My Top 5 Affiliate Marketing Programs For Beginners

I want to share my top 5 affiliate marketing programs for beginners because I want to help people be successful in their ventures. As a beginner, you have to start somewhere. I’m going share five, because it is a good starting point for beginners. When you are first starting out, it is easy to become overwhelmed with information overload. I am choosing these five because I have made money with them even as a beginner.

My favorite affiliate marketing programs are:
JVZoo– Digital products
Clickbank– Digital products
MaxBounty– Click Per Action, Click Per Lead, Click Per Acquisition, Trial Offers, Downloads
ShareASale– Network of hundreds of companies that offer affiliate programs
Wealthy Affiliate– Affiliate marketing training and networking

I recommend learning a little and then applying what you learn. Take a few courses to learn the basics or join a membership site that offers training courses like Wealthy Affiliate. If had to do it all over again, that is what I would do.

>>>>Affiliate Disclaimer:  Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link, you will be taken to the merchant’s website. If you decide to purchase that product, I stand to make a commission on the sale.

I strongly recommend having a website because it give you more credibility with networks and programs. Some require their affiliates (also referred to as ‘publishers’) to have a website. Don’t let the thought of having a website intimidate you. There numerous opportunities for websites depending on your budget.

Yoonla™ – Create A Digital Lifestyle

Why Affiliate Marketing?

I decided to become an affiliate marketer in 2014. In early 2008, I was downsized from my job after 22+ years. Since then I have tried numerous ways to make money. While I was successful at some, I found other income opportunities that didn’t interest me at all and my results were not good. As an individual, I learned that I have to enjoy what I do.

Affiliate marketing offers unlimited income opportunity. Your results depend on your performance. There is no one to hold you back except you.

Hint: Figure out what your interests are first and build from there.  There are hundreds of niche markets you can choose.  Pick products in your niche market and promote.

I receive a lot of questions about ways to make money. If you have visited my site before, you have probably seen other articles about affiliate marketing. If you want instant success, affiliate marketing is not for you. It requires planning, ongoing activity, patience and dedication. Most people are not willing to stick with affiliate marketing because it does take time to build a good reputation and it requires work.

There are a lot of scams that promise over night riches, so if that’s what you want this article is not for you. If you are not interested in long term income promoting legitimate products, then affiliate marketing will not satisfy your need for instant gratification. My intention is not to sound negative, but I am telling you right out of the gate to think ‘long term’. Scam sites come and go, but affiliate marketing is here to stay.

I have found that a lot of people are very lazy and don’t want to put forth any effort. They join scams sites before researching them, do some ridiculously easy work thinking they will get paid for it and then complain when they have been scammed. Scammers know this and take full advantage of it.

Ideally, as an affiliate marketer, you want to test the products if your budget allows, but it is not a requirement. I promote products that I have a positive firsthand experience with. I do a lot of research on the products I promote that I haven’t tested. Regardless of the product’s reputation, there is probably information about it online by other users.

Affiliate Marketing Programs

Affiliate marketing programs are free to join, however some require payment. If you come across a program that requires payment, I would be very suspicious. The only exceptions should be if you are joining a membership site like Wealthy Affiliate. Wealthy Affiliate isn’t an affiliate program per say, but a training and network platform for affiliate marketers. You have the option of promoting Wealthy Affiliate with an affiliate link.

JVZoo

JVZoo is newbie friendly but you do have to request approval from the individual sellers who offer digital products like eBooks, memberships, and software. Most of the sellers are willing to work with beginners, while some require an affiliate to have at east 25 sales on JVZoo.

Don’t be disappointed if you are declined when first starting. It will happen and they do not tell you why you were declined. It’s unfortunate that sellers don’t offer a few tips to help the beginners along.

As a new affiliate on JVZoo, you will receive ‘delayed’ payments until you make some sales. This means that you will have to wait until the ‘money back guarantee period’ is passed. Sometimes if you request ‘instant’ payment, the seller will honor your request.

When you send your request, be polite, explain how you will promote their product and ask for instant payment. If they decline or fail to respond, find another product to promote. If you purchased their product, be sure to let them know. That will not guarantee their approval, but it can help.

 

Learn Affiliate Marketing

 

My experience has been mostly positive, but I did have an issue with a seller by the name of James Knight. I was promoting one of his CPA training programs. I made a sale, but he never paid me the commission I earned. I made numerous attempts to contact him and he never responded.

Another reason I like JVZoo is that there is no payment threshold like many other programs.

JVZoo provides refund information on the products. I like this because you can avoid promoting low quality products with high refund rates. As a rule of thumb, I do not promote anything with a refund rate over 5%.

JVZoo sellers pay via PayPal.

When you join JVZoo, you are provided with an affiliate link so you can invite other people to join and when they make a sale, you will get a small commission.

>>>>Affiliate Disclaimer:  Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link, you will be taken to the merchant’s website. If you decide to purchase that product, I stand to make a commission on the sale.

Clickbank

Clickbank is another affiliate marketing program ideal for beginnings. Clickbank sellers offer digital products like eBooks, memberships, and software.

They also offer several free tutorials for beginners, so be sure to utilize those to get a good understanding of Clickbank.

Clickbank has received some criticism due to some of the sellers’ low quality products. Be sure to test the products or at the very least research the products before promoting. Unlike JVZoo, they do not provide refund information.

They pay by check or direct deposit.  The lowest payment threshold is $50.00 to start, but once you receive a payment, you have the option to choose a lower payment threshold like $25.00.  They have a payment schedule, so be sure you read and understand the terms.

MaxBounty

MaxBounty is an affiliate marketing website that allows you to CPA offers (Click Per Action, Click Per Lead, Click Per Acquisition), and trial offers.

Joining CPA affiliate marketing networks can be challenging, but they do accept beginners. Be honest when filling out the application. One of the key elements is the phone interview. There is no need to tell them you are a beginner, but participating in the phone interview enables you to speak with your potential affiliate manager. They basically want to confirm your marketing techniques, (i e, email marketing, search, etc).

Their lowest payment threshold is $100.00. When you first start, they pay on a monthly net 15 basis so there is a delay. Not to worry though, after that you will be switched to a weekly payout as long as you reach at least $100.00 if you opted for an electronically. They pay by check, PayPal, Payoneer, eCheck, ACH, wire, and Bitcoin.

Affiliates can promote MaxBounty via an affiliate link. When someone joins, you can receive a 5% commission on their earnings for the first 12 months they are with MaxBounty.

Word of caution when promoting offers. Not all offers are created equal. Trials offers are known to mislead customers so read the Terms & Conditions of each offer. I avoid offers in the health and fitness niche because many of the products do not work and the FTC is coming down hard on those companies.

Some offers require a credit card number from the customer and charge the customer during the trial period.

I try to pick offers that only require an email and first name. If the customer decides the offer isn’t for them, they can easily unsubscribe.

ShareASale

ShareASale is network of hundreds of companies that offer affiliate programs. The application process is very easy.

You are required to provide your tax information. They pay via check and electronic deposit. Their lowest payment threshold is $50.00.

You will be required to request approval to join each individual company, but that us a very easy process. There are hundreds of companies in the various categories and niche markets to choose from.

Wealthy Affiliate

Wealthy Affiliate is an affiliate marketing training and networking website. They pay via PayPal and their lowest payment threshold is $25.00. They send payment at the beginning of each month.

Wealthy Affiliate allows you to join as a “Starter” member for free and experience the benefits of the “Premium” membership for the first 7 days. Learn more about Wealthy Affiliate here.  I will tell you upfront that the ‘Starter’ membership will only show you the basics.  The meat of the training is in the ‘Premium’ membership.  The good news is that you can refer people to Wealthy Affiliate and earn a commission when ‘Starter’ members upgrade.  The commission you earn on just two ‘Premium’ members will pay for your own membership.

>>>>Affiliate Disclaimer:  Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link, you will be taken to the merchant’s website. If you decide to purchase that product, I stand to make a commission on the sale.

Invest in Yourself

If you decide to start your own business, invest in yourself.  Take some training courses or hire a reputable business coach.  If I could go back a few years, I would setup an education or training budget.  I chose to go it alone which was a huge mistake.  There are a lot of successful people available to assist you for free initially, but that will only get you so far. 

Join Yoonla™ – Create A Digital Lifestyle

Companies spend thousands of dollars annually on training and development for their employees.  They understand the value of continuous improvement and investing in their employees.  As a business owner, you should have the same philosophy.  Knowledge is power so the more you know and understand, the more likely you will be successful.

I have been following Jason Orban for a few years.  He is a successful Affiliate Marketer with 10 years of experience, who provides great training for beginners. He put together 36 videos pertaining to Affiliate Marketing training.  I’ve taken some of his training, so I know firsthand that he is the real deal and wants to share his experience with beginners.  You can learn more about his training here.

Update

Since posting this article, I have come across another legitimate CPA affiliate program called Yoonla™.  You can read my full review of it and decide if you want to join.

Conclusion

Now you have at least five (six if you include Yoonla™) viable affiliate marketing programs to start with, but there are countless more if you decide these aren’t for you or if you want to join more than five.

Always research a program before joining to make sure they are legitimate and actually pay their affiliates.

Additional Information:

How To Avoid Work From Home Scams

Legitimate Home Based Business Ideas

Learn & Earn at Wealthy Affiliate

Side Hustles You Can Start Now

My Top 6 Ways to Make Money Online

How to do affiliate marketing with no money

Learn about 5 home businesses you can start for free

Learn about the Yoonla CPA affiliate program