Whether you envision your blog as a supplemental income stream or want to pivot into full-time blogging, affiliate marketing should be an important part of monetizing your content. But where do you start? Even after you develop an understanding of what affiliate marketing is, it can be overwhelming to find the best affiliate networks.
“Find your niche” is common advice in the blogging world. That’s something to consider when you create content, and it holds true for affiliate marketing as well. There are countless affiliate options.
That’s why we’ve rounded up the best affiliate networks specific to personal finance bloggers here.
Finding the Best Affiliate Networks
When anyone mentions affiliates, you probably think of that other A-word: Amazon. The Amazon affiliate network is called Amazon Associates. If you’ve spent even just a bit of time scrolling through blogs or looking at other content that includes affiliate marketing, there’s a good chance your mouse hovered over an Amazon affiliate link.
However, Amazon recently slashed its commission payouts. There have also been reports of an increased number of people being banned from the network. None of this means that affiliate marketing doesn’t work. Affiliate marketing is still a very viable income stream for content creators. You just need a better network.
Understanding Affiliate Marketing Companies
When you are exploring affiliate marketing and looking for the best affiliate networks, it is helpful to understand the types of affiliate marketing companies. There are affiliate marketing networks and affiliate marketing agencies. Here’s how to tell them apart and why it matters.
Affiliate Marketing Networks
Think of an affiliate marketing network as a go-between. In the world of affiliate marketing, content creators are called publishers and companies are called merchants. Affiliate marketing networks work in between publishers and merchants to get publishers access to affiliate programs. Networks are also usually responsible for providing tracking technology. In some cases, affiliate networks will offer full-service management as well.
Affiliate Marketing Agencies
An affiliate marketing agency can also connect you to some of affiliate programs. They do this by acting as a consultant for content creators. Agencies can help with day-to-day operations, connections, and exposure. Oftentimes, affiliate marketing agencies also work on social media, content creation, and media planning and buying.
Top Affiliate Marketing Networks for Personal Finance Bloggers
You need to know your options when it comes to affiliate networks. That’s why we rounded up some of the best affiliate marketing networks specific to personal finance. Read on to find out which ones you might want to explore more.
Adbloom
Headquartered in Toronto, Adbloom is a content marketing and partnerships agency. Their focus is on forging global partnerships between publishers and merchants in the finance niche. With 400 partners in their network, they average 25,000 conversions per month.
In fact, Adbloom actually focuses on side hustles. Ryan Timm of Adbloom says that they helped VIPKID recruit thousands upon thousands of online English teachers. They also work with many other recognizable companies, like Drop and Twine.
Aragon Premium
Aragon Premium is part of Aragon Advertising, and Aragon Premium shines when it comes to FinTech. Personal finance bloggers are one specific community that they work with. In fact, as a FinConners, we can all but guarantee that you’re already familiar with some of their campaigns. Past campaigns include Webull, Chime, Lemonade, and Blooom. If you are looking to grow your traffic and monetize your site, check them out today.
AWIN
Nearly a quarter of a million publishers around the world are connected to AWIN. They provide fast, consistent payouts and also offer an expert support team. Since AWIN offers the opportunity to work with so many different brands, you definitely want to make use of their filters to sort by region and industry. They’re invested in your success, offering access to new information through their newsletter and advanced tools to optimize your performance.
CJ Affiliate
Formerly known as Commission Junction, CJ Affiliate is one of the most popular networks around. Its popularity is due to the fact that it is so established (it was created in 1998!) and the fact that publishers can work with thousands of merchants. You get paid monthly with $50 as the minimum payout. If you already have steady traffic to your site, this is one of the best affiliate networks you can join.
FlexOffers
Compared to some of the other networks, FlexOffers is a bit of a newbie. FlexOffers launched in 2008 and has teamed up with over 12,000 merchants since then. Once you set up an account, a dedicated account manager assigned to your account is ready to help. This is a great way to get support as you grow your affiliate marketing. Publishers get paid every 30 days unless you are a top performer. In that case, you may be able to get your payment in as few as 7 days.
Impact
This affiliate network platform is robust. Its creators intended it to be a single source to navigate the complexities of affiliate marketing with ease. That means that their platform allows publishers and merchants to create a more direct connection. Additionally, their metrics make it easy to keep an eye on your affiliate marketing performance. Impact Radius allows affiliates to choose from over 500 offers, plus you can choose your own payout threshold.
LinkConnector
LinkConnector has been working with affiliates for over a decade. Their dedicated team offers fast support should you ever need it. Standout features of LinkConnector include the ability to auto-apply to campaigns and access to private coupon codes. These coupon codes are powerful because they allow you to earn credit without the need for a specific click. That opens up more promotional opportunities for affiliates like you.
ShareASale
ShareASale hit the scene in 2000 and houses nearly 4,000 affiliate programs within its network. Depending on your content and your audience, your affiliate needs will likely vary. ShareASale has you covered with everything from physical goods and services to digital downloads and software as a service (SaaS). As a blogger looking for affiliate programs, ShareASale might just be the one-stop-shop network you need.
Affiliate Marketing Tips for All Stages
Now that you’ve explored some of the top affiliate networks, it’s time for a refresher in affiliate marketing. Whether you want to understand the basics of affiliate marketing or learn how to take your affiliate marketing to the next level, there is a FinCon resource for you. The best part is that content creators and affiliate networks that specialize in the personal finance niche shared their tips and tricks to help us put together the series.
Affiliate Marketing For Beginners
In our beginner post, learn the basics of affiliate marketing and gather tips to make your marketing useful, not spammy. When you first start affiliate marketing, the terminology can seem like another language. Our glossary makes affiliate marketing basics understandable. That matters because the more you understand, the more confident you feel.
Intermediate Affiliate Marketing
This post is perfect for people who are having success with affiliate marketing and want to uplevel their strategy. Take a look at a quiz that you might use to build an audience of loyal fans and stick around to learn more about cross-channel marketing.
Advanced Affiliate Marketing
Thanks to publishers and merchants in the FinCon community, we created this post. Take a deep dive into affiliate marketing and explore various tools like Ubersuggest, Google Tag Manager, and ThirstyAffiliates. As an added bonus, experts in affiliate marketing troubleshoot some of the top mistakes they’ve seen and dish out advice on how to avoid them.
Final Thoughts on Best Affiliate Networks
We’ve all seen the numbers and heard the monetization success stories. No matter if you’re blogging on the side or taking the dive into entrepreneurship, you can successfully monetize a blog. Knowing how affiliate marketing works and using some of these top affiliate networks will help you level up your blog and optimize your monetization strategy.
Are you a personal finance blogger looking to grow income through affiliate marketing? What is your favorite affiliate network?
Please let us know in the comments below.
