The Best Affiliate Platforms and Networks for Successful Marketing in 2023

An affiliate marketing program can help attract loyal high-paying customers and build a lucrative business. But before you start creating an affiliate program, you first need to familiarize yourself with the affiliate marketing process.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy in which an advertiser (also called a merchant or a retailer) pays a commission to an affiliate for promoting and driving sales for its products or services.

Affiliates are individuals or businesses that promote the advertiser's products or services through their marketing channels, such as websites, social media, email marketing, or paid advertising.

The affiliate earns a commission based on the agreed-upon commission structure, which could be a percentage of the sale amount, a flat fee per sale, or a fee per lead.

Affiliate marketing is a win-win for both parties involved: advertisers gain access to a broader audience and only pay for the sales generated, while affiliates earn a commission without the need to create or manage the product. Affiliate marketing is a popular and effective way to generate passive income for many online entrepreneurs and bloggers.

What is the difference between an affiliate platform and an affiliate network?

An affiliate platform and an affiliate network are two distinct types of affiliate marketing solutions, but they serve similar purposes.

An affiliate platform is a software or tool that helps companies or individuals manage their own affiliate programs. It allows them to create and manage affiliate campaigns, set up tracking, manage payouts, and track performance metrics such as clicks, leads, and conversions. With an affiliate platform, the company or individual manages the affiliate program in-house, and they are responsible for recruiting affiliates and building relationships with them.

On the other hand, an affiliate network is a third-party company that connects advertisers with a large pool of affiliates. These networks act as intermediaries between companies looking to promote their products or services and affiliates who want to earn commissions by promoting these products. Affiliate networks typically offer a wider range of products and services for affiliates to promote, as well as a pre-existing network of affiliates to promote them. They also handle payment processing, tracking, and other administrative tasks.

With that said, let's dive into the best affiliate platforms and networks for 2023.

8. Amazon Associates

Amazon Associates is one of the most popular affiliate programs, and for good reason. It has a massive selection of products to promote, ranging from books and electronics to clothing and beauty products. With Amazon's reputation and brand recognition, it's a relatively easy program to promote, as many people trust and buy from Amazon regularly.

To make the most of Amazon Associates, it's essential to choose products that are relevant to your niche and audience. This will increase the likelihood of sales and boost your commission rates. Additionally, be sure to create compelling and informative product reviews, as this can drive more traffic to your site and increase conversions.

7. ShareASale

ShareASale is an affiliate marketing network that connects affiliates with merchants. It was founded in 2000 and currently offers over 4,000 affiliate programs covering a wide range of products and services from various industries, including fashion, beauty, software, and technology.

ShareASale provides a user-friendly interface, extensive reporting, and tracking features, which make it popular among affiliates. The platform allows affiliates to choose from various advertising creatives, including banners, text links, and product feeds. ShareASale offers commission rates and payment options, including direct deposit, mailed check, or Payoneer, depending on the merchant.

6. CJ Affiliate

CJ Affiliate (formerly known as Commission Junction) is a global affiliate marketing network that connects advertisers with publishers. It was founded in 1998 and acquired by Alliance Data in 2003. The platform has over 3,000 advertiser affiliate programs, covering various industries such as retail, travel, finance, and technology.

CJ Affiliate provides publishers with a range of advertising options, including text links, banners, and product feeds, to promote the advertiser's products and services. The platform offers various commission types, including pay-per-sale, pay-per-click, and pay-per-lead, depending on the advertiser's preference. CJ Affiliate provides publishers with extensive reporting and tracking tools to track performance and earnings.

5. Awin

Awin is a global affiliate marketing network that connects advertisers with publishers. It was created in 2017 by the merger of Affiliate Window and Zanox. It offers more than 15,000 advertiser affiliate programs from various industries, including retail, travel, finance, and technology.

Awin provides publishers with a range of advertising creatives, including text links, banners, and product feeds, to promote the advertiser's products and services. The platform offers various commission types, including pay-per-sale, pay-per-click, and pay-per-lead, depending on the advertiser's preference. Awin provides publishers with advanced reporting and tracking tools to track performance and earnings.

4. Rakuten Marketing

Rakuten Marketing is a global affiliate marketing network that connects advertisers with publishers. It was founded in 1997 as LinkShare and acquired by Rakuten in 2005, after which it was rebranded as Rakuten Marketing. It offers over 1,000 advertiser affiliate programs, covering various industries such as retail, travel, finance, and technology.

Rakuten Marketing provides publishers with a range of advertising creatives, including banners, text links, and product feeds, to promote the advertiser's products and services. The platform offers various commission types, including pay-per-sale, pay-per-click, and pay-per-lead, depending on the advertiser's preference. In addition, Rakuten Marketing provides publishers with robust reporting and tracking tools to track performance and earnings.

3. ClickBank

ClickBank is an online marketplace for digital products that was founded in 1998. The platform allows vendors to sell digital products, such as e-books, courses, software, and membership sites, to customers worldwide. ClickBank also provides affiliate marketing services, allowing affiliates to promote and earn commissions by referring customers to products listed on the platform.

It offers a user-friendly interface for both vendors and affiliates, including extensive reporting and tracking features. Vendors can set the commission rate they offer to affiliates, and affiliates can choose from a wide variety of products to promote. ClickBank manages the payment process, and vendors can receive payments via direct deposit or check.

2. eBay Partner Network

eBay Partner Network (EPN) is an affiliate marketing program that connects affiliates with eBay's online marketplace. The program allows affiliates to promote eBay's vast inventory of products, including new and used items, collectibles, and electronics, among others. Affiliates can earn commissions by promoting eBay products through their website, social media, email, or other marketing channels.

EPN offers various commission structures, including pay-per-click, pay-per-sale, and pay-per-lead, depending on the type of traffic generated. EPN provides affiliates with a range of advertising creatives, including banners, text links, and product feeds, as well as reporting and tracking tools to monitor performance and earnings. The program is free to join.

1.TheAffiliatePlatform by Smartico.ai

Powered by Smartico.ai, TheAffiliatePlatform is a comprehensive software solution that allows for multi-brand campaign creation and tracking while keeping each brand's affiliate registrations and access separate. 

With this affiliate system tailor-made for online casinos and sports betting, you can build strong partner relationships and expand your affiliate network on your terms. Its flexible tools can also help you optimize your affiliate marketing spending with surprising efficiency. 

This white-label platform is designed specifically for casino, poker, sportsbook, and fintech operators.

In addition, TheAffiliatePlatform offers the following features and benefits:

• Collaboration With Partners — Dedicated Account Manager is part of the service via any of the instant messaging apps (Slack, Skype, Teams) and Jira.
• Convenient Pricing — We don't charge by your results, clicks, or conversion — one price for all.
• Ease of Use — Allows your team total control over your entire affiliate operation, including overseeing your team of affiliate managers, affiliate management, real-time reporting, payments, and comprehensive BI reporting.
• Total Control In One Customizable Platform — Tap into the power of a fully customizable affiliate management solution designed to manage your affiliate marketing campaigns, payouts, creative assets, and more. Upload, update, and manage all your creatives across your entire affiliate network.
• Track Everything In One Place, Build The Partnership You Want — TheAffiliatePlatform can make your next campaign the most successful one yet. It is a powerful affiliate software platform bringing casino and betting operators advanced solutions for creating, running, and tracking multi-brand affiliate marketing campaigns.
• Comprehensive Feature-Rich Tracking — TheAffiliatePlatform provides real-time and accurate conversion tracking and records via API integration, FTP solutions, traffic sources, and media placements. It also features broadly advanced no cookie dependencies methods like Server 2 Server (S2S/Postback), Image pixel, iFrame, Client JS Block and Facebook pixel, which are ideal for advanced affiliate marketers.
• Multi-Product & Multi-Brand System — TheAffiliatePlatform allows for multi-brand campaign creation and tracking and keeps the affiliate registrations and access separate for each brand. Different commission plans can be assigned per product and brand. Unite your iGaming brands into one affiliate program and manage them from one admin panel.

TheAffiliatePlatform offers many more tools, and, driven by customer requests, new features, and functionalities are released every month. To book your free in-depth demo, please click the "Request a demo" button at the top of the page.

Conclusion

In conclusion, affiliate marketing is a lucrative way to make money online, but it's essential to choose the right affiliate platforms and networks to promote. In this article, we discussed the best affiliate platforms and networks for 2023, including TheAffiliatePlatform, Amazon Associates, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Awin, Rakuten Marketing, ClickBank, and eBay Partner Network.

To optimize the use of these platforms and networks, it's essential to select the right merchants and products to promote, as well as create compelling and informative content that offers value to your audience. Additionally, be mindful of the commission rates, payout thresholds, and fee structures of each platform and network to ensure that you are maximizing your earnings and minimizing any potential drawbacks.

Ultimately, the success of your affiliate marketing efforts depends on your ability to build and maintain a loyal audience that trusts your recommendations. By partnering with reputable merchants and creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority in your niche and earn a steady stream of income from your affiliate marketing efforts.

Make sure to do your research, identify the programs that align with your niche and audience, and test different strategies to see what works best for you.

Whether you are a seasoned affiliate marketer or just starting, there are many opportunities to earn passive income through affiliate marketing. By partnering with the right platforms and networks, and leveraging your content creation and audience-building skills, you can build a successful affiliate marketing business that generates consistent and reliable income for years to come.

TheAffiliatePlatform team wishes you the best of luck on your journey as an affiliate marketer!