Are you considering joining an affiliate program?
I have been an affiliate for many companies.
Here are 7 helpful tips for you to consider before joining a program (based on my experiences).
- Figure out the commission structure paid to affiliates. Compare this to similar programs to gauge whether it is fair.
- Understand how many products are available for an affiliate to sell. Is there only one? Or many?
- Compare the prices of the products you will promote. Is there a mix of low, medium, and high-cost products or services?
- Determine how many sales an affiliate must make to get the first commission. I’ve seen programs requiring multiple sales before the company pays commissions.
- Find out if the company hard codes leads/customers to an affiliate. Hard coding means that if a lead or customer engages with your affiliate link and purchases later without using your affiliate link, you still get credit for the sale. The customer is coded/linked to the affiliate for all future purchases.
- Does the company have any pre-made sales pages, sales funnels, or email sequences affiliates can use when promoting? If they do, this is a massive advantage, especially for those new to affiliate marketing.
- Is there a cost to join the affiliate program? Many companies allow affiliates to join for free. If there is a cost, explore what you get for the price you must pay to be an affiliate. I joined a program that cost money but had great coaching and mentorship that made it worthwhile.
When you find an affiliate program you like, I recommend emailing the company at least one question (any question).
If you do not get a reply, the response is inadequate, or the information contradicts what you read in the program description, this could be a sign of a bad program. It might not be well organized, or you might have issues getting paid. Unfortunately, it happened to me.