How affiliate program work

 How affiliate program work

Affiliate programs work by creating a structured system where individuals or businesses (affiliates) promote a company’s products or services and earn a commission for driving traffic, leads, or sales. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how affiliate programs work:

🔁 1. A Business Sets Up an Affiliate Program

The business chooses or builds an affiliate platform (like ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, or a custom solution).

It defines:

Commission structure (e.g., 10% per sale, $5 per lead).

Cookie duration (how long after a click a sale still counts—e.g., 30 days).

Allowed promotional methods (e.g., content marketing, PPC, email).

🔗 2. Affiliates Sign Up

Individuals or companies apply to join the affiliate program.

Once approved, they receive:

Unique affiliate ID or tracking links

Marketing assets (banners, product feeds, etc.)

📣 3. Affiliates Promote Products or Services

Using blogs, social media, YouTube, email newsletters, or paid ads.

Always include their unique tracking links.

📦 4. Customer Clicks Affiliate Link and Makes a Purchase

When a user clicks the link:

A cookie is stored in their browser.

If they purchase within the cookie window, the sale is attributed to the affiliate.

💰 5. Tracking and Attribution

The affiliate program tracks the click, purchase, and affiliate ID.

The business (or affiliate network) logs the sale.

🧾 6. Affiliate Gets Paid

After a set period (e.g., monthly), the business pays the affiliate.

Payment methods include:

PayPal

Direct deposit

Wire transfer

🎯 Common Types of Affiliate Commissions

       Model          Description       Example

✅ Real Example

You join Bluehost’s affiliate program.

You promote a blog post: "Best Web Hosting for Beginners."

Someone clicks your affiliate link and buys hosting.

Bluehost pays you $65–$130 per sale, depending on your volume.

Want help finding the best affiliate programs in your niche or advice on how to start promoting effectively?