Is LinkShare Affiliate Network Overrated?

If you have been around the circles in the affiliate marketing community, you know by now that not many people make it in the affiliate marketing through CJ or LinkShare services only. The facts are that LinkShare and CJ have agreements with the top companies in the world across multiple verticals. So having access to big corporations such as American Express, Buy.com, and Yahoo! should be a big plus, right? Not necessarily. While these affiliate networks tell you about all these superstar companies that they have on board, the truth is that not many make money with CJ and LinkShare. Here is why:

• Competition: CJ and LinkShare are the first places that most affiliate marketers start. But you are most likely doomed in those market unless you have a very innovative service. But most newbie affiliates often stay for too long and have to cash out without making it in the affiliate marketing business.
• Flexibility: Bigger affiliate networks are less flexible in offering you customized solutions. And besides they are dealing with so many affiliates just like you with demands, so they can’t be everything to everyone. Smaller niche affiliate networks are surprisingly more flexible.
• Basics: making it in the affiliate marketing comes down to how you can work with merchants to optimize landing pages. Big companies are notoriously slow in changing things up so you often end up with landing pages that look cool but are not necessarily optimized for conversions.

Working with LinkShare and CJ is a good learning process. But with commission rates in 1-8% range then how many $10 can you make a day to make it in this business?