the Best Affiliate Programs That Pay the Highest Commission

Every day, thousands of publishers benefit from a recurring cash inflow by partnering up with other companies via affiliate programs. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to monetize your blog, especially when you don't sell products or services. Joining an affiliate program can get you exclusive access to new content and special deals for your audience -- all while earning you more money.

To further understand affiliate programs, let's consider an example -- Wirecutter.com, a New York Times company, is a website that lists product recommendations for shoppers. Wirecutter largely earns commission based on affiliate relationships with retailers.

Wirecutter's affiliate program might make you doubt the legitimacy of Wirecutter's recommendations -- but, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Wirecutter only makes commission when a reader purchases a product from an affiliate retailer and doesn't return the product. Wirecutter, then, has no incentive to promote inferior products -- if they did, they'd make less money and turn away readers. There are many different types of affiliate programs, ranging from online courses to website builders to marketing and business affiliates. Here, we're going to explore the 30 affiliate programs with the highest earning potential to ensure you're able to make money off the content you provide. But first -- what exactly is an affiliate program? Click Here to Learn How to Become an Influencer in Your Industry What is an Affiliate Program? Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement in which a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way. This can be achieved through web content, social media, or a product integration. The affiliate gets a unique link (an "affiliate link") from which clicks can be tracked -- typically using cookies.

You will often come across the terms "cookie length" or "cookie life", which simply define how long the cookie will be tracking the user's online activity. For example, if a cookie has a 30-day life, your referral needs to make a purchase within 30-days of clicking your affiliate link in order for you to get paid -- otherwise the lead will no longer be trackable. A B2B audience can be particularly valuable, since they are the same customers who are willing to drop hundreds of dollars for a product or service that will help them make money. How could you not capitalize on that? Next, let's explore the 30 affiliate programs that pay the highest commission.Best Marketing and Business Affiliate Programs1. Commission: Flat rate -- up to $1,000 per product purchased Cookie life: 90 days HubSpot's mission is to help millions of organizations grow better. Comprised of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and a powerful free CRM, HubSpot's award-winning growth platform gives thousands of companies the tools they need to manage the customer experience -- all the way from awareness to advocacy. As a HubSpot affiliate, the commission you'll receive will depend on the product tier of each product your referral has purchased: Starter: $250 Professional/CMS: $500 Enterprise: $1,000 Keep in mind that you can earn up to $1,000 for each product purchased. It is not uncommon for customers to buy more than one product at a time. So, in reality, you could very well earn up to $3,000 if your referral were to purchase the Enterprise Growth Suite. When you join HubSpot's affiliate program, you gain access to a large creative inventory, including demo videos, banners, and copy examples, all designed to help you earn the most commission possible. Plus, you can cultivate a one-on-one relationship with the HubSpot affiliate team, who are all dedicated to helping you succeed. If you have a large business audience or want to monetize your content, then our affiliate program is likely well-suited for you. 2. Commission: 30% recurring Cookie life: One year AWeber has been the autoresponder of choice for over one million businesses and entrepreneurs since 1998. It's a great tool for newsletter and email drip campaigns. Affiliates of AWeber can earn substantial income through two different channels: Their in-house program offers a lifetime 30% commission. Plans typically range from around $20 to $150/month, so the payout can add up. Alternatively, you can earn up to $300 per account through CJ Affiliate. However, the cookie life with this option is only 45 days, rather than one year. 3. ConvertKit Commission: 30% recurring Cookie window: 30 days A new up-and-comer in the email marketing field, ConvertKit helps its customers grow their customer-base via landing pages, forms, and email drip campaigns. ConvertKit's affiliate program is primarily addressed to existing ConvertKit users who feel their audience could benefit from email marketing products. The program offers a lifelong 30% commission for every referred paying customer or webinar subscriber. With plans ranging anywhere from $29 per month all the way to $2,000+, the income potential is a very attractive offer, and it costs you absolutely nothing to join the program. The program does not, however, offer any special deals or discounts for any product the affiliate might promote. Commission: 30% recurring Cookie life: 30 days LeadPages is an online tool that lets you create easy-to-customize landing pages to collect contact information and boost your conversion rates. Their affiliate program is only open to LeadPages customers. Each paying customer referred brings in a lifetime commission of 30%. Membership prices range from $25 to $200 per month. LeadPages will sometimes run special offers, such as a $5,000 bonus for affiliates who drive 10+ sales by a given date. All affiliates get access to banners, sidebar images, and social media-friendly links. You also have the option to share a unique link to a free content page (like a blog post or video) rather than a product page.