Who wouldn’t want to make money all day, every day, even while they’re asleep or on vacation? Sounds too good to be true, right?
Affiliate programs are real, easily accessible, and afford passive income to anyone willing to learn about how affiliate marketing works while employing a few steps to get in the game.
This article will explain what affiliate programs are and how to go about picking the right one. Now, not all affiliate programs are created equal so we’ll also talk about some of the best options available to you.
If you’re curious about how you can make recurring commissions by utilizing the internet as a powerful marketing conduit, keep reading.
What are Affiliate Programs?
What do we mean when we use the term affiliate marketing? As put plainly by Forbes Magazine,
“Affiliate marketing is unique among internet marketing techniques because it operates as a distributed system. In other words, it spreads out the responsibility of making impressions and promoting products or services to third parties. In exchange, the vendor shares the proceeds of the sale with the affiliate marketer.”
What does that translate to for you, the affiliate? The limitless earning potential in an online industry that’s projected to surpass an $8 billion e-commerce sales threshold by 2020.
An affiliate program is an email marketing tool through which vendors identify and partner with their marketing agents. Almost any product being sold online likely has an affiliate program for that product or service.
Affiliate Program Payment Types: Recurring vs. Pay-Per
Let’s focus now on two general avenues of payment through affiliate programs: recurring commissions vs. pay-per commissions.
- Recurring payments: Affiliates are paid an explicit percentage of sales based on a customer’s subscription service. For the most part, these commissions are recurring lifetime payments based on a customer’s subscription activity and renewals. For example, a particular affiliate program may pay you a 15% commission rate for every recurring sale made with your affiliate link for the lifetime of a specific customer.
- Pay-per payments: Whether pay-per-click (PPC), pay-per-lead (PPL), or pay-per-sale (PPS), this commission schedule affords affiliates singular payments per each action or transaction. The key takeaway of a pay-per payment affiliate program commission structure is that it is singular.
Leveraging a lifetime recurring commission on every transaction of a singular customer can be a great base of passive income. Conversely, pay-per-payment programs while potentially valuable don’t allow an affiliate recurring income from a single customer, rather, they scale on volume across the board.
While both payment schedules allow for passive income potential, it is important to remember that pay-per-program tiered pricing volatility may require affiliates to diversify with a recurring payment program to best ensure monthly recurring commission.
Starting Your Affiliate Marketing Journey:
One of the most important facets of establishing your affiliate marketing profile is to identify a potential market niche that interests you and is a category you have topical authority in.
Once you’ve chosen a niche, it would then serve well to pare down your niche into a micro-niche to sidestep competition in overly saturated marketplaces. This will bolster your topical authority as an affiliate and maximizes your ability to secure a monthly recurring commission.
Given the sheer number of recurring affiliate programs, it may serve best to register with an affiliate network that aggregates several programs in one location.
Affiliate marketing networks give you access to a wide variety of products and services so you can promote multiple offers on your site.
Top Niches with Best Recurring Affiliate Programs
Niche: Finance
This niche generally encompasses debt settlement or consolidation, credit cards, investing, or mortgages. The general public is in constant need of advice in this realm, so there are plenty of opportunities as an affiliate marketer.
As consumers pay for these services you as an affiliate marketer will get a kickback. The great thing is that these products are often subscription-based so the customer life cycle is fairly long.
Let’s take a look at a trio of micro-niche programs under the finance umbrella that also happen to have recurring affiliate programs.
Live Traders
Live Traders website is a day trading education and advisement resource for novices and experts alike.
The site offers tiered-pricing packages and recurring subscriptions to utilize tips, techniques, and tricks that sharpen traders’ skills. This education helps traders in the pursuit of not only financial freedom but time and lifestyle flexibility.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 40% Recurring commissions for customer referrals that maintain membership with a unique affiliate link
- 40% One-time commissions per sale of each course
- Partner program with no payout caps; more referrals = more recurring commissions
- Affiliates get paid commissions 30 days post referral signup or sale date via PayPal
Access the LiveTraders Affiliate Program here
Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja is a web-based resource that allows freelancers and small business owners to accurately and securely invoice their customers.
Its easy-to-use interface dynamically delivers sharp, professional invoices while also allowing for integration with thousands of apps.
As you can imagine an invoice service is something customers will use monthly and retain for a long time so as a recurring affiliate you will continue to get paid out on this offer.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 50% recurring commissions for affiliates for Pro & Enterprise Plan customer referral program with unique affiliate hyperlink
- Four-year cap on Pro & Enterprise Plan recurring commissions
- Company provision of logos and graphics for digital marketing purposes
Access the Invoice Ninja Affiliate Program here
Forex Trendy
ForexTrendy is software intended to minimize market trading losses and maximize gains, offering live charts of the best trending currency pairs. Presented with a user-friendly interface to most effectively serve customers.
At 75% recurring affiliate commissions Forex Trendy is about the highest commission rate you can expect to find. As a result, this program might be very competitive to promote but worthwhile.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 75% recurring affiliate commission on customer referral sign-ups, paid ~3x annually making it one of the more aggressively incentivized affiliate programs
- Affiliates should maximize their marketing opportunity & streamline commission payouts by using a Clickbank account and unique Clickbank ID
Access the Forex Trendy Affiliate Program here
Niche: Marketing Tools
The marketing tools arena includes analytics, email marketing, CRM software, web forms, and other similar products
While these are foundational to digital marketing and marketing automation, the value of more specific tools like keyword rank trackers & digital design tools can not be overstated.
This niche provides innumerable subscription-based affiliate programs with long life cycles based on their essential nature to many small business owners in e-commerce and beyond.
Marketing tools are digital products which means their conversions are easily tracked with tracking codes and their lifecycles are easy for affiliate marketers to have attributed to them.
Semrush
Since its inception in 2008, Semrush has inserted itself as a leader in the online marketing research service industry. The company provides customers an all-in-one tool suite for the improvement of online visibility of created content and accurate marketing insights.
Semrush is an especially useful tool suite for marketers working in the services of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tools, Pay-Per-Click (PPC), Social Media Marketing (SMM), Keyword Research Tools, Marketing Insights, Campaign Research, Content Marketing, Competitive Research & Public Relations.
With all of these capabilities, it’s no surprise that Semrush becomes a tool marketers can’t be without. As a result, recurring revenue from these offers will payout for a long duration of time.
Affiliate Program Features:
- $200 per sale of Semrush subscription
- $10 per trial activation
- $0.01 for every new registration
- Links, banners & evergreen campaign marketing support
- Marketing-specific educational webinars, interviews, and articles from one of the industry’s most well-rounded affiliate programs
Access the Semrush Affiliate Program Here
ConvertKit
ConcertKit was created in early 2013 after founder Nathan Berry sought a better way to reach his audience as a blogger and content creator, ConvertKit is a full-featured email service provider (ESP). Through its ease of use and automation, it has become a fast-rising email marketing company.
Customizable sign-up forms and landing pages have helped ConvertKit stand out from other ESPs. Loyalty to this service means you can count on these subscriptions to last.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Recurring 30% commission paid monthly for every customer referral signed who maintains their ConvertKit account
- Customizable sign-up forms and landing pages attract additional email subscribers. This means you can integrate sign-up forms more organically into your content.
- Graphics and video assets provided for marketing content creation
- Evergreen webinars funnel additional subscribers to search for this product
Access the ConvertKit Affiliate Program here
Aweber
Aweber is an email marketing service provider that boasts over 100,000 worldwide small business subscribers. It allows users to create mailing lists, capture data, design and send newsletters to subscribers and automate email marketing via autoresponders.
Immediate analysis of data statistics related to email marketing campaigns is another key marketing tool Aweber offers its subscribers. Through this tool, users can visualize their data and use it to better market their business.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free sign-up
- 30% affiliate program commission at the initial sale
- Get paid 30% lifetime recurring commissions monthly for all customers attributed to you
- Visitor and sales data transparency on who’s visiting affiliate marketers’ referral links and the amount of money being made per visitor
Access the Aweber Affiliate Program Here
Niche: Cryptocurrency
This fast-growing segment involves digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, rendering counterfeiting or double-spending impossible. Most cryptocurrencies are based in a decentralized network called blockchain technology.
What makes crypto such an enticing affiliate marketing niche? We’ve found that the crypto marketplace offers are typically popular and high-paying. Crypto is still a reasonably new niche, there is a huge opportunity for affiliates wanting to get in on the ground floor. Aggressive recurring revenue streams and generally high commission rates in the crypto world make for some of the best affiliate programs.
Read on to learn more about three of the best affiliate programs in the cryptocurrency niche.
Paxful
Paxful is a global peer-to-peer cryptocurrency marketplace connecting buyers and sellers. Paxful has over 300 payment methods making suitable buy & sell offers seamless. The platform also serves as a virtual storage vessel for all forms of currency for its 4.8 million current users.
Paxful’s true breakout as a cryptocurrency platform in 2015 has helped in eliminating the typical delays in transporting or sending money around the world.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free sign-up to receive affiliate links
- 50% recurring commissions on escrow fee of all direct referral affiliates’ purchases
- Additional 10% recurring commissions on escrow fee for purchases of affiliates beneath your immediate affiliate referral
- Affiliate commission networking structure makes Paxful’s one of the best recurring affiliate programs
- Dashboard integration give affiliates earnings transparency
- Easy commission cash-out once a minimum of $10 has been earned in the affiliate program
Access the Paxful Affiliate Program here
Changelly
Changelly has ascended to one of the more popular cryptocurrency exchange platforms since establishing independent status in 2016. Boasting north of 2 million monthly users and over 170 listed crypto assets, it provides an intuitive platform where users can purchase, sell, exchange, and swap cryptocurrencies.
Changelly’s status as a non-custodial exchange, meaning it holds no liquidity and requires no deposits, reinforces its secure reputation in the crypto world.
Program Features:
- Free affiliate program registration
- Up to 60% revenue share commission on crypto-to-crypto and fiat-to-crypto transactions
- 30-day cookie duration tracking software
- Affiliate program dashboard integration to monitor earnings
- Customizable, highly-convertible widget gallery for users on affiliate’s platform
- Exchange button for users on affiliate’s platform eases crypto swapping & purchasing transaction
- Immediate one-click commissions payouts into Bitcoin or Ethereum cryptocurrency
Access the Changelly Affiliate Program here
EXMO
British cryptocurrency exchange EXMO was founded in 2014 and prides itself on its simple, intuitive interface making allowing for a seamlessly convenient learning curve for even the novice user. EXMO’s listings include all major fiat currencies, an extensive list of cryptocurrencies, and, in 2019 the company introduced its exchange token EXMO Coin (EXM).
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free affiliate program sign-up
- 25% recurring lifetime commissions on all referral trading operations
- 40% recurring lifetime commissions on all referral trading operations with EXMO Coin
- Affiliate program does not cap the number of referrals
Access the Exmo Affiliate Program here
Niche: Real Estate
Buying, selling, and renting of real estate comprises only a portion of a niche that is increasingly surging in its online engagement. Many businesses are essential to brokers, realtors, and agents such as staging, videography, signage & cards also make up a large portion of the real estate niche. Lest we forget online real estate coursework that agents need to get licensed.
Consider the broad scope of products and services associated with the high-ticket nature of real estate. Then, revisit that this is an industry undergoing an online swell of change and it’s clear to see that the real estate niche is ripe with some of the best recurring affiliate programs in the game.
Now that you know there are ways beyond buying or selling physical real estate to make money in the business of real estate, keep reading about the niche companies below and their respective affiliate programs.
ForeclosureSearch
ForeclosureSearch is a Canadian-based website specializing in the identification and listing of bank foreclosures throughout Canada available for purchase at between 20% to 50% below market value. The site also serves as a conduit between buyers and lenders, as institutional financing offers are integrated into the platform’s listings database.
While ForeclosureSearch offers a two-month risk-free trial membership, only full members receive unfettered access to all available listings at a monthly membership cost of $50. Full members are sent daily email marketing updates on available listings.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free sign-up for recurring affiliate program
- 75% recurring commissions for each new referral sign-up
- 10% additional commission (85% total) for generation of 50 new referral sign-ups within a month
- 20% additional commission (95% total) for generation of 100 new referral sign-ups within a month
- Provision of email marketing materials, including banners, text ads, links, and articles to fast-track new affiliates’ marketing reach
- Recurring commissions expediently issued twice monthly via ClickBank
Access the ForeclosureSearch Program here
BirdDogBot
BirdDogBot, a membership-based service, provides real estate investors and wholesaler customers automated real estate listing information sourced by specified criteria. The software is ad-free, mobile-friendly, and offers users customizable analysis settings to fine-tune desired parameters so that end users may act more nimbly in their desired marketplaces. Users can also import MLS listings into the software for immediate software analysis.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 50% recurring commission schedule for new member referral subscriptions
Access the BirdDogbot Affiliate Program Here
DealCheck
Featured by Forbes and MSN, DealCheck is a highly-rated real estate investment analysis software application. Starter to Pro membership tiers all include a 14-day trial period and features commensurate to the membership payment structure.
Investors, homeowners, and realtors alike can see detailed financial analysis and projections, rental comps, and recent sales with DealCheck in pursuit of sound investment decisions. An accurate, detailed, and customizable software interface allows customers to more efficiently and effectively grow their networks and real estate portfolio.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free recurring affiliate account sign-up to receive unique referral link
- 30% recurring commissions for all referral subscription payments
- Monthly commission payouts with no earnings cap
Access the DealCheck Affiliate Program Here
Niche: Beauty
The sheer volume of products and services that encompass the beauty niche are seemingly endless and, so too, are opportunities for any affiliate to capitalize monetarily.
Skincare, makeup, moisturizers, sunscreen, hair products, cosmetic procedures & even beauty accessories the likes of makeup brushes, all present revenue streams for affiliate marketers.
Many products in this niche are consumed which means they have to be refilled and through these recurring affiliate programs every time they’re refilled you get paid.
DoTerra
DoTerra is an online essential oil vendor, specializing in Certified Pure Tested Grade (CPTG) standards of quality oils. Founded in 2008 DoTerra has adopted a direct selling model, connecting distributors to customers and allowing the company to sidestep expensive bulk marketing campaigns.
DoTerra claims a network greater than 2 million brand ambassadors, coined Wellness Advocates, that use and sell the DoTerra’s ever-growing product line.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 20% recurring affiliate program requires DoTerra Wellness Advocate status
- Wellness advocates held to a minimum monthly hard inventory purchase commitment
- DoTerra provides a personalized website that allows for affiliate display customization for new affiliates
- Using a high traffic source in this niche like Pinterest could yield big payouts.
Access the DoTerra Affiliate Program here
JadeBloom
2014 naturalist-founded and family-owned Jade Bloom was initially an online essential oil vendor that has since evolved into a wellness brand storefront. Jade Bloom offers everything from deodorant, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and hair care products to accessories such as diffusers, apothecary jars, and storage cases; this is to say nothing of the over 130 single essential oils, 65 blends, and over 40 types of carrier oils.
The company has also created a free educational online course called Jade Bloom University targeting not only its customer base but new affiliate partners as a means to build strong brand recognition and loyalty.
Affiliate Program Features:
- $32 toward Jade Bloom product line granted for completion of Jade Bloom University for new affiliates
- Quad-tiered commission schedule for affiliates to maximize income-earning potential
- Dual-tier recurring commission payouts within each tiered level based on first order and all future referral orders
- First-order commission per tier: 10% (bronze), 12% (silver), 13% (gold) & 15% (platinum)
- Lifetime recurring commission per tier: 5% (bronze), 7% (silver), 8% (gold) & 10% (platinum)
- Monthly affiliate program rewards for performance recognition
- Customized coupon codes for affiliate audience unique to you
Access the JadeBloom Affiliate Program here
Niche: Web Hosting Programs
Since the first website went online nearly thirty years ago, over 1.73 billion active websites have since populated with sites being added daily. Every active site on the internet requires a web host.
Once a site has secured a host rarely does it change. This means recurring commission affiliate programs have long payouts which are great for you as the affiliate.
Read on to explore three just such web hosting companies and their accompanying affiliate programs to determine whether there’s a fit for you.
RoseHosting
RoseHosting is a privately held provider of business and personal web hosting services. The company, based in St. Louis, Missouri since 2001, was the first and only among global web hosts to offer commercial Linux servers at the time of its inception.
RoseHosting’s long-standing reputation and fully-managed hosting service is a strong selling point to customers –both of which equate to rich affiliate referral ground and recurring commissions.
Quality service, quality equipment, tiered pricing options, and unrelenting integrity are core to RoseHosting’s business model, as they pride themselves on selling their customers exactly what their business needs require — nothing more, nothing less.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Tiered recurring commission affiliate marketing structure
- Tiers max out at 10% and 15% lifetime commission rates, respectively
- Built-in bonus tiers pair with tier commission payouts, further incentivizing affiliates’ marketing efforts
- Alternate flat-rate Commission-Per-Action (CPA) affiliate program available
- Accounts must be in good standing, active a minimum of 65 days, and have accumulated a minimum of $50 commissions before cashing out
- Commission earnings paid out in USD, via PayPal
Access the RoseHosting Affiliate Program here
BeyondHosting
Founded in 2007 and based in Cincinnati, Ohio, BeyondHosting is a hosting service provider that considers itself, “built and run by geeks for geeks.”
BeyondHosting’s e-commerce cloud hosting enables its customers to quickly run paid advertisements, and effectively track clicks in their site optimization.
Beyond Hosting prides themselves on their customer service offering users state of the art web hosting. This level of customer service means BeyondHosting has long-term customer retention which means you get paid out for a long time.
The company offers tiered pricing packages to service customers requiring bandwidth of any range.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Sign-up through FlexOffers.com, one of BeyondHosting’s participating affiliate networks
- Joining an affiliate network means you get access to multiple offers to promote.
Access the BeyondHosting Affiliate Program here
Cloudways
Cloudways is yet another managed hosting provider that emphasizes performance and simplicity. Eliminating the hassles of server and application launch and server maintenance, Cloudways allows customers to maintain full focus on business growth.
With highly praised customer service and flexible hosting plans, Cloudways is a very accessible provider for many.
Affiliate Program Features:
- “Hybrid” option where you can earn $30 per sale + 7% lifetime commission
- Five-tiered “slab” affiliate option where each per-referral tier increases by $25
Access the Cloudways Affiliate Program here
Niche: Social Media Management
Put simply, social media management is the process of growing a social media audience for the desired effect of monetization. Strategizing the distribution of content, collaborating with influencers, monitoring, measuring & reporting on social media performance helps optimize ROI.
The efficiency and organization of social media channels are paramount in maximizing the earning potential the medium(s) can provide.
Because of the robust potential and scope of marketing power this niche represents, so too are the accompanying paying affiliate programs.
SocialOomph
SocialOomph is a social media management tool that allows users to simultaneously manage multiple social media accounts. It can monitor social media activity and schedule updates on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.
SocialOomph helps users use this data to get the most out of their content creation, scheduling, and understanding of their audiences.
Programs like SocialOomph become an important part of a social media business’s success and as a result, are an essential tool.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 40% recurring commissions on all purchases and fees paid by affiliate referrals for their first 12 months of registration on SocialOomph
- Discount codes used by referrals offset against affiliate’s recurring commission, resulting in a “discounted commission amount”
- Commissions issued when the amount payable is equal to or greater than $100
Access the SocialOomph Affiliate Program Here
Social Pilot
SocialPilot is a comprehensive social media management solution that helps professionals automate their social media posts. Scheduling posts to go out at moments of peak engagement is paramount when getting the most out of your content.
Through this tool, social media managers can schedule weeks of content in advance to deploy at just the right moment.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free registration
- 30% commissions for each new subscription sign-up referral
- $50 minimum commissions accrued before payable
- Monthly commissions paid monthly for the previous month, via PayPal
Acces the SocialPilot Affiliate Program
Crowdfire
Crowdfire helps drive customer engagement across a multitude of platforms for businesses of any size and social media marketing agencies, managers, and brands.
This tool helps social media managers grow their followers and engagement through a series of algorithms. You are also able to schedule content posts through this service.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free to join
- 35% recurring commissions for all referral payments within their first year
- No cap on new referrals
Access the Crowdfire Affiliate Program here
Niche: Online Education Courses
Online educational courses generally provide users the convenience and flexibility of location and pace, unlike a standard classroom setting. Oftentimes online educational courses increase engagement with smaller class sizes. Many traditional universities and learning institutions have at least adopted some iteration of online coursework, even if only as a hybridized accompaniment to the in-person class model.
Whether you’re an aspiring chef, architect, engineer, designer, writer or marketer there are online educational courses tailored to help drive you toward those goals.
Teachable
Teachable is an all-in-one platform that enables teachers, experts, and practitioners to create and sell courses online. The idea is to streamline the minutiae of web hosting, and payment processing so that anyone with something to teach and do so quickly and easily.
Teachable offers tiered pricing to give customers what they need. This encompasses using their domain to link to your own, easy video creation, and a streamlined dash to sell your courses through.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 30% base recurring commission
- Bonus tiers afford affiliates up to 50% commissions ceiling (non-recurring)
- 90-day cookies
Access the Teachable Affiliate Program here
LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is a cloud-based e-learning platform that allows its customers the ability to create high-quality, social, and interactive online courses for their students, employees, workforces, or customers. Creators have a unique e-commerce system, built-in communities an interactive video editor, and automatic video transcripts at their fingertips on the LearnWorlds platform.
LearnWorlds creates an immersive learning environment that encourages student interaction on coursework and with one another; this ecosystem of engagement also spurs customer-to-student network retention and opportunities for participating affiliates to capitalize upon.
Affiliate Program Features:
- Free affiliate sign-up
- 25% recurring commissions on direct referral service purchases
- 60-day cookies
- Portions of commissions paid in promotional credits to offset monthly/annual subscription costs
- monthly commissions paid 30 days after affiliate’s referral purchases
- minimum $100 commission accrual required before payout, via PayPal
Access the LearnWorlds Affiliate Program here
Thinkific
Whether it’s growing your brand through audience engagement, educating customers, selling courses to earn revenue, or some combination of all of these, Thinkific’s all-in-one platform empowers customers to quickly and easily create and deliver courses on their own branded sites.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 30% recurring commission on all monthly or annual paid plans for the lifetime of referral’s subscription
- Exclusive Thinkific access to promotional and creative material
- 90-day cookies
Access the Thinkific Affiliate Program Here
Niche: Dating
The business of matchmaking is and will continue to be big business. Online apps range from proximity-based, to religious, hobby, or lifestyle-specific and continue to grow in number. Whether casual connections or long-term partnerships, people connecting on dating sites drive huge traffic on sites monthly.
Considering the timeless, universal, and cyclic nature of the online dating niche, there are boundless recurring income options for strategic affiliates.
CrakRevenue
CrakRevenue is an affiliate dating network that offers multiple offers in the dating space. For years CrakRevenue has been regarded as one of Think Blue Books’ best CPA networks.
Most of the offers through CrakRevenue are adult in nature and range from dating to camming offers. As you can imagine this industry is one of the most profitable niches an affiliate marketer can get into.
Payouts to affiliates range from 5% to 15% of the sale.
Affiliate Program Features:
Source: CrakRevenue
Access the CrackRevenue Affiliate Program here
AFF: Adult Friend Finder
Adult Friend Finder is one of the largest dating communities in the world. Their anything-goes attitude and diverse mix of products have made them stand out as industry leaders.
AFF has both a website and app-based product with over 2 million active daily users. Many users of AFF have no intention of settling down which means these members could produce recurring revenue for you for years to come.
Affiliate Program Features:
- 75% commissions on initial referral orders (non-recurring), 55% recurring commissions on all orders thereafter
- Hybrid-style commission option for affiliates, paying up to $130 per order; per order + revenue share
- Cost-Per-Lead (CPL) affiliate program available; more thorough application approval required beyond company’s alternate affiliate commission programs
Access the Adult Friend Finders Affiliate Program here
Conclusion: Hopefully after reading this article you’ve honed in a niche that you’d like to go after and have a jump start into the most profitable recurring affiliate offers in it. Choosing a niche should be a perfect blend of an industry that you are passionate about and that can make you money.