Affiliate networks act as intermediaries between merchants (businesses selling products/services) and affiliates (publishers promoting those products/services). The key steps in how affiliate networks operate are:
- Merchants sign up with an affiliate network and list their products/services to be promoted.
- Affiliates also sign up with the network and browse the available merchant programs they can promote.
- Affiliates choose products/services to promote on their websites, social media, emails, etc. and are given unique affiliate links to track referrals.
- When a customer clicks the affiliate’s link and makes a purchase, the network tracks this and credits the affiliate a commission, typically a percentage of the sale.
- The network handles all the payment processing between the merchant and affiliate, providing reporting and analytics for both parties.
The key benefits of using an affiliate network include:
- Access to a large pool of affiliates across different niches
- Streamlined tracking, reporting, and payment processing
- Fraud protection and compliance monitoring
- Ability to scale affiliate marketing efforts
Top Affiliate Networks
Some of the largest and most popular affiliate networks include:
- Amazon Associates – Amazon’s own affiliate program, one of the largest and most well-known.
- ShareASale – A leading affiliate network with over 4,000 merchant programs across various industries.
- Rakuten Advertising – Formerly known as Linkshare, a large global affiliate network.
- CJ Affiliate – One of the longest-running and largest affiliate networks, formerly Commission Junction.
- Awin – A global affiliate marketing network with a focus on performance-based marketing.
- ClickBank – Specializes in digital products like ebooks, software, and online courses.
- Impact – Provides advanced tracking, reporting, and optimization tools for affiliate programs.
- FlexOffers – A growing affiliate network with over 12,000 merchant programs.
- Partnerize – Provides an AI-powered partner management platform for affiliate and partnership marketing.
When choosing an affiliate network, key factors to consider include the merchant programs available, commission rates, reporting capabilities, ease of use, and the network’s reputation and track record. Many businesses utilize multiple affiliate networks to diversify their partnerships and reach.
