How Affiliate Marketing Works (Everything You Need to Know)

Last modified on by
How Affiliate Marketing Works

Are you interested in becoming an affiliate marketer? Have you been considering working with affiliates? Or are you simply curious about how affiliate marketing works?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, and you have limited knowledge about how affiliate marketing works, then you’re in the right place. The concept isn’t hard to grasp. By the end of this blog post, you should have a solid understanding. So let’s get going!

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

In short, affiliate marketing is a strategy in which a brand pays a commission to an individual (an affiliate) based on sales generated through their referrals. 

In a nutshell, if you’re an affiliate (also referred to as a publisher), you use your skills as an online marketer to refer your audience to a product. When someone in your audience decides to buy a product or take an action based on your recommendation, you get a commission.

Who Are Affiliates?

An affiliate can be an individual or a company. Most of the time, affiliates are bloggers or other content producers. They usually work in industries that are the same or closely related to that of the company whose products they’re promoting.

Affiliates are individuals who help promote a product or service by writing posts, making videos, and conducting other marketing efforts. When an affiliate’s visitor makes a purchase or submits a lead form on the affiliate company’s website, the affiliate gets paid.

How much and for what (lead or purchase) the affiliate gets paid for depends on the affiliate program terms. Generally speaking, the commission is often based on a fixed percentage of the product in question. It can also be another amount agreed upon between the advertiser and publisher.

Who Are The Companies?

An affiliate company (also known as a merchant, advertiser, retailer, or brand) is any company willing to pay commissions to affiliates who promote their products. 

Affiliate companies pay their affiliates for helping them increase traffic and sales. Payments are usually determined on a pay-per-click, pay-per-lead, or pay-per-sale basis (more on these later). This structure is sometimes referred to as performance marketing.

As of 2021, more than 84% of companies in the U.S offer an affiliate marketing program to help raise brand awareness, encourage customer engagement, and increase online sales. 

What Are Affiliate Networks?

Affiliate Networks act as a middleman between companies and their affiliates. They manage the relationship and providing third-party checks and balances.

These networks track, report, and manage payments to affiliates. When you sign up with an affiliate network, you usually gain access to all the affiliate companies managed within the network.

Some popular affiliate networks include ClickBank, Commission Junction, and ShareASale. These three networks work with all kinds of brands, or advertisers as they are sometimes called.

There are also more niche networks that are notable for their specialized affiliate tools, expertise, and bringing together brands from a single niche. For example, Travelpayouts provides access to 80 travel affiliate programs from the biggest brands on the market. They would be a good fit for travel bloggers or webmasters with traffic interested in travel.

What are Affiliate Links?

After signing up with an affiliate program, you’ll get an affiliate link. This is a special URL that contains your affiliate username or ID. You’ll use this link whenever you mention the advertiser’s product on your website or in other marketing efforts, such as in a blog post or on social media.

How Do Affiliates Get Paid?

As an affiliate, you’re paid for performance. Following are the three types of performance-based models common in affiliate marketing:

  • Pay–Per–Click (PPC): An affiliate gets paid for all the valid clicks generated, regardless of whether these clicks result in sales or leads.
  • Pay–Per–Lead (PPL): Companies pay a fixed commission for every qualified action a click generates. This action might include things like installation of an app, online form submission, free trial sign-up, or completion of a short survey.
  • Pay–Per–Sale (PPS): Companies pay a percentage of all qualified sales. This percentage is agreed upon by the company and its affiliate. Among the most common PPS programs is Amazon Associates, where a publisher can earn up to 15% depending on the products sold.

Commission payouts usually occur on a monthly basis. But this varies depending on the terms of the affiliate program. Affiliate marketers can get paid in many different ways, including monetary commission, credit commission, and discount commission.

Monetary Commission

The most common and popular way affiliates are paid is through monetary commission. When

an affiliate generates a sale and earns a commission, the business pays them with actual money. Popular online payment processing systems include PayPal, Stripe, Skrill, and Venmo.

Credit Commission

Some affiliate programs also allow affiliates to use their affiliate earnings as credit toward that online business’ products or services. For example, if a publisher has a subscription with a stock photo site, their affiliate earnings may be used as credit toward subscription renewal. This type of payment is favorable to some affiliates because it helps save money on subscriptions and business expenses.

Discount Commission

Some programs offer discounts to affiliates who create enough referrals. This type of payout is popular with retail and health-related affiliate programs. After a certain number of sales and conversions, the publisher’s discounts can increase, which gives them more buying power on products they love from companies they trust.

Does it Cost to Join an Affiliate Program? 

Most affiliate programs are free to join. However, some promotion strategies will cost if you choose to use them. For example, while your blog won’t cost you anything but your time, pay-per-click marketing, email campaigns, and social media ads will require an investment.

What are the Qualifications to Become an Affiliate Marketer?

Anyone can become an affiliate marketer. There are no standard qualifications.

However, knowing how to write a blog post, string a great review together, or do video are all a big plus because they mean you don’t have to pay for content in the beginning. Also, any existing marketing knowledge you have will be a great advantage to you.

Start Earning Today!

There’s no limit to what you can earn with affiliate marketing. It’s up to you to learn how affiliate marketing works and see how far you can scale this incredible business model.

The amount you earn will depend on a number of factors:

  1. The program you’re promoting
  2. The conversion rate
  3. How many visitors you’re sending through your links
  4. The buyer’s motivation

But when you hit that sweet spot and everything aligns, it’s a great feeling.

Now that you know how affiliate marketing works, why not test the waters? After all, it could be your golden goose, but you’ll never know unless you try!

If you liked this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn! And don’t forget to subscribe in the box below.

Affiliate Link Disclosure

131 thoughts on “How Affiliate Marketing Works (Everything You Need to Know)”

  2. Bloggers and internet marketers who have been working into online marketing for years are used to with an affiliate marketing, and also with the fact that it is the most productive way to make money online. In the quick words; an Affiliate Marketing is one of the popular practices of selling wherein you suggest someone to any online product and when that person purchases the product based on your suggestion, you receive a commission.

    Anyways, learned a lot here today, thanks for giving info on affiliate marketing. I have been an affiliate for few programs but failed to make a profit because I haven’t done it correctly. Also, web traffic on your site requires to be really good and targeted to get things work. Require to work on traffic first and then you can go for affiliate marketing. An Affiliate Marketing also depends on what niche are you blogging about. If you have a technology blog, you can join Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal. If you talking into web-hosting, then you can join the affiliated programs derived by Webhosting companies.

    Thank you for the clear to understand information and plain descriptions. This will be quite helpful for all bloggers and online publishers…

  3. Hi my name is Debabrata upadhaya I am a beginner of affiliate marketing although I know I have lots of traffic in my social media but still I think it would not so easy to earn only through traffic you need to do something creative so that people visit your network so I am still working on this.

      1. I’m so new I’m embrassed, how do I promote software and products, I want to promote software and products that dfy software and program’s, as well as products. How does one do that? Dont I need a type of website/ platform? Because its just not working for me just using social media. I’m.a bought to give it, could you explain how I would do that and whst is best way. Thanks

  5. Yada yada yada….for those o f us who know absolutely NOTHING about marketing, how to manually create a webpage/blog, understand terms like SEO and MANY others that you and others use….not to mention we have no real knowledge of what it takes to write a successful blog or the tools you need to make a good YouTube video (yes, you need a video camera and a GOOD microphone among other things to make a GOOD video); those of us who don’t know that it it
    DOES, indeed, take money to start getting into affiliate marketing the RIGHT WAY….Your info was mediocre at best!
    I wish there was someone out there who is willing to tell the TRUTH about affiliate marketing and online business. It is HARD and you MUST KNOW WHAT YOU”RE DOING! Take some classes at least! THAT is the truth folks. This is NOT as easy as these people make it sound! At ALL!

    1. Sup Lisa, since you are commenting on a post that is aimed at folks who are looking up “how affiliate marketing works” it’s pretty introductory on purpose….

      Maybe you should check out some of our more advanced articles. It sounds like you’re all over this introductory stuff 😉

      Appreciate the comment!

  6. A great resource for the beginners, I really loved it.

    I started a blog which I plan to monetize only through affiliate marketing and my own products, no ads. I’ve been working on building an audience for my blog, for about 1 year and a half, many people think is maybe too much time, but I just want to make sure that I build enough trust with my readers before I start to try to make them buy something.

    Finally, I have decided to start monetizing my blog this year since I already have decent amounts of traffic, this type of articles helped me a lot on making sure I’m going towards the right direction.

    Thanks!!!

    1. I guess you can’t directly share affiliate links to FB. It(FB) will ban you. So, to be in safer side I think marketer prefer landing pages as a website or Blog.

  8. Hello, I am isaimini and I am Student can I start my affiliate marketing. I have a low budget can you please suggest some method to do affiliate marketing with low or zero budgets. Please this will really help me.

    1. Hey,

      Thanks for publishing this valueable resource for all the beginners and aspiring affiliate marketers out there. Keep rocking.

      Thanks
      Ayush Mishra

  12. Affiliate marketing income greatly depends on persistence and the right strategy. It’s really help me. Every single day I am making money from affiliate business. Thank you for effective content.

    1. Affiliate links for bloggers are one of the greatest sources of supplementary income for bloggers. It allows them to generate up to $5,000+ monthly from promoting helpful products. Substantial income is possible if you are able to reach out to a large audience that will listen to your voice.

  15. Your blog was absolutely fantastic! A great deal of great information and this can be useful some or maybe the other way. Keep updating your information.

  16. Hi AJ, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I found the breakdown of the three different business models to be particularly helpful. Most affiliates often automatically assume Pay per sale is the only way to generate commissions, while a pay per lead model would be more profitable.

  18. Really this article was superb, awesome, beneficial, informative and easy understandable.

    After reading this article I got too much knowledge and that’s why your articles always provide us right information in a very less time and this also saves our lot of time. I have read this whole article and I also enjoyed while reading it.

    Your website articles always explain the important information and knowledge to us in very less time and I always use your website for my needs.

    If you ask about your website rating then I will always give ’10 out of 10 stars’ and ‘100 out of 100 marks’ for best content writing. I love your website too much and whenever I read your website articles I share it to my best friends and to my lovely family.

    ‘Keep It Up’ and keep sharing this type of informative and beneficial articles with us because these articles helps us to boost our knowledge power. Thank You So Much and have a good day.

  19. Writers and online businesses that have worked in internet marketing for a long time are familiar with affiliate marketing, as well as the reality that this was the very efficient way to generate extra cash. In simple terms, Affiliate Marketing is among the most prominent marketing strategies in which you recommend an item online to someone and then earn a fee if that person buys the product depending on your recommendation.

  21. There is absolutely no way that will beat Affiliate Marketing. The method by which people are earning incredible amounts of money is amazing. This is why I have also started working on this..
    By the way, thanks for the affiliate marketing tips.

    Thank You
    Susanta Kumar

  23. I don’t even know how to start this whole affiliate marketing stuff,I ain’t even gat digital skills and knowledge but if I check out the whole content of affiliate marketing and how it works and get a better understanding of how the system works then why won’t I get myself involved in it

  25. Such a nice article. Writers and online businesses that have worked in internet marketing for a long time are familiar with affiliate marketing, as well as the reality that this was the very efficient

  27. Nice post on Affiliate Marketing. “Anyone can become an affiliate marketer. There are no standard qualifications” is the best line in this post. Really loved it.

  28. This is very interesting! I have been reading more blogs as I am thinking of starting my own and it is great what I am learning. I was thinking about blogging about my replacement fascias and soffit services.

  29. Bloggers and internet marketers who have been working into online marketing for years are used to with an affiliate marketing, and also with the fact that it is the most productive way to make money online. In the quick words; an Affiliate Marketing is one of the popular practices of selling wherein you suggest someone to any online product and when that person purchases the product based on your suggestion, you receive a commission.

    Anyways, learned a lot here today, thanks for giving info on affiliate marketing. I have been an affiliate for few programs but failed to make a profit because I haven’t done it correctly. Also, web traffic on your site requires to be really good and targeted to get things work. Require to work on traffic first and then you can go for affiliate marketing. An Affiliate Marketing also depends on what niche are you blogging about. If you have a technology blog, you can join Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal. If you talking into web-hosting, then you can join the affiliated programs derived by Webhosting companies.

    Thank you for the clear to understand information and plain descriptions. This will be quite helpful for all bloggers and online publishers…
    Thank you ❤❤

  31. Nice post on Affiliate Marketing. “Anyone can become an affiliate marketer after reading this. There are no standard qualifications” is the best line in this post. I really appreciate your work.
    Thank you for the clear to understand information and plain descriptions. This will be quite helpful for all bloggers and special fr beginners.

  35. Hello Sir
    Thanks for sharing such a lovely and informative post on Affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing can be profitable, but it depends on the program and how well you execute it. There are a lot of scams out there, so be sure to do your research before signing up for any programs.

  37. Thank you so much for the information. It is very useful blog. Digital marketing also has there methods which helps business to grow. Digital Marketing Techniques are the best solution for any business to grow globally.

  38. This is very interesting! Affiliate marketing is the process by which an affiliate earns a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products and the method by which people are earning incredible amounts of money is amazing.

  39. Thanks a lot for the information. Very useful blog. There are also methods in digital marketing that help the business to grow. Affiliate earns a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products and the way people are making incredible amounts of money is amazing.

  40. Hey ThirstAffiliate Team,
    This is a very informative and impressive article on Affiliate Marketing.

    Also, I am using your plugin on most of my affiliate websites and I must say it has helped me a lot 🙂

    Continue your excellent work.

  42. Hey ThirstAffiliate Team,
    This is a very informative and impressive article on Affiliate Marketing.

    Also, I am using your plugin on most of my affiliate websites and I must say it has helped me a lot

    Continue your excellent work.

  45. Affiliate marketing is the process by which an affiliate earns a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products.

  46. Often considered one of the easiest methods to monetize a website, affiliate marketing is a great choice to start earning passive income online.

  47. Hello ThirstAffiliate Staff,
    This is an excellent and interesting post about Affiliate Marketing. Also, I use your plugin on the majority of my affiliate websites, and I must tell it has greatly aided me. Maintain your amazing job.

  51. This is a fantastic and informative post about Affiliate Marketing. Also, I use your plugin on the majority of my affiliate websites, and I must say that it has been extremely helpful. Continue your fantastic work.

  52. Thank you for this informative article! You were able to explain everything about affiliate marketing in a way that’s easy to understand. I think affiliate marketing has been really growing for the past couple of years. Do you think this upward trend would continue to grow for the coming years?

  55. The way you cover each and every question regarding every question regarding a particular topic left no room for any query and confusion. i wanna go into affiliate marketing so if you have any recommendation for your blog please let me know in the comments.

  62. The way you cover each and every question regarding a particular topic left no room for any query and confusion. i wanna go into affiliate marketing so if you have any recommendations for your blog please let me know in the comments.

  63. But don’t you think that affiliate marking has kinda reached a saturation and this Pandemic has actually boosted it, nowadyas people are following this affiliate marketing thinking this a way to make quick cash. I knew what affiliate marketing was but man got it cleared thanks Pal,

  79. This is really good post about Affiliate Marketing. I have recently started blogging and hope to get enough traffic and start Affiliate Marketing. However there are huge number of affiliate marketers and for better conversion I am trying to create enough high level content to match the user need. Again thanks for useful blog post.

  80. I am researching on Affiliate Marketing and found this blog post really useful. I intend to join good paying affiliates with better conversion rate. Thank you for providing good and helpful content!

  85. Your explanations for each topic were very clear and concise, leaving no room for confusion. I want to get into affiliate marketing, so if you have any recommendations for further reading on your blog, please let me know in the comments.

  87. There was no opportunity for misunderstanding thanks to your very precise and straightforward explanations of each issue. If you have any suggestions for additional reading on your blog that would help me learn more about affiliate marketing, please share them in the comments.

  90. I’m a freelance Digital Marketer in Kannur, who specialises in assisting entrepreneurs in successfully and favourably growing their companies.

    I’m a professional digital marketing consultant that can help you reach a larger audience with services like SEO, SEM, SMM, Content Marketing, Email marketing and Web creation.

  95. Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy where businesses pay affiliates for driving sales or leads. It’s a cost-effective way for businesses to reach new customers and increase revenue, and for affiliates to earn money by promoting products or services they believe in.

  97. Is it actually possible to begin affiliate marketing with “no” money? Obtaining an affiliate link and beginning to share it with people you know is the only method to begin affiliate marketing without spending any money. While this is feasible, it is not scalable, and unless you are continually networking, it won’t bring in any money.

  98. These networks track, report, and manage payments to affiliates. When you sign up with an affiliate network, you usually gain access to all the affiliate companies managed within the network.

  104. Wow, what a comprehensive guide to affiliate marketing! This article truly covers everything one needs to know to get started in the world of affiliate marketing. The way the information is presented makes it easy for beginners to understand and follow along. Thank you for providing such valuable insights and tips, and for making it all so accessible. Keep up the great work

  105. Affiliate networks act as a middleman between companies and their affiliates, managing relationships and providing third-party checks and balances. Affiliate links are special URLs that contain an affiliate username or ID. When a visitor clicks on an affiliate link and makes a purchase or takes another qualified action, the affiliate earns a commission.

  107. Is it actually possible to begin affiliate marketing with “no” money? Obtaining an affiliate link and beginning to share it with people you know is the only method to begin affiliate marketing without spending any money. While this is feasible, it is not scalable, and unless you are continually networking, it won’t bring in any money.

  109. A fantastic post, AJ! Your detailed explanation reminded me of my first foray into affiliate marketing, which was filled with uncertainty and learning curves. I appreciate how you elaborated on different commission models, and it could be a game-changer for beginners!

  111. Hi admin,
    Affiliate marketing is a thing that takes lots of time and effort. I have been doing affiliate marketing since 2018 and I never read such informative posts about affiliate marketing.
    Thanks for the post.

  114. Successful affiliate marketing requires selecting the right affiliate programs, understanding the target audience, and creating compelling content that resonates with potential customers. Transparency, trust, and maintaining ethical practices are vital for long-term success in the affiliate marketing industry.

    This marketing model benefits all parties involved. The company gains exposure to a wider audience and only pays for results, while affiliates have the opportunity to monetize their online presence by promoting products or services they believe in. Affiliate marketing allows for scalability and flexibility, making it accessible to individuals of various backgrounds and industries.

  115. Hey Author,
    I’m writing to extend my heartfelt appreciation for your excellent article on how affiliate marketing works. Your breakdown of the intricacies involved and the step-by-step process was incredibly enlightening. As someone new to the concept, I now feel well-equipped to venture into this dynamic field.

  116. Affiliate marketing is a dynamic and ever-evolving field, and this article seems to be a valuable resource for those looking to dive into this realm or enhance their existing knowledge. Understanding the mechanics of affiliate marketing is crucial for both marketers and businesses, and your guide appears to cover everything from the basics to advanced strategies.

    I appreciate that this guide promises to provide “everything you need to know.” It’s evident that it’s a comprehensive resource that can benefit beginners and experienced affiliate marketers alike. Thanks for sharing your insights into this exciting and profitable online marketing strategy!

  117. Unlock the secrets of Affiliate Marketing with this insightful article! It breaks down the intricacies of the process, making it accessible for both beginners and seasoned marketers. Learn how partnerships and commissions drive online success. A must-read to boost your revenue and digital marketing skills!

  118. I appreciated the way you explained the different revenue models in affiliate marketing. It was like a light bulb moment for me! I always had a vague idea about CPA, CPC, and RevShare, but your article clarified everything.

    Plus, your real-world examples and practical tips added so much value. It’s evident that you’ve got a deep understanding of the subject, and you’ve made it incredibly accessible to your readers. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

  119. “Thank you for this comprehensive guide that truly covers everything one needs to know about affiliate marketing! As someone interested in exploring online income streams, your article provides a fantastic roadmap for understanding the ins and outs of this exciting field.

  122. Kudos on the complete affiliate marketing guide! As an aspiring online entrepreneur, your insights are a beacon. It’s the perfect compass for understanding this realm. Thank you for sharing this .

Leave a Reply