Choosing From 1000’s of Affiliate Programs? 8 Hot Tips

Always carry out your own research prior to joining any Affiliate program. Make sure the program/s you choose to join will be worth all your time, effort and financial outlays!

Here are eight hot tips to guide you:

1. Is The Program Free to Join?

The majority of Affiliate programs available these days are totally free of charge to join. On that basis why would you select a program that makes you pay a joining or monthly fee?

2. How Often and How Do They Pay Your Commission?

Most programs have reasonably similar frequencies and methods of paying you your commission. Some programs make payment once a month and some every quarter. Most programs will provide you with a couple of methods in which they will pay your commission. Probably the safest and most convenient payment method is via Pay Pal. If the Affiliate program resides within the country you live in, then getting paid by cheque might be the most convenient method. However; if the Affiliate program is resident in a foreign country then getting paid by cheque could cost you big dollars in bank fees to cash or deposit those foreign cheques to your bank account.

Most Affiliate programs wont pay you any commission until you have a minimum payment due to you of say; $50.

3. Try to Establish the Hit Per Sale Ratio

Try to determine the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes in order to generate one sale based on all Affiliate statistics. This statistic is most important because this will tell you how much traffic you will have to generate prior to you earning any commission.

4. Does The Program Use Cookies to Safeguard Your Referrals?

When someone that you refer to the Affiliate site visits that site the Affiliate system should place a cookie in the referrals computer system. This is vitally important. Why? Because that referral may not buy the product or join the program on the day. However in three months they may have a change of heart and return to the Affiliate site to buy the product or join the program.

Providing the Affiliate program uses cookies that are valid for at least six months then you are assured you will receive the commission on that sale. Plus if the program is a two tier program (see later), and the person joins the Affiliate program they will be placed under yourself to ensure you receive additional referral commissions.

5. Does The Program Provide Statistics to Affiliates?

The Affiliate program should provide their Affiliates with pertinent statistics so that Affiliates will be aware of how many impressions, hits and sales were generated from their site and advertising activity. Impressions refer to the number of times a banner or text link was viewed by a visitor. A hit is one click on a banner or text link in your site or advertising.

6. Will You Be Representing a Reputable Retailer?

How long has the Affiliate program been around? New kids on the block come and go with monotonous regularity. Determine just how solid the Affiliate program is by doing your own due diligence.The more knowledge you can accumulate about the retailer, the more confident you will feel that you wont be wasting your time, effort and money, representing a program that may do a bunk tomorrow.

7. Single or Two Tier Program?

Determining this fact is vital! Many programs are single tier programs. This means that you get paid a commission ONLY on the products you sell personally. With a two tier program you get paid commission on the products you personally sell; PLUS you receive an additional income on the sales that any people you personally referred to the program sell. It takes the same amount of effort to work a two tier program as it does a single tier program. Why not maximise your income by working a two tier program?

8. Most Important - What is the Commission Percentage?

Rates of commission vary greatly from one program to another. Determine the minimum commission percentage you require and ONLY join Affiliate programs that meet your minimum percentage. There is little point in promoting a program that only pays 3% commission on a product that retails for only $10 if your overhead costs average $2 per sale. The resulting $1 profit might not be worth all your time, effort and cost.

Make sure you check off these key eight points before you commit to any Affiliate program. Happy hunting!