Does Your Affiliate Program Pay?

There are many top affiliates who make a killing from top networks such as CJ and LinkShare. Those affiliate networks have tons of programs and give marketers the chance to develop highly sophisticated affiliate websites and campaigns. The same applies to Clickbank and other similar networks. But there are affiliates who make a living off of working with smaller networks. The good thing about using smaller networks is that you don’t have as much competition as you do with the top ones. The products that are being promoted through those networks are often niche products, and you’ll have less competition over those than you would over an iPad or a computer.

The problem with working with such networks is figuring out whether they will get you paid after you have delivered your end of the bargain. There are many affiliate programs that talk about how great their products are, but they fail to pay their partners on time. If you notice, most third party networks don’t take any responsibility for affiliate partners’ payments. After all, your specific merchant partner is responsible for paying your commission. That’s a scary thought if you think about it. You work and deliver thousands of leads to a merchant only to realize they never had any intention of paying you.

Before signing up for an affiliate program and pouring your effort in making it work with an affiliate partner, you want to make sure you do your research online. There are plenty of forums that people go to to vent and complain about their experiences with merchants. Some even take it further and blog about it. There is nothing wrong with that as long as one has exhausted every other mean of getting in touch with the merchant.

Third party affiliate networks can be a goldmine for those who know how to use them. You certainly don’t want to work with just anyone. Doing your research and finding out about your merchant’s background gives you the ability to avoid non-paying merchants and focus your efforts on those who do pay. Unfortunately, affiliate marketers often get the stick as many unethical merchants find it acceptable to withhold commissions for no reason. Not everyone affords to sue these people and sometimes it’s not just worth it. So do yourself a favor and do a background research on Google before marketing a product.