Self-Serve Affiliate Platforms – Bloggingtips.com https://bloggingtips.com Start, Grow, and Monetize a Blog Tue, 27 Sep 2022 07:31:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 ShareASale https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/shareasale/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shareasale https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/shareasale/#respond Sun, 28 Aug 2022 17:54:01 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=94522 Read more]]> Product Snapshot

Overview: This ShareASale review will provide detailed information about the platform’s marketing network and illustrate whether it is worth your subscription.

Price: One-time access fee of $625.

Discounts Available: No discounts are offered.

Lifetime Plan: No.

ShareASale Pros:

  • The sign-up and approval process is easy.
  • Prompt payments.  
  • Easy to navigate the user interface.

ShareASale Cons:

  • Educational resources are brief.  
  • The customer service interface is outdated.
  • Merchants must approve your application before joining the affiliate program.

Introduction

Affiliate marketing has grown since the inception of the internet.

It entails advertising other companies’ products to earn a commission after the sale.

However, these affiliates need a platform to interact with other merchants and know their products.

As such, ShareASale provides a platform where the affiliates can market the merchant’s products and earn a commission.

This ShareASale review will take a close look at the company’s history, what the site offers affiliates, how much it costs, and whether it’s worth joining.

Overview of ShareASale

This section will focus on what ShareASale is and delve into the history of the company.

What Is ShareASale

ShareASale is a marketing network that connects merchants with affiliates who advertise their products.

The merchants must first pay a one-time access fee to join the platform and interact with other advertisers.

However, ShareASale will receive a commission after every sale.

Some of the money is used to pay the affiliates, who are also given a commission after every sale.

When a client clicks on the affiliate’s ShareASale link, the affiliate marketing network gets notified so they can track the sale.

They will then send your commission after the sale is completed.

Essentially, ShareASale’s primary role is to increase the merchant’s product traffic using the company’s links.

ShareASale History

ShareASale is an American affiliate network that was founded in 2000.

Brian and Michael Littleton were the principal founders of this marketing platform, and it has more than 16,550 merchant programs.

However, these two founders left the company in 2018 after Awin bought their business the previous year.

The acquisition was reportedly for $35 million.

The company has grown since its inception, becoming one of the largest affiliate networks in the country due to the number of merchants using the platform to market their products.

Pros and Cons of ShareASale

ShareASale has plenty of advantages, especially for people starting out as affiliate marketers.

But, there are some cons to consider, too.

Pros of ShareASale:

  • Sign-up process is not technical compared to other networks
  • Affiliate payments are prompt
  • Easy user interface
  • Wide range of merchants
  • You can quickly create links as an affiliate, thus decreasing your turnaround times

Cons of ShareASale:

  • Outdated customer user interface
  • Merchants must approve an affiliate’s application
  • ShareASale links are not WordPress friendly. The ShareASale links use characters like “&,” which WordPress may not accept.

How Much Does ShareASale Cost

The affiliate marketing network charges a one-time access fee of $625, which is only deductible once your account is set up and activated.

Once your account is up and running, there is a 20% transaction fee on the commission of all qualified transactions.

Is ShareASale Worth the Cost?

Given the quality of service and customer relations, ShareASale undoubtedly returns value for your money.

But why is the platform worth the cost?

Why ShareASale Is Worth The Cost

ShareASale has an easy set-up that is perfect for launching affiliate or partner programs.

Its intuitive features ensure a campaign runs seamlessly, allowing you to access many merchants and reap handsomely.

Moreover, the platform enables you to reap significant returns from your efforts with its good commissions and reachability.

ShareASale is also one of the most transparent affiliate marketing networks online.

It makes timely payments and lets you view the status of your sales and commissions.

This level of transparency compared to many alternatives offers affiliates peace of mind.

The Problem ShareASale Solves

Affiliate marketing is becoming increasingly popular as merchants push their products through third parties who earn commissions with every sale.

Despite the growth, it can be a challenge to get into the industry if you do not have experience as an affiliate marketer.

As with any venture, experience does matter, and many programs might be hesitant to enroll novices.

ShareASale seeks to aid this problem by presenting a platform where affiliates and merchants can interact and work together.

You can easily link up with merchants whose products you want to advertise without any experience whatsoever.

Why Would Somebody Want to Use ShareASale?

Unlike some affiliate marketing networks, ShareASale has an intricate search tool that allows you to filter merchants who buy their products and commission structure, among other categories.

This comprehensive search function is invaluable for finding products that you are comfortable with and appeal to your target audience.

Who Is ShareASale Best For?

ShareASale is best for online marketers who wish to earn money by advertising their favorite products from their preferred merchants.

So, the platform is an excellent option for social media influencers or content creators who push products on online platforms.

Why ShareASale Is Best for Online Marketers

ShareASale has an impressive range of product options.

The site’s search tool makes finding the right match a relatively straightforward process, thanks to a robust set of filters.

Moreover, the affiliate links are customizable and it’s easy to share on multiple platforms and sites.

Who Should Not Use ShareASale?

ShareASale is generally an excellent platform for online marketers, but it has its downsides.

If you do not have patience or time on your side, you may be frustrated by the platform’s slow response to user queries.

The platform lacks instant chat support, making it difficult to get a prompt response if there is a problem.

Why Large Affiliates Should Not Use ShareASale

If you are a bigger affiliate, ShareASale may not offer clear advantages.

The site is well-suited to those starting out as affiliates but does not have many prominent brands.

Moreover, Paypal is not available as a payment option despite it being commonplace in affiliate marketing.

What To Think About Before Buying ShareASale

Before diving into ShareASale, you will need to consider several factors.

Niche

ShareASale connects online marketers to a wide range of merchants with different products.

However, you must seek ones with products related to your online content to ensure success.

Target Audience

Successful marketing relies on your target audience responding to the products you advertise.

With that in mind, make sure you know precisely what your audience wants before setting up an account on ShareASale.

Commission Levels

Once you have an idea of the products you’d wish to advertise and your target audience, you should consider the commission you’d earn.

Vendor Support

Problems can occur at any stage of your online market journey.

Working with a vendor with fantastic support services makes all the difference in handling the challenges and your overall experience.

Competing Networks

Before hopping on any affiliate marketing network, including ShareASale, look at what their competitors offer.

Check out their commissions, programs, and associated products to ensure you make the right decision for you.

Features and Benefits

This section will provide a detailed insight into the features you will discover when using ShareASale and their benefits.

Affiliate Education

ShareASale has an affiliate education feature to train new users on their site.

It contains blogs, webinars, and training videos that provide a comprehensive overview of the marketing platform.

In addition, ShareASale uses this program to teach new affiliates about the company’s terms and conditions.

This approach ensures advertisers do not violate any rules or regulations, such as those governed by the US Federal Trade Commission.

The topics taught in this training program include blog creation, advertising, content generation, searching for merchants, adding affiliate links, writing reviews, and using the affiliate account.

Let’s discuss the benefits of the affiliate education feature.

  • It educates the affiliates on the network’s use.
    Some websites do not familiarize new users with their platform, impacting navigation and potentially even an affiliate’s productivity.
  • The affiliates learn various marketing tips.
    As part of the training, ShareASale trains the affiliates on how to improve their advertising skills, like boosting blog traffic and sales.
  • Provides blog samples.
    Another benefit of the affiliate education feature is that advertisers are given blog samples, which they can use when creating their blogs.

Affiliate Diagnostics

The affiliate diagnostics feature helps affiliates to know their campaign performance.

It provides accurate data on the impressions, clicks, and sales you have received within a specific period.

Here are some of the benefits of the affiliate diagnostics tool.

  • Helps to improve your performance.
    Some marketing network platforms do not provide data on the affiliates’ performance, which makes it hard to know their blog traffic.
  • Provides affiliates with valuable insights.
    They are better placed to know which products receive more clicks and impressions, ensuring they can make informed decisions.

Real-Time Click Tracking

ShareASale offers a real-time diagnostic tool that allows merchants and affiliate marketers direct control of the platform’s activities.

This feature lets you adjust your strategies according to your needs.

The tracking tool allows affiliates to keep tabs on the account dashboards, giving them customized views and tracking the sales traffic in real-time with just a few clicks.

The data reports offered with real-time tracking can help an affiliate make better marketing decisions and increase their productivity.

Here are some of the benefits of the real-time click tracking tool:

  • Check earnings.
    Since ShareASale pays commissions monthly, you can get into your merchant’s account anytime and review your earnings.
  • Tracks how many clicks you are getting in real-time.
  • Increase your revenue.
    The ShareASale tracking tool may make it easier for you to gain a better return on investment.
  • Unlike offline accounts, having an account within a platform that provides real-time access allows you to make more sales and conduct fast payments.
  • Enables you to detect issues with the program or affiliate links.
    As a merchant, you can easily see or pinpoint, using the real-time interface, which links are not working.

Merchants Tab

ShareASale prides itself on being a comprehensive marketing network that connects affiliate businesses with merchants offering products in different market categories, including health, business, education, food, and travel.

The scale of services and products can seem daunting at first glance.

However, ShareASale has streamlined the process of matching up with a merchant that fits your business needs.

In particular, ShareASale’s merchant search functionality, found on the site’s dashboard, is a surprisingly powerful tool.

It boasts a range of filters and options to narrow down your search.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of the merchant tab tracking tool:

  • Gain access to affiliate programs in one place.
    ShareASale provides an extensive variety of merchant programs in one place.
  • Easier to look for specific merchants.
    All merchants and brands are categorized based on different market classes.
  • Ranks brands and merchants based on key metrics.
    You can choose a product or service via performance data and positive reviews.

Custom Link Creation

Once an affiliate blogger or marketer is approved for a merchant’s program, they can immediately begin promoting products using the custom link creation generator tool.

ShareASale makes it easier to create custom links that help drive action and purchase on the merchant’s website.

Thus, the custom link creation tool may allow affiliates to generate license plate links with shortened URLs.

Such links are easily shared with others through social media, translating to a lot of traffic on the merchant’s websites.

A custom link creation tool can boost direct traffic to the merchant’s page.

Using the custom link generator, an affiliate can create a specific custom link with a shortened URL related to their marketing content and share it with their audience.

Moreover, this tool allows affiliates to create downloadable banners and videos.

In marketing, it is always important to present featured content from the merchant’s list.

After getting approval for the merchant program, the custom link generator lets you create links that can be converted to downloadable content.

Your audience may use these before they visit the merchant’s page to make a purchase.

ShareASale Customer Service

Customer service is an essential part of any website, so what is available with ShareASale?

Does ShareASale Offer Customer Service?

Yes, ShareASale offers a “Help desk” feature without extra charges.

Customer service is on-hand, whether you have a late payment or are confused about the dashboards and do not know how to create links to a specific affiliate program.

You can reach support by calling, emailing, or texting their hotlines for help.

The service team also assists bloggers, marketers, and other customers with navigating the ShareASale platform.

Additionally, they offer prompt responses to requests brought forward by their prospective clients.

They may advise you on how to sign up for an affiliate account and offer tips on searching for merchants.

What Types of Customer Service Does ShareASale Offer?

ShareASale is always available to support its clients.

They offer the following services:

  • Client support.
    A team is assigned for any inquiries related to program optimization.
    For instance, they help review your merchant accounts and provide complimentary advice and programs that may help drive your sales and business growth.
  • Self-Help services.
    ShareASale provides a knowledge-based interface that offers excellent resources and answers to people asking frequently asked questions.

Social Proof

Trust isn’t something that comes easily.

Like everyone else, you need proof to ascertain claims and opinions on different topics.

You may wonder why you should trust our review on ShareASale.

Why Should You Trust Us?

For our ShareASale review, we scoured the platform to get a first-hand account of ShareASale’s features and interface.

We also perused numerous reviews from the network’s users, who overwhelmingly wrote positive feedback on the platform.

What ShareASale Users Are Saying

Although a few users occasionally had terrible experiences, the platform is reliable, boasts impressive search features, and a variety of merchants and services.  

Let’s look at some users’ opinions on ShareASale to help you decide whether you should join the platform:

  • One review highlighted how easy it was to set up an affiliate program.
    However, it noted affiliates became hard to monitor as they grew in number.
  • A second user also highlighted the ease of setting things up and mentioned that it’s straightforward to test out the waters, thanks to the lack of contracts.
  • The last reviewer praised how well-established ShareASale’s network of merchants and affiliates is. They did find the website design and limitations on data sets frustrating.

ShareASale Alternatives

Before settling on ShareASale as your preferred affiliate marketing network, you may want to explore some alternatives and see what they offer.

Three of the most prominent are Commission Junction, Amazon Associates, and ClickBank.

Commission Junction

Commission Junction, abbreviated as CJ Affiliate, is a popular platform online marketers use to connect with merchants and earn a commission on sales.

The forum was created in 1998 and is part of Alliance Data Systems, a Fortune 500 company.

How Does Commission Junction Differ From ShareASale?

One feature that sets it apart is the platform’s use of analytic data to help affiliate marketers to evaluate and better their marketing strategies.

Who Is Commission Junction Best For?

Commission Junction is well-known for being used by big-name brands, like Buzzfeed, Barnes & Noble, and CNN.

Amazon Associates

Amazon Associates benefits from its link to its parent company, Amazon.com.

That connection ensures it has a healthy volume and range of products to sell from several merchants.

How Does Amazon Associates Differ From ShareASale?

The main difference between Amazon Associates and ShareASale is that it offers affiliates a lower commission and payment.

However, the platform compensates for its customer base as people prefer ordering from Amazon.

Who Is Amazon Associates Best For?

The affiliate marketing network is well known for the range of products available.

Therefore, it’s a popular choice for influencers and bloggers wanting to monetize traffic.

ClickBank

ClickBank is one of the first affiliate network platforms to be created, founded in 1998.

It has hundreds of categories and thousands of listings with a user-friendly interface.

How Is ClickBank Different from ShareASale?

The main difference between the two platforms is that ClickBank charges users with a dormant account while ShareASale continues hosting the account.

If you have a ClickBank account and don’t make any sales, you will be charged up to $50 daily, depending on the duration of your dormancy.

Who Is ClickBank Best For?

Like ShareASale, ClickBank works best for new affiliates and those looking to explore marketing on a budget.

If you are a blogger or content creator specializing in digital and lifestyle products, this platform is a good choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are common questions asked about ShareASale.

How do I withdraw from ShareASale?

It is not possible to withdraw from your ShareASale account at will.

However, the platform makes payouts to affiliates on the 20th of every month.

When you open an account on the forum, you are asked to choose what payment method you’d like.

You have the option of receiving payment through a mailed check, direct deposit, or your pioneer account.

What is the best-selling product on ShareASale?

Singling out the best-selling product is a challenging feat.

There are various best-selling products in different departments, i.e., clothing, kitchen and dining, and books.

With that in mind, it’s best to choose anything that matches your niche.

Conclusion

ShareASale is a great affiliate marketing option for online marketers who want to make money recommending their favorite products to prospective buyers.

It is a convenient platform, letting you connect with merchants with an affiliate marketing program that suits you and offers products within your area of expertise.

With its easy sign-up process and superb search filtering features, you should be up and running in the online marketing business in no time.

If you’d like to join or explore the platform after reading our ShareASale review, click here and check it out.

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AffiliateWP https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/affiliatewp/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=affiliatewp https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/affiliatewp/#respond Sun, 14 Aug 2022 11:43:52 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?post_type=product_review&p=93550 https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/affiliatewp/feed/ 0 AffiliateWP https://bloggingtips.com/listing/affiliatewp/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=affiliatewp https://bloggingtips.com/listing/affiliatewp/#respond Sun, 14 Aug 2022 11:28:09 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=93515 Read more]]> AffiliateWP provides a complete affiliate marketing solution for your WordPress site.

It’s easy to use and manage. It also comes with all the features you need to create a successful affiliate program.

If you use WordPress, you’re probably familiar with the need for a plug-in for affiliate marketing.

Read on to learn about AffiliateWP.

What Is AffiliateWP?

AffiliateWP is an affiliate marketing plug-in for WordPress.

It lets you create and manage an affiliate program for your WordPress site.

AffiliateWP is a complete affiliate marketing solution.

It has everything you need to get started and grow your affiliate program.

What Is AffiliateWP Used For?

AffiliateWP works for any type of affiliate marketing program.

It is perfect for promoting products, services, or courses.

You can also use AffiliateWP to run an affiliate program with tiered commissions.

How AffiliateWP Works

AffiliateWP works by tracking referrals and affiliates using cookies.

When visitors click on your promotion link, a cookie gets placed on their computer.

AffiliateWP checks for the cookie and credits the affiliate.

This happens each time a sale happens.

AffiliateWP at a Glance

Let’s analyze some of the critical features of AffiliateWP.

Market Segment: Niche affiliate marketers

Best for: WordPress site owners

Plans & Pricing: Below are the AffiliateWP plans & pricing.

  • The personal package is $149.50 per year.
  • Plus plan is $199.50 per year.
  • Professional membership is $299.50 per year.

Notable Features of AffiliateWP

Let’s take a look at some of AffiliateWP’s Notable features.

1. Advanced Affiliate Tracking

AffiliateWP provides reliable referral links, coupon codes, custom landing pages, and deep linking.

The detailed affiliate reports give you insight into your affiliates’ activity.

It helps you identify your top performers.

They make tracking your affiliate activity easier.

This lets you focus on other aspects of your business.

Not to mention, their one-click integration makes it easy to get started.

2. Custom Affiliate Dashboard

AffiliateWP comes with a custom affiliate dashboard.

It allows you to see their performance, earnings, and referral URL.

They can also view their payments and update their account information.

The affiliate dashboard is customizable, so you can tailor it to fit your brand.

You have everything you need to succeed.

3. Customizable Dashboard

AffiliateWP is customizable. You can customize the affiliate program to fit your needs.

From workflows to templates and REST API, AffiliateWP has you covered.

The things you can do on AffiliateWP are unending.

4. Smart Fraud Detection

AffiliateWP comes with built-in fraud detection.

It helps you weed out fraudulent affiliates and protect your program from fraudsters.

With smart fraud detection, you can focus on running your affiliate program.

You can do more work catered to growing your business.

5. Affiliate Growth Tools

AffiliateWP comes with tools to help you grow your affiliate program.

With the ReferralCodes add-on, you can give your affiliates unique referral codes.

These codes can help you track referrals and give commissions.

Test different affiliate program configurations to see what works best for your business.

Email marketing integrations simplify reaching out to communicate with your affiliates.

You can encourage them to promote your products.

Use affiliate leaderboards to create contests and reward your top-performing affiliates.

Are There Any Minimum Requirements Necessary to Use AffiliateWP?

There are no minimum requirements necessary to use AffiliateWP.

You will need a WordPress site (5.2+update).

You will also need an eCommerce plug-in.

Plug-ins include WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, or MemberPress.

As long as you have a Business plan or higher on WordPress.com, AffiliateWP will work great.

How Much Does AffiliateWP Cost?

If you’re wondering about the cost of the plug-in, read on.

Personal

The personal plan costs $149.50 per year.

Customers get regular plug-in updates, email support, and core features with personal membership.

There’s no limit to the number of affiliate

referrals and creatives.

Business owners have access to affiliate coupon tracking.

They can also take advantage of referral link generators and pretty affiliate links.

Your customers can even sign up for membership accounts.

Other features include payout logs and easy digital downloads.

They make the process easy for your customers.

Customers that love your product are only one side of the coin.

Customers who feel that the purchasing process is easy will continue to shop from you.

Not to mention, the affiliate program works with WooCommerce.

The personal plan is great for small sites getting started with affiliate marketing.

Bloggers, influencers, and hobbyists will find this plan to cover their needs. It covers only one site.

Plus

The plus plan is only $50 more than the personal tier.

Customers can enjoy all the same features but on up to three sites.

Professional

The professional membership is $299.50 per year.

It gives customers everything in the plus plan on up to 10 sites.

They also get priority email support.

Professional customers get access to the affiliate portal add-on.

It gives your affiliates their own login.

They can see their stats and update account information.

It is a fantastic way to keep your affiliates engaged and motivated to promote your products.

Then there is the Zapier integration which lets you connect AffiliateWP to over 750+ apps.

Zapier is a popular automation tool. It lets you connect different apps to automate tasks.

For example, you can connect AffiliateWP to your email marketing software.

It will then add new affiliates to your email list.

Or you can connect it to your eCommerce platform.

There it will pay commissions when orders get placed.

The Gravity forms integration lets you create custom affiliate registration forms.

It helps you collect more information from your affiliates during signup.

With simple PayPal payouts, affiliates can get paid.

No limits exist on how many affiliate referrals or creatives.

The possibilities are endless with Zapier.

The Professional plan is excellent for businesses looking to scale their affiliate program.

This plan is for you if you have a more significant number of affiliates or products.

Does AffiliateWP Have an Enterprise Version Available?

AffiliateWP does not have an enterprise version available now.

But, if this is something you’re interested in, reach out to their team.

They may be able to customize a package that works for your business.

AffiliateWP Promotions & Savings

AffiliateWP doesn’t offer many standard promotions and savings for its customers.

But the product’s reputation and the many features offered at each pricing level make it a great deal.

Does AffiliateWP Have a Free Trial?

No, AffiliateWP does not have a free trial available.

They offer a 14-day money-back guarantee.

So, you can try the product to determine if it’s an ideal fit for your needs.

Does AffiliateWP Offer Coupon Codes?

AffiliateWP does not offer any coupon codes now.

They are offering a 50 percent discount to new customers.

Does AffiliateWP Have a Lifetime Deal?

No, AffiliateWP does not have a lifetime deal available.

All their subscriptions get billed every year.

Who Are AffiliateWP’s Main Alternatives?

Three of AffiliateWP’s main alternatives are Partnerize, Everflow, and Post Affiliate Pro.

All three of these products offer similar features and have comparable pricing structures.

1. Partnerize

Partnerize helps businesses increase sales and grow revenue.

With Partnerize, companies can create customized affiliate programs that attract high-quality affiliates.

Affiliates can get recruited worldwide and tracked in one central location.

Partnerize offers a wide range of tools and resources to help businesses succeed.

It differs from AffiliateWP because it offers a more global affiliate network.

It has better tracking capabilities.

They also provide an onboarding team to help businesses get started.

2. Everflow

Everflow is the most innovative way to manage and optimize affiliate marketing programs.

It’s simple to use and easy to set up, so you can focus on what’s important – running your business.

With Everflow, you can manage all your affiliate programs in one place.

Unfortunately, they differ from AffiliateWP price-wise.

They are far more expensive.

3. Post Affiliate Pro

Businesses use the Post Affiliate Pro tools to enhance their online presence.

Not to mention, they offer a free trial that gives new users a chance to feel out the system.

Post Affiliate Pro differs from AffiliateWP in providing robust customer service and support.

You can reach customer service 24/7.

How Does AffiliateWP Differentiate Itself from Competitors?

AffiliateWP offers a few key features that set it apart from its competitors.

  • It has a simple and easy-to-use interface.
  • It provides a wide range of integrations.
  • It has a robust affiliate management system that doesn’t require code.

Who Is AffiliateWP Best for?

AffiliateWP is best for businesses of all sizes.

It is ideal for those looking to start or grow their affiliate program.

It’s also a fantastic choice for companies that want a simple and easy-to-use interface.

Why Is AffiliateWP Best for Niche Markets?

AffiliateWP is one of the few WordPress plug-ins designed for niche markets.

It helps you stay connected to your passions while monetizing your blog or website.

Do what you’re good at, and leave the technical stuff to the team at AffiliateWP!

Is AffiliateWP Easy To Use?

We designed AffiliateWP to be as easy to use as possible.

The system is easy to use for first-time users or seasoned veterans.

The interface will have you up and running in no time without coding.

But, it may not be ideal for someone who isn’t tech-savvy.

What Features Do Some Users Love?

There are two features users love.

They are the ability to create an affiliate coupon and detailed reports.

Affiliate Coupon

The affiliate coupon allows you to track affiliate traffic and sales to your site.

Customers see discounts specific to each affiliate.

This encourages them to return and buy through their affiliate link.

Detailed Reports

The detailed reports show you which affiliate products are performing the best.

It’s a fantastic feature.

You can see the complete picture of your success and adjust your strategy.

What Features Do Some Users Find Frustrating?

Plug-ins also have features that some users may find frustrating.

Two features that users find frustrating about AffiliateWP are user dashboard and tracking.

User Dashboard

The user dashboard is not as intuitive as it could be.

It’s hard to find what you’re looking for.

It needs to be usable for those who are tech-savvy and those who aren’t.

Real-Time Tracking

Tracking is not always real-time. Knowing a sale went through and having it not show up is frustrating.

It doesn’t happen with every sale, but it does throw statistics off.

Wrapping Up

AffiliateWP is a great plug-in for those looking to monetize their blog or website.

It’s easy to use and has some great features.

But, some areas, such as the user dashboard and tracking, could use some improvement.

Nevertheless, AffiliateWP is a great plug-in and is worth checking out!

Have you used AffiliateWP?

What did you think?

Let us know in the comments below!

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Amazon Associates https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/amazon-associates/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=amazon-associates https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/amazon-associates/#respond Wed, 10 Aug 2022 01:00:36 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=93365 Read more]]> Influencers, bloggers, and online creators are ubiquitous.

Just about every social media platform is teeming with them.

Sharp creators pay attention to trends in their viewers’ interests and market themselves toward those interests.

The more successful online personalities find lucrative ways to profit off their talents.

Amazon Associates gives these influencers a familiar marketplace in which to make money.

Affiliates can make money in the simplest of ways.

Here, I give you my honest Amazon affiliate program review.

Overview of the Amazon Affiliate Program

My Amazon affiliate program review takes a deep dive into all aspects of the program.

What Is The Amazon Affiliate Program?

This branch of Amazon provides the ability to make commissions by promoting products for sale on Amazon.

Affiliates need only find products they think their followers would want to purchase.

Amazon generates a link to the product, unique to the affiliate.

The affiliate posts the link to their website for follower use.

Every time a follower uses the link and purchases the product, Amazon gives a percentage of the sale to the affiliate who initiated the sale.

Since Amazon is the most widely-recognized online shopping hub, followers who use affiliate links will already know how to purchase the items.

Amazon Affiliate Program History

Amazon’s affiliate program officially went live in 1996, quite a long time before the company streamlined itself as a multi-purpose platform.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of users have signed up to become an affiliate.

Pros and Cons of the Amazon Affiliate Program

Every affiliate program has its ups and downs.

Here are what we believe to be the best and worst parts of becoming an Amazon affiliate.

Pros of Amazon Associates
  • Ease of Navigation: Amazon has the advantage that its website is one of the most universally recognized online shopping websites in modern history.
    It is not common to find someone who does not know how to navigate or use Amazon’s website.
  • Top-Notch Reputation: Amazon has made a name for itself in customer service.
    The company goes out of its way to make any customer issues correct. Their reputation bolsters their ability to conduct business and garner additional affiliates.
  • Exposure and Payout: Affiliates post unique links to products on Amazon on their website. Their followers click the links and make their purchases. Amazon completes the deal by providing a commission from the sale to the affiliate who generated the link. The affiliate earns additional exposure, and Amazon pays them for it.
Cons of Amazon Associates
  • Low Commission Rate: This is, without a doubt, the biggest downside to the program. Depending on the category of product sold, affiliates may only earn as little as 1%. This rate is low given how competitive a company Amazon is.
  • Short Duration of Link: Links generated by affiliates for their websites are only live for 24 hours. This time frame does not give much time to generate sales or even promote the product they are trying to sell.
  • Lengthy Review Period: Amazon instills a 180-day review of all affiliate accounts. If affiliates do not generate three qualified sales or have ten pieces of original content on their website, their account deactivates.

Is the Amazon Affiliate Program Worth the Cost?

Here, I offer a deep dive into whether or not the Amazon affiliate program is worth the time or money.

How Much Do Amazon Affiliates Make?

The answer to this is simple: it depends on the affiliate.

Affiliates may provide a multitude of sales for products on Amazon. They also have the option to generate a small amount. It all depends on the ambition of the affiliate in question.

Some affiliates have reported making as much money as $20,000. Others may only make $100. Affiliates are in control of their success.

Is Amazon’s Affiliate Program Worth the Effort?

I think that if an online creator is seeking an easy method to make extra cash on the side, Amazon’s affiliate program is worth their time.

Affiliates will enjoy the ease of creating links they know their followers will love.

While the payout takes time, simple means of earning income are always appreciated.

Why Amazon’s Affiliate Program Is Worth the Effort

While it may not generate a sizable payday immediately, the effort can gradually build into something that proves fruitful.

A creator wishing to cash in on Amazon’s affiliate program must understand that they will need to conduct consistent maintenance.

They must also provide proper marketing and advertisement for their links.

Along with this, Amazon is easily the most recognizable website available.

According to a 2021 poll of online users, Amazon is one of the most widely-used websites in the world.

Followers are more likely to trust the links generated by Amazon, which increases the possibility of making a sale.

Things To Consider

Potential affiliates should think about all aspects of the program before signing up.

Here are a few factors to consider when becoming an affiliate with Amazon.

The Problem the Amazon Affiliate Program Solves

The Amazon affiliate program bridges the gap between the customer and the company in an innovative way.

Amazon’s impressive business model allows them to ship millions of packages daily.

With their affiliate program, they are increasing their ability to improve these numbers.

Why Would Someone Want To Use the Amazon Affiliate Program?

Many people head to Amazon to search for products they think they would like, but customer reviews are spotty.

The reviews can be misleading or mixed, leaving customers unsure if they should purchase the product.

By giving online creators their means of advertising Amazon products, Amazon increases its ability to make sales and drive success.

They also raise the potential for customer satisfaction and Amazon’s integrity.

Who is the Amazon Affiliate Program Best For?

Amazon’s affiliate program is best suited for creators online who wish to advertise the best products for their followers while also building income.

Affiliates who are passionate about Amazon’s services and products will be best suited to drive sales for the company.

Why is the Amazon Affiliate Program Best for Online Creators?

The social media market has become increasingly competitive with the rise of new platforms.

Being an affiliate with a strong company such as Amazon can boost a creator’s online presence and reputation.

Who Should NOT Use the Amazon Affiliate Program?

People who do not have much of a presence or following online would not make a successful candidate.

Also, those who do not put in the time it takes to maintain their links to products on Amazon will not find success either.

Why Should They Not Use the Amazon Affiliate Program?

Being an affiliate with Amazon takes dedication and time commitments.

Given that the links only last 24 hours, people who don’t tend to their websites frequently would not reap maximum benefits from this program.

Also, those who have not established a strong following on their website would not benefit as their links to products would go largely unnoticed.

Establishing a secure online community of followers is the first step.

What To Think About Before Signing Up for the Amazon Affiliate Program

Though sign-up is simple, it is good to ponder if affiliate status is best for you.

Here are the crucial points to consider before becoming an affiliate with Amazon.

1. Have You Established a Credible Online Presence?

The facts are plain: people don’t want to buy things from people they don’t trust.

An affiliate needs to have already put in the work of gathering followers and connecting with them.

The connection needs to be unique, so creators should find exciting ways to provide content that speaks to people.

2. Do You Regularly Create Original Content?

As previously mentioned, one of the things Amazon checks for in the first 180 days is original content on your website.

Ask yourself: what type of content do I create?

Am I copying popular trends and duplicating others’ ideas?

Have I found a way to publish thoughts that are relatable yet distinct?

How do I set myself apart from other people online?

3. What Products or Items Would Your Followers Be Interested In?

Knowing what your audience wants to see is imperative to success.

Wise creators notice the interests of their clientele and seek to market the proper items and products to that audience.

4. Do You Know Who Your Followers Are?

Every online creator garners some category of followers.

Some followers are interested in culinary arts, while others are sports fanatics.

Understanding audience interest is one crucial way to promote your online presence.

There’s also this to consider: how do you connect with your followers?

Do you reach out to them occasionally and engage with them?

Do you answer their questions directly?

Do you make them feel noticed and understood?

It’s simple: you need to know your audience.

5. How Are You Going To Capitalize on the 24 Hour Life of Your Links?

Twenty-four hours may seem like a long time, but it can move quicker than you think.

Given that you have one day before a link to a product expires, you need to find innovative and exciting ways to advertise and convince people that they need to make a purchase.

Especially given that the commission rate is low, you need to do all the work necessary to see a decent profit.

Features and Benefits of the Amazon Affiliate Program

The Amazon affiliate program has plenty of features that stand out.

These are, what I believe to be, the top five features of the Amazon affiliate program.

1. Creating Your Own Personalized Store

Creators can provide a collection of their favorite products on their websites for users to browse.

In doing so, followers get to know a little more about the creators they follow.

2. Reports

Understanding data can be the catalyst to success.

Amazon offers affiliates access to reports on their sales and the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.

Affiliates can learn about the amount of money they have made, trends in daily activity, information about customer orders, and more.

3. Link to Any Website

Affiliates can provide links to Amazon products on any website or social media platform.

The affiliate may also use banners and other attractive means to catch a reader’s attention.

4. Resource Center

Amazon provides a multitude of resources to make affiliates feel at ease.

Affiliates can receive advice, read announcements, and share ideas.

They can feel a sense of community in the resource center.

The resource center is the home base for all affiliates to report to if they need assistance.

The center also links affiliates with each other, if desired.

5. SiteStripe

Amazon provides the ability to produce links to products instantly on their website.

Use of SiteStripe streamlines creating customer links and provides an overall more efficient experience.

Amazon Affiliate Program Customer Service

Although sign-up is a breeze, being an affiliate may present obstacles for some.

Amazon’s top-notch customer service is there to help.

Does Amazon Affiliate Program Offer Customer Service?

The affiliate program offers extensive customer service options.

Just about anything an affiliate has questions for can be answered.

Topics such as commission schedules, tax forms, tips on marketing, and frequently asked questions are available.

Amazon appears to be very helpful to its associates in their time of need.

What Types of Customer Service Does Amazon Affiliate Program Offer?

The Amazon affiliate program offers plenty of topics that assist users.

The program also provides one-on-one support, if needed.

Affiliates must fill out a help request form detailing their needs.

They will then be contacted directly by a support professional.

Why Should You Trust Us?

I have scoured the internet and found some user reviews of Amazon’s affiliate program that seemed to support the use of their program.

What Amazon Affiliate Program Users Are Saying

Here are a few snippets of comments from Amazon affiliates.

1. Fast and EASY

Several users report being in love with the ability to generate links to Amazon’s website.

Familiarity with Amazon provides trust in the products for sale.

2. Customer Service is Helpful and Kind

Affiliates will inevitably run into snags.

When this happens, affiliates know that Amazon’s customer service team will be there in their time of need.

3. Fun!

Shopping on Amazon makes people happy.

Affiliates have reported that being part of the process brings them joy.

Alternatives

As with any company, there is always competition.

Here are a few of Amazon’s competitors in the affiliate market.

1. Walmart Affiliate Program

Walmart’s Affiliate Program is similar to Amazon’s, in that users quickly and easily market products to followers.

Walmart offers varying degrees of commission to its affiliates, depending on the product type for sale.

Walmart gives affiliates run of the land on their website to find any products they believe they can sell.

How Does Walmart’s Affiliate Program Differ From Amazon’s Affiliate Program?

Affiliates are limited to promoting products that Walmart sells.

While Walmart does sell a range of well-known and trusted products, they do not have the extensive catalog housed by Amazon.

Who Is Walmart’s Affiliate Program Best For?

Walmart’s affiliate program is best for those who have brand loyalty to the chain store.

Walmart will also be best for those who live near a store.

2. Target Affiliate Program

One of the United States’ most beloved chain stores is Target.

The store chain has been around for over 100 years, so people put their faith in Target.

Target Partners offers shoppers a way to transform their love of shopping into a means of earning money.

Affiliates can market products sold by well-known stores.

What’s better, Target only stocks name-brand items so customers can identify the products.

How Does Target Partners Differ From Amazon’s Affiliate Program?

Once again, Target Partners limits affiliates to the products sold by Target.

Certain brands or items aren’t listed there.

Additionally, Target Partners limits commission rates to 8%.

This low amount may be a hard stop for some potential affiliates.

Who Is Target Partners Best For?

Target Partners markets themselves toward loyal shoppers of the store.

Those who genuinely love browsing the aisles of Target will be quick to jump on board with their affiliate program.

3. Impact (formerly Impact Radius)

Impact is a website that works as a middle-man to create partnerships between creators and well-known brands.

Creators who work hard to establish a presence and personality online need only partner themselves with Impact.

The website determines which brands best fit the creator, and the work begins!

How Does Impact Differ From Amazon Affiliates?

Impact is a very selective company. They work only with the best and most well-known brands.

They do this as a way to gather effective marketing for trusted brands.

The brands have hired Impact specifically for the task of partnering them with trusted influencers online.

Who is Impact Best For?

Impact will be the best choice for creators and influencers who have gained a massive following online.

The brands that Impact works with want to use faces that are recognized and comfortable for customers to see.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some pertinent questions that we may have forgotten to answer above.

Does Amazon’s Affiliate Program Pay For Clicks?

Unfortunately, Amazon’s affiliate program does not pay for clicks.

The only manner in which an affiliate receives payment is if their link generates a sale.

Otherwise, the affiliate will not earn any money.

How Long Does It Take To Become An Amazon Affiliate?

Once you sign up, you can instantly begin generating links to post to your website.

Keep in mind that Amazon will routinely review your progress and your website.

After 180 days, if you have not generated at least three qualified sales, Amazon will deactivate your account.

Does Amazon Suspend Affiliates From Their Program?

As Amazon reviews affiliate progress, it may deem particular behaviors unacceptable.

Amazon will suspend or cancel the affiliate account in question if this occurs.

Affiliates who object to any activity on their account may reach out to the customer support team for help.

While this doesn’t happen often, it is important to know.

Wrapping Up

Overall, Amazon’s affiliate program is a fantastic and easy method for online personalities to earn money.

Amazon has established itself as the easiest and best way to shop online.

Due to this, affiliates of the platform trust that they have found a simple way to generate income.

Customers love the simplicity of Amazon, and the company’s reputation speaks for itself.

While there may be alternatives that offer similar services, the Amazon affiliate program is one of the best, given how simple and recognizable the website has become.

Click here to check out the Amazon affiliate program.

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ShareASale https://bloggingtips.com/listing/shareasale/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shareasale https://bloggingtips.com/listing/shareasale/#respond Wed, 03 Aug 2022 06:00:58 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=92647 Read more]]> If you’re looking to make more affiliate marketing income, ShareASale is a platform you need to know about.

It is one of the largest and most popular affiliate networks in the world.

In this article, we’ll discuss what ShareASale is, how it works, its best features, its biggest competitors, and who can benefit from using it.

We’ll also provide some tips for getting started with ShareASale.

ShareASale at a Glance

Let’s review who can most effectively benefit by using the services offered by ShareASale.

  • Market Segment: Affiliate marketing.
  • Best For: Affiliate marketers.
  • Plans & Pricing: ShareASale doesn’t offer any pricing plans to affiliates. You can sign up for free, find products to promote, and start earning money.
    • For merchants, ShareASale charges a setup fee.
    • One-time merchant setup fee: $550

What Is ShareASale?

ShareASale is an affiliate marketing network.

It connects advertisers with publishers who want to promote their products or services.

Advertisers pay ShareASale a commission for every sale that they make through the network.

Publishers earn a commission on every sale that they generate for the advertiser.

What Is ShareASale Used For?

Affiliate marketers use ShareASale to find and participate in affiliate programs.

The platform makes it easy for affiliates to find products to promote and get paid commissions for their sales.

ShareASale also provides the technology and tracking necessary for affiliates to receive credit for their sales.

How ShareASale Works

When a customer clicks on an affiliate’s unique ShareASale link, the network places a tracking cookie on their computer.

The tracking cookie allows ShareASale to keep track of the affiliate’s sales and commissions.

For every purchase made through a ShareASale link, you’ll earn a commission as an affiliate.

ShareASale takes care of all of the payments to you as the affiliate marketer.

Your main responsibility is to drive traffic to ShareASale affiliate links.

Notable Features of ShareASale

Here are the main features you’ll discover when using ShareASale.

1. Affiliate Education

ShareASale provides affiliate education through its blog, webinars, and other training materials.

You’ll find education about how to be a successful affiliate marketer, how to use ShareASale’s platform, and tips for driving more traffic and sales.

Specific topics include how to set up your blog, use paid advertising, generate content that sells, search for merchants that fit your business, add affiliate links, and write reviews correctly.

2. Custom Link Creation

ShareASale makes it easy to create custom links for your affiliate website or blog.

You can create a custom link for any merchant that you’re promoting.

As well, the system lets you create deep links to specific products on a merchant’s website.

Take advantage of this feature if you want to promote a specific product on your site, rather than promoting the merchant in general.

3. Affiliate Diagnostics

ShareASale’s platform also offers affiliate diagnostics, which is a tool that allows you to see how your affiliate campaigns perform.

The diagnostic tool provides data on impressions, clicks, and sales so that you can troubleshoot any issues with your links.

The data from the diagnostic tool can help you improve your overall performance as an affiliate marketer.

4. Real-Time Click Tracking

Inside the overall diagnostics tool, ShareASale’s platform gives you real-time click tracking so that you can see how your links perform.

The feature is important because it allows you to track the specific links that drive traffic and sales, and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Becoming an affiliate marketer means looking at your efforts as if you’re starting a business.

Running a successful business always revolves around understanding your numbers.

Use the data provided by ShareASale’s real-time click tracking to make better decisions about your affiliate marketing business.

Don’t continue to run campaigns that perform in a less than optimum manner.

Adjust quickly so you can earn the revenue you seek.

5. Merchants Tab

Use the Merchants Tab to search for relevant affiliate programs to join.

ShareASale offers a wide variety of merchant programs in different niches.

You can use the search function to look for merchants that offer products or services that match your blog’s niche.

Inside the search tool, you can find affiliate products to promote by searching for the following types of information.

  • Trending merchants
  • Featured Categories
  • Keywords
  • Program type
  • Performance metrics
  • Product category

You shouldn’t run into much trouble finding products that match your industry.

ShareASale offers almost 40 categories, including the following.

  • Travel
  • Marketing
  • Financial
  • Health
  • Food/drink
  • Education
  • Clothing
  • Business

The Power Rank section represents one of the most interesting aspects of the Merchant Tab.

It shows you which brands already perform well for affiliates.

Add these merchants to our favorites list so you can go back and research them in detail.

6. Account Details

Use your account details area to learn about your account.

You’ll see choices such as payment options, program statuses, feedback, violations, and how to get customer service help.

Are There Any Minimum Requirements Necessary To Use ShareASale?

No, you don’t need to think about minimum requirements.

Everything you do with ShareASale is online inside your affiliate account.

You won’t download anything to your computer.

How Much Does ShareASale Cost?

For merchants, they must pay ShareASale $550 to set up their merchant accounts.

The fee covers the costs associated with getting each merchant set up on the platform, listing its pricing, affiliate links, and other materials for affiliates.

You won’t spend any money with ShareASale as an affiliate.

Instead, the merchant pays ShareASale a commission for every sale that you generate.

The affiliate network then pays you a commission for the sale that you helped facilitate.

You can think of yourself as the middleman between a company selling products or services and the customers looking for those solutions.

Using your content, you can attract targeted prospects, show them why the product you promote fits their needs, and then send them to the sales page.

All you need to worry about is matching up those two parties.

After the sale, the merchant takes over customer service and other fulfillment needs.

Does ShareASale Have an Enterprise Version Available?

No, ShareASale doesn’t have any payment plans or an enterprise option.

ShareASale Promotions & Savings

Let’s see if ShareASale offers any type of promotion or savings option.

No, ShareASale doesn’t offer a free trial.

Instead of asking merchants or affiliates to pay monthly fees, it simply takes a percentage of the merchant’s sale as its form of payment.

Instead of asking merchants or affiliates to pay monthly fees, it simply takes a percentage of the merchant’s sale as its form of payment.

No, there aren’t any coupon codes affiliated with ShareASale.

No, ShareASale doesn’t offer any type of lifetime deal to merchants or affiliates.

Who Are ShareASale’s Main Alternatives?

Three main ShareASale competitors include CJ.com, ClickBank, and Rakuten Marketing.

1. CJ.com

CJ.com used to call itself Commission Junction.

Now, it goes by CJ.

It’s one of the most established affiliate networks on the Internet, going into business back in the late 90s.

It works similarly to ShareASale in that it connects merchants with affiliates and then facilitates the transactions that take place between them.

Here are a few of the brands you’ll find on CJ to promote.

  • Overstock
  • Barnes & Noble
  • IHG Hotels & Resorts
  • Office Depot
  • Turbotax
  • Priceline
  • J. Crew
  • Blue Apron

CJ shows affiliates how to monetize their content by using social media, blogging, and other forms of affiliate advertising.

You can use its Content Certification program to get automatically approved by top brands on the network.

One difference between ShareASale and CJ is that ShareASale requires a $550 deposit from new merchants before they can open up their affiliate program to the network.

CJ doesn’t have this same requirement.

2. ClickBank

Similar to CJ, ClickBank started in the late 90s as one of the first online affiliate networks.

It started as an online marketplace for digital information products and has since expanded to include physical goods as well.

There isn’t much difference between ClickBank and ShareASale.

You’ll find a similar marketplace on ClickBank as the ShareASale Merchants Tab.

Inside ClickBank’s marketplace, you can search for affiliate products to promote.

You’ll see data that shows you whether other affiliates have already successfully sold the product or not.

3. Rakuten Marketing

Rakuten Marketing used to call itself LinkShare.

It’s one of the oldest affiliate networks, starting in 1996.

Rakuten Marketing works with over 150,000 brands and offers a wide range of marketing solutions for both merchants and affiliates.

Rakuten Marketing has a few more features than ShareASale does.

For example, its platform includes data feeds that allow you to keep track of product information, such as price changes and new arrivals.

It can come in handy if you want to create a dynamic affiliate website that’s always up-to-date with the latest products from your merchant partners.

How Does ShareASale Differentiate Itself From Competitors?

ShareASale has a few key features that set it apart from its competitors.

ShareASale helps with high payouts, accurate tracking, and an easy-to-use interface.

It’s also one of the only affiliate networks that offer fast payments to affiliates.

Rakuten, for example, makes you wait 60 days after the sale before releasing funds to you.

Who Is ShareASale Best For?

ShareASale is best for any type of content creator.

Why Is ShareASale Best For Content Creators?

ShareASale works well for content creators because it helps you monetize your hard work.

After building a blog or attracting several thousand social media followers, you can use ShareASale to find relevant affiliate programs and products to promote.

Is ShareASale Easy To Use?

ShareASale is easy to use.

After signing up for an account, you can search for affiliate programs and products by keyword, category, or merchant name.

It isn’t any more difficult than finding a product to promote, copying your affiliate link, and adding it to your blog, social media profile, or a paid ad campaign.

What Features Do Some Users Love?

Many ShareASale affiliates like how easy the network makes it to create links and start selling products.

To create a custom link, log into your ShareASale account, go to the “Links” tab, and click “Create a Custom Link.”

Then, enter the URL of the merchant’s website that you want to link to, and choose which type of link you want to create.

You can create a text link, banner link, or product link.

Many affiliates also love the fact that ShareASale offers the ability to create “Smart Links.”

ShareASale automatically generates these links for you.

Smart Links will send your visitors to the most relevant merchant website, based on their location and the type of device they’re using.

For example, if you have a Smart Link setup for the merchant “XYZ Clothing,” visitors from the United States will go to XYZ’s US website.

On the other hand, visitors from Canada will go to XYZ’s Canadian website.

What Features Do Some Users Find Frustrating?

Some ShareASale affiliates become frustrated when they need help with customer service.

They’ll sometimes open a ticket and find that it gets closed before they felt like they received adequate help.

Other affiliates sometimes report getting confused by the dashboard.

However, these appear to be new affiliates.

Give yourself time to become acclimated to how affiliate marketing and ShareASale’s dashboard work.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may have some questions about ShareASale that we haven’t answered yet.

Here are the answers to two commonly asked questions.

vector graphic showing an illustration of a bunch of different affiliate marketing tools icons

How do you get money from ShareASale?

ShareASale pays its affiliates by direct deposit, physical check sent in the mail, or Payoneer.

You must accumulate at least $50 in commissions before receiving your first payout.

Does ShareASale pay per click?

No, ShareASale does not pay per click.

ShareASale pays its affiliates based on commissionable sales.

Commissionable sales include product sales, lead generation, and subscription fees.

When an affiliate generates a sale, ShareASale will track the sale and credit the affiliate’s account with the corresponding commission.

Wrapping Up

ShareASale is one of the most popular affiliate networks on the web.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use platform that offers excellent affiliate marketing features, put ShareASale on your list as a solid go-to choice.

Are you ready to become a ShareASale affiliate?

Click here to get started.

After using ShareASale, please come back to leave a review in the comments below.

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ClickBank https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/clickbank/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=clickbank https://bloggingtips.com/staff-review/clickbank/#respond Thu, 28 Jul 2022 21:34:17 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=92378 Read more]]> Before we dive into our ClickBank review, let’s give you a few quick facts.

ClickBank serves both affiliate marketers and the creators of products the affiliates sell.

Product creators list products for sale.

Affiliates sign up for the platform to find products to sell to their blog visitors, email list subscribers, and social media audiences.

Price

  • $0 for affiliates
  • 7.5% of the selling price for product creators

Discounts Available

Non-applicable

Lifetime Plan

ClickBank doesn’t offer a lifetime plan.

ClickBank Pros

  • Helps creators sell more products
  • Makes it easy for affiliates to find products to sell
  • Provides statistics so affiliates know which products to choose

ClickBank Cons

  • A competitive platform
  • Must sift through bad products to find authentic options
  • Affiliates can’t contact sellers directly

Introduction

If you’re an affiliate marketer, then you’ve probably heard of ClickBank.

It’s one of the most popular affiliate marketing platforms out there.

In this ClickBank review, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of using it, the costs associated with it, its benefits, features, and who it is best for.

We’ll also provide three alternatives to ClickBank so that you can choose the best platform for your needs.

Overview of ClickBank

Before we dive deep into what is on offer, our ClickBank review will first explain what the company is and then delve into its history.

What Is ClickBank?

ClickBank is an online retail outlet for thousands of digital products and hundreds of thousands of active affiliate marketers.

ClickBank History

Founded in 1998 by Tim and Eileen Barber, the company grew to become one of the largest affiliate networks in the world.

Based in Boise, ID, ClickBank has earned listings from the following groups.

  • Internet Female Founded Companies
  • Top 10,000 Internet Companies With Over 10 Employees
  • Top Boise Companies

Pros and Cons of ClickBank

You’ll want to know the positives and negatives of using ClickBank.

Pros of ClickBank

  • Offers customers a 60-day money-back guarantee
  • Provides tracking for sellers and affiliates
  • Processes payments for affiliates and sellers

Cons of ClickBank

  • Affiliates can become confused because of the plentiful product choices
  • Sellers can find it difficult to stand out on the platform

How Much Does ClickBank Cost?

ClickBank doesn’t cost you anything as an affiliate.

For sellers, you’ll pay ClickBank 7.5% plus $1 for each product sold on the platform.

You don’t pay it upfront. ClickBank takes its cut after an affiliate makes the sale.

You’ll also pay the commission percentage you set for the affiliate to earn.

Is ClickBank Worth the Cost?

For sellers, it’s typically worth the 7.5% fee because ClickBank has a network of affiliates to help you market and sell your product.

Why ClickBank Is Worth the Cost

When you create a product to sell, you have to navigate many potential obstacles to success.

For instance, you must compete with others already selling similar products successfully.

It takes money to run ads and test headlines (or copy) to figure out how your target market reacts to your messaging.

With ClickBank, you can list your product for free and pass all advertising and marketing costs to your affiliates.

The affiliate already understands their market.

They will target their blog audience, email list, or social media followers and generate sales for you.

Essentially, you’re paying 7.5% and the affiliate’s commission and receiving 100% profit on your cut of each product sale.

Your marketing costs are zero.

The Problem ClickBank Solves

For affiliates, ClickBank solves the affiliate marketing problem of how to get paid to sell other people’s products.

For sellers, it puts products in front of thousands of potential affiliate marketers.

Why Would Somebody Want To Use ClickBank?

There are a few reasons why you might want to use ClickBank.

First, it has a large marketplace of products to choose from.

That means there’s a good chance you will find a product to promote as an affiliate.

Second, ClickBank has a good reputation and is a trusted platform.

It offers a variety of features and benefits that can be useful for affiliates, such as the ability to track clicks and sales, as well as to get paid quickly.

Finally, ClickBank is an excellent platform for sellers looking for affiliates.

Who Is ClickBank Best For?

ClickBank is one of the best tools for affiliate marketers.

Why ClickBank Is Best for Affiliate Marketers

The platform is an ideal option for affiliate marketers because ClickBank takes the hassle out of finding and promoting products.

In particular, you’ll get sales pages and other marketing tools.

Place those assets in front of your audience and track visits and sales through your ClickBank dashboard.

Who Should NOT Use ClickBank?

Don’t use ClickBank if you’re a brand new affiliate.

Why Beginner Affiliates Should Not Use ClickBank

Let’s first define “newbie”: A brand new online marketer without a sizable audience.

You should invest your time building your blog to at least 1000 to 5000 monthly unique visitors before worrying about monetizing.

Many inexperienced affiliate marketers spend too much time monetizing pages that never achieve top Google rankings.

Wait to use ClickBank products until you see a blog post reach the first page of search results for its target keyword.

What To Think About Before Buying ClickBank

Here are five important considerations for affiliate marketers to think through before using ClickBank.

How Familiar Are You With Affiliate Marketing?

ClickBank is best suited for affiliate marketers already familiar with how affiliate marketing works.

If you don’t have experience yet, try selling a simple “one-off” product from Amazon, for instance.

What Is Your Budget for Marketing?

As a ClickBank affiliate, you’ll need to have a budget for marketing your selected product.

The company will provide you with some tools to help promote the product, but you’ll still need to invest money in ads or time into other marketing initiatives.

What Type of Products Are You Looking To Promote?

ClickBank is a marketplace for digital products, which means you can find products in almost any niche.

However, the platform is particularly good for promoting information products, software, and membership sites.

What Is Your Audience Size?

ClickBank is best for affiliate marketers with an audience size that will produce sales.

Build your audience before trying to sell affiliate products.

What Is Your Traffic Source?

Your traffic source will determine how well ClickBank works for you.

If you’re getting traffic from paid ads, go into it with advertising dollars that won’t take food off your table.

It takes time to test offers and get paid ads to become profitable.

If you’re getting organic traffic from SEO or social media, then you can test offers without investing in advertising.

Features and Benefits of ClickBank

Let’s review the main features and benefits of using ClickBank.

ClickBank Marketplace

As an affiliate, you’ll find a broad range of products to choose from inside the ClickBank Marketplace.

The benefit of this is that you can find a product to promote in almost any niche.

As a seller, you shouldn’t run into any issues finding a place to list your product.

Tracking Sales and Clicks

ClickBank provides affiliates with various tools to help them track their sales and clicks.

The information is important because it allows you to see what’s working and what’s not.

ClickBank also provides affiliates with a “Hoplink” that tracks clicks and sales.

Payment Processing

ClickBank handles all payment processing for affiliate commissions.

It’s a nice benefit for both sellers and affiliates because you don’t need to worry about setting up a payment system.

Search Feature

There are thousands of products on ClickBank.

You can use the search feature to quickly narrow in on products that make the most sense for your niche.

Seller Resources and Tools

ClickBank provides sellers plenty of tools to inform the affiliates about how their product works and performs.

You can provide testimonials, images, keywords, product guides, reviews, and FAQs to help your affiliates sell your product more effectively.

In addition, the company offers a “ClickBank University” for affiliates to learn more about how to sell their selected product.

ClickBank Customer Service

You might need to contact customer service as an affiliate when you have questions about promoting products.

As a seller, you may run into questions about how to list your product.

Does ClickBank Offer Customer Service?

Yes, ClickBank offers customer service to affiliates, sellers, and product customers.

What Types of Customer Service Does ClickBank Offer?

You can contact ClickBank customer service reps by phone, email, and chat.

Why Should You Trust Us?

We completely understand if you have doubts about trusting our ClickBank information and recommendation.

However, we’ve not only done extensive research on ClickBank, but we’ve also used the platform ourselves.

That first-hand experience gives us expert insight into how it works for both sellers and affiliates.

What ClickBank Users Are Saying

One of the best ways to understand how well ClickBank works is by reading its testimonials.

  • “I’m 100% satisfied with ClickBank. I’ve never run into any problems with it.” – Michael Hanus
  • “I’ve experienced only the best with ClickBank. I’m paid on time and I always find quality products to promote.” – Michael Curtis
  • “ClickBank offers a high-quality affiliate network for all sellers and affiliates.” – Greg Jeffries

ClickBank Alternatives

Here are three ClickBank competitors to consider.

Remember that you can promote ClickBank products along with products found on these alternative platforms.

1. Impact (Formerly Impact Radius)

Impact offers a broad range of tools for both advertisers and publishers.

You can find products in a variety of niches to promote as an affiliate.

As a seller, you can reach a larger audience by listing your product on Impact.

How Does Impact Differ From ClickBank?

The main difference is that ClickBank focuses on digital products while Impact additionally works with physical products.

ClickBank also has a larger number of product categories.

Who Is Impact Best For?

Impact is a good ClickBank alternative for affiliates looking to sell in the categories of “Business & Consumer Services,” “Lifestyle,” and “Computers, Electronics, and Technology”.

You’ll discover more choices in these categories at Impact.

2. Amazon Associates

With Amazon Associates, you can find physical and digital products to promote as an affiliate.

Amazon is a trusted brand, so customers are more likely to buy products that you recommend.

How Does Amazon Associates Differ From ClickBank?

The main difference is that Amazon Associates is a lot more restrictive in how you can promote.

However, it has a wider range of products to sell.

Who Is Amazon Associates Best For?

Amazon Associates is best for bloggers and website owners who want to monetize their traffic with affiliate marketing.

3. ShareASale

Similar to ClickBank, ShareASale is an affiliate marketing platform where you can find thousands of products to promote.

How Does ShareASale Differ From ClickBank?

ClickBank typically offers higher payouts to its affiliates than ShareASale does.

Who Is ShareASale Best For?

ShareASale is best for more established bloggers and affiliate marketers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have a few questions about ClickBank?

Here are the answers to three commonly asked questions about the affiliate network.

Can you get scammed on ClickBank?

ClickBank is a legitimate platform and it includes checks and balances to ensure that quality products show up on it.

However, some bad actors try to take advantage of affiliates.

Use these tips to avoid promoting bad products.

-Do your research before promoting a product
-Read reviews about the product-

How long does it take to get paid from ClickBank?

ClickBank pays its affiliates every Friday.

Who is the number one ClickBank affiliate?

According to GlobeNewswire, the number one affiliate on ClickBank is Robby Blanchard.

He’s also the creator of a product called Commission Hero Pro.

It teaches affiliates how to make more money using ClickBank.

Wrapping Up

ClickBank is an effective affiliate marketing platform that solves the problems of sellers and affiliates by connecting the two parties.

We conclude our ClickBank review by stating that all sellers and affiliates should strongly consider using it.

The affiliate network makes it easy for sellers to find product promoters.

It provides affiliates with the tools and data to create winning affiliate marketing campaigns.

The platform’s weekly payout provides instant income after you turn on a campaign for the products you decide to promote.

Click here to check out ClickBank.

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Amazon Associates https://bloggingtips.com/listing/amazon-associates/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=amazon-associates https://bloggingtips.com/listing/amazon-associates/#respond Tue, 07 Jun 2022 11:38:32 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?post_type=company_review&p=89403 Read more]]> Amazon Associates, the official Amazon affiliate program, is the largest affiliate marketing program in the world.

Many affiliate marketers start here due to the wide range of products and it’s relatively easy to use.

There are currently over 200,000 websites around the world using Amazon Associates.

This amount of websites proves that it’s a valid method for earning an income.

You can use Amazon Associates to sell products via blogs, social media, or YouTube channels.

This post will guide you through the main features of Amazon Associates.

Then you can determine if it’s the right type of program for you.

Amazon Associates at a Glance

Below are some of the basics to help you get a better idea of the Amazon Associates program.

  • Market Segment: Affiliate marketers
  • Best For: Bloggers and content creators
  • Plans & Pricing: There’s no fee to join or apply. There’s no minimum quota to earn, but you’ll need at least $10 before you can withdraw from your account.
  • Income Amounts: Amazon pays its associates with percentage commissions based on category. Amazon associates can earn up to 10% in commissions, but some categories earn as little as 1%.

What Is Amazon Associates?

Amazon Associates is an affiliate marketing program.

It allows users to earn a commission off sales they make based on their Amazon recommendations.

Amazon allows its associates to recommend any product sold on Amazon, which includes those sold through third-party sellers.

What Is Amazon Associates Used For?

Amazon is used by online marketers and influencers to help them profit from their websites or social media channels.

They recommend or review products found on Amazon.

They get a small commission if one of their readers or followers makes a purchase.

How Amazon Associates Works

Potential associates will go through a short signup process.

They provide their website (or social media account/YouTube channel) and describe how they plan to sell Amazon products.

Once approved, the associate will be given unique product links to share with their audience.

These links will track their sales.

When an associate shares their link and their audience follows the link, Amazon sets a 24-hour cookie.

If the person buys anything within that 24 hours, then the associate gets a percentage of the sale.

The person doesn’t have to buy the recommended product, just any Amazon product.

Notable Features

Amazon Associates is the world’s largest affiliate program.

Below are a few reasons why it’s made its way to the top.

1. Working With the World’s Largest Online Retailer

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer.

When you work as an affiliate with them, you don’t have to convince your audience that the company is legit.

People trust the Amazon brand and are willing to order.

You only have to convince your audience to buy a particular product.

Since the 24-hour cookie applies to any purchase, there’s a good chance someone will purchase something in that window.

Even if it’s not the product you originally recommended.

2. Easy Linking Features

Amazon Associates has a feature called SiteStripe that helps you create your affiliate links.

When you pull up a product page, the SiteStripe feature at the top will give you linking options for that product.

You can choose from three different types of links: text, native ad, or image.

A text link is just a basic link that you can include in your text or share on its own.

The native ad link shares the product as an embedded ad.

The image link includes a product image.

You can also use the Mobile Get Link feature in the Amazon app if you create and share content on a mobile device.

3. Resource Center

Amazon has a large resource center with tutorials, tips, and more to help you succeed as an Amazon Associate.

The program isn’t too difficult to use and Amazon does a great job of breaking things down for even the most inexperienced users.

4. Banners

Amazon lets you create banners to advertise certain categories.

You can also make a banner advertising a special event or sale, such as Mother’s Day or Black Friday.

Related: The standard banner advertising sizes that you can expect to be able to build on the platform.

5. Product Advertising API

As your site grows (or if you’re already a more advanced user), Amazon has an API that you can use to customize and embed products into your site.

You can use the API to make more sales and make your site look even more professional.

Are There Any Minimum Requirements Necessary to Use Amazon Associates?

Amazon has few requirements for joining the Amazon Associates program.

Associates must be over 18 years old.

Applicants must also have a method for distributing content.

This can be a blog, social media channel, app, or YouTube channel.

It’s a good idea to have some content in place before applying, as Amazon prefers to work with established creators.

During the application process, you’ll be asked to share your URL.

You’ll also need to state the purpose of your site and how you plan to market Amazon products to your customers.

How Much Does Amazon Associates Cost?

Amazon Associates doesn’t have a fee associated with joining.

However, you may have some costs if you want to be an Amazon associate.

If you plan to market through a website, then you’ll have costs associated with running a site, including design, domain registry, and hosting.

Some associates choose to purchase the product they’re reviewing or recommending to make their marketing more authentic.

You’ll want to purchase products if you’re running a YouTube channel or social media account.

Does Amazon Associates Have an Enterprise Version Available?

While Amazon doesn’t have a dedicated enterprise version, it does have some features that allow you to scale your affiliate marketing business.

You can have an unlimited amount of users on your Amazon Associates account with different permission levels.

You can hire other people to help you manage your account as your business grows.

If you have more than one website, you likely want to see analytics for each site instead of all together.

Amazon lets you set unique tracking IDs for each site so that you can keep up with each site’s performance individually.

Amazon Associates Promotions & Savings

Since Amazon associates work as affiliates for Amazon, there aren’t as many promotions and savings available.

vector graphic showing an illustration that explains the process of selling on amazon

Does Amazon Associates Have a Free Trial?

There is no need for a free trial, as Amazon Associates has no fee to join.

Does Amazon Associates Offer Coupon Codes?

Amazon does allow its associates to share coupon codes with their audiences.

In your Associate’s dashboard, you’ll see a link to promotions.

On this page, you can find links to all available and upcoming promotions.

You can share these promotions with your audience.

Just remember not to share a promotion link until the promotion has started.

You’ll also want to delete the link once the promotion is over.

Does Amazon Associates Have a Lifetime Deal?

Amazon Associates doesn’t have a lifetime deal.

When you apply, you’ll have 180 days to make at least three sales.

If you don’t make three sales within these 180 days, your account will be deactivated.

If your account has been accepted but you go three years without making a sale, then your account will be closed.

Amazon may also charge you a small fee ($10 or less) for account maintenance.

Does Amazon Associates Usually Offer Black Friday or Cyber Monday Discounts?

Amazon allows its associates to take part in special shopping events.

You’ll be able to see what sales are coming up and you can prepare your website accordingly.

Then on the day of the sale, you can share the links with your audience.

Who Are Amazon Associates’ Main Alternatives?

Lots of other online retailers have affiliate programs.

You may prefer one of these to Amazon Associates or may want to use them in conjunction with Amazon Associates.

1. Walmart Affiliate Program

Walmart also offers a wide variety of products.

While Walmart’s affiliate program only offers commissions up to 4%, they do have a three-day cookie, giving your audience a larger window to buy.

Like Amazon, the chances are high that people will buy something from Walmart during the cookie period, even if it’s not what you originally recommended.

2. Target Affiliate Program

Target affiliates can earn up to 8% on some products, but it’s a tiered program, so you won’t earn that high of a percent unless you’re getting over 10,000 sales a month.

It can be a great program for people who get a lot of traffic.

3. ClickBank Affiliate Programs

ClickBank is a good option if you want to promote both physical and digital items.

Its products aren’t as well-known as Amazon’s, but you’ll often get higher commissions.

ClickBank also gives you information on how well products have sold for other affiliates.

How Does Amazon Associates Differentiate Itself from Its Competitors?

The Amazon Associates program has been around for over 20 years.

And this longevity and position is in itself a differentiating factor.

Amazon’s SiteStripe feature is above and beyond.

While most affiliate programs give you a link, SiteStripe lets you choose between a link, image link, or embedded ad.

Who Is Amazon Associates Best For?

Amazon Associates is a good option for anyone who runs a blog, social media account, or YouTube channel.

If you have a sizeable audience, then you can monetize by working with Amazon Associates.

Why Is Amazon Associates Best for Content Creators?

Amazon has a variety of products, so no matter what niche you fall under, there’s a good chance that Amazon has products that your audience will want.

Since Amazon’s commission rates are so low, those who have a large audience stand the make the most money.

If you’re in a pretty narrow niche, then you may be better off finding a product outside Amazon that has a higher commission rate to share with your followers.

Is Amazon Associates Easy to Use?

Amazon Associates is one of the easier affiliate programs to use.

From your dashboard, you’ll be able to find a wealth of information to help you with things like technical issues or driving traffic to your site.

Amazon makes it easy for you to get your affiliate links.

You simply search for the product and then use SiteStripe to copy the type of link you want.

What Features Do Some Users Love?

There are quite a few features users like:

Associates love that Amazon’s 24-hour cookie allows them to earn commissions for all purchases that their followers make, not just the product that was originally linked.

This allows associates to earn much more on their recommendations.

Amazon associates also like that Amazon has such a wide variety of products.

No matter what niche they’re in, they should be able to find quite a few products to recommend to their followers.

What Features Do Some Users Find Frustrating?

There are also some features that users wish would be improved:

Amazon’s commission rates are among the lowest in the industry.

Associates have to make a lot of sales to earn a sustainable income.

Associates also don’t like that the cookie is only 24 hours.

Other programs have longer cookies, which gives them more time to earn.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about the Amazon Associates program? We’ve got answers!

vector graphic showing many elements of the amazon affiliate program

How does Amazon pay its Associates?

You’ll get paid roughly 60 days after you make a sale, although it may be a little longer if you make the sale at the beginning of the month.

Amazon allows this 60 days in case the buyer returns the product.

You won’t get paid for returned items.

Amazon allows you to choose how you receive payment.

You can get paid by check, direct deposit, or Amazon gift card.

For direct deposit and gift cards, you’ll need a minimum of $10 in your account before you can get paid.

With a check, you’ll need at least $100 and there’s a $15 check processing fee.

Is being an Amazon Associate worth it?

Although Amazon’s commission rates aren’t what they once were, most affiliate markers agree that the program is still worth it.

The site gets so many purchases that as long as you’re driving traffic to your site, you should be making sales.

Wrapping Up

If you create content and have a decent-sized audience, then the Amazon Associates program can be a good option for you.

It’s easy to use and has a relatively low barrier to entry.

It’s typically the best choice for those just getting started in affiliate marketing.

Let us know what you think about Amazon Associates in the comments below.

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