Using Independent Affiliate Programs

So, you are finally interested in affiliating a specific product, only to find out it's not on one of the big name affiliate networks. Guess what, PepperJam Network and CJ don't have all the affiliate programs out there and sometimes the smaller guy can pay bigger commissions by eliminating the middle man. That's why I also use independent affiliate programs in conjunction with the big networks to maximize my earnings.

The largest benefit I've seen to using an independent affiliate program is the level of service. Generally speaking, these guys want your business bad and are willing to go the distance to make sure you are happy. I've personally had custom ads created for my use and had questions answered so fast it'll make your head spin. Not saying that PJN and CJ don't do a good job at customer service, but there is something refreshing about getting help from someone who is generally interested in your success.

But let's be honest, the real reason we are all here, independent affiliate programs can and do pay more money. This becomes especially true with digital products and media, where the distribution can be handled in house. Therefore there is no middle man, only me the salesman (affiliate) and the manufacturer (product creator). This means I get a bigger piece of the pie that would normally go to pay PJN and CJ's expenses.

Commission Junction Changing Payment Threshold

Are you a CJ affiliate? Do you get paid via paper check? I do and it looks like the threshold for receiving a check in the mail is being raised. This change effects all locations, not just the US as well.

Starting on August 28 to receive a direct deposit for your commissions from CJ.com you must have built up earnings of $50 or more and to receive a paper check you must have earned $100 or more. Nos this isn't too big of a deal and I can see how it will vastly improve their efficiencies and even cut down on their man hours.

Just be warned, in case you were expecting a small check or deposit next month from Commission Junction.

When Is It Changing?

1. The change will be effective August 28, 2008, and will affect the checks you would receive as part of September’s payout.

Why Is Commission Junction Making This Change?

1. To streamline our publisher payment process.
2. To offer publishers an incentive to switch to direct deposit because paper checks are less efficient, more costly and slower than the electronic option.
3. To drastically cut down on paper consumption and better support environmentally conscious commerce.
4. To better align our process with the industry because our minimum commission threshold to receive payment is, almost without exception, far below the current standard.

How Will It Impact You?

1. Simply stated, beginning in September you will be paid once your earned commissions meet or exceed the amount in the chart above (based on functional currency and payout option).
2. If you wish to change payment methods, log in to your Account Manager, click the Account tab>Administrative Settings tab>Payment Information>Edit button. Changes should be made no later than August 28, 2008 to be in effect before the payments are processed in September.
3. We hope you will be able to utilize the direct deposit method of payment if you are not yet using it – it will ultimately benefit you and the environment.

Free Affiliate Link Masking WP Plugin

It's not cloaking, but it is masking, to make your affiliate links look like there are sub folders or your site. Often times it can be a turn off to a visitor to see a big nasty non-sense redirect url, but if you can make that url pretty and look like it's tied to your site, expect higher click through's. There are paid scripts out there that will allow you to mask your affiliate links, but believe it or not there is a free Wordpress plugin that will do the same thing.

Take your affiliate link from this :
http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-2982118-5655490

To:
http://used-golf-cart.net/used-golf-cart/used-callaway

Of course the url would be redirected to your affiliate landing page, cookie intact. Studies have shown that a better looking url will result in higher click throughs and ultimately better conversions for you.

WP-Affiliate is the free plugin that automatically converts these urls for you to a more manageable and better looking link. The latest version of WP-Affiliate will allow you to search through CJ products and manage all your masked links.

WP-Affiliate on WordPress.org
WP-Affiliate Developer Page

Affiliate Programs I Use

I'm often asked where I get access to all my affiliate programs and generally there is no one answer. I stick with a handful of companies that allow me to build partnerships and affiliate for a large number of programs. Below is a breakdown of which companies I'm signed up with and why i use them to affiliate.

• Commission Junction - They have a crazy amount of companies signed up that you can affiliate for. I originally signed up for eBay, but since then have been accepted into the NewEgg.com affiliate program and others. Many of the programs require you to signup individually for which program matches your website content, so you are not automatically accepted into their inventory of clients.
• Max Bounty - Generally speaking, they have the largest number of affiliate programs aimed at the simple 1 form, email gathering, affiliate programs. Meaning they have the $1 to $2 payouts for leading a visitor to submit their email for potential freebies and surveys.
• ebay Partner Network - They pay some of the highest commissions of any program I affiliate for. Their lowest tier of earnings makes you 50% of whatever eBay makes off an auction that ends with your affiliate cookie attached. Plus there are a lot of plugins and scripts to make building sites easy.
• Amazon - Who hasn't heard of Amazon? Some of their payouts are pretty low, but it's easily made up with the amount of volume that's possible. They also offer plenty of affiliate widgets, feeds, and store builder options.
• ClickBank - If it's a digital download, ebook, or some sort of online subscription service you can find it on ClickBank. They offer a huge inventory of these types of products that you can affiliate for with an even larger number of payout options. While I've only had limited success with this affiliate program, the potential is there if you can find a good niche.

Well, those are the affiliate programs I use in a nut shell. They have allowed me to eliminate Adsense on a number of my sites or at least not rely on the revenue from Adsense to earn a living. But remember, now matter how good a product or service may be, if you are not focusing on quality marketing you may just be wasting your time.

123Reg Announces Double Commission

UK domain registrar 123-Reg.co.uk has announced double commissions for the month of May. This bonus commission is only effective on the first referral you send to them. However, this could mean up to £140.

Becoming an affiliate for 123-Reg is easy and is free, simply sign up at CJ.com.