Are you at the point in your niche blog where you’re struggling to find an affiliate product to recommend? Or maybe you want to find a good affiliate product before creating your blog?
I’ll be providing some tips on how to select the best affiliate product for your blog. These tips will hopefully help you to decide on a good product or products to promote.
Ready to make money with a blog? Learn how I went from zero to consistent affiliate commissions every month so you can too. Click here to learn how I did it.
Select the Best Affiliate Product for Your Blog
Choosing a good affiliate product for your niche blog can often be challenging depending on the niche that you chose.
There are several things to take into consideration. Some of the things you’ll want to think about can include:
- commission rate
- usefulness of product for your audience
- longevity
- brand
- sales page
- affiliate assets
- payout methods
- payout date
- payment thresholds
I’ll cover each of these considerations below.
Commission Rate
Affiliate products all range in terms of their commission rates. Some affiliate programs offer anywhere from 3% up to 75% commissions or more.
There are also affiliate programs that provide a specific value such as $50 per sale or $100 per sale.
The product’s commission rate can play a large role in your decision making. You want it to be worth the time and effort of your promoting it.
Do not underestimate small commission rates. If the product is converts well, even small amounts of traffic to your blog can generate steady sales.
The Usefulness of the Product for Your Audience
How useful the product is to your audience is essential. You don’t want to recommend a subpar or unrelated product.
It will only lead to dissatisfaction and refunds. Keep your audience’s needs first.
The product should be related, solve a need, or make things easier. When it is a good product for your niche, it can mean more sales.
More sales means more commissions for you.
The Longevity of The Product
I also take into consideration the longevity of a product.
If an affiliate product hasn’t been around for very long, there is always a risk that the product owner discontinues it or closes the affiliate program.
I prefer promoting affiliate products that have been around for many years. There are plenty of these types of products out there.
For example, software companies tend to have longevity. Think about web hosting companies, email marketing services, or accounting software.
These long-term types of services also tend to have recurring affiliate programs which is another plus.
The Product Brand
Branding is also helpful in terms of choosing a good affiliate product. People recognize brands and that can help a lot with conversions.
Many people search for particular brands for product reviews and comparisons.
You can use that to your advantage. You have the option to create a niche blog that focuses on a particular brand of product.
I once considered creating a niche blog devoted to the SamCart eCommerce platform.
I really like the SamCart affiliate program and it would be worth it to dedicate a blog to it.
The Product Sales Page
It is a good idea to take into account what the product sales page looks like. Meaning, is the sales copy good? Is it a video sale letter?
In short, ask yourself if you would buy the product after reading the sales page. If the sales page isn’t good, it will not convert well.
Most companies do a great job of having high-converting sales pages. They often do a lot of split-testing themselves to ensure their landing pages convert.
Does The Affiliate Program Provide Affiliate Assets?
A good affiliate program will offer their affiliates several assets. Many of these assets may include:
- banner ads
- email swipes
- data feeds
- analytics
- videos
- articles
- PDF lead magnets
- keyword lists
These assets aren’t required to make sales but they can be helpful. This is particularly true if you have or plan on building an email list.
Payout Methods
A majority of affiliate programs pay commissions via PayPal.
However, I’ve also had my commissions paid by direct deposit and some may also offer payments via check.
Payment methods are important to know, especially if your are applying for an affiliate program outside of your location.
You want to ensure you can receive payments. In some cases, an affiliate program may even offer wire transfer.
It’s a good idea to reach out to an affiliate manager if there is one available.
Payout Date
This may seem insignificant when you’re applying to an affiliate program but it is actually important.
I’ve come across affiliate programs that pay 90 days after a commission is earned.
There are also those that pay between the 1st and 15th or the 15th and the 30th. That can be frustrating if you are relying on those commissions to come in before a specific date each month.
The good news is that many affiliate programs pay their commissions on a monthly basis.
Some of the best ones will pay on the same day of the month without fail. One of my favorite affiliate products that I promote pays commissions on the 1st of the month without fail.
Payment Thresholds
A lot of affiliate programs have payment thresholds. What this means is that you have to earn a specific amount before your commissions are paid out.
Typical thresholds are anywhere from $20 to $100. The largest threshold I’ve encountered myself was $300.
I don’t particularly like large payment thresholds. If I’ve earned a commission, I prefer to have it sooner than later.
Other Considerations for Choosing Affiliate Products
Besides the considerations above, there are some other factors you may take into account when choosing an affiliate product for your blog.
Software
If there is software available in your niche that could help your niche audience be more productive or make more money, it is worth looking into.
Software is one of my favorite things to promote as an affiliate. Most software affiliate programs have excellent commissions.
Some even have recurring commissions which is great as many people use software for several month or years.
Recurring Commissions
A great determining factor for choosing an affiliate product is if the affiliate program offers recurring commissions.
Recurring commissions are paid out to you month after month so long as your referrals remain customers of the merchant.
Online Courses
Courses are another option for an affiliate product. They tend to sell very well depending on the niche.
If you have taken a specific course yourself, you can recommend it to your blog readers.
This helps if you have had success with the course yourself. Next to software, online courses convert extremely well.
Amazon Associates
Even after Amazon Associates changed their commission structure and reduced commissions in many categories, it is still the go-to affiliate program for many affiliates.
It is one of the easiest ways to make commissions and there is bound to be a product you can promote that is related to your niche.
Where to Find Affiliate Products
Once you have some criteria in place, it is a matter of searching for some options. A quick Google Search can get you started.
Start by typing in “product + affiliate program” or “niche + affiliate program”.
You can even check out my affiliate category on this blog as I’ve written about several affiliate programs in various niches.
However, there are some affiliate networks you can browse as well to include:
There are plenty of affiliate networks out there. I would definitely begin my search for products you already use related to your niche and check if they have affiliate programs.
Closing Thoughts On Selecting the Best Affiliate Product
I hope this information provides you with some guidelines on how to select the best affiliate product for your blog.
Having the right affiliate product can make all the difference in how much your niche blog earns.
Creating a niche blog is an excellent way to promote affiliate products. If you want to earn steady income online, consider following the same step-by-step training program I followed.
Ready to make money with a blog? Learn how I went from zero to consistent affiliate commissions every month so you can too. Click here to learn how I did it.