People buy from people they trust.

That’s pretty much a universal truth.

Just think about it.

Whose opinion would you trust when you’re buying a new web hosting service or purchasing a new online coaching program - a total stranger or a seasoned pro who doesn’t promote any product without testing it himself?

For Affiliate marketers, a big part of that trust comes from promoting only the best products that are relevant to the needs of their audience.

Joining a reliable affiliate network is the easiest way to find such products and offers.

According to a combined study by Forrester and Rakuten Marketing, 83% brands and product owners prefer to recruit affiliates for their products using affiliate networks.

Source: Rakuten Marketing

An affiliate network is a platform where product owners list their products and invite affiliate marketers to promote them in exchange for a commission.

It also manages payment processing and customer support and provides advertising material to help marketers promote different products.

Advertisers prefer affiliate networks because they manage everything from recruitment to payouts on their behalf, while marketers prefer them because of their reliability, range of products and ease of use.

There are hundreds of affiliate networks on the internet but not all of them are equal. Some are known for the quality of their merchants and higher commissions while others are infamous for spam and poor support.

To make things easier for you, I’ve listed down some of the best affiliate networks and programs that you can join and start making money right away.

What You’ll Learn In This Post

• How to find the ideal products to promote to your audience
• How to find high paying affiliate programs even if you're a newbie
• How to take advantage of millions of products listed on affiliate marketplaces
• How to find niche specific affiliate platforms

General Retail eCommerce Affiliate Programs

In this category, I’ll share giant internet retail websites and eCommerce stores that run their own affiliate programs. You can earn commissions as an affiliate of these stores by promoting any products of their listed products.

1. Amazon Associates

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical and Digital
Average Commission Rate	Between 3% to 10%
Cookie Duration	24 hours
Sign-Up	Amazon Associates
Who is it for	Beginner to Advanced level affiliates

Amazon is not only the world’s largest eCommerce website but also runs Amazon Associates, the biggest and the most popular affiliate program in the world with more than 1 million registered affiliates.

Amazon is the first choice of most affiliates because it sells everything under the sun. No matter what niche you’re in, you’ll find relevant products on Amazon.

However, since most digital products available on Amazon are fairly low priced, it’s safe to say that affiliates turn to it mainly because of its physical products.

But what makes Amazon truly amazing is its ability to engage its visitors and convert them into repeat buyers.

People trust Amazon which is why studies suggest that Amazon’s average conversion rate for its Prime members is a whopping 74% (there are more than 90 million Prime members). For visitors outside Prime, the conversion rate is around 14% which is still good.

Which means if you refer 100 visitors to Amazon, at least 14 will turn into buyers. And a few of those 100 visitors are likely to be Prime members, since there are so many of them in the US, so the conversion rate is likely to be higher.

Now you do your maths, but that sounds pretty good to me especially if I can scale my traffic numbers.

How To Find Best Selling Products on Amazon

Head over to Amazon Best Sellers and choose your niche or product category from the Department menu on the left of your screen.

You can go as deep as you want to find the best selling products in your selected product category. You can find more details in this post.

Alternately, you can use AmaSuites to find the best selling products for any category in just a few clicks.

Examples of Successful Amazon Affiliates

There are just too many because almost every successful blogger and niche marketer makes money from Amazon Associates.

But here are a few examples.

• Darren Rowse – Digital Photography School

Darren, the owner of ProBlogger, also owns this hugely successful niche site that uses Amazon Associates as its primary source of affiliate income.

• Eric Yang – Gear Patrol

Gear Patrol is another hugely successful site using Amazon Associates as its primary monetization mode.

Pros	Cons
Unlimited niches and product categories	Amazon’s Terms of Conditions are slightly confusing
Easy to sign up and get started	The commission rates are pretty low for most product categories
Extremely high conversion rate	Amazon’s cookie lasts for just 24 hours which means if a referral visits Amazon but makes a purchase after 24 hours of the first visit, you don’t get the commission (unless he adds the product to his cart in the first visit)
People trust Amazon and prefer buying from it	Sites frequently get banned for minor violations of Amazon’s TOC
You earn a commission for not just the product you promote but also for every purchase your referred visitor makes on Amazon for the next 24 hours
Amazon has huge holiday sale spikes

2. eBay Partner Network

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical and Digital
Average Commission Rate	Up to 70% of the auction fee charged by eBay
Cookie Duration	24 hours for “But It Now’ products, 10 days for auctions
Sign-Up	eBay Partners Network
Who is it for	Beginner to Advanced level affiliates

eBay is among the world’s biggest and most popular eCommerce websites. However, unlike traditional eCommerce sites where you can simply buy products, the products on eBay are sold through auction.

eBay has a hugely successful affiliate program called eBay Partner Network. It is quite popular among bloggers and marketers but it is different from the usual affiliate programs where you’re paid a percentage of the product’s sale price as commission.

Instead, you get a percentage of the transaction fee that eBay charges on every product sale. The transaction fee rises with the product price which means you make higher commissions on expensive products (yes, they call me captain obvious).

Here’s a snapshot of their commission rates for different product categories.

As an additional incentive, new affiliates get double commissions for the first 3 months.

Like Amazon, eBay is also a trusted site especially in the US which is why people prefer buying from them. Its conversion rate is almost good as Amazon, so your job really is just to promote eBay products that are most relevant to your audience.

You can choose from a huge list of product categories.

How To Find the Best Selling Products on eBay

Go to eBay Top Products page and click on your product category to find bestselling and trending products

Examples of Successful eBay Partners Network (EPN) Affiliates

• Shannon Mahoney - PurseBlog

PurseBlog publishes fashion-related content and uses EPN as one of its main affiliate networks

• Mary Kincaid - Zuburia

Zuburia publishes roundup posts of vintage products on eBay and makes an annual income of more than 6-figures from affiliate sales.

Pros	Cons
eBay is a trusted brand name and people prefer buying from it	Not many public success stories available
Visitor to buyer conversion rate of eBay is very high	The commission structure in the auction model is confusing for many marketers
Unlimited range of products to choose from
Competitive commission structure
Very low pay-out limit of $10
10 day cookie period for auctions

3. Jet

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical
Average Commission Rate	2.5%
Cookie Duration	7 days
Sign-Up	Jet Affiliates
Who is it for	Bloggers looking for an Amazon alternative

Jet is a relatively new eCommerce site that went live in 2015 but quickly gained momentum because of its surprisingly low prices and a product range that’s easily comparable to Amazon.

However, since their USP is a real-time pricing algorithm which ensures that consumers get the cheapest prices on every product, it’s not the most attractive platform for affiliates.

On top of that, their standard commission rate for all product categories is 2.5% which is lower than most product categories on Amazon other than video games, video game consoles, PCs and PC components, and DVD and Blue Ray.

So if you’re in those niches or simply want to diversify your income sources and reduce reliance on Amazon, I don’t see why you should become a Jet affiliate.

How To Find Best Selling Products on Jet

Simply go to any product category and sort the results by “Top Rated”

Examples of Successful Jet Affiliates

Despite searching extensively, I couldn’t find any sites monetized with Jet.com affiliate program.

Pros	Cons
Jet.com is an ideal alternative to Amazon	Jet.com is not very well-known which is why buyers can hesitate in buying from them
It offers higher commissions than Amazon in selected categories	Product prices are low which means lower commissions
It is one of the fastest growing eCommerce sites on the web	The commission rate of 2.5% for most categories is pretty low
	No proven success stories of Jet.com affiliates

4. Target

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical
Average Commission Rate	Up to 8% commission based on sales volume and product category
Cookie Duration	7 days
Sign-Up	Target Affiliates
Who is it for	People looking for Amazon alternatives

Target is the second largest discount retailer in the U.S and has massive brand recognition. People love buying from Target and trust it as a reliable retailer.

Target Affiliates, their affiliate program, is a pretty good alternative to Amazon because of its huge product base and generous commission structure that varies with sales volume.

Right now, you can earn commissions as a Target affiliate in the following categories.

Other than these four categories, the commissions are either very low or not applicable at all.

Despite their massive product range, Target still doesn’t have the same variety that you can find on Amazon.

But if you’re operating in one of their main niches like apparel or home goods, you’ll enjoy working with them as an affiliate.

How To Find the Best Selling Products on Target.com

You can find the most popular products on Target by using the “most popular” search filter and by exploring the “Trending Products” category.

Examples of Successful Target.com Affiliates

I couldn’t find any Target specific niche sites but I found several leading blogs and publication promoting Target products in their content.

• BuzzFeed
• WiseBread
• MyDomaine
• Allure
• InStyle
• Cheapism

Pros	Cons
Target is a trusted brand	Apart from their 4 main product categories, the commission rates are very low
They have large stocks in a wide range of products	The program is currently valid only for US traffic
Cookie period of 7 days is attractive for most affiliates	Lower product variety as compared to Amazon
All sales from your referral in the first 7 days earn you commissions

5. Walmart

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical
Average Commission Rate	1% to 4% for most categories
Cookie Duration	3 days
Sign-Up	Walmart Affiliate Link
Who is it for	Sites in Toys, Contact Lenses and Personal Checks Niches

Walmart is the last of these “General” product retailers I’ve included in this post.

And I’ve done it mainly to give you more options if you’re looking to diversify your affiliate income.

Walmart has always been known for its massive product stocks and prices that are significantly lower than market rates.

This makes it a really attractive retailer for consumers, but it also means affiliates like you and me don’t make much money from it.

Low prices combined with very ordinary commission rates for most product categories means Walmart should rarely ever feature in your list of favorite affiliate programs.

However, if you’re running niche sites about toys, contact lenses or personal checks (don’t know what that is), the commissions are better than Amazon.

How To Find Best Selling Products on Walmart

There’s a popular products filter in every product listing page from where you can find the best selling products

Other than that, you can visit the Popular Products and Top Selling Products pages to find products across all categories

Examples of Successful Walmart Affiliates

Here are a few examples

• InsiderMonkey
• Stylecaster
• Prevention

Pros	Cons
Walmart has been around for years and has huge brand credibility	Very low commission rate for most product categories
They have a huge product line and large stocks	Low product prices means lower commissions
They offer 3 day cookie period which is better than Amazon	People prefer visiting Walmart stores as compared to buying online
Commissions for Toys and Personal Checks are higher than Amazon and other similar stores

Affiliate Matchmaking and Marketing Platforms

In this category, I’ll list down affiliate marketplace websites and platforms that connect product creators with affiliates.

Unlike Amazon and other retail eCommerce affiliate programs, these platforms do not have fixed commissions. Instead, every product listed on these platforms has a separate commission structure.

6. Clickbank

Niche	General Products in all niches
Product Type	Digital and Physical
Average Commission Rate	Depends on the product you choose
Cookie Duration	Depends on the product you choose
Sign-Up	ClickBank Affiliate Network
Who is it for	Beginner to Advanced Affiliates

ClickBank is one of the oldest and the most popular affiliate marketing platforms on the web. It has hundreds of thousands of digital and physical products in different categories.

Marketers in all niches have made millions of dollars promoting ClickBank products.

You can join it as an affiliate for free and without any screening or approval processes which is great if you’re just starting out since most platforms do not approve affiliates without a background check.

The low entry barrier on ClickBank means there are lots of crappy products on it as well. But in between them, you can find some really high-quality products.

Most affiliate marketers promote ClickBank products through email marketing instead of relying solely on blogging. However, you may find certain affiliate sites that are created around specific ClickBank products.

But that’s rare.

You can also sign-up for their joint venture program to set up JVs with vendors and earn much higher commissions.

Clickbank also has a pretty extensive knowledgebase that covers everything you need to know about using ClickBank and promoting products as an affiliate.

But if you’re looking for even better training, you can join ClickBank University (a paid program) which has detailed training from professional and seasoned affiliate marketers.

How to Find the Best Selling ClickBank Products

Finding hot products on ClickBank is easy.

Just head over to ClickBank Affiliate Marketplace and choose your product category.

Once you’re in the product listings, you can sort them by popularity.

Every product also has a “Gravity Score” which tells you how many people are promoting this product. A high gravity score is a pretty good indicator of product quality.

Examples of Successful ClickBank Affiliates

Marketers mostly promote ClickBank products directly to their email subscribers or by featuring relevant products in their blog content. However, you can also find small niche sites created around different ClickBank products. This article shares some great advice on promoting ClickBank products the right way

• TinitusMiracleRevealed
• PaleoHacksCookBook

Pros	Cons
Click bank is one of the oldest and most well-known affiliate platforms	There are lots of crappy products on the marketplace and finding the right products takes time and research
It has a huge product range in dozens of niches	The physical product range is very limited
It has a comprehensive knowledgebase and paid training program

7. JVZOO

Niche	Dozens of categories but most products in IM Niche
Product Type	Digital
Average Commission Rate	Depends on the product but most products offer over 50%
Cookie Duration	Unlimited
Sign-Up	JVZoo Affiliate SignUp
Who is it for	Affiliates in Make Money Online and IM niches

JVZoo has quickly become one of the fastest growing and most popular affiliate marketing platforms on the web.  Stuart himself has made a ton of money on JVZoo and has some great lessons to share.

JVZoo has products in dozens of niches and sub niches but the most popular products are mostly in the internet marketing niche.

Despite making big claims about zero-spam tolerance, JVZoo marketplace does have its share of crappy products. So you need to be careful while choosing products to promote.

Unlike ClickBank though, JVZoo doesn’t allow affiliates to start promoting products right away. To promote a product or join a product launch, you need to be approved the product vendor himself.

Real money, however, is always made during product launches and JVZoo has lots of launches happening all the time.

It does give you some really powerful tools to promote products as an affiliate. For example, you don’t need to have a separate website to create squeeze pages for a promotion. You can create and host landing pages on JVZoo.

Similarly, you can add personalized videos when promoting webinars for a vendor. For certain products, you can even recruit second tier affiliates to increase your reach.

Plus, your primary affiliate link is sufficient for all products in a sales funnel. You don’t need to create separate links for one-time offers, upsells, downsells, cross-sells, etc.

For advanced training and walkthroughs, you can join JVZoo academy for a small one-time fee.

How To Find the Best Selling Products on JVZoo

You can find the top selling products on JVZoo by visiting their Top Sellers page

You can see the top sellers for that day, yesterday or even the past 30 days in just a click.

Examples of Successful JVZoo Affiliates

As I mentioned, Stuart is a pretty successful JVZoo affiliate and has made a lot of money promoting products and winning launch prizes.

Ana Hoffman is another well-known affiliate marketer who’s had a lot of success with JVZoo products.

Pros	Cons
It’s free to join	You need the vendor’s approval to promote  product
You can choose from hundreds of products in dozens of categories	New affiliates don’t get instant pay-outs
Because of the product variety on offer, you’ll find products in every niche	There are many low-quality products listed on JVZoo
JVZoo offers instant pay-outs to your PayPal account if your all-time JVZoo sales are 50+
The user interface is pretty neat and easy to use
There are big product launches happening all the time on JVZoo

8. Warrior Plus

Niche	Internet Marketing
Product Type	Digital
Average Commission Rate	Depends on the Product
Cookie Duration	Depends on the Product
Sign-Up	Warrior Plus Affiliate Sign Up
Who is it for	Affiliates in Make Money Online and IM niches

It might not be the prettiest website in the world but WarriorPlus is still a pretty good place to find products to promote as an affiliate if you’re in the IM niche.

Most products listed on WarriorPlus are low cost “get rich quickly” kind of info products with upsells and one-time offers. As an affiliate, you make money not on the original low-cost product but also on all the products in the sales funnel.

WarriorPlus sends instant payments if you have a PayPal account. However, in case of a refund, the amount will be deducted from your account.

After signing up as an affiliate, you can find offers and product launches to promote on WarriorPlus Affiliate Marketplace.

To promote a product, you need the vendor’s approval first (which is rarely declined)

However, WarriorPlus is infamous for mainly attracting freebie hunters due to which the number of refund requests is pretty high on many products.

So don’t promote a product without testing it first and checking its refund rate.

How To Find Best Selling Products on WarriorPlus

You can sort the product list in the affiliate marketplace by the number of sales or average conversion rate to find the top products.

But you can also find the best products on “Deal of the Day” page.

Examples of Successful WarriorPlus Affiliates

Harsh Agrawal – ShoutMeLoud

Art Flair – Art of Marketing

Pros	Cons
WarriorPlus has new IM products every day	Warrior Plus is full of overhyped, rehashed and crappy products so finding good offers is always a challenge
It’s easy to start as an affiliate	Because of poor product quality the refund rate on most products is pretty high
It offers instant payouts for PayPal users

9. VigLink

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical and Digital
Average Commission Rate	Depends on the merchant
Cookie Duration	Depends on the merchant
Sign-Up	VigLink Publisher Sign Up
Who is it for	Beginner to Advanced level affiliates who’re publishing blog content

VigLink is not an affiliate program itself. It’s an innovative platform that connects thousands of merchants (including many big brands like Amazon, AliExpress etc.) with relevant affiliates.

Instead of limiting you to just one merchant, VigLink dynamically changes the source of your affiliate links and chooses the merchant with the highest conversion rate and commission.

However, you still need to be approved by individual merchants even when your VigLink account is approved, which is kind of strange.

Still it’s a second lifeline if you’ve been banned by Amazon or any other merchant

How To Find Best Selling VigLink Products

You can find the best selling products across all merchants on VigLink on the Trends page. You can choose your product category to get niche specific trends or directly search for a product from the search bar.

Similarly, you can use their Merchant Explorer to find the right merchants for your site.

Examples of Successful VigLink Affiliates

VigLink has some of the biggest publishers on the web on board like MSN, CNET, MarketWatch etc. Here are a few comparatively smaller niche sites that are doing well with VigLink

• Musings of a Muse (read case study)
• Better Homes and Gardens

Pros	Cons
VigLink gives you a single window access to thousands of merchants	Despite being approved by VigLinks, you still need the approval of individual merchants
Dynamically chooses the best merchants with the highest profit and conversion rate and saves you from a lot of hassle.	VigLinks charges a significant portion of your affiliate income
Changes affiliate links at run-time without the need for you to make any changes	Payments are made on a monthly basis through check and PayPal
Its easy user interface makes it very easy to find the right merchants and products for your niche

10. SkimLinks

Niche	General
Product Type	Physical and Digital
Average Commission Rate	Depends on the merchant
Cookie Duration	Depends on the merchant
Sign-Up	Skimlinks Publisher Sign Up
Who is it for	Beginner to Advanced level affiliates

Skimlinks works on a very similar model to VigLinks. It dynamically monetizes your content with affiliate links from 20,000+ of merchants.

Unlike VigLink, however, Skimlinks doesn’t require you to seek the approval of individual merchants. Once you’re approved by Skimlinks, you’re free to use any affiliate program on its platform.

How To Find Best Selling Products on Skimlinks

Skimlinks doesn’t give you a list of trending or best selling products across all networks. But it does give you a powerful search engine using which you can find the ideal merchants for your niche and see their bestselling offers.

Examples of Successful Affiliates Using Skimlinks

• BuzzFeed (read case study)
• GearPatrol (read case study)

TheJeansBlog and TheDailyTekk have also found success using Skimlinks

Pros

Cons