Hey Everybody,
In this post I’ll be discussing some of the best affiliate networks, and provide people alternatives to sticking with Clickbank.
There’s nothing wrong with Clickbank as such, but the problem is, that it can be pretty competitive. If you just branch out a little, you’ll find there are other networks, with great physical products that convert extremely well and have less competition.
I have harped on about this next point a lot, but I don’t care, I’m going to continue to harp on because it will help you. When you are considering a product to promote make sure you choose BUYER keywords to target, do NOT fall into the trap of targeting info seeker keywords (end of rant).
The reason I slotted that in there, was because in the Clickbank Marketplace when you are looking at products to promote, some of the easiest keywords to make money with are product names, and product name review. However although there is still plenty of easy money to be made targeting these keywords in Clickbank, and variations of these, there is a sea of opportunity out there, with less competition when you venture to other networks.
I for one prefer to promote physical products, although I do still promote a lot of digital stuff from Clickbank too. So with that said, I have listed below some other networks that you might like to consider.
Keep in mind that Clickbank auto-approves all affiliates, but most other networks are not that easy. This doesn’t mean you can’t get in, because you most certainly can, but there are some things that you might like to consider to help your chances, which I have also listed below.
Getting Accepted Into a Network
You need to have a some form of a website in most cases. If you don’t have a website, then you can just buy a domain and set up a wordpress blog template of one, add 6-10 articles on the niche topic, make it look pretty, and off you go.
Also quite a few, but not all networks, require telephone contact with you before they will accept you, this is mainly the CPA networks. So make sure that you do not miss the call from them, or you’ll instantly get rejected.
When you are filling out the ‘your experience’ field on the application form, ensure you make yourself sound as good as you can. I am not suggesting you falsify information, I am just saying that the more detail, and the more you can show them that you have a clue and know what you are talking about, the much higher the chance of getting accepted.
It’s all pretty easy really, in fact I applied for new affiliate network the other day, and they called me, and the questions they asked where the following:
- How do you drive traffic? (SEO, PPC etc…)
- What sort of traffic to you drive (highly targeted keyword specific traffic)
- Where does your traffic come from? (country, say USA and UK)
- What offers are you considering promoting in our network?
- If you were accepted today how long until you started driving traffic?
- What sort of websites do you build? (this depend on your approach, but saying article sites is fine)
These are all pretty straight forward questions, but it helps to have a good answer ready to give them. Oh yeah and try not to say that you have no experience, because if you’ve read my blog posts and are on my list then, you’ll have learned a fair amount, so you are experienced, even if you haven’t made the money yet, it will come soon….
Best Affiliate Networks
Commission Junction – are probably the largest affiliate network there is, and they have a huge range of niches and products. They are a great network, but what I don’t like about them is that it’s a little tricky to navigate to the offers, as the layout is not that user friendly. But there are a HUGE amount of buyer keyword opportunities for products that you can target in here.
Linkshare – These guys are not that hard to get accepted into, which is good, and they also have a large range of products to promote, including some great electronics and gadgets.
ShareAsale – Another decent sized network, and again acceptance is not too hard here either. Commission payments are good too.
Market Health – This is a great natural health market place, with great commissions and a large range of products.
MoreNiche – Yet another great health network, with products for all sorts of conditions. The payments are decent too, and the landing pages pretty good.
Max Bounty – These guys are a CPA network, and they have a lot of different offers, ranging from debt relief and insurance to health and beauty.
There are of course many other networks out there that are also good, however these are some of the best affiliate networks. So remember the tips I mentioned about getting accepted, and all the best!
Matt Carter
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To be honest it seems difficult enough to try to make any money online. This just seems to add more hoops to jump through. I think I’ll pass.
Hoops? Actually that is life. It does take work to make anything on line, work that involves thought, effort, time and some sacrifice. The great thing though is that work that is done continues to work for you when you work on other projects.
I for one want to get into Commission Junction and also sell physical goods. Currently I’m building up my clickbank goods.
I found this post very encouraging becasue there are other networks out there to work with, and other opportunities.
Thanks.
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:18 am
Hey Jason,
Nice to hear from you, and great to see you are getting stuck into affiliate marketing, all the best!!
Matt
Thanks for the GREAT information Matt!
Your ability to cut out all of the “crap” and
provide solid, usable, valuable content is AWESOME!
Thanks Again,
Michael (The D.O.C.)
“Keep On, Keeping On…”
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Hey Michael,
yeah I don’t like crap either!! I stick with stuff that will be useful to people,
after that’s what I here to do, help my followers.
All I ask is that if you like my stuff to share it with people for me
Thanks
Matt
Tom, you are passing on what? All that is provided here is a list of alternative networks one can use to promote other folks products…sounds to me like you missed the point of the article.
Ok, so my question is this. I don’t want to promote a product, I want to sell my product. Can you tell me which networks would be good to use from that perspective? I was going to go with Clickbank but now am wondering if I should re-investigate these other options?
Thanks!
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:21 am
Hey Mr Tech,
Clickbank is the best option for software and ebooks, but if your product is a physical product then I think you should try Commission Junction.
Hope this helps
Matt
Great list Matt thank you, I use a few of these myself however have found the most success with Clickbank. Easiest to get accepted into and almost everyone advertises there.
I also love the info Clickbank gives to the user so they can choose a good product to promote without the need to actually speak to or email a member of staff.
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Hey Stu
Yeah I agree that Clickbank does make life very easy for people and I assume this is why they do so well!!
Thanks
Matt
Thanks Matt, I helps to know what networks can be trusted, and what steps to take in order to be accepted, especially for a newbie which can be overwhelming (been there!).
Thanks for the info and look forward to your kindness and help.
I do have a question, for an authority site, is it better to keep the sentences and paragraphs short or does the content need to look well thought out and educated, such as techniques that they teach in college for essay writing?
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Hey Linda
I think with any content that you are using for an affiliate site, which is what I assume you are referring to here, should not be too long, and should be informing the reader and coming across as unbiased. I don’t think writing an essay style would be great for conversions, as it might be too factual and not captivate the reader. You still need to sell, just not so obviously.
Thanks
Matt
Great post. Everyone seems to talk about Clickbank and nothing else these days. And what drives me even more mad is watching those “have a look at my Clickbank account” videos ‘cos mine is full of zeros! But to be honest, I haven’t really tried hard enough yet and only started this past January & doing this part-time. Made some money with SaleAShare promoting some software & based on something I have experience on (much easier). And since I don’t know anything about six-pack abs, that’s probably why my CB account is 0 ;.) . I’m also signed up at Paydotcom & Regnow but there’s also Trade Doubler and Webgains. Re: BUYER keywords: very good point, but could you elaborate / provide some examples or do another post sometime? I mean you can buy ‘almost anything’ online these days…
Thanks again for the post
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Hey Andy,
With Buyer keywords it really is just about thinking what is the customers intention when they are typing these into the search engine. The more precise they are they more research they have done and the more ready they are to buy. So if they have brand name in the keyword then they have most likely done a fair amount of searching, so I consider that a buyer keyword.
Hope that helps
Matt
Hey great list. I use some of them myself . I am paticularly interested in healthcare so thank you for the health affiliate site links. Very useful indeed
Thanks again for this information!
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Thanks Tali,
Look forward to more comment from you
Cheers
Matt
Thanks, Matt. Great list. I agree with your assessment of CJ. It’s a bit tricky to navigate. But, they have such a wide range of products, it’s worth it. The Google affiliate network also has a pretty good selection.
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Hey Jon,
Thanks for your input!
Matt
Great list Matt. I am a member of a number of the Affiliate Networks you mention. Now I’m going to join up with one more Affiliate Network that… thanks to you I found out about. Personally I have found it very easy to be accepted into sites such as you mention Matt.
You do need a quality site though that is well structured with decent posts and pages on the site. I use WordPress blogs.
Yes I agree as someone mentions above it can be difficult to make money online. That is very good though because if it was really easy to make money online everyone would do it. The key to success I think is consistent effort and don’t give up, and great training like Matt provides.
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Hi Joaquin,
yeah it can be tough to get going online, because like anything worth doing, there is a learning curve, and a lot of people dislike that process and what a quick easy way and end up pulling out, I understand this too as life has its challenges also, but it is worth sticking with it.
Thanks
Matt
Thanks Matt,
This was very helpful it even reminded me of I site I had forgotten I had joined. I have joined the rest and now feel I have some great power behind me.
I especially liked the focus of each site.
Thanks again,
Kate Tellem
Matt Carter Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Hey Kate
Nice to hear from you and hope you find some great
opportunities in these networks
Matt
Matt,
At the risk of sounding ignorant, can you give some examples of “buyer keywords” versus “info seeker keywords”? And how does this apply to searching for products to promote?
Thanks
Thanks for your input, It is always worthwhile.I have tried click bank, share a sale and a few others. I kind of like linkconnector. They keep you more up to date than the others. Sometimes a promotion will end and some new ones come on.
Matt Carter Reply:
April 16th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Hey Norm
No problem and great to have you as a loyal subscriber
Matt
Everybody show us how to get around clickbank it would be a pleasure for someone to show us good physical products to maybe select in commision junction to make it clearer for us {maybe a nice indepth video } ya know what I mean anyway you are doing a good job matt your info is great viewing
Matt Carter Reply:
April 16th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Sounds like a good idea Grant, maybe I will do that!
Cheers
Matt
Hi Matt,
I like reading what you put up. I am new at this, been active on the net for just over eight months and five of them wasted by following a load of rubbish. I am a 63 years old and time is important to me. I have now got my first site up that is working.
What I have been receiving from you in the form of advice and the products you recomened is great. Just one point a few months ago I went to commisson junction but one of their rules is, you have to had a website for two years up and running?
best regards, Tom
Matt Carter Reply:
April 16th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Hey Tom
I don’t know anything about that Commission Junction rule, I have had sites accepted that are not that old.
Thanks
Matt
ShareaSale is my favorite network. The programs are many and are usually easy to get into to. I’d recommend ShareaSale to start with – CJ seems a bit tougher to get into.
Thanks matt for this information as newbie i started to make a few sale with some of the network and looking forward to register with others but my problem is that i don’t have a website can you advice on how to set up a good website.
Thanks
Matt Carter Reply:
April 16th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Hey Gideon
I think if you don’t have a website then you should use a free wordpress template and use a blog
Cheers
Matt
Hey Rema,
Great to hear from you!!
Glad you like my blog post too. There will be plenty more on the way
Cheers
Matt
i am enjoying the comments, just came across this site from a members site.i am a newbie been looking for legitimate content on how to upload a website been on line for the pass 8 months the problem I’ve experienced so far i mention, i was on a paid members site monthly putting up my first website make a long story short,i got stuck for 5 months with a connection to server error i could not get the satisfaction of getting it resolved,so in the mean time i was paying monthly losing time money,it is a good site with a lot of great content of info lesson.but again i was loing valueable time and money.i need all the help i can creating a website email marketing blogging so i am searching the web for all the info i need.
i have been looking at the content of this site good info i am a newbie want to know about creating or how to upload a website,also what to do when you can’t connect to server error.
Aloha Matt, great information and I always appreciate you sharing your valuable content. You give my some golden nuggets each time I read or listen to your shared clips or reading material. I’m still learning on a continuous basis and enjoy receiving valuable tips that works. Lani
Matt Carter Reply:
May 8th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Hey Lani,
Great to hear from you again, looks like you are becoming a regular on the blog which is great to see.
Keep up the good work!!
Cheers
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the info as always. I’m gonna ask a very newbie question. When you sign up networks, do you sign up as an advertiser? Thanks
Hi matt, Recently I do take memebership from datafeed. before two days. And I am very much confused about which marchant will be helpful for me because I don’t have my own site . but after reading this article it’s very easy to choose marchant.. Thanks
Thanks for more good information… I have been thinking about getting started with some physical products. I am excited to check out what I can market through these networks.
Hi Matt,
Made the mistake of making my first site in haste, but since starting to use your FREE 12 Part Video Coaching Series I have started to see affiliate marketing in a different light, Keep up the good work m8, and im eternally grateful for a blog like this.
Thanks Martin.
excellent tips. this is very useful for everyone. i like your best networks tips..i am looking for some tips about this topic.. i am so excited after rad your blog .. great tips.
Thanks for leave this tips….
I am familiar with and a member of about half of these but was unaware of the others. Thanks for the leads on the others.
Chris
Hi
I have enjoyed reading the post and comments here. Recently I have started putting up some physical product sites as opposed to my IM side of things. I have been using Amazon and wondering where it sits with the members here. I don’t see it mentioned in the comments?
If anyone uses Amazon,can they tell me if you can set it up in such a way that it will divert viewers to their own particular country. Reason being shipping expense of purchases. Any Ideas?