Affiliate Programs for Personal Finance Blogs
In recent years, personal finance blogs have exploded in popularity, as more and more people look to take control of their money and achieve financial freedom.
For many bloggers, monetizing a personal finance site comes primarily from affiliate marketing – essentially getting paid for promoting relevant financial products and services. If done right, affiliate marketing can actually provide great value to your readers while earning you impressive commissions.
But with hundreds of affiliate programs to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. In this blog post, we will explore some of the top affiliate programs that personal finance bloggers that will pay commissions for affiliate marketing.
Best Affiliate Programs for Finance Blogs
1.Amazon Associates
With its massive reach and popularity, Amazon has one of the largest and most lucrative affiliate programs out there. As an Amazon Associate, you can earn anywhere from 4% to 10% in commissions on qualifying purchases.
And given that Amazon sells pretty much everything, including tons of products relevant to personal finance, it’s easy to work Amazon affiliate links into your content. Whether you’re writing reviews of budgeting books, office supplies for bloggers, or productivity tools, Amazon makes for an ideal affiliate partner.
2. Major Banks
Large banks like Citi, Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo offer attractive affiliate programs to earn commissions when your readers open checking/savings accounts or apply for credit cards. For example, Citi pays $100 for every new checking account, while Capital One pays $100 per new 360 checking or savings account. Most credit card affiliate commissions range from $50 to $200 per approved application.
3. Investing Services
Referrals to popular investing apps and brokerages like M1 Finance, Betterment, Acorns, and Robinhood can be quite lucrative, often paying between $25 to $200 per funded account. However, it’s important to note that promoting investing affiliates can fall under financial licensing requirements in some states, so be sure to do your research.
4. Insurance Companies
Insurance providers like Geico, Progressive, Allstate, and Various all offer generous commissions for qualified referrals on policies like car, health, life, and home insurance. This presents a great opportunity to earn money while providing a valuable service to your readers.
5. Travel Affiliates
Given how lucrative travel rewards credit cards and mileage programs can be from a personal finance perspective, affiliate partnerships with travel service providers just make sense. You can earn commissions by promoting brands like Airbnb, Priceline, Expedia, specific hotel chains, and more.
6. Books
Don’t forget you can earn affiliate commissions for the personal finance books you recommend by including links to Amazon, Apple’s affiliate program, and other book merchants. It’s a seamless way to monetize your book reviews and recommendations.
7. Personal Capital
Personal Capital offers a free net worth and investment tracking platform along with premium financial planning services. Their high-quality tools help users manage their finances and investments in one place. As an affiliate, you can earn $100 for each new user that links an investment account and stays signed up for at least 30 days.
With attractive payouts and relevant services for your audience, Personal Capital is a great addition to your affiliate mix.
8. Credit Karma
Credit Karma provides free credit scores, reports, and monitoring. Users can also browse credit card, loan, and insurance offers matched to their credit profile. Their affiliate program pays $25-$40 for new user signups who request their free credit scores. Credit Karma is a useful service for readers looking to monitor their credit.
9. Credit Sesame
Similar to Credit Karma, Credit Sesame helps users track their credit scores and reports for free. Their affiliate program also pays $25-$40 per new registered user from your site. Another good option for earning commissions while promoting free credit monitoring services.
10. Wise
Formerly Transferwise, Wise offers international money transfers at very low fees compared to banks. Affiliates earn $25 for every new customer that transfers over $250. Wise appeals to an international audience or those that frequently send money overseas.
11. You Need A Budget (YNAB)
YNAB is a popular budgeting and money management platform. Their affiliate program pays $30 for monthly subscriptions and $6 for annual subscriptions. YNAB is relevant for bloggers writing about budgeting, expense tracking, and personal accounting software.
12. Acorns
The Acorns app helps users invest their spare change automatically into diversified ETF portfolios. As an affiliate, you earn $25 for every new Acorns account that makes its first investment deposit. A great option for beginner investors.
13. HoneyMoney
HoneyMoney is a cashback rewards app that helps users find coupon codes and get automatic cash back when they shop online. Affiliates can earn up to $30 per app download. Good for deal-focused audiences who shop online frequently.
14. Ibotta
Ibotta is a cash-back rewards app for in-store and online shopping. Affiliates earn commission rates from 2.5% to 5% based on user activities. Another solid cashback affiliate if your audience shops at major national brands.
15. Freshbooks
Freshbooks is a popular cloud accounting and invoicing software for small businesses and freelancers. Their affiliate program pays $50 per first-time customer that signs up for a paid account. Useful affiliate option for bloggers with small business and entrepreneur audiences.
Conclusion
Joining the right affiliate programs is an excellent path to monetizing a personal finance site. With the top programs offering compelling products and services, your audience will find genuinely useful – plus providing strong ongoing earning potential for your blog – affiliate marketing is a win-win. Just be sure to maintain transparency with readers and properly disclose when content contains affiliate links. The affiliate programs covered here represent some of the best and most relevant options to consider as a personal finance blogger. But don’t be afraid to continuously test out new programs as well and find the specific partners that fit best with your blog’s unique style and readership. Learn here more about Affiliate marketing tips and guides.
FAQs:
Q: What are the best affiliate programs for personal finance bloggers?
A: Some of the top affiliate programs for personal finance blogs include Amazon Associates, major banks, investing services, insurance companies, travel affiliates, and programs for promoting books. Amazon, Citi, Capital One, Chase, Acorns, and Personal Capital tend to be among the most lucrative and popular.
Q: How much money can you make with affiliate marketing on a personal finance blog?
A: Income potential varies widely based on your blog traffic and audience size. Top affiliate marketers can make 5-6 figures per month, while smaller blogs may only make a few hundred dollars monthly. But affiliate earnings can grow over time as your audience and influence expand.
Q: What types of financial products should I promote as an affiliate?
A: Focus on credit cards, bank accounts, loans, insurance, investing services, money transfer services, accounting/invoicing software, budgeting tools, cashback apps, and travel rewards programs – products that actually provide value to your readers.
Q: Do I need a disclaimer on my blog for affiliate links?
A: Yes, the FTC requires disclosure when you have a financial relationship with a brand. Be transparent by clearly indicating when links are affiliate links that pay you a commission. Typically this is done with a disclaimer in the footer.
Q: How do affiliate links work – where do I get them?
A: You sign up with affiliate networks or direct merchant programs to access unique tracking links and promo codes. These allow the merchant to attribute sales to you so you earn commission on referrals.
Q: Do I need an audience before joining affiliate programs?
A: It helps to have some blog traffic and an email list first. However, many programs allow you to join for free upfront and you can start promoting affiliate offers right away as you build your audience.
Q: What are tips for earning the most commissions with affiliate marketing?
A: Create dedicated resource pages, write in-depth reviews of products you use, highlight deals/limited-time offers, place affiliate links prominently, have a mix of text and image links, and send affiliate offers in your emails.