affiliate marketing for beginners

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the disclaimer for more info.

Do you want to make money blogging? If your answer is a resounding YASSS, then let’s dive into one of the most common ways to do it, AFFILIATE MARKETING. For a newbie blogger who has zero experience in online marketing, this may sound Greek to you. But wait. Now’s not the time to panic. Here’s an in-depth but simplified explanation about how affiliate marketing works. Hopefully, I can help you find high-paying affiliate programs that will monetize your blog in no time. 

Let’s get started. 

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is an agreement between a company/merchant and third-party publishers to generate leads and sales for their products or services. In return, third-party publishers, otherwise known as affiliates, get a commission for every referral.

You promote > Companies get sales > You earn a commission

Companies can either have their own affiliate programs or have an affiliate network do it for them. 

Some of the most common affiliate networks are:

  1. Share A Sale
  2. Awin
  3. CJ Affiliate
  4. Amazon Affiliate
  5. Clickbank 

3 Types of Affiliate Programs for New Bloggers

  1. Pay-per-sale Here, the affiliate gets a commission based on the number of products/services purchased. 
  2. Pay-per-click In this arrangement, the affiliate gets a commission based on how many website visitors the merchant received.  This is tracked with the use of an affiliate link.
  3. Pay-per-lead An affiliate gets a commission every time the merchant receives lead generation information ie. email leads.   

How does affiliate marketing for new bloggers work?

First, a blogger promotes a product or service. Promotion can be in the form of blog posts, social media images, and videos.

In some cases, joining affiliate programs come first. Then you just choose what products or services you want to promote.

Next, the blogger reaches out to the company and joins their affiliate program.

Then, the blogger tracks his/her leads and conversions.

Lastly, the blogger earns and receives a commission from the company.

The cycle continues based on how the partnership goes.

For example, if you apply as an Amazon affiliate, you need to make a minimum of 3 sales in your first 6 months or your affiliate account will be closed.

Also, it is required by the law that any mention of a product being promoted/reviewed must be disclosed if the blogger is an affiliate.

Finally, not all products mentioned or reviewed by a blogger doesn’t mean he/she gets a commission. Thus, the disclaimer.

Let’s have another example. 

Assuming you are a travel blogger. A travel agency reached out to you and said they love your content and asked if you’ll be interested to join their affiliate program. All you have to do is promote their products or services, and once they get a sale through you, they give you a commission. 

How to promote high-paying affiliate programs in your blog

There are many ways to promote high paying affiliate programs on your website. Sometimes, companies give guidelines on how you will do it. They even send materials, or templates that you can simply copy and paste on your site. 

Blog post – As a new blogger, you can write product reviews, product comparison posts, and recommendations. But beware. Make sure that your blog posts are honest and unbiased. Don’t forget your disclaimers. And if being honest means, you need to mention something about a product/service that you don’t like, do not write under false pretenses, or hearsay. Explain that it’s your personal opinion and/or experience your writing about, with the intention of being transparent with your target audience. Also, make sure that your feedback will not damage a company’s reputation. Or else, you may find yourself sued for libel.

Read more about laws every blogger must know here.

Social media post – Do you miss watching Marzia on YouTube? I do. Thank God for Instagram. Here, aside from her posts about how awesome her life is with Pewdipie, I see random posts about her partnerships with brands.

YouTube video – Do you love watching makeup tutorials on YouTube? Me, too. One of the channels I am subscribed to is Denitslava Makeup. I think I subscribed to her back when she only has 20k subscribers. Now she has over 2 million! Anyway, check out the description details in her video. She mentioned that some of the links are affiliates. 

Email marketing – Just as we thought that email marketing is dead, it turns out it’s not. If your audience missed your most recent blog post or swiped right past by you on social media, you can still send a personalized email telling about what they missed and how this amazing product you’re telling them about will change their life.

Sidebar widget – Check out the right side of this blog post. When you click the images, you will be redirected to my affiliates.

Are there requirements to join affiliate programs for new bloggers? 

Yes and no. 

Before you apply to any affiliate programs for new bloggers, check out their guidelines. Your application may be declined or approved based on:

  • Website traffic
  • Social media followers
  • Explicit or adult content (if there’s any)
  • Language used 
  • Your audience demographics
  • Your experience after purchasing and testing their products

Do not be intimidated by these requirements. As a new blogger, it really takes time to build your audience. But it doesn’t mean you have to wait that long to get paid as an affiliate. In this blog post, I will share affiliate programs for new bloggers like you so you can start earning money now. 

High-paying affiliate programs perfect for new bloggers

1. Interserver 

I think this company is a hidden gem when it comes to offering web hosting services. I always hear a lot of bloggers swear by either Bluehost or Siteground. But I decided to go with Interserver because of 3 reasons: 

  1. You can get standard web hosting for just $5/month, with a price-lock guarantee
  2. 24/7 email support 
  3. When you sign up, you can use my code Cherriebalictar to get your first month for just a penny.

Here’s the exciting part. Their affiliate program pays $100 per sale

Aside from web hosting, they also provide domain name registration, VPN, and private email hosting services. 

Click here if you’re interested to know more.  

2. Elementor

If you are a WordPress user, with zero to little web design experience, creating a website doesn’t have to be complicated. Thanks to the Elementor page builder, it’s easy to create professional-looking websites with no coding required. 

  • As an affiliate, you earn 50% commission per sale
  • You get access to an affiliate kit
  • No purchase required
  • Payment is sent via Paypal
  • You get paid 30 days after each purchase

Check out Elementor here

Join their affiliate program here

3. Legal Bundle from Amira of aselfguru.com

As a new blogger, you are prone to content theft and other lawsuits. Sounds scary? Well, because it is. That is why Amira of aselfguru.com recommends her best selling Legal Bundle to new bloggers like you. This Legal Bundle includes 3 of the most important legal pages you need on your website. 

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer

As an affiliate, you earn 40% commission per sale. 

No purchase required.

Aside from her Legal Bundle, you can check out her Legal Store to see other templates you can promote on your website. 

Read more about her Affiliate Program here

4. Creative Market

Creative Market is an online marketplace for digital assets. You can find photos, font styles, WordPress themes, and graphics made by over 24k independent designers and content creators. 

For every successful referral, you earn a 10% commission on every single purchase they made one year after they join. 

Apply as an affiliate partner here

Or if you have a flair for the arts, you can open your store and start selling goods.

Open your shop here

5. Ultimate Bundles

If you’re an online course junkie like me, you will love the Ultimate Bundles

This is a one-stop-shop for digital resources like videos, workbooks, courses, and ebooks on topics about blogging, health, and lifestyle. 

Their goal is to provide the ultimate resource library for you at an affordable price. 

And when you refer another affiliate to Ultimate Bundles through your unique link, you’ll earn 10% of their bundle sales during their first year as an affiliate.

Moreover, affiliates earn a 40% commission for every sale. 

Plus, for every 5 bundles you sold, you get one FREE.

Sweet. 

Apply as an affiliate here

6. Teachable

Teachable is a learning management platform that allows entrepreneurs and content creators to upload self-paced online courses. 

As an affiliate, you earn a 30% commission for every referral. 

Apply as an affiliate here 

7. Medium

Did you know that Medium has an affiliate program? Here’s how it works. First, join their partner program here. Read and accept the terms and conditions. Then, set up your payment option. Writers get paid based on the “member reading time”.Reading time from non-members are still counted as long as they sign up within 30 days after reading your story.

8. Her Paper Route

Chelsea Clarke is the founder of Her Paper Route. She is a superwoman when it comes to anything about blogging and entrepreneurship. Aside from Her Paper Route, she owns 3 other websites: BlogTips.com, LovelyRefinement.com, and SugarAndCode.com. Chelsea sells online courses, and when you apply as an affiliate, you get up to 30% commission.

Apply to her affiliate program here.

9. Membervault

If this is the first time you heard about Membervault, it is a membership management software. Membervault is so versatile that you can also sell digital products and online courses from there.

Plus, they offer a 30% affiliate commission.

Honorable mentions (High-paying affiliate programs for new bloggers)

They’re not high-paying affiliate programs for new bloggers, but they’re not that bad either.

1. Namecheap

Namecheap is a domain name and web host provider. If you’ve read my blog post about how much I spent during my first year blogging, One of the most important purchases I made is my domain name. I bought mine through Namecheap for less than $10 for 12 months.

There are three ways to apply as a Namecheap affiliate

  • Impact Radius (I’m enrolled here)
  • CJ Affiliate
  • Share-a-Sale

You will never run out of products to promote. In fact, they send emails almost every week to keep you updated with their latest deals. 

Click here to know more about their affiliate program

2. Planoly

Planoly is a productivity tool I use to schedule my Pinterest pins. And you can use it to schedule Instagram posts, too.

Every time you refer a friend who signs up to their paid plans, you get a $10 credit.

Meanwhile, the free plan allows you to schedule 30 posts each on Instagram and Pinterest.

Check out Planoly here 

3. Canva

For someone like me who is not equipped with artistic skills, Canva is a lifesaver. I’ve been using it ever since I started freelancing in 2015. When you sign up for their free plan, you can try Canva Pro free for 30 days

Moreover, their referral program, you can give you up to 20 Canva credits which can be redeemed for premium images from their library.

Sign up here

4. Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing app that has free and paid plans. 

There are three ways to apply as an affiliate

  1. Apply directly from their website
  2. Sign up through CJ Affiliate
  3. Sign up through Share-a-Sale

Their affiliate program pays

  • $ 0.20 for free registration
  • $ 20 for premium plan purchases

As soon as you’re accepted as an affiliate, Grammarly offers a one month upgrade to their premium account. Sweet.

Plus, you can receive an extra $25 when you place a banner and write a post. Top performers also receive perks like increase payouts, exclusive discounts, and cash bonuses

Join the Grammarly Affiliate Program here

5. Tailwind 

Another Pinterest and Instagram scheduler aside from Planoly is Tailwind. 

When you sign up for their free trial, Tailwind allows you to schedule 100 Pinterest pins and 30 Instagram posts. No time limit. No credit card required

Send a Free Month of Tailwind to your friends and get your First Month Free when they upgrade. 

Get your free trial here

Cryptocurrency

Do you write blogs about Cryptocurrencies? I was able to write a few for a client. But it didn’t last because I found that this niche requires heavy research. Sometimes, it would take me one week (or more) to finish one blog post. 

Anyway, if you’re creating content in this niche, you can also check YouTube channels like this to know more about cryptocurrencies and how to earn money from it. 

Here are some crypto mining websites that have referral programs. 

  1. Freebitco.in
  2. Coinpot – Coinpot is a cryptocurrency micro wallet. This is where all your faucet claims will be stored. To withdraw balance, you need another bitcoin wallet like coins.ph to covert these cryptocurrencies to BTC and from BTC to Php. 
  3. Moonbitcoin50% lifetime commission on all faucet claims
  4. Moondash25% lifetime commission on all faucet claims
  5. Mooncash25% lifetime commission on all faucet claims
  6. Moondoge –  25% lifetime commission on all faucet claims
  7. Moonlite25% lifetime commission on all faucet claims
  8. Bonusbitcoin50% lifetime commission on all faucet claims

Print on Demand

I’ll explain more about print-on-demand in a separate blog post. 

Meanwhile, do you follow the likes of Shane Dawson, Jeffrey Star, and Pewdipie on YouTube? 

If yes, then you’re well aware that aside from making money through Google Adsense, another stream of income is selling their own “merch”. Remember the Conspiracy Pallette? The Pewdipie Clutch Gaming Chair

Print on demand is another way for new bloggers to make money online. By selling your own products, you will be able to create another stream of income for your blog. 

But what if you’re not ready to sell your own products yet? 

Well, there’s always affiliate programs for new bloggers.

Here is a list of print on demand companies that offer affiliate programs that new bloggers can take advantage of.

1. Zazzle 

You get $25 to spend when you refer a friend. Your friend will also get deals of up to 60% off on their first order.

2. Sunfrog 

With Sunfrog, you can sell your own designs, or create a collection of up to 100 T-shirts which you can promote on your website.  You can even use their widgets that you can embed on your website for the audience to get easy access to your products. Your affiliate ID is automatically tagged to every sale that originated from your collection! No special linking required.

3. Cafepress

Cafepress offers a 15% commission on sales. Their affiliate program is through CJ Affiliate. Click here to apply

4. Red Bubble

Red Bubble gives a 10% commission on performance incentives. Click here to apply as an affiliate via Share-a-Sale. 

Conclusion

Here are my final thoughts on affiliate programs for new bloggers.

Affiliate programs for new bloggers is NOT a pyramid scheme

Affiliate programs are referrals. No one will benefit from your hard work but you. If you are tired of always getting exchange deals from brands, ie. free products in exchange for content, this is a way to step up your game as a legit influencer/content creator.

Remember, you are not after online “exposure”. You can do it on your own. You are running a blogging business. Affiliate programs for new bloggers is a way to team up with brands and turn your website into a money-making machine.

You don’t get your commission right away

For example, if you are an Amazon affiliate, check out this table for the standard fee rates. A customer must place an order within 24 hours, using your affiliate link. Or else, you will not earn a commission. Then, you have to wait approximately 60 days after the end of the month before you’ll get paid. Here’s a breakdown of their payment schedule.

Some high-paying affiliate programs are purchase-required 

It’s just understandable how companies prefer affiliates who have tried their products. Take Create and Go as an example. If you go to their affiliate policy page, it is stated that they do not approve anyone as an affiliate if you have not yet purchased at least one of their courses. Which makes sense. I mean, how can you promote a course effectively if you don’t know what’s in it, right?

If your audience trusts you, they’ll buy from you (in a heartbeat)

One of my favorite YouTube creators right now is Johnreyslife He has a hashtag #johnreymademebuythis on Instagram. This is for him to know if his viewers have purchased products based on his recommendations. You can tag him with this hashtag so he can retweet or repost you on IG. 

Not all of the products he mentions in his videos are sponsored or affiliates. But his influence of making his viewers buy skincare and makeup products is unbeatable. One major factor is relatability. He caters to dark skin, morena beauty, with dark lips. 

Don’t leave them hangin’ 

When you sell affiliate products, your audience may have questions. Somehow, it’s your responsibility because you’re the reason they bought it. 

That’s it. Make sure you bookmark this blog post because I’m always on the lookout for the best affiliate programs for new bloggers, especially those will little to minimum requirements.

How about you? Have you tried any of the affiliate programs for new bloggers I mentioned in this blog post?