Affiliate marketing can be a lucrative and brilliant way for budding entrepreneurs to get paid to create content online, but it can be a headache trying to find top quality platforms to join and promote.
Today we are going to investigate two of the biggest affiliate marketing programs, ClickBank vs Amazon Affiliate. We will be looking into;
- What they offer,
- Payment terms and commissions available
- How easy it is to sign up
- How they are suited for
The majority of people would have heard of these two programs. Especially due to one being associated with one of the biggest online market places, and the other being the main place for selling digital products for what feels like centuries.
ClickBank Affiliate Marketing Platform
ClickBank is a fairly well known marketplaces that specialises in digital products, though they do offer a few physical products (mainly in the health niche). They are arguably one of the oldest marketplaces, that allows vendors to sell their products to a team of affiliates.
The products on offer can be anything from the latest weight loss supplement, software or even digital courses. They cover a wide variety of different niches and categories to choose from. ClickBank can be perfect for marketers who run specific ads, or have multiniche sites and want the ability to offer lots of different products and services.
The platform currently has 24 different niches, each with 10's or even 100's of products on offer, there should be something for everyone.
Of course, most buyers won't know who ClickBank is, they may see them as a payment processor, or possibly a marketplace, but the trust that other platforms have may not be there. This is mainly due to the fact you are not on the ClickBank site, but instead the vendors own website, with ClickBank dealing with the checkout.
The Pros And Cons Of ClickBank Affiliate Program
No platform is perfect, there will always be pros and cons, especially when we are comparing Clickbank vs Amazon. This shouldn't put you off using the platform, but they are worth keeping in mind.
The Pros Of ClickBank
The major one of course is that it has a large variety of products, with so many different niches on offer, with 100's of items for sale, you have a selection to choose from.
Pay-outs can be quite quick, usually taking 14 days after the sale, but for super affiliates, or those bringing in a high amount of revenue, this can be changed to instant pay-outs. This is useful if you are running ads and spending a huge amount per day.
If you are in the health or digital space, then the products are usually seen as superior to other sites such as W+ or JVZoo, supposedly with more scrutiny put towards them. Though these days the quality has been slipping (especially the health niche).
You will find that some of the big names in affiliate marketing and the make money online niche ONLY launch of ClickBank. They will do exclusive launches, with huge prize funds and a lot of hype.
The Cons Of Clickbank
Sadly, there are some cons to ClickBank and their platform. One of the biggest issues is actual platform itself, it feels dated. Navigating the marketplace or trying to find programs is tedious, with very little information being shown.
It could do with a nice update, just to make things clearer and cleaner. It would also be nice if they made reporting easier, rather than hiding it all under confusing menus and random (mainly seller) reports.
Most people just want to know what is selling well, if there are any refunds, and what products they should focus on. Nothing more, nothing less.
As previously mentioned, there are products on here that may be seen as questionable. Some of the weight loss products are basically bollocks, with no real use or scientific backing.
Lastly, and possibly the most critical point, is that their application and acceptance process is shrouded in mystery. With some countries completely banned from joining, and certain email addresses being denied (possibly flagged on lists) it can be frustrating when you are instantly denied an account.
Amazon Affiliate Program
A lot of people don't realise that one of the biggest online marketplaces and companies in the world, has an affiliate program. Well, actually they have a couple of versions of their affiliate program.
Though we will focus on the 'SiteStripe' program, rather than the influencer or store, which allows people to share direct links to products.
With 350million products, across 20 different marketplaces, they are seriously a huge affiliate program to be part of. Of course, they are mainly physical products, but you will find some digital and subscription based products to sell.
Due to the sheer number of products, niches and categories that can be enjoyed, there are so many possibilities when it comes to traffic sources. One of the best ways is to build and create niche websites that focus around one of these niches.
The Pros And Cons Of Amazon Affiliate Program
Even the affiliate program for one of the biggest marketplaces online has it's pros and of course cons. This can make it amazing, and also frustrating, so it's always worth knowing these before you decide to sign up and promote their products.
The Pros Of The Amazon Affiliate Program
There are 300m+ products to promote, with 100's of different categories and niches. This allows pretty much anyone to find a category, find 10 - 100 products (or more) and create content around it.
It could be TikTok videos showcasing products you have found, affiliate niche sites or even YouTube videos that talk about different Amazon products. Whatever path you choose, there is an audience for almost anyone.
Pay-outs are monthly, and 99.9% of the time, on time. I have only had 2 instances whereby a delay has happened with pay-outs, 1 was due to ID checks and the other was due to a glitch or internal issue. You do have to reach a threshold, which will depend on the payment method chosen. Some are $100, others are $50.
There are 20 different marketplaces, which means you can target or sell products to most of the world, offering next day delivery or local delivery from their local Amazon marketplace. A website they will be familiar with. Tools such as GeniusLink allow you to add your different IDs and target those different local marketplaces.
With such a high trust level, with the ability to earn on the whole basket, you will find that totals can quickly add up. They may have purchased a make-up brush from you, but they will usually find other products to add onto the total. Amazon does the selling for you, and is a highly tuned funnel designed to squeeze more sales from each transactions.
The Cons Of There Amazon Affiliate Program
The biggest issue that anyone will talk about with Amazon is the commission percentages. They can be pitiful. They used to be 10%+, but these days they sit around 1 - 10%. You can read more of the amazon affiliate program here to get an idea on commissions.
Getting access to the programs, and the marketplaces can be tough. Especially as you have to sign up to each one individually. So if you are targetting people from the US, but someone from the UK purchases something, you don't get the commission unless you have sent them to the UK marketplace. Again that's the beauty of tools such as Genius. You can use Amazon's own tools to do it, but if I am honest, it has a poor user interface and frankly sucks.
You have to make a sale within 180 days of singing up, else your account status is revoked, and you have to apply again. As such it's better to wait until you have traffic and eyeballs going to Amazon before applying to become an affiliate.
ClickBank Vs Amazon Affiliate - Which One Should You Use?
Ultimately, this is going to come down to what niche, or what products you are promoting. If you are someone who primarily promotes software, tools and online digital courses, then Amazon isn't going to be your target.
If you run a TikTok account or Instagram account that looks at and review physical products, then you are going to want to go for the low commission, but high volume Amazon Affiliate Program.
Of course, you can combine the two, for example this site utilise Amazon & ClickBank for the products we recommend. We have found physical books such as Nate McCallister's "Affiliate Evergreen" Book, as well as free courses such as MOS. As such we earn from both of these platforms, but that can really only work in certain niches or traffic environments.
It's always best to sit down and understand where the products you want to promote come from (i.e the best place for your niche) and if the platform or affiliate program will work for you.
Once you have that nailed down, you can then start looking at ClickBank vs Amazon Affiliate and the ideal platform.
I started this blog around 2017, after realising that I wanted to let people know about all the different ways someone could make money online. From DropShipping, Affiliate Marketing, Network Marketing and more.
This blog has now grown to review and explain a variety of different tools and platforms, in the bid to help you.
This blog contains affiliate links, and I will get a commission for purchases made through these links. It doesn’t change anything for you and will on occasion save you money! Enjoy, James.