Top 10 Affiliate Programs for Creators To Join Today

The affiliate marketing industry is worth $17 billion in 2024.

With an increasingly crowded online market where brands are trying to catch the short attention span of consumers every day, recommendations from friends and trusted influencers are becoming extremely important for the average consumer.

That is where affiliate marketing comes in.

It allows individuals to make money online by promoting the brands they care about and recommending them to their audience base, and it helps brands get exposure without any initial investment or risk.

So overall, when done correctly, affiliate marketing is a win-win-win situation for the brand, its affiliate, and the consumer.

If you are thinking of jumping into affiliate marketing, you need to know which are the best affiliate programs to join today.

Keep reading this article to learn what affiliate programs are, which affiliate marketing program is best for you, what the highest-paying affiliate programs are, and how to start making money online as an affiliate marketer.

How Do Affiliate Programs Work?

You have probably seen affiliate links already under the YouTube video of your favorite influencer, reading online reviews or on social media. But how exactly do affiliate programs work?

An affiliate program is essentially an agreement between a brand and a creator. Content creators get paid a commission for each sale they bring to the company by promoting their unique affiliate link.

Most affiliate marketing programs offer their affiliate a unique URL they can use to send traffic over to the brand's website. After consumers click on the link and purchase the advertised product or service, the creator who posted the link will receive a percentage of the sale or other benefits.

These unique URLs allow businesses to track the amount of traffic and sales deriving from a specific affiliate and give out commission payments.

If you are interested in learning more about the technical side of things, you should know that these unique affiliate links use cookies to track the movement of potential customers. Usually, the cookies associated with affiliate links last around 60-90 days.

For the affiliate, this is great news, as it means that the customers they are referring don't have to purchase right away for them to gain a commission. For example, let's say that a consumer visits an affiliate link with a 60-day cookie life but they don't purchase right away. Instead, they keep coming back to the site as they are thinking about buying or not.

During this time, they don't necessarily have to always click on the same affiliate link. They can visit the brand's website from other sources - for example, by searching on Google.

After a week or so, the consumer decides to purchase the product advertised, and the affiliate still gets the sale!

Learn more about an affiliate marketing business: How to Create an Affiliate Program for Your Online Course

Tips for Finding the Right Affiliate Programs for You

There are hundreds of thousands of affiliate programs out there, so how do you find the right one for you?

Not all affiliate programs work in the same way, so to find the right fit, it is important to evaluate your priorities and what you are expecting as an affiliate. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Look for brands that align with your content: If you are a food blogger, then it makes sense for you to promote food-related items and brands. So, it is important to look for brands that your audience will love and can relate to.
• Look for brands you already use: Your genuine experience and satisfaction with a brand can translate into convincing content that encourages your audience to make a purchase. For example, if you frequently use a specific brand's camera for your photography channel, you can offer a better review of the product.
• Look for brands that align with your values: Partnering with brands that share your ethical, environmental, or social values can help you build a stronger connection with your audience. If sustainability is a core value of yours and your audience, promoting eco-friendly products or companies with strong social responsibility commitments can enhance your brand's integrity and appeal.
• Check their commission structures: Some programs offer a flat rate per sale, while others might provide a percentage of the sale. High-ticket items might offer lower percentages but result in higher overall earnings per sale. Additionally, some programs may offer tiered commission structures based on performance or bonuses for hitting specific targets.
• Check their cookie policies: The duration of a program's cookie is an important factor to consider. A cookie policy determines how long after a click on your affiliate link, a purchase can be made for you to still earn a commission. Longer durations, like 30 or 60 days, give your audience more time to decide, increasing the chance of earning a commission from their purchases.
• Do they sell subscriptions or one-time offers? Subscription services can offer the benefit of recurring commissions for each renewal, potentially providing a steady income stream over months or years. On the other hand, one-time purchases might offer higher upfront commissions but without the long-term earning potential of subscriptions. Consider what fits best with your content strategy and how it can provide value to your audience.
• Do they offer resources for their affiliates? Some affiliate programs go the extra mile by providing marketing materials, product training, and dedicated support to help their affiliate marketers succeed. Access to high-quality creatives, product samples, or exclusive information can enhance your promotional efforts.
• How popular are they? The popularity of a brand or product can affect the success of your promotion. Highly popular and recognized brands might convert better due to existing consumer trust, but they might also have more affiliate partners competing for the same audience. Lesser-known brands can offer the opportunity to introduce unique products to your audience but may require more effort to convince them to purchase.
• Check their payout options and minimum payment: Affiliate programs vary in their payout options, offering payments through bank transfer, PayPal, or other methods. Also, pay attention to the minimum payment threshold and the payment frequency. Some programs have high thresholds or pay infrequently, which could affect your cash flow, especially if you're relying on affiliate income.

How Do Affiliates Make Money Online?

Affiliate marketing thrives on visibility and engagement. To earn money from affiliate marketing, affiliates essentially must place their links where potential customers are most likely to see them and take action.

This is why, as an affiliate, it is important to build and grow an audience online.

Most affiliates leverage social media marketing and content creation to build an audience and promote their affiliate links.

Creating a blog is one of the most traditional and effective ways to promote affiliate products. By producing high-quality, valuable content related to your niche, you can seamlessly integrate affiliate links within your posts.

For instance, if you run a cooking blog, you can write reviews or create recipes using specific kitchen tools and include your affiliate links for those products.

YouTube has also become a powerful platform for affiliate marketing. You can create product reviews, how-to videos, unboxings, or any content that aligns with your niche, and include affiliate links in the video description or as pinned comments.

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest offer opportunities for affiliates. You can share product recommendations and stories and create posts that incorporate your affiliate links.

Other affiliate marketing activities include building an email list that allows you to communicate directly with interested followers, providing them with valuable content and exclusive offers.

Top 10 Affiliate Programs for Content Creators

#1: Heights Platform

Heights Platform is an online course and community software powered by AI. By using the Heights Platform, creators can build and sell online courses, coaching programs, digital products, and community memberships.

Heights Platform also offers a very lucrative affiliate program for content creators who promote the platform.

The best part about Heights Platform's affiliate program is that affiliates can earn commissions on subscriptions. This is because Heights' customers pay a monthly or annual fee to use the platform.

The most popular plan in Heights is the Pro plan, which costs $119/month or $1,188/year. As an affiliate, promoting Heights Platform can be very profitable as the starting commission is 30%.

This means that for every referral who chooses the Pro plan, you'd get $35/month or $356/year.

After simply referring a handful of customers, you can earn a profitable income from promoting Heights Platform.

This is a lifetime commission, meaning that as long as the referred customers stay with Heights, you will get a recurring commission.

Heights Platform also has a 90-day cookie attribution policy, meaning that if someone clicks your affiliate link today and purchases in 90 days, you will still get the sale, even if they don't use the same link.

Heights Platform sends payments monthly via PayPal once you have accrued more than $100.00 in earnings.

Another great benefit of Heights Platform's affiliate program is that you can choose to promote different offers:

• Heights Platform (course software): the most straightforward way to earn money from Heights is to promote access to the software.
• Online Courses: Heights Platform also sells courses and learning resources. You can promote these offerings as an affiliate and earn a commission on their price. These offers might be easier to sell compared to a software subscription, and if the customers who purchase the course through your link end up subscribing to Heights within 90 days, you will also get the commission on that!
• Live Workshop: Aside from online courses, Heights Platform also sells a yearly subscription to live workshops. This can also be a great offering to promote (same as the online courses).

#2: ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is a sales funnel builder that provides users with the tools needed to market, sell, and deliver their products online.

It simplifies the process of creating sales funnels, which are essential for guiding potential customers through the buying process until they make a purchase.

ClickFunnels is equipped with a variety of pre-designed funnel templates that cater to different types of businesses and marketing goals, making it accessible for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes.

ClickFunnels is one of the top affiliate programs that rewards affiliates with a recurring commission of 30% monthly recurring commission on sales generated through affiliate referrals across all active accounts and price tiers.

However, their cookie attribution is half the time compared to other affiliate programs.

#3: WebFlow

Webflow is a web design software famous for its no-code options for building websites.

Webflow's affiliates earn 50% of every subscription payment from new customers who subscribe through an affiliate link.

Payments are paid out every month for up to 12 months or when the subscription is canceled.

If you use Webflow to create your own website, you'd only need two referrals to cover your subscription.

#4: Semrush

Semrush is a digital marketing tool that offers solutions for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, social media, content marketing, and competitive research.

It is widely used by digital marketers, SEO professionals, and businesses of all sizes to improve their online visibility and marketing efforts.

With Semrush's affiliate program, you can get $200 for every sale you make, plus $10 for every free trial activation.

Another benefit of Semrush is that it offers a 120-day cookie life and a first-click attribution model.

#5: Shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that enables individuals and businesses to create online stores to sell goods and services.

It's designed to provide users with the tools necessary to build and manage an online business of any size, without needing advanced technical skills.

Shopify's platform is user-friendly, making it accessible for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to enter the e-commerce space.

Affiliates of Shopify earn a 200% bounty for each successful merchant they refer to Shopify. This means that as an affiliate, you can earn 2x the monthly plan price selected by the customer that you referred after the customer has been active for at least two months.

#6: Envato

Envato is a digital marketplace and a creative ecosystem that provides a wide range of assets and services for creative professionals and enthusiasts.

It hosts platforms like ThemeForest for website themes, VideoHive for motion graphics, and GraphicRiver for illustrations and graphics, among others, catering to various digital content needs.

Envato also offers tutorials, courses, and tools through Envato Tuts+ to help users improve their skills in web development, graphic design, video production, and more.

Envato offers three different affiliate programs, allowing you to join as many as you wish without any limitations.

When you become an Envato affiliate, you receive a 30% commission on the first purchase made by a new customer.

For Placeit by Envato affiliates, the rewards are $50 for new annual subscriptions, $20 for new monthly subscriptions, and a 50% commission on single transactions.

The affiliate program for Envato Elements provides a commission of up to $60 for new monthly subscriptions and up to $120 for new annual subscriptions.

#7: Elementor

Elementor is a WordPress page builder plugin and web design platform that provides a drag-and-drop interface for creating custom website pages without needing to write code.

It offers a wide range of widgets and templates, allowing users to design responsive web pages that look good on any device.

Elementor caters to professionals and beginners alike, enabling the creation of complex layouts visually and improving the workflow for managing website content.

As part of their affiliate program, Elementor offers a commission of up to 50% for any new sale. Payout is at the $200 threshold and is processed within 30 days.

#8: Fiverr

Fiverr is an online marketplace that connects freelancers with businesses and individuals looking for services in various digital categories, such as graphic design, digital marketing, writing, translation, video editing, and programming.

It operates on a gig-based model, where freelancers offer specific tasks or services (gigs) at fixed prices.

As an affiliate, you can promote Fiverr's wide range of services, from freelance gigs to Fiverr Pro (a selection of top-tier freelancers) and Fiverr Learn (an educational platform to improve skills).

The program offers different commission plans, including a CPA (Cost Per Action) where affiliates earn a fixed amount for first-time purchases made by referred users, and a revenue share model for courses purchased on Fiverr Learn.

Affiliates have access to marketing tools, such as links, banners, and widgets, to help promote Fiverr services, and they can track their successes through a dedicated affiliate dashboard.

Commission structure range from 25% to 100% of the customer's first order,
and a 10% revenue share from all future orders placed by the customer in the first 12 months.

#9: Leadpages

LeadPages is an online tool that specializes in creating high-converting landing pages and websites.

LeadPages offers a wide array of templates and integration options with major email marketing and payment processing services, which help businesses grow their email lists and generate sales.

The LeadPages affiliate program offers 10-50% recurring commissions for as long as the referral remains a customer, with commissions based on the affiliate's sales performance over the prior 30 days.

Initially, affiliates earn a 40% commission on the first payment from a new customer, with the potential to reach 50% if they achieve Gold status.

Recurring commissions range from 10% to 50%, depending on sales generated in the 30 days prior to a sale or renewal.

Commissions are paid on the 13th of the month following the month they are earned, with payouts via Stripe or PayPal.

#10: ConverKit

ConvertKit is an email marketing automation and lead generation tool designed primarily for bloggers, content creators, and small businesses.

It enables users to create email campaigns, use customizable sign-up forms to gather subscribers, and automate the delivery of email sequences.

ConvertKit's affiliate program offers a 30% commission for up to 24 months.

ConvertKit affiliates also get access to learning resources and webinars to learn more about the platform and promote it better, as well as graphics and other assets for advertising.

Join Heights Platform’s Affiliate Program

Affiliate marketing is a great opportunity for people looking to monetize their online presence and for brands seeking to expand their reach without upfront investment.

Today, we have covered how affiliate programs work, our tips for choosing the right program, and an overview of some of the best affiliate programs available, including the profitable options offered by Heights Platform.

Heights Platform offers a 30% lifetime commission with cookie attribution of 90 days!

Whether you're already using Heights Platform or are interested in promoting high-quality, AI-powered online course creation and community software, join the Heights Platform affiliate program and start earning lifetime recurring commissions!