In today's world, it's pretty clear that relying on just one income stream isn't always enough. With the cost of living going up and inflation hitting the roof, sitting around doing nothing about it isn't really an option anymore.
Now, if you've decided to take action (which I assume you have, given that you clicked on this article), there is one way you CAN earn passive income. Luckily for you, this source of passive income does not require extensive labor or long hours.
But wait, what kind of passive income can you earn with minimal effort? Is this some kind of scam?
Nope, not at all! We're talking about affiliate marketing.
And no, you don't have to invest any money to become an affiliate – it's completely free!
If I got your attention, or if you're now curious to learn more about affiliate marketing, stick around. I'll not only explore the world of affiliate marketing but also provide insights into some of the top affiliate programs for 2024.
Ready to make some money? Let's begin!
First Things First, What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Alright, imagine you're recommending your favorite restaurant to a friend. They trust your taste, so they decide to try it out. Now, the restaurant is happy because they got a new customer thanks to you.
In affiliate marketing, you're basically the friend recommending the restaurant. Instead of food, though, you're recommending products or services online. When someone buys through your recommendation, you earn a commission. It's like word-of-mouth marketing but with a reward for you!
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
Let's say you have a blog about fitness, and you're always raving about this amazing protein powder you use. You decide to join an affiliate program for that protein powder company. They give you a special link that tracks when people click on it and buy the powder.
Now, every time someone from your blog clicks that link and buys the protein powder, you earn a commission. It's a win-win: your readers get a recommendation they trust, and you get a little something for promoting something you genuinely love.
But, How Is This Any Different From Influencer Marketing?
That's a great question! While affiliate marketing and influencer marketing are related, they have some key differences.
In affiliate marketing, you typically earn a commission when someone makes a purchase through your unique affiliate link. Your main goal is to drive sales, and you often have control over which products or services you promote.
On the other hand, influencer marketing is more about promoting products or services through your influence and audience reach. Influencers are often paid upfront to create content that showcases the product or service, regardless of whether their followers make a purchase. The focus here is on brand awareness and creating buzz around the product.
So, while both involve promoting products or services online, affiliate marketing is more focused on driving sales and earning commissions, while influencer marketing is about leveraging your influence to create brand awareness and engagement.
How Do Affiliates Make Money?
Affiliates earn money by joining affiliate programs, which are usually free to join. They create unique affiliate links and share them with their audience. Here's how affiliates make money:
Commission-based earnings: Affiliates earn a percentage of each sale made through their affiliate link. This could be a fixed percentage, such as 20% of the purchase amount, or a recurring commission for subscription-based services.
Pay-per-lead (PPL): Affiliates earn money for every lead they refer, such as signing up for a product, submitting a landing page form, or filling out a contact form. PPL programs are more common in enterprise sales.
Pay-per-click (PPC): In PPC programs, affiliates earn money for generating web traffic, regardless of whether it results in a sale. This payment structure is more typical in advertising programs.
Tiered commissions: Some affiliate programs offer tiered commission structures, where affiliates earn higher commissions as they refer more customers. This encourages affiliates to improve their marketing efforts continuously.
Our Top 5 Affiliate Programs of 2024
HubSpot
HubSpot is a widely recognized CRM platform catering to marketing, sales, and customer service needs. Their affiliate program is pretty awesome too, offering a whopping 30% commission on sales for a whole year!
This platform makes marketing a breeze, helps you close more deals, and keeps your customers smiling – no wonder businesses big and small swear by it. Plus, if you sign up for their affiliate program, they'll even give you a welcome bonus of up to $80 in your first month!
Wait, there's more! They even have fun challenges to help you earn even more from your promotions. And the best part? Anyone can sign up to be a HubSpot affiliate, even if you've never used it before. They've got plenty of resources and materials to help you spread the word to your audience.
Furthermore, they regularly host challenges to boost revenue from promotions. Anyone can apply to become a HubSpot affiliate, regardless of prior experience with the platform.
The company also offers a few resources and promotional materials to assist affiliates in effectively reaching their target audience.
Commission: Earn a recurring 30% commission for up to one year.
Cookie window: Enjoy a generous 180-day tracking period.
Payout methods: Receive payments conveniently via PayPal or direct deposit.
Payout threshold: No minimum payout threshold to worry about.
Industry: Ideal for those in the marketing, sales, and customer service sectors.
Best suited for: Perfect for social influencers, bloggers, digital educators, review sites, and consultants.
Affiliate resources: Gain access to the Affiliate Resource Center, offering over 400 promotional assets, including a copy bank, banner images, demo videos, and more.
Amazon
I'm sure you've heard of Amazon right? Well, when it comes to affiliate programs, Amazon Associates stands as a dominant force.
As one of the largest companies globally, it's the go-to choice for affiliate marketers aiming to tap into its extensive e-commerce reach. With its broad appeal and simple signup process, it's absolutely perfect for beginners in the affiliate marketing industry.
Amazon affiliates have access to an incredible range of products, from electronics, books, household items, and more, all through the Amazon Associates affiliate marketing network.
With millions of products and programs available, affiliates can utilize user-friendly link-building tools to promote their product recommendations to their audiences. They can earn commissions ranging from 1% to 10% on qualifying purchases and programs.
Commission: Earn between 1% and 10% of the sale price of each item.
Cookie window: Your referral is tracked for 24 hours.
Payout methods: Choose from receiving payments via check, Amazon gift certificates, or wire transfer.
Payout threshold: You can request a payout once you've reached a minimum of $10 for wire transfers or $100 for checks.
Ideal for those in the e-commerce sector.
Best suited for: Content creators, bloggers, social influencers, and review sites.
Affiliate support: Access tools like the Publisher Studio extension, and Product Advertising API, as well as promotional materials, image banners, and text link banners.
Reclaim.ai is like having your own personal assistant for scheduling, but way smarter! This app figures out the best times for your tasks, meetings, and breaks, all on its own. It's perfect for anyone with a busy schedule, whether you're working at a big company, freelancing, or just trying to stay organized as a student.
With Reclaim, you can plan your week around what's most important to you, whether that's sticking to healthy habits or making the most of your meetings.
Affiliate marketers love Reclaim because it's so easy to recommend. Lots of people, both businesses and regular folks, sign up for it quickly after visiting the site. In fact, more than a quarter of new visitors become users within just five minutes! So, if you start promoting Reclaim, you could start earning commissions in no time.
Plus, there's exciting news: Reclaim is launching a new integration with Outlook Calendar! If you're eager to try it out, join the Outlook Calendar waitlist here.
Commission: Earn a generous 25% recurring commission for up to one year.
Cookie window: Your referral is tracked for 90 days.
Payout methods: Choose from PayPal, Stripe, or direct deposit for your payouts.
Payout threshold: Cash out once you've reached a minimum of $5 in earnings.
Industry: AI, Calendars, Productivity, SaaS
Best suited for: Social influencers, bloggers, podcasters, review sites, directories, consultants
Affiliate resources: Access the Affiliate Partner Guide and Affiliate Help Doc for brand assets, social templates, promotional materials, best practices, ROI statistics, and more.
Shopify
Shopify is like your one-stop shop for building and managing an online store. It's super easy to use, and it's got all the bells and whistles you need to make your business look professional and run smoothly. That's why tons of people, from small businesses to big brands, love using it.
Now, if you tell your friends about Shopify and they sign up, Shopify will pay you for it! They call it their affiliate program. Basically, you earn a commission every time someone signs up for one of Shopify's monthly plans through your recommendation.
Commission: Get paid a big bonus equal to double the monthly subscription fee.
Cookie window: Your referral is tracked for 30 days.
Payout methods: Choose between getting paid through PayPal or wire transfer.
Payout threshold: You can cash out once you've made at least $10 in commissions.
Industry: It's all about hosting e-commerce websites.
Perfect for: Anyone who creates content online, like bloggers, social media influencers, or reviewers.
Affiliate support: You'll get access to lots of helpful stuff like ready-made ads, helpful tips, and even a monthly newsletter.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is like a massive library full of photos, videos, and music ready to be used for any project you can think of. With over 2 million customers, they're one of the biggest providers of stock content in the world. Their collection has over 250 million royalty-free images, with over 200,000 new ones added every day, plus more than 14 million stock videos.
From small businesses to creative professionals, marketing agencies, filmmakers, and bloggers, everyone turns to Shutterstock for top-quality, royalty-free content.
And guess what? When you refer someone to Shutterstock and they sign up, you'll earn a 20% commission on the money they spend on photos, videos, or music.
Commission: Get a solid 20% of the net sale.
Cookie window: Your referral is tracked for 30 days.
Payout methods: Choose between PayPal or wire transfer for your payouts.
Payout threshold: No minimum amount is required before you can cash out.
Industry: Ideal for marketing, design, and photography needs.
Best for: Content creators, photographers, bloggers, social influencers, digital entrepreneurs, and publishers.
Affiliate support: Gain access to promotional materials and assistance from the affiliate support team.
Final Words
Affiliate marketing is a great way to team up with companies and promote their products to your online followers. You use your marketing skills and creativity to spread the word about fantastic products, and in return, businesses get more sales and exposure. It's a win-win!
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
Well, aren’t we glad you asked! We at DigiCom are obsessive data-driven marketers pulling from multi-disciplinary strategies to unlock scale. We buy media across all platforms and placements and provide creative solutions alongside content creation, and conversion rate optimizations. We pride ourselves on your successes and will stop at nothing to help you grow.
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