Good Beginner Affiliate Programs

A reader asked a question via email about good affiliate programs for beginners.

To give a vague, guru-like answer, the best affiliate program is one for products you can sell. Every time you buy a product, look and see if the company runs an affiliate program – or whether their competitors do, or whether your product is available via Amazon. Usually, one of those things will be true.

Now for the less-guru answer.

In this article I’ll start by talking about the Amazon program, because it’s probably the best place to start. Then I’ll talk about where to find other programs and products to promote. Then I’ll give some general advice about stuff to look for and avoid in affiliate programs.

Amazon

The pay is terrible really, but there are countless products to choose from, you get commissions for items you don’t sell and you can sell low cost items.

You won’t make much money selling $5 items, but you’ll gain confidence.

After you’ve worked out how to sell online, then move into two new areas:

Amazon with big ticket items (greater than $100 in value)
New affiliate programs with bigger margins (20-30%)

For the first point, you’ll probably have more luck selling those $5 items to start with, which is why I’ve suggested. But after you’ve worked out how to write a basic review/sales letter and you’re getting annoyed by the fifty-pence pay-outs, you’ll want to move to where you can make at least tangible money.

On Amazon where pay outs are 4-8%, that means finding products which are $100+. Luckily, Amazon has plenty to choose from in most niches. You’ll want to find products which are high quality as I discussed in this article. Get ones with a lot of reviews with a high positive average.

Other than that, do general keyword research on the item and see that you’re not competing with a million other people for that particular product title.

Let’s talk about other affiliate programs though, because I guess that’s what you’re here for

How to Find Better Alternative Affiliate Programs To Amazon

The bad news: There’s no magic secret to finding those.

The good news: most of these are easily accessible with no secret tricks – you just have to do some digging.

The First Thing To Do…

Those are all really big companies that vendors have to pay to join. Most offers on there are legitimate and better paying than Amazon.

Google Kung Fu

Other than that, using google skills is your best bet. This is where you’ll find specific, low-competition but high-paying affiliate programs.

“Affiliate program + niche” will in most cases find you things.

What To Look For In An Affiliate Program(It’s Not Just About Pay)

There are a few key questions to ask about an affiliate program… and they’re not all about the pay you receive. Sure, you want to know your affiliate percentage (and a lot of affiliate programs don’t even tell you that before you sign up. That’s stupid and I wish it would stop.)

Here are some other questions:

How do they pay?
When do they pay?
Are there limits (e.g. you must earn $100) before you can withdraw?
Does anyone have an issue with them? (Google “X Affiliate program” “scam”) and the like… if there are rumours about them not paying or otherwise being naughty, then use your best judgement.

Also, with the above, don’t assume that because they’re a big or legitimate company, those rumours are unfounded. There are massive companies that mess small affiliates around. I’ve been an affiliate for a massive company before – we’re talking a multi-million pound, high-street company – who’ve tried to make my affiliate fees disappear.

Other Than That… What To Avoid?

Other than the above… use your best judgement and discretion.

That said…

If you can, avoid certain markets – scammy markets, or certain providers of affiliate programs.

I’ve seen guys end up losing their reputation because they promoted affiliate offers that went bad. People signing up for dating sites where all the women were fake, people selling protein powders that contained illegal ingredients, etc…

Now, if you’re an affiliate those things aren’t your fault. But they can affect your reputation –and worse yet – you can send a lot of traffic and sales to conmen who have no intention of paying you.

Obviously, you’ll want to avoid those things. The good news is that if it looks like a scam, it probably is one.

Just remember that even if an offer looks too good to be true, there are still millions more products to promote.

Final Thoughts

I’ve tried to mesh specific advice with generic, general advice here. You are going to get the best results by googling your niche and seeing what other people are selling, what’s available and what corresponds to the best products.

That said, it’s worth learning the general stuff –what to look for, what to avoid and how to go about selecting a program. For instance, I mentioned above minimum payout thresholds; those can be a pain in the backside when you have ten or more that you have $90 in with a minimum of $100 payout figures. Also, if you’re paying for traffic but your affiliate program won’t pay out until 60 days after the sale… you’re going to need cash reserves or you’re going to burn your budget before you get any back.

These little issues can add up to frustration, and while it’s a bit much for a beginner, it’s worth looking into any problems and avoiding the headaches later on, because you won’t be a beginner forever.

Good Beginner Affiliate Programs