Affiliate marketing has always been one of the most popular ways to make money online.
Think about it, it’s simple and brilliant:
Get people's attention doing almost anything - blogging, podcasting, YouTubing, etc - then build a following either on social media or on your website, recommend products you like (typically digital products), and earn a commission for every sale you refer or for every action taken.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money for those of us who despise the typical sales process. It doesn’t come off as sleazy, there’s no awkward moment when a friendly conversion turns into a sales transaction. Perhaps best of all, you don’t have to manage content delivery, worry about customer service, update software, or anything else typical businesses have to worry about.
You just earn trust, make recommendations, and make money.
The only question is, how do you get started in the affiliate marketing world? I mean, do you have to go to each individual brand or product you want to recommend in order to set up an affiliate partnership? Well, yes and no.
While you can look into joining affiliate programs for individual companies, one of the quickest and easiest ways to get started making money in affiliate marketing is to use an affiliate network.
Affiliate networks simply act as a third-party “go-between” so publishers and companies can connect. Many small to mid-sized companies run their affiliate programs through an affiliate network because it simplifies the process for them, and publishers use affiliate networks so they can search, find, and organize many different companies to promote all from one place.
If none of this is news to you, then you’re probably familiar with a few of the big players in the affiliate network space: Clickbank, PaySpree, and JVZoo.
Here are 3 of the top affiliate marketing networks, and how to use them to get the best experience and the most value from your affiliate marketing efforts.
Two obvious things to think about when considering which affiliate network to use is:
How much do they charge?
How big is their network (how many companies do they represent)?
How quickly do they pay?
In other words, which one gets you the most value for your money? Because by them taking a percentage of every sale you refer, you are paying them even though it may not feel like it directly.
Here’s how ClickBank’s fees are structured:
Basically, they’re taking 7.5% of the sale, and you and the vendor split the rest. Obviously, each affiliate program will be different, so the percentages will range depending on the vendor, but think of it like splitting 7.5% with the company you’re recommending. In other words, ClickBank is keeping somewhere around 4% of your commission.
Payout time is one of the main complaints when it comes to ClickBank. They typically payout once every two weeks, which is frustrating for some considering their competition pays out much quicker.
As for their network size, ClickBank is one of the largest affiliate networks today, boasting over 10,000 digital product vendors. When it comes to selection, ClickBank definitely has the advantage.
If you go with ClickBank, get more eyes on your promotions by posting them on Dealspotr and stay on top of special ClickBank deals and coupons.
JVZoo charges a flat 5% fee on all sales, plain and simple.
While they do offer lower fees, they make you jump through a million hoops to get started, and they don’t advertise how large their network is.
Having said that, they offer instant pay through PayPal, so that’s a plus. Of course, if you don’t have PayPal you may want to look elsewhere. Their site says they offer two payment options - one instant and one delayed up to 90 days. From what I gather, it’s completely up to the vendor which one of these two options you get.
If you go with JVZoo, get more eyes on your promotions by posting them on Dealspotr and stay on top of special JVZoo deals and coupons.
PaySpree is a little more creative with their fee structure. Depending on the price of the item being sold, their fees can range from as much as 20% (for a $5 item) to less than 1% (the more expensive the item, the lower their fee percentage). They don’t take a fee on any item lower than $5.00, but as you can see, their fees ca get pretty steep depending on what you’re selling.
While PaySpree does tend to have higher fees, one of the main features you’ll hear talked about when comparing PaySpree to its competitors is the fact that PaySpree pays commissions fast. They offer instant payment to all affiliates as opposed to letting the vendor decide whether or not affiliates get paid instantly or delayed.
Like JVZoo, PaySpree pays through PayPal, so if PayPal isn’t your thing you may want to stick with a network like ClickBank so you can use direct deposit (although it will take longer).
They also don’t advertise their network size, but looking at their marketplace, they seem to have over 10,000 products.
If you go with PaysSpree, get more eyes on your promotions by posting them on Dealspotr and stay on top of special PaySpree deals and coupons.
Mike is a husband and father of 2 who studies the art of never paying full price for anything.
