So, you’ve got a YouTube channel and you’re hoping to make money off of it in your spare time. Then it’s time to familiarize yourself with the top affiliate programs on YouTube.
It’s not hard to see why affiliate marketing on YouTube would be beneficial. As of the close of 2021, it is predicted that 1.86 billion people will have used the video streaming service. YouTube is no longer a place where only teenagers congregate.
While younger generations (particularly Generation Z and Millennials) are more likely to use it, 67% of Americans 65 and older were active users as of the third quarter of 2020.
Similarly, 72% of women and 72% of men use YouTube.
Furthermore, people trust YouTubers despite the shocking number of tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy nuts who have channels on YouTube. One study found that young people are more likely to get their news from YouTube than from traditional media outlets.
In other words, it doesn’t matter who your target market is or what you’re selling, YouTube affiliate marketing can help you achieve your goals. Considering their importance, this article will analyze the best affiliate programs for YouTubers.
Table of Contents
Best Affiliate Programs For YouTubers
1. ClickBank
When you think about it, ClickBank is more of an affiliate network than an affiliate program (plot spoiler: so are the final four entries on our YouTube affiliate program list).
ClickBank has been around since 1998, making it a true veteran of the internet marketing world. From its humble beginnings as a group of friends tinkering in a garage, the company has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar industry.
ClickBank’s initial focus was on digital goods. While that remains a primary focus, the 4,000+ items in its marketplace are no longer all digital.
ClickBank has paid out more than $4 billion in commissions to date, indicating that there is ample opportunity to monetize those products through affiliate marketing.
Do you want advice on how to better utilize ClickBank in your YouTube advertising strategies? Read our in-depth ClickBank review.
- Commission rate: Up to 90%
- Cookie duration: Varies
Recommendation: Make Passive Income Online
2. Amazon Associates
As we’ve established, a sizable audience from every demographic frequents YouTube, making it a great venue for advertising any number of products.
I wish there was an affiliate marketing program where I could promote anything and everything that has ever been created.
Naturally, there is, and it goes by the name Amazon Associates.
About 350 million items are available on Amazon at any given time. In your role as an Amazon affiliate, you’ll have the freedom to promote only the products that are of interest to your YouTube viewership.
The Amazon affiliate program has some pretty terrible terms and conditions, but there are downsides to everything in life.
One drawback is that the average commission rate across all categories is only 1% to 5% (although, as an exception, the luxury beauty products that are so popular in the YouTube community offer 10% commissions).
And there’s also the fact that cookies expire after a day. In other words, you won’t make much money through Amazon’s affiliate program unless the people you send their way are highly qualified.
- Commission rate: 1% – 10%, depending on product category
- Cookie duration: 24 hours
3. Etsy
Etsy is another massive online marketplace, but unlike Amazon and eBay, it sells primarily items created by individual sellers such as artists, crafters, and merchants.
Despite the presence of some sellers who offer poor quality imitations, Etsy has established itself as the go-to marketplace for handmade and vintage goods. The competition isn’t even close.
Sign up for Etsy’s affiliate program if your target demographic looks like they might enjoy the type of videos you’ll be making.
Making videos reviewing specific Etsy products and linking to them is another way to make some extra cash, or even replace your day job, just like with Amazon and eBay.
You will receive 4% of all sales made through your affiliate link. The sums involved aren’t exactly life-changing, but at least the cookie window is longer than on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.
Recommendation: Make Passive Income Online
4. eBay
Before I explain why I was purchasing those Star Trek trading cards for a friend, I apologize for the embarrassing “recently viewed items” that appear in the screenshot. They go to a different school, so you don’t know them.
Now that that is out of the way, let’s take a closer look at eBay. It is one of the oldest and largest online marketplaces, and it currently lists about 1.4 billion products, of which about 80% are brand new.
In addition to its many small shops and street vendors, it also features a number of well-known companies like Adidas, Nespresso, and Philips.
eBay, like Amazon, is a fantastic option for any affiliate marketer who plans to promote their products via YouTube videos due to the sheer variety of goods available. Similar to Amazon, the eBay Partner Network does have its drawbacks (to give the official name of its affiliate program).
The commission structure is the same as Amazon’s: the top tier is only 4%, and the cookie window is only 24 hours.
However, there is also a benefit to running an affiliate program with a lot of visibility. Your YouTube subscribers may not be able to fully trust the terms, but they are likely to do so anyway.
- Commission rate: 1% – 4%, depending on product category
- Cookie duration: 24 hours
5. ShareASale
An additional major affiliate network is ShareASale. It was founded in the early 2000s, making it a “OG” alongside ClickBank.
ShareASale may not have as many well-known brands as some of its competitors, but it does offer more than 16,000 affiliate programs with payouts of up to $350 per sale.
It’s a good fit for B2C-oriented content creators whose videos are specifically targeted at the retail market.
ShareASale’s commissions are program-specific, as they would be with any affiliate marketing network. But with $1 billion in revenue generated by its subsidiaries in 2016, there is ample opportunity to generate passive income.
- Commission rate: Varies
- Cookie duration: Varies
Recommendation: Make Passive Income Online
6. Shopify
Okay, enough with the markets; let’s check out one of the top affiliate programs for YouTubers interested in sizable commissions.
You don’t need to have an online store to have heard of Shopify; it is a major player in the e-commerce industry. More than 1.7 million online retailers in 175 countries use Shopify’s e-commerce platform to sell in excess of $200 billion annually.
Now comes the exciting part. The maximum one-time commission you can earn as a Shopify affiliate is $598, which is equal to 200% of the subscription fee for either the Shopify Advanced, Shopify, or Shopify Basic plan. Enterprise sales bring in an additional $2,000, which is a nice bonus.
Of course, if you want to make that kind of money, your videos need to be of a very high quality. You’ll need to know your stuff if you want to succeed with long-form videos, software reviews, or product comparisons.
- Commission rate: Up to $2,000
- Cookie duration: 30 days
7. ShopStyle
ShopStyle is one of the best affiliate programs for YouTubers because it is a massive fashion and lifestyle shopping platform that has made influencers a key part of its business model.
More than 20,000 influencers take advantage of ShopStyle Collective’s affiliate program to earn money from their online content.
Standard and Advanced are actually two distinct affiliate programs. See how they diverge below:
- Standard: This program rewards aspiring influencers for generating clicks in affiliate marketing.
- Advanced: Affiliates earn a commission on sales made as a result of promoting Advanced products, and the program is designed with established content creators in mind.
Money-wise, the Advanced affiliate program is where it’s at, but you’ll need a sizable YouTube subscriber base to be accepted.
- Commission rate: Varies
- Cookie duration: Varies
Recommendation: Make Passive Income Online
8. RewardStyle
RewardStyle, now known as LTK, is an e-commerce site with the goal of connecting retailers, content creators, and consumers.
With more than 5,000 fashion merchant partners, it generates annual sales of over $2.9 billion.
You could do a lot worse than signing up with LTK if your YouTube channel is a good fit for the fashion and lifestyle niche as a whole.
It’s interesting that LTK’s patented technology enables makers to make mobile-first content that can be bought right away.
That makes it a great choice for monetizing your YouTube channel in addition to your profiles on Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat (you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket).
- Commission rate: Varies
- Cookie duration: Varies
9. MaxBounty
Finally, here’s yet another affiliate program to think about.
MaxBounty connects YouTubers with more than 2,000 affiliate programs in a variety of niches, so it’s likely that you’ll be able to find a program that suits your interests and expertise.
These programs, like any network, have different terms and conditions, so you’ll need to look through appropriate categories to find the ones that will give you the most opportunity to make money.
When it comes to monetization, MaxBounty provides you with a personal affiliate manager who acts as a consultant, advising you on which campaigns to run and how to use digital marketing to attract more visitors and increase your earnings.
Also, it’s compatible with retailers all over the globe, so you can rest easy even if your channel’s videos are primarily (or solely) aimed at viewers outside of the United States and Europe.
Bonus Recommendation: Make Passive Income Online
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