Affiliate marketing often gets a bad reputation due to influencers promising unrealistic earnings. But in reality, it is just another marketing avenue, just with some tweaks.
The global affiliate industry is worth over $18.5 billion, with over 80% of brands worldwide now running affiliate programs. However, just like any tool, it could be used ethically or unethically.
So is affiliate marketing legit? Keep reading to find the truth.
How To Drive Legitimate Traffic as an Affiliate
First of all, you have to become an expert in your niche. Whether it’s insurance, solar energy, beauty, or real estate, companies only want to pay for clicks and leads that convert into sales. If you understand the industry, you already know the audience’s needs and what type of content resonates with them.
Affiliate Marketing Fraud to Avoid
The reputation of affiliate marketing often suffers because of blackhat and greyhat marketers who use shady tactics to lure beginners into fake opportunities or even into some illegal activity. Falling for their schemes costs you time, money, and credibility.
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
Get-rich-quick Schemes have existed since prehistoric times. Even today, affiliate marketing beginners may fall for expensive crash courses promising untold wealth – you just need to buy the course :
- “Make $10,000 in your first week. No experience needed!”
- “I quit my job after 30 days, and so can you!”
In the most favorable case, you’ll just buy a set of basic marketing rules that you can find anywhere for free. In more severe cases, you’ll get into a pyramid scheme.
Source: Diggity Marketing
Such “gurus” may encourage you to use spammy, black-hat tactics that get you banned from legitimate affiliate programs. Meanwhile, they also tend to set unrealistic expectations, so you give up quickly when real results don’t happen overnight.
Pay-to-Join Programs
A legitimate affiliate program will never make you pay just to sign up. Real advertisers will earn when you bring them customers, so there’s no reason for them to charge you an entry fee.
Meanwhile, illegitimate ads can lure you with a “too good to miss” offer like, “Join our exclusive affiliate program for just $49 and start earning today!”
Then, once you pay, you either get access to a low-quality product nobody wants, or you find out the “program” is just another pyramid scheme. So, instead of asking “Is affiliate marketing legit if they ask me to pay to join the network?”, simply ignore such offers.
Shady Influencers
Not every “affiliate mentor” is the real deal. Some self-proclaimed gurus build their entire business on selling overpriced courses or questionable tools. Often, they don’t make significant money from affiliate marketing itself. The main income source of these shady “gurus” is their courses, not the affiliate marketing itself.
If an influencer flaunts their luxury lifestyle while stating that they spend less than an hour a day on their job as an affiliate marketer, it may be far from the truth
You can earn solid money without being chained to a certain location, but you still need to actually work or hire a marketing team that will do all the mundane tasks for you. If you see an influencer whose main “success story” seems to be selling their course, not showing proof of actual affiliate campaigns, just avoid them.
Pyramid Schemes and MLMs
Pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing (MLM) structures often disguise themselves as “affiliate opportunities,” but the business model is fundamentally different. Instead of earning from selling genuine products to end customers, participants make money primarily from recruiting new members who also pay to join.
If the “guru” tells you that you can “start your own business” by buying into a program and then signing up others to do the same, it’s a red flag. Such schemes collapse once the recruitment slows down.
Phishing
Phishing may look almost identical to popular networks, but with some “slightly off” domain or design. In this case, you’ve just met phishers who want to trick you into handing over sensitive information. It can be login credentials, payment details, or personal data. Basically, anything that scammers can use later against you.
If you receive an email claiming to be from a reputable network inviting you to join an “exclusive partnership”, and later you’ve been asked to “verify your account” or “update payment information” by entering private details, ignore it.
How To Avoid Affiliate Marketing Fraud
Like any growing industry, affiliate marketing attracts a lot of scammers who sell themselves as “the easiest opportunity for you to get rich”. A legitimate affiliate business takes time and smart decision-making.
The good news is that most illegitimate marketing practices follow the same patterns. Once you “crack the code”, you’ll easily spot them.
We’ve gathered eight practical tips that will help you filter out shady deals.
Ask online affiliate marketing communities
One of the fastest ways to separate legit opportunities from scams is to simply tap into the collective knowledge of people who’ve been in the game longer than you. Online affiliate marketing communities are full of publishers who’ve already tried (and been burned by) different programs.
Sometimes, a Reddit post can give you more insights than hours of research
Before joining any network, search the community archives. You can also ask other affiliates specific questions, like “Has anyone here worked with this affiliate program?” or “How reliable are their payouts?”.
Pay attention to patterns in replies. If multiple members warn you off, that’s your cue to dig deeper. Meanwhile, if many members give you the same positive review, but with different words, it can be a red flag. Shady businesses often hire people to write them fake positive reviews. So you need to evaluate responses carefully.
Choose reputable affiliate platforms
Respected networks have a great reputation for protecting both advertisers and affiliates. They already have big-name merchants with proven affiliate programs. If you don’t know where to start, choose well-known platforms such as Amazon Associates, Profitise, CJ Affiliate, or Rakuten Marketing.
Select familiar products and services
The easiest way to avoid getting tangled in shady affiliate deals is to be an expert in your niche. When you promote something you’re familiar with, you can feel if the offer is slightly off. Start expanding into new niches only after you get at least a few years of affiliate experience.
Monitor your website traffic
As an affiliate, you want only quality visitors who are genuinely interested in the promoted products. Sometimes, your rivals can spoil your traffic. Legitimate platforms block all suspicious traffic, and unfair competitors may try this approach to remove you from the “affiliate marketing battlefield.” It’s not the most common situation, but it still happens in overcrowded or high-ticket niches.
Use third-party software like Google Analytics or your affiliate dashboard to spot issues early. Notify your affiliate manager immediately, showing your concerns, so they will know that you are a lawful publisher.
Examine terms and conditions
Before joining a program, take time to go through its rules, payment details, and fine print. Hidden restrictions in the terms can make earning commissions trickier than they first appear.
If you can’t find Terms and Conditions (T&C) on the platform’s website, it’s a red flag. Any reputable company makes its T&C available to the public.
Ask for a free signup
Legitimate networks and advertisers do not charge you any fees to join. They earn money by getting a part of your commissions after you successfully bring leads to the advertiser.
Reputable networks and merchants give you all the needed information beforehand, so you can study it before joining the program. Always be skeptical of “exclusive” or “limited-time” offers that pressure you to pay to join quickly. Legitimate affiliate programs don’t need to rush you.
Check for anti-fraud policies
If an affiliate network has strict anti-fraud policies, it’s a good sign. Avoid any business that can’t explain how they keep you safe.
Monetize Your Traffic with Profitise
Profitise is a leading insurance and solar affiliate network for affiliates who are selling quality web leads and phone calls. With hundreds of businesses already joined and even more to come, Profitise is the go-to place to monetize your traffic.
With Profitise, you get:
- Embeddable JavaScript forms to generate qualified insurance and solar leads
- Large lead market to sell your traffic instantly
- High price for your web and call leads
- Free assistance from your affiliate manager
Sell leads with Profitise as an affiliate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is affiliate marketing legit?
Yes, it’s a legitimate promotional approach. It’s similar to influencer marketing, where businesses partner with independent creators to promote their goods in exchange for a fixed commission or a percentage on a sale.
Is high-ticket affiliate marketing legit?
High-ticket affiliate marketing is legit if you are promoting real products from a reputable manufacturer. In this case, you just earn a larger commission on higher-value sales. However, avoid promoting overpriced, low-value offers or disguised pyramid schemes.
Is Amazon affiliate marketing legit?
Yes, it’s the most popular platform in the industry. But through Amazon Associates, you can promote only products that are currently listed on Amazon.
