If you’re in the software industry, and especially if you work as a content creator, you’re likely aware of affiliate programs. After all, most major software development firms rely on affiliate programs as a cornerstone of their marketing strategies. Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need to have a six-figure follower account to begin earning this type of income.
In this guide, you’ll get information about how software development affiliate programs work and see how you can make real profit with this revenue model. We’ll look at the benefits of the best affiliate partnerships and review the top choices for new and seasoned publishers alike.
What is an affiliate program and how can you turn it into a new stream of income?
When you enroll in a software marketing affiliate program, your brand promotes another company’s software in exchange for a commission for each sale that comes from your site. Each software company has its own payment model that dictates the amount of commission you’ll receive. Many affiliate marketers report an income stream of thousands of dollars a month. To make the most money, however, you’ll need to partner with a reputable program.
How do you choose an affiliate program?
To select the right partnership, you should be aware of the key characteristics of a good affiliate program.
Clear communication
As an affiliate, you should expect regular, reliable communication with your point of contact at the software company. These updates should include information about new features and keep you posted about payments, policies, and performance. Your assigned contact person should also be available for technical support as documented in your affiliate marketing contract, which should also specify the program’s payout structure.
Fair, transparent payout
When you review this type of marketing contract, make sure it creates a win-win situation for you and the software company. This includes competitive prices for your services. Avoid working with affiliate marketing partners who don’t offer fair payments for the promotion you provide. By the same token, the company should have a transparent way to display your current earnings, including reliable dashboards that show real-time data. They should also allow you to thoroughly test their products before you write recommendations.
High-quality software
You’ll compromise your brand’s reputation if you promote products you wouldn’t actually use. Trust is everything when it comes to the relationship between a content creator and their audience. Don’t agree to work with a company if you haven’t extensively tried out its software. Once you do your due diligence, you might need to walk away if you can’t recommend a product to your readers in good conscience.
Our top affiliate programs
Start your search for the right affiliate marketing partner with our list of the best software company affiliate programs for 2023.
1. monday.com affiliate program
monday.com, a provider of productivity software solutions, earns accolades for its emphasis on transparency. We’re one of the fastest-growing software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies in the industry, a testament to the robust quality of our products. Affiliate partners benefit from detailed, accurate reporting and clearly established payment tiers, including a compensation model that allows up to 100% commission on the first year of purchases by your referred customers. You can track your earnings in real-time and get monthly payments through Stripe or Paypal.
When you partner with monday.com, you can also access a complete suite of marketing resources to optimize your available profit stream. You’ll have links, social posts, banners, and other assets at your fingertips. You’ll also have a designated affiliate team member you can talk to any time challenges arise.
Join our affiliate program2. Wix affiliate program
If you have a high-volume website with Wix, you can potentially earn rewards for driving customers to the web publishing program. You’ll earn a commission by promoting Wix on your website with ready-made creative resources. Benefits of affiliate software marketing with Wix include at least $100 for every successful customer conversion that comes from your site, no cap on referral earnings, and a detailed dashboard of all your transactions.
3. Hubspot affiliate program
Hubspot is one of the best places for content creators to connect with software and other helpful resources. The company says its affiliates earn an average of $276 each month, with a 90-day cookie window that helps increase your available conversions. Program benefits include a choice between a flat 100% commission on the first year’s revenue or a 15% recurring monthly commission for up to a year after you publish a piece of affiliate content. To get started as a Hubspot affiliate, fill out the simple application. Once approved, you can use the affiliate links to create promotional content and begin earning money from the resulting referrals.
4. Fiverr affiliate program
The Fiverr freelance marketplace is popular among writers, artists, and others who rely on boards like these to find clients. You can earn money by referring customers to Fiverr with the service’s affiliate program. Commission starts as soon as you begin converting clients, and you can choose compensation of either:
- $10 for the first purchase and 10% of revenue for 12 months
- $15 to $150 for the first purchase on a sliding scale based on the amount of the purchase
Fiverr has a variety of verticals you can choose to promote as an affiliate partner, which makes it easy to align your content with the site’s provided marketing collateral.
5. SEMrush affiliate program
This affiliate program provides payouts whenever you refer customers to sign up to use their suite of marketing tools. When you sign up as a SEMrush affiliate partner, you get $10 for every new trial sign-up and $200 for every subscription sale. The company uses last-click attribution, which means your cookies stay active for 120 days after a prospective referral clicks on your affiliate link. SEMrush affiliates can access content assets like landing pages and banner ads.
6. Woorise affiliate program
When you partner with this program, you’ll be recommending the site’s suite of services for marketing and lead generation. Woorise gives affiliates the benefit of a 30% ongoing commission for all referrals, including both their initial sign-up fee and ongoing subscription costs. Your cookies stay active for 120 days, so you’ll get credit for any future purchases the customer makes within that period. You’ll be able to see all your Woorise earnings on a transparent data dashboard. Affiliate partners also get free “forever access” to all of Woorise’s tools and resources, which can help you build your own business as you earn affiliate income.
7. Thinkific affiliate program
If you think your audience would love Thinkific, consider joining the site’s lucrative affiliate program. The collaborative online learning platform offers a 30% lifetime recurring commission on all subscriptions up to a maximum of $1,750 per year. You’ll also get credit for sales made up to 90 days after a referral clicks on your affiliate link. Thinkific recommends its affiliate program for content creators who regularly publish for other creators, business leaders, and entrepreneurs. The site has attractive, ready-made marketing tools that you can use for promotional purposes.
8. Canva affiliate program
Fans of Canva’s web publishing and content creation tools are a natural fit for the brand’s affiliate program. You can earn up to $36 for each new Canva Pro subscriber who signs up for the service through your referral link. Affiliate partners receive dedicated customer support, including 24/7 email and chat and fast, flexible payments through either electronic bank transfer or Paypal. Cookies last for 30 days, so you have a chance to earn from conversions up to a month after someone clicks on your referral link. Canva’s affiliate program is open to design educators and influencers with online audiences of at least 1 million followers.
9. Shopify affiliate program
You can earn extra money online by promoting Shopify through its affiliate program, with robust resources to help you increase your income by improving conversion rates and reaching a wider audience. The site offers a personal dashboard where you can track your earnings, as well as lead magnets designed to optimize your referrals. Shopify also gives its affiliates access to special resources and discounts.
10. Convertkit affiliate program
When you work with Convertkit as an affiliate, you’ll receive a 30% commission for 24 months on every conversion that comes from your referral link. Anyone can join the platform, which helps online creators grow their audiences, so it’s a good place to start if you’re new to online marketing and don’t yet meet the criteria for larger affiliate programs. You’ll receive webinars, graphics, videos, and other multimedia assets to help you promote Convertkit’s offerings on your own site.
Who is a good fit for monday.com’s affiliate program?
Content creators can earn a healthy stream of income by joining these top-ranked affiliate programs, including a partnership with monday.com. If your review website, YouTube channel, TikTok account, or blog brings in an audience that could benefit from our productivity platform, we want to know more. Join us today to start creating revenue as a monday.com affiliate.
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