7 Best Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners

by CourtneyJo | Jan 24, 2022 | Affiliate Marketing

Looking to get started making money with affiliate marketing? These are the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners.

You've narrowed down your niche, you've picked a social media platform to get started on, you're ready to start building a funnel and sending emails or a blog, but you're stuck because you aren't sure which programs are beginner-friendly.

Furthermore, does it even matter? Aren't all affiliate marketing programs pretty much the same?

That's what I thought when I first got started with affiliate marketing until I started applying for affiliate programs and actually found myself getting rejected. The reason is because I didn't have a big enough audience, yet. That's when I realized that not all affiliate programs are right for beginners.

You will learn exactly what makes an affiliate marketing program right for those just getting started with affiliate marketing. I also include a list of some good affiliate networks to join as a bonus.

This post is all about the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners.

The Best Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners

The Criteria

When looking for affiliate programs that are going to be ideal for beginners, here is some criteria to consider:

• Does it Fit Your Niche? If your niche is healthy recipes, there are a lot of healthy recipe adjacent programs you could promote, but if you start promoting a course on how to get started blogging, your audience is going to be confused because that's not why they follow you.
• What Are the Requirements? Most affiliate programs will have a basic application process with some very basic requirements. At a minimum, most affiliate programs want to know if you have an already established way to start sharing your links. This can mean a website, but it can also just mean a social media account such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or YouTube. As long as you have those basic assets, you will be approved. Some affiliate programs you can join simply by signing up without including any of this information.
• Is There a Market for It? If you're just getting started, you don't want to get started with a product that isn't going to sell. If something doesn't sell, you're going to become discouraged and may end up giving up. We definitely don't want that.
• Is it Free? If you're a beginner, I would definitely avoid any affiliate programs that charge you to promote them. Sounds kinda crazy, but yes, they do exist.
• Does it Have a Good Conversion Rate? In other words, does it sell. You don't want a product that doesn't have a good track record.
• Have You Used the Product, Brand or Retailer? It makes it a lot easier to promote a product, service, or brand, if you've used it before. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but something to consider.

{RELATED POST: 9 Questions You Should Ask When Looking for the Best Affiliate Program}

1. Amazon

Basic Information and Requirements:

• Requirements: You must have a website you own (meaning you own the domain, so it can't be something like “www.websitename.wordpress.com” but simply “www.websitename.com”) or a social media account on Facebook (other than a personal account), Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube or Twitch.tv.
• Requirements for Maintaining Account: Must sell three products in 180 days (6 months) to maintain account.
• Because of the two requirements above, you definitely want to have your website up and running or your social media account created with relevant content on it and be ready to start sharing links before applying.
• When someone clicks through with your link and buys, you earn a commission on their entire order, not just the product that contained the link.
• Commission Rate: Up to 10 percent
• Cookie Period: 24 hours
• Apply Here!

Why I Like It?

• Amazon almost doesn't even need any explanation, but at the end of the day, they sell everything.
• A lot of people already have Amazon accounts, which makes for an easy shopping experience.
• The Amazon Affiliate program does have requirements to join, but they are minimal. (I know I was able to join when all I had was domain for my sales funnel and a TikTok account.)

Who Is This Good For?

• Amazon is great for a variety of niches because they have so many products, and they're already a go-to online store for so many people.
• I like Amazon for the following niches: lifestyle, organization, books/reading, technology, Mommy bloggers, beauty, gardening, pets, travel, and more.
• Amazon is great if you plan to share a lot of different products. While they do sell some high-ticket items, they also sell a lot of lower-ticket items, but these are also going to be easier buys for people. With a store like Amazon, the goal is high-volume.

2. Target

Basic Information and Requirements:

• Requirements: Similar to Amazon, Target requires a basic website or social media account where you will share your links.
• Commission Rate: Up to 8 percent
• Cookie Period: 7 Days
• Apply Here!

Why I Like It?

• Target sells so many products, and they have already created a brand that so many people like and trust.
• People might also have the option of purchasing something that they can go pick up in person if their local store has the product in stock.
• You earn money based on the person's entire order not just the item you linked to.
• Because of the 7 day cookie period, you will also earn commissions if someone places an order within that 7 day period.

Who is This Good For?

• Target is also great for a variety of niches including wedding (since a lot of people use Target for wedding registries), beauty, baby and children, toys, technology, health and fitness, home decor, organization, and more.
• Similar to Amazon, Target is great if you plan to share a lot of different products.

3. Walmart

Basic Information and Requirements:

• Requirements: Walmart does require a website to signup.
• Commission Rate: Up to 4 percent
• Cookie Period: 3 Days
• Apply Here!

Why I Like it?

• One of the best things about Walmart is that it's also a full grocery store, this makes this a great option for those in the food and recipe niche.
• Walmart shoppers also may have the option of picking up their products in person.
• You receive commissions for the entire sale when someone enters the website through one of your links.
• You will also receive commissions during the entire 3 Day period.

Who is This Good For?

• Walmart is great for lifestyle bloggers and influencers including but not limited to the following niches: gardening, home organization, children (toys, back to school, etc.), babies, technology, pets, season items, beauty, and more.

{Related Post: How Do I Become an Affiliate Marketer in 7 Steps}

4. Fiverr

Basic Information and Requirements:

• Requirements: No website or social required to sign up
• Commission Rate: $15 – $150 CPA (Cost Per Action) and/or 10%-50% depending on the service. See commission break down here.
• Fiverr offers two commission structures: Dynamic CPA Plan, which means you are paid a different commission depending on what category of services are purchased that range from $15-$150. Or the Hybrid Plan, which is a combination of CPA and a Revenue Share. With this structure you receive a $10 CPA plus 10% Revshare for one year.
• Cookie Period: 30 Days
• Apply Here!

Why I Like It?

• Fiverr has a lot more layers to it than you might think at first glance. They definitely offer more than just freelancing services. You can earn from all of Fiverr's services including: Fiverr, Fiverr Business, Fiverr Pro, Learn from Fiverr, and Fiverr Workplace.
• The Fiverr Affiliate program might be one of the easiest affiliate programs to join.
• Fiverr is also very international-friendly
• You can also earn from signing up new affiliates, which it calls sub-affiliates. That's pretty cool!

Who is This Good For?

• Because of the variety of services, I like Fiverr for anyone who is in the online education space, such as teaching blogging, teaching someone how to start a YouTube channel, or teaching how to make money online in general.
• Let's say someone wants to start a blog, but they aren't very confident in their writing abilities. They can hire someone to write a blog post. Same goes for YouTube — they can hire someone to edit YouTube videos or create YouTube Thumbnails and so many other services.
• Someone can also increase their skillset through Fiverr Learn.

5. ClickFunnels

Basic Information and Requirements:

• What is It? Sales and Marketing Software
• Requirements: No website or social required to join. You do not even need to have a ClickFunnels account to join.
• Commission Rate: Up to 40% (recurring commissions on ClickFunnels subscriptions)
• Cookie Period: 45 Days
• Apply Here!

Why I Like It?

• ClickFunnels has multiple products from low-ticket to high-ticket as well as recurring products including: books, software, courses, challenges, and other services.
• I love a subscription service as an affiliate because you earn for every month that person renews. You only have to bring the person in once, and you keep earning. This is the definition of passive income.
• They attach a “sticky cookie” to the people you refer, and they will start to promote several products to them via Facebook ads and elsewhere.
• They have great incentives… If you bring in 100 Active Members, they give you $500 per month toward your dream car. If you bring in 200 Active Members, they give you $1,000 toward your dream car.

Who is This For?

• ClickFunnels is great for anyone who is in the digital marketing niche, make money online niche, online education niche, and others.

6. Elegant Themes

Basic Information and Requirements:

• What Is It? WordPress Themes and Visual Page Builder
• Requirements to Join: You need to have a website and a PayPal account to join. No audience requirements. No approval period.
• Commission Rate: 50% (including yearly renewals)
• Cookie Period: 60 Days
• Apply Here!

Why I Like It?

• Elegant Themes (makers of the amazing Divi Page Builder) is known as “The Most Popular WordPress Themes in the World.” They make a great product and are constantly adding more products and perks for its customers.
• They also have an online marketplace where customers can purchase additional child themes, header packs, footer packs, and more.
• They have one of the most generous commission rates I've seen.
• I love any affiliate program that offers commissions on subscriptions because it creates the opportunity for long-term passive income.

Who is This For?

• This is a great platform for anyone in the online education niche, web design niche, blogging about blogging niche, WordPress websites niche, and many others.

7. SiteGround

Basic Information and Requirements:

• What is It? WordPress hosting platform
• Requirements to Join: Website and PayPal account
• Commission Rate: Set dollar amount ranging from $50-$100 per sale (depending on how much you sell; see here)
• Cookie Period: 60 Days
• Apply Here!

Why I Love It:

• SiteGround pairs very nicely with Elegant Themes because in order to create a website, you need a hosting platform, and SiteGround is one of the best hosting platforms on the market.

Who is This For?

• If you are going to teach people how to blog, build a website or sales funnel, they will need a hosting platform.
• Great for the online education niche, digital marketing, blogging about blogging, make money online, and more.

Bonus: Affiliate Networks

You don't always need to go to individual websites to find their affiliate programs. A lot of online retailers and service providers run their affiliate programs through affiliate networks.

Once you join an affiliate network and work with one of their brands, it can make it easier to get approved to work with other brands it works with.

Here are some affiliate networks that would be worth joining depending upon your niche:

• PartnerStack: This network specializes in software brands including Asana, Monday.com, QuickBooks, Elementor, Loom, Calendly, Sprout Social, and many more. If these are the types of products and services you plan to promote, this would be a great affiliate network to join. Click Here to Learn More!
• Impact: Impact manages the affiliate programs of several major brands including Target and Walmart. They are also good network to join if you are in the health and fitness niche, travel niche, education niche, as well as some software companies and online marketplaces such as Tailwind, Upwork, LinkedIn Learning, The Great Courses, and many more. Click Here to Learn More!
• ShareASale: This network also hosts a variety of brands including fashion brands, online food retailers, online education platforms, craft brands, family brands, and other niches including MasterClass, ButcherBox Daily Harvest, Reebok, MUDWTR, and many more. Click Here to Learn More!

Final Takeaways

This is far from an exhaustive list, but hopefully this gives you an idea of a few places to get started. To learn more about getting started with affiliate marketing, check out my free ebook that takes you through each step of the process.

This post was all about the the best affiliate programs for beginners so that you can get started making money from home by simply promoting brands and products you already love.