Affiliate Programs for YouTube - Best Options for YouTubers

Over the years, affiliate marketing has become a popular way of making money on YouTube. Due to the increased interest in affiliate marketing on YouTube, many affiliate programs for YouTube have popped up in recent years. But what are the best affiliate programs for YouTubers to use to make money?

There are many affiliate programs that YouTube creators can use to monetize their channels. Programs for physical products and digital products exist, and channels of all types can find affiliate programs that are relevant to their channel and audience. Whether it's Amazon or Bluehost, there are plenty of options available.

The ideal affiliate program for a YouTube channel will depend on the niche and audience of the channel. Along with this, certain affiliate programs offer different payment structures, such as higher commissions or recurring payments. Selecting an affiliate product or program to promote should not be rushed- finding the best option takes time.

Affiliate Program for YouTube

What makes a good affiliate program for YouTube? Well, the answer to this question depends on the circumstances. Some programs offer more revenue, but other programs offer more flexibility. The ideal option will depend on the audience and channel at hand, as certain products might be better than others.

For example, content creators that create beauty videos might be better off promoting physical beauty products, as opposed to website hosting. Think about it- will people watching a beauty video be interested in starting their own website? Probably not. Chances are, they are interested in beauty products- not website hosting.

Digital products such as website hosting tend to offer higher commissions than physical products but offer less flexibility. With website hosting affiliate programs, you're stuck promoting website hosting packages. With physical product affiliate programs, you're often able to promote a wide range of products, but commissions will be lower.

Ideally, content creators should try to find a mix of both physical and digital products to promote to their audience. New affiliate options are made available on almost a daily basis, so there's no reason to only stick to a single option. Of course, it's essential that the selected products are relevant to the audience at hand, or no sales will be made!

Affiliate Links on YouTube

You might be wondering- is using affiliate links on YouTube allowed? If they are allowed, how are they best used? Should you place multiple links inside of your descriptions or just a single link? Are links best placed at the top of descriptions? After all, YouTube doesn't offer a direct guide to content creators upon registering a YouTube account.

Affiliate links are allowed on YouTube. Using affiliate links in your descriptions will not result in any issues. However, it is important to note that you must disclose whenever you have affiliate links present in your descriptions in the form of a disclaimer. A disclaimer can be placed in your descriptions as well, ideally towards the bottom.

When it comes to placing affiliate links in descriptions, it's best to include the most relevant links as close to the top of description boxes as possible. Along with this, a verbal call-to-action should be used in videos to inform viewers that you have affiliate links in your descriptions- especially if the video at hand is about an affiliate product.

You must give a verbal call-to-action in your videos, as many viewers forget that description boxes even exist! Remember, you make money when people purchase products or services using your affiliate links. Meaning, people must click on your links if you wish to make money. So, it's in your best interest to drive as much attention to them as possible.

Best Affiliate Programs for YouTubers

Finding the best affiliate programs for YouTubers is a challenging process. With so many different options, how can you know which programs to pursue and which programs to avoid? Well, the fact of the matter is, certain programs are better for some YouTubers than others. So, there are no "best" affiliate programs at the end of the day.

Something important to acknowledge, however, is that there are affiliate programs for both physical and digital products. Some of these programs offer better payouts than others, so if the goal is to make as much money as possible, these are the programs you should pursue. Again, just make sure your selected programs are worth promoting.

Physical Product Affiliate Programs

Over the years, a few different physical product affiliate programs have popped up. However, 3 programs stand out above the others for their flexibility and payouts. Individual niches possess their own options, but the 3 prominent affiliate programs tend to work for all niches, which is why they're so commonly used.

Amazon

If you've done any research into affiliate marketing, there's a good chance you've heard about the Amazon Associates Program. Amazon's affiliate program offers a wide range of products and a 24-hour cookie duration. Unfortunately, this affiliate program offers some of the lowest commissions, so to make decent money, you'll need to sell a lot of products.

eBay

eBay has an affiliate program of their own that is very similar to Amazon. As with Amazon, eBay has different commission tiers. For example, furniture sales result in more money being earned than video game sales. Commissions on eBay tend to be higher than Amazon, but conversions tend to be lower. Keep this in mind when comparing options.

ShareASale

ShareASale is an affiliate marketing network that gives affiliates access to a variety of different product vendors. What makes ShareASale different from Amazon and eBay is the fact that vendors are dealt with more directly. Different products and vendors offer different commission rates and cookie durations, and their rates tend to be higher than Amazon.

Digital Product Affiliate Programs

One of the biggest benefits that digital products have over physical products when it comes to affiliate marketing is higher commissions. Digital products often have 20% commission rates or higher, which leads to higher payouts and earnings. Like with physical products, there are a variety of different affiliate programs available for digital products.

Clickbank

Clickbank is a well-known affiliate network for digital products. On Clickbank, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of digital products. Most of the digital products are courses designed to help people lose weight, make money, and more! If you want to help your audience learn something, Clickbank might have an affiliate product for you.

Fiverr

Fiverr is one of the most popular online freelancing websites. On Fiverr, people buy and sell various services, such as video editing and graphic design. Many content creators on YouTube utilize services on Fiverr to help them operate their channel. Believe it or not, Fiverr has an affiliate program. So, you can promote Fiverr services and earn a commission!

Website Hosting

A popular digital product that affiliates promote is website hosting. There are many website hosting companies that exist, such as Bluehost and A2 Hosting. Often, affiliates earn a healthy chunk of money when they successfully refer someone to a hosting company, as website hosting costs a couple $100.00 every year.

Individual Vendors

Online education has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. Digital courses helped fuel this growth, and many courses continue to be released to the public daily. Sometimes, individual vendors will host affiliate programs for their courses, allowing you to refer people directly to vendors for a commission.

Conclusion

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money on YouTube. There are many affiliate programs for YouTube that YouTubers can choose from, each ranging in different commission structures. While no "perfect" program exists, there are many options available for affiliates to promote to their audiences.