Here's a Master List of Affiliate Programs for Writers
80+ affiliate programs to scale your affiliate commissions
When I first started looking for ways to make money online, affiliate links seemed to be all anyone was talking about.
So, I followed the popular cookie-cutter advice:
➡️ I went to Clickbank.com
➡️ Found a product that looked promising
➡️ And began, spamming the internet with my affiliate links
But (obviously), no one clicked on them… let alone made a purchase.
This is because I was missing one key ingredient. 🧑🍳
Fast forward to today, and I’ve only just revisited affiliate links.
This time, with much more success.
Here’s an expedited path to earning money through affiliate commissions. Plus, a master list of programs specifically catered to writers.
Let’s get into it…
The basics of affiliate marketing.
Today, affiliate marketing is quite the buzzword.
Mainly, because the internet is littered with stories of successful entrepreneurs raking in ungodly amounts of money through their affiliate commissions.
But, the truth is, affiliate marketing is like growing bamboo. 🎋
You don’t need a large audience, today, to earn from affiliate commissions. But, you do need to know how to plant seeds.
Most importantly seeds that will blossom into earnings. 💰
In my experience, affiliate links aren’t a way to get rich quick. Yes, there are ways to find success through spamming links on social media (which, I will touch on). But, if you’re anything like me, you prefer a long-term approach. That means building a foundation of trust with your audience.
So, for starters, if you’re brand new to the idea of affiliate links, here’s a quick breakdown…
What are affiliate links?
Affiliate links are specialty links to products/services that pay you a commission. They’re an extremely popular way to earn money as you don’t have to make a product yourself — or, deal with customer service.
You simply recommend products, and if someone buys them, you get paid.
Why are affiliate links popular?
Aside from having a low barrier to entry, affiliate links can be incredibly lucrative because they work in scale. For example, if you can develop a system where 2% of your readers click on a link and make a purchase, as your audience grows, so does your income.
Without spending more time or energy.
They’re low risk, low barrier to entry, and can even help you build authority in a particular niche.
Do you need a large audience?
Yes and no.
I liken affiliate links to bamboo because their value increases exponentially as your audience grows. If you’ve built trust with your audience, they are much more likely to purchase based on your recommendations.
You need trust OR authority to convert clicks to buys. 🙋💰
Having both is best.
Although there are many effective ways to earn money through affiliate links without an audience of your own, just know, you’ll have to supplement trust for authority. Regardless of your strategy or niche, affiliate links are a great way to scale your income.
But, they’re not a magic key unlocking financial success….
How to (effectively) promote affiliate links.
Truth be told, I began looking into affiliate links back in 2016, before I started writing online. But, until quite recently, I had deemed them to be pipe-dream-ish — largely, because I hadn’t had any success with them.
Mainly, because I was looking at them upside down. 🔄
If you’ve ever Googled ‘How to make money with affiliate marketing’, you’ll see most advice outlining this basic structure:
Find profitable affiliate programs
Generate content to promote your affiliate links
And, while this strategy may work for those who know how to build websites, run ads, or already have large audiences, not everyone has those skills. Or, the desire to learn them.
Personally, I’m a passion-before-profit type of person. Anytime I put money first, it affects the quality of my content. So, over the years, I’ve learned to lead with passion — and figure out how to profit, later.
This means, promoting products, tools, and services I genuinely use…
Ways to promote affiliate links to your audience
If there’s anything I’ve learned in life, it’s that people want to buy — but don’t like being sold.
Transparency is the key to unlocking trust. 🤝🚪
With so much misinformation online, I find it most effective to be upfront with everything I do. So, if I don’t use (or believe in) a product, I don’t promote it. And, I always make sure to disclose when I will profit from a recommendation.
This under-promise-over-deliver approach admittedly leads to less upfront income. 💰
But, I believe it’s the key to long-term growth. Plus, it helps me continue to feel good about what I’m doing. So, the specific wording and strategy you use to promote your links is up to you.
But, my advice is to put passion before promotion. 🌱
If you’re passionate about something, others can feel it. And, if you’re misleading your audience simply to earn a quick buck, they will feel that too.
Specific examples:
Anyway, as to not stray too far off topic, here are some examples of how to promote affiliate links:
Blog posts: 📝
This is a blog post by Niharikaa Sodhi. It works because it leans on personal experience while offering clear value.
Newsletters: 💌
This is from one of my newsletter posts. Again, it offers clear value and leans on personal experience.
Social media: 📲
I pinned this as a comment under this YouTube video. It’s been one of my most lucrative affiliate links, to date, as it directly correlates to making money.
Ways to promote affiliate links without an audience
If you’re analytically minded, affiliate links can be a gold mine. Because, at the end of the day, it’s a numbers game. Many marketers earn massive affiliate commissions without offering personal recommendations — or, even having an audience.
Generally, they will do this by ranking for SEO key phrases on Google or running Google Ads campaigns. But, if you get a little creative, there are endless ways to reach an audience.
Specific examples:
If you don’t have an audience of your own, a great low-budget option is to write for audiences that already exist.
YouTube comments: 💬
Yes, you read that right. There are entire businesses being run through YouTube comments. Because, well… traffic is traffic. And, if you don’t want to build an audience of your own, you can just as easily promote to existing ones.
Quora/Reddit: 🤔
Nowadays, question/answer forums are just as popular (if not more) than Google’s automated responses. Although Google may be helpful for looking up the conversion from ‘tablespoons’ to ‘grams’, some questions require more nuanced answers.
And, question/answer platforms like Quora and Reddit are at the top of the list. Quora, in particular, is great for writers. You answer popular questions and insert an affiliate link to profit from it.
Organic search: 🔎
This tried-and-true method is a little more advanced. But, effective. If you’ve ever wondered why ‘top lists’ (i.e. “The 10 Best Blog Websites in 2024”) are so popular, it’s because they’re a goldmine for affiliate links.
It’s also why personal recommendations are becoming more valuable each year. Sadly, most blogs/articles outlining “the best [blank]” often merely reflect which platforms offer the highest commission.
My personal strategy
Here’s the truth — I don’t like marketing.
I’ve never liked it. I’ve never been good at it. And, to this day, I struggle with it.
But, marketing is the foundation of making money online. So, I’ve learned to adapt. And, when promoting products, my strategy is to be… well, honest.
As authenticity becomes rarer online, its value increases. 📈
This allows me to feel good about what I’m doing. And, reduces any potential anxiety attached to viewers/readers feeling misled. Although overselling the benefits may help you earn a little more upfront, I wholeheartedly believe in a long-term strategy based on trust.
But, before you can promote your links, you’ll need some… well, links.
So, here are 80+ affiliate programs you can start promoting as a writer. On your blog, newsletter, social media accounts, or however else you decide…
Affiliate Programs For Writers 📝
The world of affiliate marketing can feel overwhelming. So, to keep things simple, here’s what I suggest:
➡️ Pick 2-3 products you use (or would like to start using)
➡️ Add them to your existing content (when it makes sense)
➡️ Track your results with a free website like bitly.com
From there, you can learn what platforms and calls to action work best for you. Because at the end of the day…
What works for you is what works. Period. 🙌
Without further ado, here are the programs (in no particular order)…
Amazon Associates:
Amazon sells… well, everything.
If you’re new to promoting affiliate links, Amazon is particularly helpful for book recommendations. If you want to take it one step further, creating a formal list of your favourite books (like this one) is a great way to build an email list while earning commissions.
SEOWRITING.AI:
This is an A.I. writing tool I use almost exclusively on Newsbreak. You can generate SEO articles in a matter of seconds based on real-time web data.
💸 It has also become one of my most lucrative affiliate programs. Use code ‘hudson25’ to save 25% on the Pro membership.
Hypefury:
If you write on Twitter, Hypefury is pretty much a must. It lets you schedule Tweets, Tweet threads, and automate engagement. Since scrolling through Twitter (or “X”) can come with mental health repercussions, Hypefury helps you grow your business while… well, staying sane.
Gumroad:
Gumroad is an incredibly easy way to sell digital products. It has a niche following amongst writers and a built-in newsletter feature.
It also has a built-in affiliate link generator. So, even if you don’t have anything to sell, you can earn affiliate commissions from any product on Gumroad. 💡
Convertkit:
Convertkit is one of the most popular newsletter tools on the market. You can also use it to create landing pages, so even if you don’t have a large email list, you can still earn affiliate commissions.
ElevenLabs:
This may seem like a weird one. But, with more audio content being consumed than ever, giving your readers a way to listen to your words will soon become a must. So, if voiceovers aren’t your forte, Eleven Labs allows you to convert your writing into human-sounding A.I. voices.
Grammarly:
If you write online, chances are you already use Grammarly. So, it’s an easy way to cash in on any type of writing you publish.
A really simple way to promote it is by adding “edited using Grammarly” to the end of your articles, newsletters, or whatever else you write online. 💡
ProwritingAid
ProwritingAid is another editing tool. It’s very similar to Grammarly only with more in-depth features such as pacing, word choice, and a built-in plagiarism detector.
NordVPN:
If you write while travelling, promoting a VPN service, such as NordVPN, is a great fit. Or, if you use a VPN to write or research from other countries.
Final Draft :
Final Draft is one of the most popular screenwriting software on the market.
Notion
Notion is an extremely popular note-taking/productivity app, especially amongst writers. And, its newest A.I. tool makes staying organized even easier.
Etsy
Etsy has a wide variety of digital products including Notion templates, productivity trackers, and journals. Not to mention millions of physical products to promote.
Here’s 80+ more… 🔗
All of these programs are great places to get started with affiliate marketing. And, can be used on any writing platform you choose.
But, if you’re a little further down your writing journey, here are some more intermediate options…
Bloggers & content creators:
👉 More affiliate programs for content creators.
👉 More affiliate programs for bloggers and influencers.
A.I. tools:
A.I. is all the rage right now.
And, it’s smart marketing for A.I. companies to offer affiliate programs. So, if you find a cool tool, it’s always worth checking their website for an affiliate program.
You can usually find a link at the footer of the company’s website. If not, try Googling it. 💡
Final thoughts: how to find unlimited programs
You may be wondering how I found these affiliate programs. Or, how you can find affiliate links to promote in the future.
Like most things in life, it all starts with a Google search. 🔎
If you’re ever curious as to whether or not a platform, tool, or service has an affiliate program, simply Google its name along with the words ‘affiliate program’.
Chances are, it does.
Happy writing! :)
Thanks for reading! 🙌
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Finally, if you know anyone who will benefit from this post, share it with them. 👇
That’s it from me.
Talk soon! 🙋♂️
— Hudson
Writing resources:
🙋♂️ Here’s everything I’ve got going on
📚 These are my favourite books on writing
🗣️ This A.I. voiceover was created with Eleven Labs
This is super good! Thanks for writing this article :)
I’ve also struggled with affiliation so far. This is such a helpful piece of advice for me. Thanks a lot for this! 😇