Affiliate Marketing Jobs and Careers

Affiliate marketing is the industry that has already reached $15.7 billion (the 83% growth compared to 2017) and continues to rise rapidly. As of today, 81% of brands partner with affiliate marketers; here is why, the niche is rather promising for newcomers. How to build the affiliate marketing career, and which path should one select to pave?

Key takeaways:

• What does affiliate marketing mean?
• What is the best way to search affiliate marketing jobs?
• How much do affiliate marketers earn annually?
• What are the perspectives for affiliate marketers?

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a partnership option between promoters and brands. Promoters use different channels to attract as many clients as possible and get a commission from a brand. Such a cooperation is regarded as an alternative for traditional marketing strategies. Promoters earn money only when they bring results.

Hence, affiliate marketing is a win-win partnership model. Brands do not waste their money paying for results only (generated traffic, leads, sales, etc.). Affiliate marketers are able to apply different techniques to achieve the goal and get a commission even having no experience.

The Pros and Cons of Affiliate Marketing

When talking about affiliate marketing as a career opportunity, marketers face the following advantages:

• No investments needed. Beginners can make their first steps in affiliate marketing without any experience and investments.
• Additional income source. One can use affiliate marketing as an additional income source without leaving their current jobs.
• No need to accept responsibility. Brands are fully responsible for customer service and the quality of goods or services when the core goal of an affiliate marketer is to attract a client.
• Excellent prospects. The industry is just beginning to develop – 65% of the total affiliate marketing careers are distributed within the USA, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

On the other hand, newcomers need to take some cons into account as well:

• No control over the rules. Brands dictate the rules of partnership and affiliates cannot change anything.
• Attracted clients are not your clients. Affiliates help brands enlarge their customer base and cannot attract one and the same customer twice.
• Revenue is not guaranteed. Affiliate marketing just seems simple in words; meanwhile, strategies may bring no results.

Key Ways to Start Your Affiliate Marketing Career

Working as a Freelance Affiliate Marketer

The easiest way to run your affiliate marketing career is to begin as a freelancer. Diverse work marketplaces are ready to connect businesses with independent marketers, and the interaction process is entirely easy. A freelance affiliate marketer applies for a job offer he is interested in, discusses all the details with a company, then executes an order, and finally gets his revenue. The interaction process doesn’t include any bureaucratic difficulties for both parties.

Where to find affiliate marketing orders?

Choose top-rated work marketplaces like Upwork, Indeed, Kwork, etc. For instance, for the request “affiliate marketer” Upwork offers 936 projects.

How much do freelance affiliate marketers earn?

High-level professionals earn from $35 to $125 per hour, depending on their quality, specialization, skills, and the type of the project they are dealing with (the data is relevant for the US and the UK). As such, the average salary of a freelancer significantly differs, from $6,000 to $22,000 per month. According to research, 57.6% of freelance affiliate marketers earn less than $10,000 annually, but the statistics cover beginners; here is why one needs to become a top-rated expert to receive a decent salary.

Pros and cons of a freelance affiliate marketing job

Among the pros of a freelance affiliate marketing job one can point out the following advantages:

• Flexibility. Specialists make their working environment on their own and plan working schedules according to their will.
• Easy hiring process. Business and experts find each other within several clicks.
• Opportunities for growth. Affiliate marketers are able to get more orders and reviews to enter top rankings and earn more.

When talking about the cons, the following ones should be mentioned:

• Exceptionally high competition. Despite the fact that affiliate marketing is a relatively young niche, top-rated work marketplaces have already welcomed a lot of professionals.
• Instability. Freelance jobs are temporary, and sooner or later an expert needs to start looking for a new project.

Working as an Affiliate Marketer in a Corporation

When you have enough experience and want something more stable, there is an opportunity to apply for an affiliate marketer position in a corporation. More and more brands understand the importance of affiliate marketing and hire such specialists on staff. Job offers are widely spread in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, but other countries are step-by-step paving the same path.

Where to find full-time and part-time affiliate marketing jobs?

Affiliate marketers may use all the job search websites, including Jooble, Glassdoor, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and more.

How much do affiliate marketers earn in corporations?

According to Jooble, the average annual salary of an affiliate marketer is $92,145. As for the total pay range, it differs from $70,000 to $128,000 (the data is relevant for the US and the UK). Here is why the position of an affiliate marketer falls into the category of well-paid jobs.

Requirements for Applicants

When looking for an affiliate marketing position, an applicant should correspond to the following requirements (based on job offers published on job search websites):

• 3-5 years of experience as a partner of affiliate management that includes working with affiliate networks.
• Analytical skills, the ability of interpreting data and generating actionable insights.
• Experience in working with affiliate tracking platforms and tools.
• The ability to optimize paid marketing campaigns in accordance with ROI goals.
• Excellent relationship, negotiation, and communication skills.

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Pros and cons of working as a corporate affiliate marketer

The core advantages of working as a corporate affiliate marketer are as follows:

• Stability. Specialists get competitive cash and equity compensation, medical benefits, paid vacations, and other must-have “features” of such a job.
• Low competition. Despite the fact that affiliate marketing is an explosively growing niche, the number of high-level experts ready for part-time and full-time jobs is rather limited.
• Great prospects. The sector is gaining popularity; here is why top-rated experts are of much demand. If results are obtained, such specialists are going to play more and more important roles in a corporation.

When talking about cons, the following disadvantages are pointed out:

• Slow growth. Freelancers are able to increase their incomes rapidly, and corporate workers grow slowly.
• Corporate style. Corporate affiliate marketers need to accord with the corporate style instead of arranging their working process however they want.

Participation in Affiliate Programs

When running your career as an affiliate marketer, the next level lies in participating in affiliate programs. On the one hand, you don’t need to depend on third parties. On the other hand, you are able to build your own customer base and get passive income. When compared to affiliate marketers, you get more independence working as an affiliate partner.

How much can an affiliate partner earn?

Affiliate programs may bring from $10 to $1000+ per successful sale, and the upper border doesn’t exist. Theoretically, top-class affiliate partners who attract thousands of clients can earn millions of dollars.

Where to find affiliate programs to join?

There are two ways of looking for such affiliate partnering programs. The first option lies in searching affiliate programs on your own. The second way is to join multi-program platforms that gear several affiliate programs together under one roof (e.g., Affstore).

Start Your Own Brokerage Business

Affiliate marketing can be easily transformed into your own business when a marketer has enough experience and the will to jump to the next level. When talking about affiliate programs, you are able to get some share of the total revenue received by a company. The revenue share may reach 50-80%, depending on certain conditions. Meanwhile, you are able to run your own brokerage business and get 100% of your net profit? Why the brokerage business? The vast majority of affiliate programs are offered by brokers. Here is why the niche is well known for affiliate marketers.

When should an affiliate marketer start his own brokerage business? You need to gear the following factors together: experience, prospects, and funds.

• Experienced affiliates understand how to build and develop their own businesses, predict the pitfalls they are going to face.
• An affiliate marketer should be ready for development and new challenges. When working as a freelancer or a corporate affiliate marketer is enough, then do not change your path.
• When running your own company, one needs investments; here is why you need to cover all the expenses.

The Two Possible Ways to Run Your Brokerage Company

Hence, you’ve decided to start your own brokerage business to get 100% of revenue and get the fullest control over your customer base. What are the possible options?

• Running a company from scratch. You are responsible for every stage and need to think about a company registration, licensing, and other steps. Such a way will cost you some $100,000 – $500,000+.

• White Label solution. Get a ready-made brokerage solution that makes your way towards your own business as simple as possible. Save time and money, delegating most tasks to experienced professionals.

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The Bottom Line: Should One Start His Way in Affiliate Marketing in 2025?

Affiliate marketing still sounds as something new and innovative; meanwhile, more and more businesses understand the importance of the niche. The sector has no upper borders. At first beginners may start their ways as freelancers, then switch their careers to the “corporate mode.” Marketers can also join affiliate programs on their own or even run a brokerage company to get 100% of revenue share. Furthermore, the industry is just gaining popularity, and newcomers have great prospects ahead.