One of the biggest myths in affiliate marketing is that you need an established audience before applying to programs. The truth is that many of the best programs will approve you based on your website quality and niche — not your traffic numbers.
1. Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is the most beginner-friendly affiliate program in existence. Approval is nearly automatic as long as your site has original content, a privacy policy, and does not violate their terms. Commission rates range from 1% to 10% depending on the product category. The main catch: you need to make 3 qualifying sales within 180 days of joining or your account is closed.
2. ShareASale
ShareASale is a network hosting thousands of merchant programs across every niche imaginable. Getting into ShareASale itself is straightforward — you then apply to individual merchants within the network. Many merchants approve new publishers automatically. Commissions vary widely by merchant.
3. Impact (impact.com)
Impact hosts affiliate programs for major brands including Canva, Hostinger, and Semrush. The platform itself approves publishers easily — individual brand programs vary. It is worth joining Impact early because the brands on it tend to pay significantly higher commissions than Amazon.
4. CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction)
CJ is one of the oldest affiliate networks and hosts programs for brands like GoPro, Priceline, and Overstock. Getting into the CJ network requires a website review, but their standards are reasonable for beginners who have a complete site. From there you apply to individual advertisers.
5. ClickBank
ClickBank is unique in that it requires almost no approval process — you sign up and can immediately promote products from their marketplace. Commissions are often 50% or higher because most products are digital. The key is to be selective: not all ClickBank products are high quality, so research what you promote carefully.
6. Hostinger Affiliate Program
Hostinger offers 60% commissions on hosting sales with a 30-day cookie window. They approve beginners and provide good promotional materials. If your content covers website building, blogging, or making money online, Hostinger is one of the best programs to join early.
7. Canva Affiliate Program (via Impact)
Canva's affiliate program pays up to $36 per new Canva Pro subscriber. The program is beginner-accessible through Impact, and since Canva itself is a widely known product, conversions tend to be strong if your audience includes bloggers, marketers, or small business owners.
8. Fiverr Affiliates
Fiverr's affiliate program pays a flat CPA (cost per acquisition) of $15 to $150 depending on what the referred buyer purchases. Sign-up approval is easy, and the program fits almost any audience that includes people who might hire freelancers.
9. Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten hosts programs for brands like Walmart, New Balance, and Sephora. The network approval process is more detailed than Amazon, but once you are in, you have access to some of the strongest retail brands. Apply once you have 10 or more posts live.
10. Awin
Awin is a large global affiliate network with over 25,000 advertisers. It charges a small refundable deposit to verify you are a real publisher. Once inside, you have access to programs in travel, retail, finance, and more. It is worth the deposit for the breadth of options you gain access to.
Which One Should You Start With?
Start with Amazon Associates for general credibility, then add ShareASale or Impact to access higher-commission programs in your specific niche. Once you have a track record of sales in those networks, the more selective programs become much easier to enter.