Everyone has an opinion on what’s working in affiliate marketing, but no one seems to have the data to back it up.
To cut through the BS and discover what successful affiliate marketers are doing right now, we surveyed 2,270 professional affiliate marketers.
Specifically, we wanted to discover what strategies are working for them, what separates the 6+ figure earners from the rest of the field, and what it really takes to build a successful affiliate marketing business in 2024.
We’ve been teaching affiliate marketing for over 10 years, and even we were shocked by some of our findings.
Here’s a summary of the most interesting findings and key affiliate marketing statistics:
We asked everyone how much they make, and found that the average affiliate marketer earns $8,038 per month.
We also cross-referenced traffic with earnings and found the average affiliate website RPM is $149.76.
Affiliate marketers with 3+ years of experience earn 9.45x more than beginners. If you’re just starting out, stick with it!
Out of 19 broad niche categories, we found that the 3 most profitable niches are Education/E-Learning, Travel, and Beauty/Skincare.
If you’re having traffic problems, you’re not alone. 45.3% of affiliate marketers say getting traffic is their biggest challenge.
82% of websites earning 6+ figures annually monetize with display ads and affiliate products. If you’re not using both, you’re probably losing money.
Affiliate marketers earning $10k+ per month are 1.5x more likely to socialize with other affiliate marketers. If you haven’t started networking, now’s the time.
Only 25.1% of affiliate marketers have been negatively impacted by recent search algorithm updates. Given the recent doom and gloom, we’re surprised the number is this low.
31.3% of affiliate marketers earning 6+ figures annually considered giving up at some point. If you’re feeling some doubt, keep going. Success may be just around the corner.
About This Survey
We surveyed 2,270 affiliate marketers with a wide range of experience levels, monthly earnings, and team sizes.
This allowed us to cross-reference experience, earnings, and team size data with questions about traffic sources, monetization methods, and general affiliate marketing strategy.
To reach a large audience, we sent the survey to our email list with over 100,000 subscribers, promoted it on our Podcast, mentioned it on Twitter, and shared it in our Facebook and Discord communities. We also ran some Twitter and Facebook ads to increase responses.
The average respondent had 2.8 years of experience, but participants ranged from less than 1 year to over 10 years.
Throughout the survey, we consistently found that affiliate marketers with more experience and earnings used different tactics than beginners. We’ll discuss all of these differences at length.
The Authority Hacker audience predominantly includes website owners, so the findings reflect affiliate marketing strategies related to websites more than other methods.
The respondents also represent a diverse range of affiliate marketing niches, giving us broad insights into what’s working across many verticals.
With no niche making up more than 10.8% of respondents, we have a nicely distributed snapshot across many verticals. This variety strengthens the data by reducing potential niche-specific biases.
High Earners Are 1.5x More Likely To Socialize With Other Affiliate Marketers
If you’re one of the 64.4% of affiliate marketers who don’t socialize with other marketers, you should reconsider.
I’m not saying this to help you make friends – there’s a direct correlation between socializing and earning more. Seek out communities and masterminds to grow your network and affiliate marketing knowledge.
Affiliate Marketers Who Use Email Marketing Earn 66.4% More Than Those Who Don’t
While only 22.8% of affiliate marketers utilize email, those who build an email list to promote products earn significantly more than those who don’t bother with email.
Here are some potential reasons for this:
- Email is the only channel that allows you to guide your audience through a series of messages in a pre-determined order. This precision is invaluable when it comes to selling a product.
- By opting into your list, email subscribers have proven they care much more about your opinion than the average visitor.
- It may also reflect the typical evolution of an affiliate marketer. Most only look into email once they’ve mastered more standard affiliate strategies and begun to stagnate. This leads them to look for new ways to monetize.
It’s the same as with ads; if you’re not using email, you’re leaving money on the table.
And when it comes to your email list, size matters. Affiliate marketers earning at least $10,000 per month have an average of 258,917 more subscribers than lower earners. They also make 9.97x more per subscriber.