Affiliate programme - what is it and what is it about?
E-commerce
8 June 2025
The number of advertisements that customers see every day is now too great for them to remember them all. It therefore takes a great deal of ingenuity to get your marketing message across to your audience. Affiliate marketing stands out among the methods used to reach the sales target. It is also an opportunity for online content creators to earn extra money. So how do you implement it? It is very simple!
Affiliate programme - what is it?
Affiliate marketing is a type of online advertising for products and services that involves promoting them to the fans of a particular creator. This person can be a blogger or the owner of a popular profile on one of the social media. It is distinguished from a similar method of advertising, such as sponsored content, by the different emphasis of the recommended product.
In affiliate marketing, it is only a part, and not the main part, of an article, photo or video. This indirect form is friendlier to the audience, who, while reading or watching material by their favourite artist, learn about the advertiser's offer in passing.
There are three parties involved in an affiliate system. The first is the advertiser, i.e. the company interested in promoting its product or service. An affiliate, also known as a publisher, comes in to promote it. Under these terms is none other than the person who publishes his or her original content online. The third party is the audience of such a person's work. They are called customers because they decide to buy things recommended by the affiliate, using the link provided in his or her material. In return for each transaction, the affiliate receives a fee, usually a percentage of the sale.
Who can benefit from affiliate programmes?
Knowing what an affiliate programme is, one might be led to believe that mainly influencers can benefit from this form of earning. Indeed, those who boast channels with a large reach are more likely to earn big money. The large audience and the authority they inspire in that audience make it much more certain that they will buy the proposed product.
What's more, famous online creators are not looking for business partners, as it is the companies themselves who solicit their cooperation. However, they usually offer them a predetermined amount of money rather than a commission per click, so they do not have to use an affiliate system.
However, the affiliate model does not exclude less popular people, in fact it was created for them. Any content creator can participate in the promotional programme. A larger community around a particular blog, profile or channel only increases the chance of receiving a satisfactory remuneration.
In other words, the more fans, the more likely any of them will click on the sponsored link. This is very beneficial for advertisers because they can only gain by paying a commission on sales to the creator who works with them. Instead of signing a contract for a predetermined amount of money, they only pay for specific transactions that are completed with a purchase.
Affiliate marketing - what can you promote?
Affiliate sales are not limited to any specific category of products and services. As a result, earning money online is possible regardless of what content one publishes. In order to make a profit, the selection of advertised goods proves to be essential. Successful affiliation is based on convincing users that the proposed item is something really worthwhile. In order to do this, it is best to promote products from companies in industries that are similar in terms of activity to the subject of your profile.
The great opportunities offered by this type of marketing make it possible for anyone publishing on the web to find an affiliate partner. When joining a programme, all you have to do is to be aware of the law. Some products may not be advertised. 
How do affiliate programmes work?
On the web, you can find affiliate sites that connect those interested in earning money by promoting products with brands. Registration is all that is required to take advantage of this opportunity. This is tantamount to sending an application requesting the start of a partnership. It is important to remember that affiliate programmes are only available to people whose websites or social media profiles meet certain standards. What does this mean?
Those who publish controversial or illegal content can expect a refusal, as no company will want to be associated with them. In all other cases, positive consideration increases.
How do I start affiliate marketing? Once you have been given the go-ahead, all that remains is to generate the link. This is very important because it is what will make it possible to settle accounts with the advertiser. Adding your own link would make no sense, as it would not give either party control over how many people bought the product on the recommendation of the content creator. This is the only condition for affiliate cooperation. Publication of the link is already entirely up to the publisher.
For blog writers, it can be placed in the article, more or less directly referring to the proposed product. In visual content, it is usually placed below a photo or video. A link with the publisher's individual affiliate code is sometimes also mentioned in the video.
The methods cited are the most popular. The link can be used in many other creative ways. Those who send newsletters can include it in their emails. It does not always have to be published on the websites themselves either. How do you generate an affiliate link in another way? Instead, it is best to create a banner. What's more, there is a good chance that its placement will have the right effect. It will attract attention much better than a highlighted piece of text, increasing the opportunity to earn money.
Different billing models for affiliate programmes
Affiliate platforms use three billing methods, one of which is by far the most popular. This model is called pay per sale and involves charging a commission on the purchase made by the customer. From the advertiser's point of view, this is the safest way to go, as it does not involve any risk.
The web shop pays for the actual sale and not for the mere fact of clicking on the link. This form of settlement with the creator, i.e. a CPC (cost per click) or pay per click affiliate programme, is instead the most favourable for the person promoting products on his or her website or profile.
Affiliate companies sometimes also work together in a pay-per-lead model. This is the case when it is primarily the acquisition of customer data that counts, rather than the sale itself. The primary channel of communication is then the contact form. The publisher distributes it to interested parties, thus creating a communication channel between them and the brand.
In return for providing information about themselves, customers sometimes receive attractive bonuses, e.g. discounts on products from the online shop. In this case, however, the publisher's profits do not depend on the number of transactions, but on the number of people who return the completed form.
Affiliate marketing - why is it so effective?
Knowing what an affiliate network is, one can understand the potential of this type of marketing. Of greatest importance here is the authority the creator has with his or her fans.
Importantly, such a person generally seems closer to potential customers than well-known figures appearing in high-profile advertising campaigns. Convincing one's fans and, at the same time, potential customers of the affiliate partner (i.e. the company that pays for the promotion) is all the easier because the web artist knows his or her audience much better than marketers preparing advertisements aimed at the general public.
A flurry of annoying ad network users is another driver of growth in the affiliate industry. What does it mean? The large number of marketing messages visible on every page and in the form of sponsored posts on social media platforms is ignored by internet users.
Moreover, many block such content using browser plug-ins. The money spent on their publication is then wasted. A link or a banner placed in the text or under a video by a favourite creator will attract the interest of many fans, and from there it is only a step to them buying the recommended product.
Affiliate programmes - are they worth taking part in?
Submitting a willingness to recommend a certain commodity gives you the chance to monetise your hitherto hobbyist activity. For this reason, it should be considered as worthwhile as possible to become interested in affiliation - whether it is safe baby stuff or, for example, electronics, cosmetics or groceries. Every person who creates content online has the chance to earn money from recommending an item. What's more, affiliate marketing can be a good introduction to further cooperation with a brand and even higher earnings.
With this form of collaboration, online creators have the chance to receive attractive items for testing, for example. Companies interested in a promotion can easily send them to many affiliates at once without incurring excessive costs. It is best to entrust the mass dispatch of parcels to a proven company. InPost offers subscriptions for companies, thanks to which the price per parcel is lower and the quality, as usual, at the highest level.
Another reason for taking the opportunity offered by affiliate cooperation is the lack of financial risk. The person interested in this way of earning money does not, of course, pay for advertising the products or services of the company in question. Neither party loses out.
Any failure, i.e. unsatisfactory sales results, does not incur penalties for the advertiser's inability to convince its own readers or viewers of the recommended item. In turn, the advertiser does not incur the costs that a failed marketing campaign would have brought.
Choose InPost Subscriptions for businesses and send parcels at a fixed price.
Take one minute to leave your contact details and start sending parcels from as low as 11.89 PLN*.
- One contract for courier and Paczkomat shipments
- Free courier pickups
- Express delivery
- Price guarantee for the duration of the contract
- Fuel surcharge included
- Dedicated post-sale support
* Net price per Paczkomat shipment in the Subscription 600 plan.
Czytaj również
