial institution when looking for an affiliate marketing program.

USAA Credit Cards – USAA already caters to a very specific niche: active and retired members of the military and their families. It also offers a slew of financial products, from home insurance policies to auto loans. Affiliates can earn up to $25 in commission for each referral to one of USAA’s services or policies.
CIT Bank – CIT Bank offers a fixed rate of $100 per lead to its financial products, which include personal loans, savings accounts, mortgages, and commercial financing.
Gusto – The “G” in Gusto stands for generous. The payroll and software company that works with business owners offers its affiliates a minimum of $100 for every referral of a small business owner. Gusto offers a $50 commission for every accountant referral, too. Also, the cookie period of each affiliate link lasts 120 days, increasing the possibility of getting paid. Gusto also has a team of professionals to assist affiliates with promotions!

Helpful tip: When deciding on the best affiliate program for you, identify the type of software each program uses—when possible. The best affiliate marketing software includes Tipalti, PartnerStack, and Everflow.

Join Power Digital Marketing’s Affiliate Agency

The objective of affiliate marketing is three-fold: Cultivate a brand, build an audience, and earn online revenue. If you’re looking for a more hands-on affiliate program, consider joining Power Digital Marketing’s Affiliate Agency.

Power Digital Marketing brings marketing platforms to new levels. Our team helps marketing trailblazers manage their affiliate networks with efficiency to improve traffic and build stronger professional relationships. Work with us today and expand your horizons to a whole new realm of digital enterprise.

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