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Finding affiliate programs for new bloggers doesn’t have to be overly complicated or difficult.
If you’re reading this, I assume you know what affiliate marketing is and how bloggers use it to make money blogging.
But just in case you aren’t 100% sure what affiliate marketing is, here’s a brief overview.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is promoting products or services to your readers + followers, using affiliate links (unique links used to track which customers you referred).
Affiliate links can earn you money either any time someone clicks on your link, any time someone makes a purchase using one of your links, or a combination of the two.
Bloggers use affiliate marketing to promote all kinds of different products, services, and companies.
The most common way that bloggers use affiliate links is in blog posts and on social media.
Affiliate marketing is the #1 source of income for a lot of really successful bloggers + influencers. It is possible to make a lot of money affiliate marketing, but it takes a lot of work and even more patience.
In general, you should promote only products and services that you trust and/or have used and love.
You can’t effectively promote something that you haven’t tried, or have some knowledge about.
So, that’s basically what affiliate marketing is. But if you’re looking for more information or a course on the best way to make money with affiliate marketing, I would recommend this course, from a blogger making over $50,000/month with affiliate marketing!
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
What are the best affiliate programs for new bloggers?
I personally use and love all of these affiliate programs, and I think they’re all perfect for new bloggers.
You don’t need a huge following to be approved, and there are so many great options as far as products/companies to promote.
I’ve been using ShareASale for several years, and it’s one of my favorite affiliate programs.
Shareasale has thousands of merchants to choose from, which makes it perfect for bloggers of any niche.
You can apply to become an affiliate for everything from baby + kid products, to beauty, health and wellness, automotive, business, and everything in between.
Each merchant sets their own terms when it comes to how much you earn, so that’s something to consider before applying to become an affiliate.
You can sign up for ShareASale here right now and start browsing merchants you want to promote!
Namecheap
Here’s a little secret: one of the easiest and quickest ways to start making money through affiliate marketing is by promoting your hosting service.
Haven’t started a blog yet? Learn how to start a blog on self-hosted WordPress for less than $20.
If you already have a blog, then you have a hosting service.
My hosting service is Namecheap, and I have been using it for years. I’ve used it to set up a number of my personal blogs, as well as several client websites.
I’m not here to sell you on Namecheap, though.
Not only do I use Namecheap, but I am also an affiliate partner.
I promote this hosting service because I love it and can vouch for it to my readers. But even if you don’t use Namecheap, chances are your hosting service has an affiliate program.
Promoting your hosting service is a great way to earn money through affiliate marketing.
Skimlinks
Skimlinks is a unique affiliate marketing program, and probably one of the easiest ones to use.
With Skimlinks, you add a little piece of code to your website (don’t worry, this is pretty easy and they provide instructions for you!) and then once you’re approved, Skimlinks scans your website and turns ordinary links into affiliate links!
How cool is that?
It won’t mess with your other affiliate links either, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Some merchants that you will find on Skimlinks include Walmart, Chewy.com, TripAdvisor, Nordstrom, Lululemon, Home Depot, Nike + many more.
Amazon Associates
I will be honest and say that when it comes to earnings potential, Amazon Associates is probably on the lower end.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to use it! Income is income, right?
The best part about being an Amazon affiliate is that you can earn money on any product Amazon sells…. Which is, a shit ton of products.
I think Amazon Associates come in handy especially for roundup posts.
For example, I recently published a back to school supply list and almost every product I recommend comes from Amazon. If anyone uses my links to buy those products, I earn a small commission. It’s a win-win!
Awin.com
Awin is similar to Shareasale.
It’s basically a marketplace for you to find merchants to become an affiliate for.
I use both Awin and Shareasale because it gives me a variety of different merchants to choose from.
Awin is a great affiliate program for new bloggers, and there are some really great merchants like Etsy and Fiverr.
Awin is one of the best affiliate programs for new bloggers, in my opinion.
Creative Market
Creative Market is my favorite place to shop for things like stock photos, WordPress themes, fonts, and templates.
It is a huge resource for designers, bloggers, and creative entrepreneurs.
Not only can you promote the website itself, but you can share and earn money from any product on Creative Market.
Becoming an affiliate for Creative Market is relatively easy, and they pay 15% commission on any sale within 7 days under your referral ID.
ShopStyle Collective
This is the perfect affiliate program for all you fashion bloggers!
ShopStyle is geared towards fashion bloggers and influencers, with over 1,400 retailers to choose from.
ShopStyle allows you to utilize features such as product widgets, text links, collections, looks and swipe up product badges for Instagram stories to help monetize your blog + social media accounts easily.
With ShopStyle, you’re going to get paid around 5 cents per click — sometimes a little more. You also get paid per conversion when someone actually purchases an item based on your recommendation.
Tailwind
Tailwind is a social media scheduler, and the only one endorsed by Pinterest itself.
Tons of bloggers use Tailwind to streamline their social media accounts, by scheduling out content.
Tailwind has a ton of really great features and is loved and promoted by tons of bloggers + influencers.
You can use this link to sign up for a free 30 day trial of Tailwind, and you can start using your referral link to promote Tailwind right away!
You can also become a Tailwind Affiliate through ShareaSale, which is what I do.
If you end up loving Tailwind after your 30-day trial, they offer monthly or yearly subscription plans that are super affordable!
Ultimate Bundles
Ultimate Bundles is this really amazing website that allows you to purchase bundles of resources from over 1200 content creators for one low price instead of purchasing each resource separately.
Imagine if you had the opportunity to purchase a bundle of resources from top bloggers that included everything you needed to know about starting a blog, making money blogging, increasing your traffic + SO MUCH MORE.
Several times a year, Ultimate Bundles releases different types of ‘bundles’ that are packed with really great information and resources on pretty much every single topic, not just blogging.
As an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles, you earn money by promoting the bundles that are relevant to your audience (during the times which they are made available).
The best thing about Ultimate Bundles is the training and support they provide their affiliates.
They give you tons of resources to help you market the bundles in the best way, helping to increase sales + ultimately your affiliate income!
Signing up to become an affiliate is as simple as applying on their website here!
My Best Advice for Affiliate Program Newbies
Don’t get discouraged if you’re denied.
I have been blogging for nearly a decade, and I still sometimes get turned down from certain affiliate programs.
It’s totally okay, just move on to the next affiliate program!
Don’t go into it blindly
I highly suggest taking a course, or gathering as much free information about affiliate marketing as you can from around the web.
A lot of really successful bloggers share helpful affiliate marketing tips + tricks for beginners. All you have to do is search for it.
All of the affiliate programs I listed are perfect for new bloggers. If you’re frustrated and it seems like you’re just spinning your wheels trying to figure out a way to make money blogging, affiliate marketing is the perfect place to get started.
Just remember to take it slow, don’t expect instant results and soak up as much information as you can about how to do affiliate marketing the right way.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful!
XO, M
Awesome article.