10 Publisher Types in Affiliate Marketing

Coupons are marketing instruments by which merchants offer customers special discounts by applying a code. These codes are often time-limited and offered exclusively through the merchant website and approved channels. There are plenty of known coupon websites out there such as Knoji.com and Savings.com, which aggregate coupon offers from various partner merchants into one place for customers to easily find coupon deals on products they are interested in purchasing. Some coupon websites like Moolah.com take it even a step further by allowing users to automatically find coupons on merchant partner sites by installing a browser extension tool.

TM+ (Trademark) Bidding refers to the strategic targeting of paid search advertisements to branded keywords and bidding on these keywords. Sites like Wickfire.com and CouponCause.com assist merchants with TM campaigns for running paid search ads on Google, Bing, and search partners. The process of TM+bidding involves bidding on a brand name in combination with other keywords. Compared to organically ranked coupon sites, a TM+ partner gives brands more control over how their coupons are advertised.

Deal websites are closely related to coupon sites. These specialize in aggregating special offers and discounts which may or may not require customers to use coupon codes. Sites like DealAM.com, Brad’s Deals, and Hip2Save can make affiliate partners because they already have a huge following and your deals can gain wider visibility.

Cash Back websites promote customer loyalty by offering them rewards for qualifying purchases made through the sites’ affiliate links. Publishers earn a commission for every purchase and a percentage of these commissions is awarded to the user. There are several Cash Back sites like GoCashBack.com, MaxRebates.com, Active Junky, eBates, and so on

Another affiliate marketing opportunity for publishers is by partnering with sites like Perkspot and Abenity, which specialize in offering special employee perks. Publishers earn a commission for every employee that makes a purchase and in theory, share the commissions earned with users who are awarded for making a purchase within the program.

The Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) affiliate marketing model increases chances of users making a purchase by offering flexibility in terms of payment options to customers. Zip, Sezzle, and several shopping apps make this service available. The BNPL offer is often presented to shoppers upon checkout and if they opt for the service, the publisher earns a commission.

Retargeting is a feature where advertising is focused on custom audiences that already engage with a publisher’s ads. Retargeting falls under remarketing but it is distinguished by its primary focus on boosting website traffic. Retargeting makes it easier to customize your offer according to user data and the various stages of the sales funnel. Retargeting can help publishers increase CTR and CR. Intent.ly and UpSellIt are examples of potential partners who can help you if you’re interested in retargeting.

Influencer networks leverage influencers and micro-influencers who have a huge online following on social media channels. Partnering with influencers can be very profitable for publishers because these influencers are considered authorities in their niche. Their followers trust their recommendations and trust them. You can sign up for influencer networks like LTK/rewardStyle and Shoplooks.com where you can select from thousands of influencers to collaborate with.

Sub-affiliate networks offer support and services to brands and affiliates on a CPA basis. Content creators, influencers, affiliates, and publishers who join the sub-network can promote brands and earn commissions without the need to sign up as direct affiliates. Sub-publishers are the ones who will be in charge of the marketing aspect. In essence, a sub-network serves as a middleman to bring brands, creators, and consumers together. Skimlinks and Soven are two examples of these sub-affiliate networks.

Major online media outlets can further diversify your affiliate marketing. Technology companies like Hearst or A360 Media work with publishers to tap a network of the largest newspaper and magazine publishers in the US. You can reach out to these companies and they can get your brands more exposure through premium content published on online magazines and media news websites.

All affiliate types come with their own benefits and disadvantages. Others might also fare better in specific stages of the sales funnel than others. Publishers need to be able to determine how to strategically diversify their affiliate marketing campaigns. And to make this decision, an affiliate marketing agency like PartnerForward can help you! Contact your dedicated account manager for detailed recommendations on affiliate avenues you can explore.