What's the best affiliate program?
To become an affiliate, you need to sign a contract with a commercial partner, usually via an affiliation platform. These platforms group together different programs classified by category, with the commercial conditions proposed by the partner: commission rate, keyword policy, brand use and emailing (see our article on commercial conditions in affiliation). This information enables you to decide whether or not to apply for a program.
There are many platforms and hundreds of programs available, so how do you know which is the best affiliate program?
What are the best affiliate programs?
It's important to stress that there's no such thing asa perfect affiliate program. What's more, successful programs may not produce the same results from one site to another. There are many reasons for these differences in results. The tone used in articles, the photos published, the site design, the social networks used for promotion, the type of content created (mainly text or video) can all influence the visitor experience.
It's also worth noting that audiences are not quite the same from one site to another, even on a similar subject. The most striking differences that can explain disparities in results are the gender and age of visitors, as well as their socio-professional class and geographical area. For example, an urban audience is unlikely to need or be used to purchasing gardening equipment. Visitors are therefore not all equal, nor do they have the same needs and consumption habits.
When it comes to the performance of the programs themselves, it's not surprising to find that it's generally the largest programs that perform best, for several specific reasons:
- The trust they inspire: These are often French merchants with physical customer service and a well-established brand.
- Service quality: delivery, after-sales service, buying advice, annual delivery subscriptions, etc.
- What they offer: A wide variety of products or one-of-a-kind items.
- The results of their investments: More product data, optimized conversion tunnels, diversification of payment methods, etc.
All these elements contribute to increasing sales.
Selection of the best programs by sector
Here is a selection of advertisers who offer affiliate programs, for each major sector of activity:
Generalist pure players:
- Amazon: the undisputed leader
- Cdiscount: the French challenger
- Rakuten: the second-hand market
- AliExpress: very competitive prices
With these merchants, you'll find everything you're looking for and more. Commission percentages vary by product category, but conversion is guaranteed.
Hi-Fi :
- Fnac
- Baker
- Darty
- Son-Video
- Cobra
Hi-fi is interesting because baskets are generally high, and writing detailed articles on technical products can lead to comfortable commissions.
Supermarket distribution :
- Auchan
- Carrefour
- Leclerc
These three merchants frequently offer attractive promotions on a wide range of products. It's an opportunity for you to find bargains to feed your articles with good deals, for example.
Investment banking :
- Saxo Banque
- Boursorama
- BforBank
The top three online banks for investors interested in the stock market. As you'd expect, these are all cost-per-lead (CPL) programs (see our article on the different affiliate remuneration models) offering commissions of around €50 per subscriber.
Fashion:
- Zalando
- Asos
- Sarenza
- Showroom Privé
Do you have an eye for replicating the looks of the stars at low cost? The many fashion programs available on the platforms will help you earn money!
Telecoms :
- Bouygues Telecom
- Free
- Orange
- SFR
As with banks, leads are fairly well paid, especially on professional packages with a higher shopping basket. There's also the option of cost-per-action (CPA) affiliation on smartphones and accessories sold.
Travel :
- Easyvoyage
- Abritel
- Booking
- Ouigo
If you're particularly fond of Dubai or Biarritz and share your passion for these regions, tour operators can offer you handsome remuneration packages for weekend getaways or longer trips.
Beauty:
- Yves Rocher
- Marionnaud
- Sephora
Beauty tutorials are always popular, whether for make-up, skin care or beards. All the products and accessories we use are on sale online!
Cars and motorcycles:
- Green Light
- Oscaro
- Norauto
- Allopneus
- Motoblouz
Tutorials aren't limited to beauty: articles explaining how to change an engine part or presenting accessory selections to maintain a vehicle can also be effective in generating sales.
DIY:
- ManoMano
- Leroy Merlin
- Castorama
DIY tips top the list of popular online content! Doing it yourself can save you money, provided you know how. If you've mastered the use of a drill, screwdriver or trowel, advertisers are bound to monetize your content.
💡 The video game sector is a bit of a special case, as competition is fierce. Many gray market sites offer PC games at very low prices, while other retailers have exaggeratedly high prices. There is a middle ground, but positioning yourself in it remains complex, as you'll need to do volume where gamers are self-sufficient enough to find the best prices. If you still want to try your luck, programs exist for Micromania, Amazon, Fnac, etc.
Key points to remember
As mentioned in other articles, there's no magic formula for making money with affiliate marketing. The results are the fruit of thoughtful choices and extensive testing on your site (see how to generate more clicks with affiliation & the best examples of affiliate sites). All the major merchants have affiliate programs, and their sites are well optimized to facilitate sales. All you need to do is choose your partners and get started.
