Did you know that 81% of brands use affiliate marketing and that it’s a 17 billion-dollar industry? As a newbie, if you want to dig deeper into this profitable field, affiliate marketing provides one of the easiest ways to generate passive income online.
These affiliate programs for beginners are designed so that earning with them is easily accessible, even with no prior experience.
To help start your journey we have compiled a list of the best affiliate programs 2025 for beginners and we also suggest you consider using some of the best free affiliate marketing tools to achieve great results. Let’s get into it.
10 Best Affiliate Programs For Beginners:
- Amazon Associates
- ShareASale
- ClickBank
- Shopify Affiliate Program
- Rakuten Advertising
- CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction)
- Awin
- Etsy Affiliate Program
- Fiverr Affiliates
- eBay Partner Network
What to Look For in an Affiliate Marketing Program
Several very important things to consider when choosing an affiliate marketing program include the commission rate and payout structure.
Favor those programs that have both competitive commission rates and strong, clear payout structures for payouts. The higher the commission offered, the more money you can make per sale or lead.
Brand Reputation: A program relating to a good brand is quite important. Famous brands convert more because people trust their products or services.
Product/Service Fit: Make sure the product or service is in your niche and something that interests your audience. Marketing relevant products to your audience increases the rate of conversions and recurring sales.
Support: A good affiliate program will have resources like banners, text links, and product details. Training material or an affiliate manager can help you further optimize your campaigns.
Ease of Use: The platform should be user-friendly, with an easy sign-up process, affiliate link creation, and an interface for managing your account and commissions.
Top Affiliate Marketing Programs for Beginners in 2025
1. Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is one of the most popular affiliate programs for beginners in the world, offering access to millions of products from practically every category, and is well-suited for beginners who want to monetize their content without being confined to a specific niche.
Key Features:
– Product Variety: Promote books, gadgets, home goods, and more.
– High Conversion Rates: Benefit from Amazon’s trusted brand and vast customer base.
– Easy to Use Tools: Utilize banners, widgets, as well as simple link-building tools.
Amazon Commission Rates for Specific Product Categories:
Why It’s Great for Beginners:
Amazon remains the best for new affiliates, with its worldwide reputation and diversified product catalog.
Cons:
Their 24-hour cookie duration is not the best for beginners.
How to Get Started with Amazon Associates
- Sign up for the program: Visit the Amazon Associates website and create an account.
- Choosing a Niche: Narrow down to a particular niche related to your audience or your liking.
- Generate and Share Affiliate Links: Utilize the SiteStripe toolbar on Amazon to create affiliate links for all products you’ll be promoting.
- Add Worth to Your Content: Create product reviews, “best of” lists, or how-to articles that include your affiliate links.
- Drive Traffic and Track Results: Share your content across social media, forums, and newsletters.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Link Overload: Too many affiliate links to your content may appear spammy and too pushy.
- Neglecting Mobile Optimization: Make sure your content looks great on mobile devices; many users shop through their smartphones.
- Neglecting SEO: Poor keyword research and optimization decrease your audience reach.
- Selling Irrelevant Products: Only sell products your audience wants.
2. ShareASale
ShareASale is an affiliate network of more than 4,000 merchants, including some very big players in fashion, tech, home improvement, and more. It’s a great way to find affiliate programs representing the full spectrum of products you may want to promote on your website.
Key Features
– Wide Diversity: Choose from small businesses and global brands.
– Customizable Links: Easily create your affiliate links to match your audience.
– Real-Time Analytics: Track your performance with an intuitive dashboard.
ShareASale Commission Rates:
Affiliate commission rates can range from 4% to 50%, depending on the specific merchants you choose to promote.
How to Get Started with ShareASale
- Sign Up for Free: Go to their website and Sign Up for a new account.
- Find Merchants You Love: Apply to promote brands that match your interests or blog niche.
- Start Sharing Links: Add affiliate links to your blog posts, videos, or social media posts.
- Watch Your Earnings Grow: Keep an eye on your dashboard to track clicks, sales, and commissions.
Why It’s Great for Beginners:
ShareASale flexibility makes it a real game-changer for beginners. Plus, payments are processed quickly.
3. ClickBank
ClickBank is a well-known affiliate network and one of the OG’s in the market. It is important to note that ClickBank offers some of the highest commission rates in the industry, often reaching up to 75% depending on the product.
Key Features
– High Payouts: ClickBank offers high commission rates, often above industry standards
– Recurring Income: Promote subscription-based products to earn monthly commissions.
– Affiliate Support: Access training resources and forums to learn from experts.
ClickBank Commission Rates
– Typically between 40% and 75%, with some products offering recurring payouts.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
ClickBank is very great for complete beginners to get into affiliate marketing. The reasons it is favored include the ease of use with its interface, very high commission rates, the wide range of products being offered, and timely payments.
4. Shopify Affiliate Program
Shopify’s Affiliate Program pays out commissions to affiliates who refer new merchants to its platform. You can sell Shopify through your website, blog, social media, or other channels.
Key Features:
-High Commission Structure: A significant amount of commission on each referral.
-Easy to Join: It’s free to join, and pretty easy to sign up.
-Easy tracking and reporting: Always on top of your performance with detailed analytics tracking your earnings.
Shopify Commission Rates
Affiliates earn a one-time $150 for each new merchant who activates a paid Shopify plan using their unique referral link. The program runs on a 30-day cookie window, meaning affiliates will get credit for any referrals who sign up within a 30-day period from clicking their affiliate link.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
Shopify provides an easy-to-use platform with high commission rates, and different marketing channels, and is very supportive of the assistants. This allows you to build a sustainable income stream by advertising a well-known and trusted brand.
5. Rakuten Advertising
While it may not be as widely recognized as Shopify, Rakuten has a strong global presence and a proven track record of delivering results for advertisers and publishers.
Key Features
– Intuitive interface: This means easy access to features like rotating banners and customized deep linking for the better management of affiliate campaigns.
– Access to big brands: Affiliates can promote products from esteemed companies such as Macy’s, NordVPN, and Microsoft, enhancing credibility and potential earnings.
– Advanced Reporting Tools: Affiliates have access to up-to-date information on clicks, conversions, and revenue, facilitating informed decision-making
Rakuten Commission Rates
The general rate typically falls between 5% and 15%, although it may go higher or lower depending on the product category the merchants deal with and their objectives in marketing.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
Rakuten is beginner-friendly because it offers an easy-to-use interface, in addition to having a well-established brand portfolio that raises your credibility and conversion rate. Moreover, with a versatile way of paying commissions, reporting can easily be followed up and optimized by beginners too.
6. CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction)
CJ Affiliate aka Commission Junction is one of the oldest affiliate networks, offering the best selection of advertisers in combination with an excellent support system.
Key Features
-Top-notch Advertisers: Represent brands such as GoPro and Disney.
-Dedicated Support: Work one-on-one with affiliate managers.
CJ Affiliate Commission Rates
Varies by advertiser, commonly between 3% and up to 50%.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
CJ Affiliate is perfect for beginners because of its large number of premium advertisers and the fact that it offers access to affiliate managers who can assist one-on-one. This platform provides advanced tools that make the process of linking and performance tracking easy to manage and optimize for driving conversions by new affiliates.
7. Awin
Awin is an affiliate network that connects advertisers with 241,000 active publishers around the world. It is a platform that helps publishers monetize content by marketing various products and services belonging to different advertisers. The industries supported by Awin are very wide and include retail, travel, finance, and technology.
Key Features
Easy-to-use Dashboard: Awin’s interface is pretty straightforward; it has an easy-to-use dashboard where you are able to track your sales, clicks, and performance to see how well your promotions are doing.
Work with Global Brands: You can team up with advertisers and publishers from all over the world, making it great if you want to grow your audience or try new markets.
Useful Tools: Awin has tools that make your work easier, from recovering lost customers who did not complete their purchases to improving promotions.
Awin Commission Rates
On average, Awin’s commission rates typically fall between 5% and 20%, depending on the industry and advertiser.
Great for Beginners
Awin is great for beginners because it offers low entry costs, access to a wide variety of advertisers, and easy-to-use tools to help affiliates get started and grow their earnings.
8. Etsy Affiliate Program
The Etsy Affiliate Program allows affiliates to earn commissions by promoting the unique marketplace of handmade, vintage, and craft supply items on Etsy.
Key Features
-Wide Range of Products: Promote unique handmade and vintage items across various categories.
-Easy Management: Operates through Impact Radius for easy link tracking and analytics.
-Niche Appeal: Perfect for creators targeting DIY, home decor, audiences.
Etsy Affiliate Commission Rates (Average)
Affiliates can earn anywhere between 4% and 8% per sale, depending on the product category.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
Etsy is very friendly to beginners, especially in niches like crafts or sustainable goods, due to its product range and established audience.
9. Fiverr Affiliate Program
The Fiverr Affiliate Program allows you to earn commissions by promoting Fiverr’s marketplace of freelance services, including graphic design, writing, and digital marketing.
Key Features
-Flexible Commission Structure: Earn up to $150 per referral, depending on the service tier.
-Huge Service Range: Promote gigs in business, technology, and creative niches.
Fiver Affiliate Commission Rates
Affiliates earn $15 to $150 per referral, depending on the category of the promoted service.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
Fiverr’s variety of services and easy-to-use affiliate dashboard make it ideal for beginners exploring different niches.
10. eBay Partner Network
The eBay Partner Network allows affiliates to earn commissions by promoting the wide range of products available on eBay. Affiliates can share links to listings across categories such as electronics, fashion, home goods, and collectibles, benefiting from eBay’s large, global customer base.
Key Features
-Wide Range of Products: You can promote millions of products from different categories like electronics, fashion, and collectibles. There’s something for every type of audience.
-Easy-to-Use: eBay gives you simple tools to create custom links and banners, making it easy to promote products on your website or social media.
eBay Partner Network Commission Rates
eBay Partner Network rates range from around 1% to 6% depending on the category.
For instance, within the U.S. market:
- Fashion: Generally 6% in most subcategories, except Jewelry and Watches, which offer 5%.
- Trading Cards: 3%.
- Collectibles: 1% to 4%, depending on the subcategory.
Why It’s Great for Beginners
It is ideal for beginners, with its ease-of-use platform, a wide assortment of products to promote, and low boundaries for entry. You do not need much experience to kick-start your business since there are many resources out there to help the beginner succeed on eBay.
Final Thoughts
Affiliate marketing for beginners will have so much to offer in the year 2025. It already started to provide earning opportunities for people who engage in programs such as Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or even ClickBank.
Pick a program that fits your niche, make great content, and continuously check on your performance. Just as in anything else, working hard and being creative is part of the art of making money in affiliate marketing. However, these programs would be more than enough.
If you are an affiliate and want to optimize your landing pages for better conversion rates, then landerlab.io is your tool. Equipped with high-converting templates, integrated A/B testing, and ease of use, it can create professional landing pages that drive results. Start your affiliate marketing journey with the right tools and watch your commissions grow.
