How To Find The Best Affiliate Programs (Without Wasting Time)

Affiliate marketing remains one of the easiest ways to monetize your content—whether you’re a blogger, email marketer, YouTuber, or Pinterest creator. But here’s the catch: not all affiliate programs are worth your time.

Some pay peanuts, some don’t convert, and others are just hard to get accepted into. If you’re serious about earning affiliate income, the key is to focus on the right programs that match your niche, your content style, and your audience’s intent.

In this guide, we’ll walk through a practical, step-by-step process to help you find the best affiliate programs to promote—ones that actually pay and convert.

What Makes an Affiliate Program “The Best”?

Before diving into where to find affiliate programs, let’s define what makes one actually worth promoting.

Here’s what to look for:

1. Relevance to Your Niche

You’ll only make affiliate commissions if people are interested in the product. Promoting tools or services your audience doesn’t need is a waste of clicks.

2. High Commission Rate

Good programs typically offer between 20–50% commission. For SaaS tools, recurring commissions are even better.

3. Solid Conversion Rates

Some programs might offer high payouts, but if their landing pages don’t convert, you won’t earn anything. Look for testimonials from affiliates or test the funnel yourself.

4. Reliable Tracking and Reporting

You want to know how many clicks you’re sending, what’s converting, and when payouts happen. Poor tracking = lost income.

5. Fast or Predictable Payouts

Check the payout threshold and frequency. Some programs pay monthly; others make you wait 60–90 days.

6. Affiliate Support or Marketing Materials

Some programs offer creatives (banners, swipe copy, email templates) to help you promote. This makes your life easier, especially if you’re running campaigns.

Step 1: Define Your Audience and Content Focus

Before looking for programs, you need clarity on:

  • What topics do you cover?
  • Who are your readers/viewers/subscribers?
  • What problems are they trying to solve?
  • What products or tools do they already use?

This makes the search process much more targeted. For example, if you run a Pinterest marketing blog (like PinMySEO.com), ideal affiliate offers might include:

  • Pinterest scheduling tools
  • SEO software
  • Canva templates
  • Email marketing platforms

You want to match your affiliate offers with your audience’s current needs—not just promote what pays the most.

Step 2: Start With Affiliate Marketplaces

Affiliate marketplaces are a fast way to discover programs in multiple niches. These platforms act like search engines for affiliate products.

1. ShareASale

  • Great for: eCommerce, software, lifestyle
  • Features: Easy to join, thousands of merchants, reliable tracking

2. CJ (formerly Commission Junction)

  • Great for: High-end brands, services, SaaS
  • Features: Real-time reporting, big brand partners

3. Impact

  • Great for: Influencers, publishers, B2C and B2B offers
  • Features: Sleek dashboard, lots of premium advertisers

4. ClickBank

  • Great for: Digital products, info products, health and self-help niches
  • Features: Very high commissions, but be careful with quality

5. PartnerStack

  • Great for: SaaS tools (email, analytics, project management)
  • Features: Recurring payouts, B2B-friendly programs

Use filters to sort by commission rate, average order value (AOV), and product category. Apply only to those that match your niche and audience needs.

Step 3: Look at What Other Creators Are Promoting

Sometimes, the best affiliate programs are the ones already working for others in your niche.

Here’s how to reverse-engineer them:

1. Analyze Blogs in Your Niche

Look at their resource pages, product mentions, or “tools I use” pages. Use a Chrome extension like NoFollow to identify affiliate links.

2. Scan YouTube Descriptions

Creators often list affiliate links in video descriptions. For example, Pinterest coaches may include links to Tailwind or Canva Pro.

3. Pinterest Pins

Search keywords like “Pinterest templates” or “blogging tools” and follow the links—many will lead to affiliate products. Observe which ones are promoted consistently.

This gives you real-life proof of which programs are trusted and actively promoted.

Step 4: Find Affiliate Programs from the Source

Not every affiliate program is on a marketplace. Many brands run their own programs directly. To find them:

1. Use Google Search

Type:

  • product name + affiliate program
  • niche keyword + become an affiliate
  • best affiliate programs for [your niche]

Example searches:

  • “Pinterest scheduler affiliate program”
  • “Canva Pro affiliate program”
  • “Best SaaS affiliate programs for bloggers”

2. Visit the Footer of the Brand’s Website

Many SaaS companies or product sellers have an “Affiliates” link in their website footer.

3. Ask the Brand Directly

If there’s a product you love but can’t find an affiliate program, email their team. Some have private programs or might invite you to a beta version.

Step 5: Evaluate the Affiliate Program Carefully

Once you find a program, don’t just sign up blindly. Take time to evaluate:

Key Things to Check:

  • Commission structure: Flat fee or recurring?
  • Cookie duration: How long do you get credit for a referral? (30 days is standard; 90+ is excellent)
  • Minimum payout: How much do you need to earn before getting paid?
  • Payment method: PayPal, direct deposit, bank transfer?
  • Affiliate dashboard: Is it easy to track clicks and conversions?

Bonus Tip: Try the product yourself first. Promoting a product you’ve used builds trust and lets you speak from experience. That always converts better.

Step 6: Consider Recurring vs. One-Time Payouts

Some of the best affiliate programs offer recurring commissions, especially in the SaaS and digital service space.

Examples of recurring-friendly programs:

  • ConvertKit (email marketing): 30% recurring
  • Tailwind (Pinterest scheduler): 15–25% recurring
  • Beehiiv (newsletter platform): Recurring payouts
  • Teachable (course platform): Monthly commissions

Recurring income adds up. Even if the initial payout is lower, it can be more valuable over time than a one-time $100 commission.

Step 7: Align Promotion with Your Content Strategy

Even the best affiliate program won’t work if you promote it in the wrong way. You need to integrate affiliate links naturally into content your audience already wants.

Here are high-converting formats:

  • Tutorials: Show how to use the tool, step-by-step
  • Listicles: “7 Tools I Used to Grow My Blog”
  • Comparison posts: “Tailwind vs. Later: Which Is Better for Pinterest?”
  • Case studies: Share real results you got with a tool or product
  • Pinterest pins: Drive traffic to blog posts with affiliate links inside

Example for PinMySEO.com:
You could write a post like “Best Pinterest Tools for 2025 (And How They Helped Our Client Grow From 150 to 250 Visitors in 10 Days)”, and naturally promote Tailwind, Canva, or even your own affiliate product.

Step 8: Track, Optimize, and Scale

You’re not done after getting approved. Affiliate success comes from consistent tracking and optimization.

Here’s how to stay on top of your performance:

  • Track which posts/pages generate the most affiliate clicks
  • Test different placements (e.g., top vs. bottom of post)
  • A/B test CTA buttons and anchor text
  • Use UTM links for tracking specific campaigns
  • Periodically check for broken links or expired offers

Use tools like:

  • Pretty Links (for WordPress cloaking and tracking)
  • Google Analytics (for behavior and funnel tracking)
  • Geniuslink (for managing affiliate links across regions)

Once you find what converts best, double down. Create more related content. Build a series. Turn it into an email automation funnel.

Final Thoughts

The best affiliate programs aren’t always the biggest names—they’re the ones that fit your content, audience, and monetization goals.

To recap, here’s your roadmap:

  1. Know your niche and audience
  2. Use affiliate marketplaces to explore
  3. Research what successful creators are promoting
  4. Search for direct affiliate programs from trusted brands
  5. Evaluate commissions, conversions, and tracking
  6. Promote naturally inside helpful content
  7. Track, test, and scale the best performers

Affiliate marketing doesn’t have to be random or spammy. When done right, it’s one of the most scalable ways to monetize your online business.

And if you need help setting up a content + SEO + Pinterest strategy that drives affiliate traffic, PinMySEO.com is built exactly for that.

Let’s turn clicks into commissions—systematically.

Louis Dioso