Anyone looking to monetize their website must have heard of affiliate marketing. This advertisement model rewards marketers for driving traffic and sales to a merchant’s website. There are many affiliate networks you can consider for passive income. One of them is ShareASale. Established in 2000, this Illinois-based affiliate company has multiple offers for marketers. The first one is its high commissions.

While most affiliate networks pay 1% to 15% per sale, ShareASale rates can go up to 50%, depending on your vendor. That goes together with the favorable ShareASale fees. Although merchants need $550 to join the network and an extra $100 as a minimum deposit, affiliates sign up for free. Another selling point is the variety of merchants. But although you have numerous programs to choose from, too many options can be confusing. Consider the following factors when picking a ShareASale merchant.

Niche

Being an affiliate of a company in your niche accelerates your promotional efforts since you already understand the industry. If you’re interested in a program you’re unfamiliar with, educate yourself about the product before promoting it to readers.

Choosing a niche also narrows your search to products that generate the most income. But don’t limit yourself to one niche when you can earn from related categories. Assuming you run a car maintenance blog, you can promote car events and insurance plans instead of selling auto care products only.

There are different ways to find a vendor in your niche. For starters, log into your account, click on “Merchants”, and input the keyword, product, or seller’s name on the search bar. If you don’t know any vendor, browse the available categories until you find a suitable program.

Your Audience and Competitors

Readers are the cornerstone of your affiliate business. As such, understanding them is crucial to creating quality content. There are several ways to understand your audience. For starters, use Google Analytics to identify your audience by their interests and demographics. Another option is social listening. By tracking brand comments on your social media channels, you understand pain points and address customer concerns before they get out of hand.

You should also monitor your competitors. That way, you can exploit gaps in their marketing efforts and implement working strategies. You can check your competitors’ blog posts and social media profiles to see their featured products and audience engagement. Feel free to adopt some of your competitors’ products to boost conversion rates.

Product Quality

Your audience can only trust you when you sell quality products. Chances are, the quality is bad if a product has a high return rate. But with the numerous commodities on ShareASale, differentiating high-quality products from substandard ones may be challenging. You can identify quality products by testing and reviewing them. There are several ways to make money from reviews. First off, you can write positive reviews to share a product’s amazing features with your audience. You could also share unpleasant experiences with a product through negative reviews. Another option is comparing two products and recommending one of them.

Additionally, conduct a background check on the merchant before applying for their affiliate programs. You’re more likely to make a sale when the vendor has high traffic and a solid reputation. Not to dismiss new vendors. They may not have the metrics, but some new merchants offer quality products and attractive commissions.

Commissions

Every affiliate marketer wants to earn big from their sales. But high commissions don’t always translate to more earnings. The merchant may offer a high commission when the sales are low. Moreover, a low percentage is fine if you’re selling expensive commodities. You can increase your income opportunities by promoting both low and high-priced products. Some merchants even offer recurring commissions when your referral buys from the seller again.

Another consideration is the earnings per click. Comparing EPCs from different merchants gives you an idea of your average income per one hundred visits. You could also increase commissions through upsells. This entails suggesting additional packages after the buyer makes a purchase. Not forgetting the average order value that tracks a customer’s mean spending per transaction. High AOVs with low commission rates beat low AOVs with high commission rates. 

Joining ShareASale

Follow this process to enter ShareASale’s affiliate program.

1. Visit the ShareASale homepage and create an account under “Affiliate Sign Up”.
2. Select your login information
3. Enter site details such as blog name, promotion strategies, and website content
4. Write your email address
5. Provide contact details
6. Add payment information

What if They Reject Your Application?

ShareASale takes between one and three business days to send approval emails. However, approval isn’t guaranteed. ShareASale can reject you from their program for several reasons. For starters, they may not support your country. They also dismiss applications from the following websites.

• Sites promoting unlawful activities
• Adult websites
• Sites showing adult banners
• Sites encouraging violence

Even so, a rejection isn’t the end. You can fix the issues stated by ShareASale and reapply. Here’s how to improve your shot at an approval:

• Use English for your application
• Only link sites you own
• Type an outstanding description in the “promotional methods” section
• Ensure your details are full and truthful

After a Successful Application

The next step after a successful application is finding ShareASale merchants. While some vendors accept affiliates automatically, others check your site before approving you. Your site needs the following components to catch the eye of vendors.

• Blog Posts: They show merchants whether your content is right for their customers and whether it can generate traffic.
• About Us Page: It summarizes your site’s purpose to visitors.
• Affiliate Disclosure: This section tells readers that you make a commission from the products you promote.
• Privacy Policy: It shows why and how you collect personal data such as locations and email addresses from visitors.

Conclusion

Joining ShareASale doesn’t guarantee affiliate income. You may sign up for multiple programs and never earn anything. The key to affiliate marketing success is advertising your products and services. It’s even better when you join programs you genuinely care about. Customers are more likely to buy your product when they sense true enthusiasm. How do you get ShareASale merchants? Share tips for choosing an affiliate online program in the comments.