There's a wide selection of high-paying profitable niches in affiliate marketing, and if you've found the right approach, you can easily make $1000 daily. But why do some webs succeed while others experience nothing but constant setbacks? How do you find a profitable niche in affiliate marketing?
First, there's a problem: don't look at other people. If your fellow affiliate made progress in a niche, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're also bound to achieve your goals. You can't see the full picture: the rates your partner had, the paybacks they received from the affiliate program; you don't even know whether they're a newcomer or already have some influence in the sphere, so his payments are higher. Flipping a coin won't do either: you'll have to carry out an analysis, scrutinizing the peculiarities,
Here in this article, we will find out how to find profitable niches in affiliate marketing, pointing out 10 types of niches, so you can decide which works best for you. Without further ado, let's do it!
Definition
Before we focus on the term niche, let us clarify products and offers. If you intend to promote something, you need a product, an item on the market. Offer is a more complicated notion: apart from the product, it includes a publisher's motion to promote it on certain conditions. Affiliate marketers only get paid if they stick to the rules and conditions defined in the description.
Offer = Product + Promotion Terms
Offer includes a product, target action executed by a user, payment affiliates receive for conversion, and the advertiser's requirements (sex and age of the audience, allowed and banned traffic sources, ad formats, creatives, etc.)
For the sake of convenience, offers are divided into groups depending on their qualities. Such groups are called verticals, or niches.
A niche is a group of similar offers.
Here are the main criteria on base of which offers are combined into niches:
- Product Category/Product Type. A niche is a group of similar products, and offers represent standalone products. Gaming, for one, is a vertical, product type. But games in particular, say, Warframe, League of Legends, World of Tanks, are offers.
- Traffic Sources. When you choose a niche with a certain product type, you simultaneously define the traffic sources you can use for promotion. Each vertical has traffic sources that generate a lot of profit; there are also less effective and banned ones.
Here's an example for a better understanding.
Imagine the situation: you are launching an eCommerce campaign, choosing skincare offers. Where would you promote them? Adult sources, for example, won't do: their audience consists almost entirely of males, and your target audience, in this case, has to be female. So, resort to native networks!
Here you deal with something we call user intent. User intent is defined by the goals and intentions that drove this user to enter the website. For example, a man is examining a finance-related site to figure out what stock quotes are. He seeks information on funds and bonds, not an invitation from a fair lady looking for a one-night-stand knight. This is why thematic networks don't sometimes allow the promotion of certain offers.
Choosing a niche, you're also picking whether you're using cheaper or more expensive traffic sources. If the mobile utility application costs nothing, you won't resort to Google Ads to adjust your ad setting: one lead will cost you several times more than the payment you receive from the affiliate program for installing this app. Cheap antiviruses don't work on expensive sites, that's the same principle. You simply won't break the minimum CPC or cost per impression.
Then, the advertising policy of the traffic sources. Verticals determine their sources, and each source has its own advertising policy. Therefore, when you pick the niche, you also choose the rules of the traffic sources for this niche, so get acquainted with the general requirements for the selected type of traffic sources.
- Way to Conversion. Mobile-related niches imply a short and fast way to conversion: it is impossible to get a lead by filling out a long loan application because this trivial task turns into an ordeal with a mobile device.
- Advertising Creatives and Approaches. Each vertical has general rules for creatives and allowed methods. For example, you cannot use an image of a scantily clothed model on the banner of a reputable bank promoting loans. On the contrary, such an establishment would go for a more effective option: a visualization of a house a user can buy if they take out a mortgage.
Experienced affiliates usually focus on one or two niches at a time, getting the knack of it. This approach helps them acquire profound knowledge of the vertical and grow exponentially, so don't try to be anywhere, everywhere, all at once.
And now, drumroll! Let's get the most profitable niches in affiliate marketing revealed!
10 Best Niches in Affiliate Marketing
There are various niches in affiliate marketing, and it may not be easy to understand which one works best for you, and what seems to be too intricate to deal with. Here we are, your personal guidebook!
Nutra
There are various popular types of niches in affiliate marketing, and we'll start with a challenge of medium complexity for a newcomer. Nutra, or Health and Beauty, is a niche that offers health and beauty products. Nutra does not include prescribed medications; it involves various supplements that make a person look better, help lose weight, gain some muscles, get rid of bad habits, etc.
Niches within the Niche
Weight loss;
Male sex drive enhancement;
Penis enlargement/breast augmentation;
Skincare and anti-age products;
Teeth whitening products;
Hair and nail care products;
Swelling relief;
Vitamins and food supplements;
Anti-fatigue products that improve sleep quality;
Muscle and joint pain relief;
Remedies for parasites and fungus;
Memory enhancements and brain functioning enhancements;
Bad habit cessation remedies.
Burning Pains
The target audience of this niche involves people dealing with
various complexes, diseases, bad habits, fatigue, and bad sleep quality. Such people aren't satisfied with their weight, hair, teeth color, skin, etc. They also suffer from pain, parasites, or fungus.
All these products are aimed at a large audience because everyone wants to become young and beautiful in no time. You can use different approaches to promote one and the same offer to find the right audience. You are always welcome to test techniques and choose the one that works best.
Offers
On the screencaps, you can see offers that can supposedly solve skincare and weight problems.
Complexity: Medium.
Traffic Sources: Google Ads, Facebook, Taboola, MGID, Outbrain, Revcontent.
Payment Models:
CPS. Cost per sale. The amount of money paid for every sale generated by a specific advertisement.
COD. Cash on Delivery. The recipient pays for a good at the time of delivery.
Direct Sales. Clients pay for the product on the Internet.
Trials. Clients receive a free trial sample in exchange for card details. If they do not unsubscribe, they will get a paid version automatically.
Popular GEO: entire world
eCommerce
eCommerce is a vast niche, including the biggest online store available: Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, etc. Smaller shops and separate publishers can also be categorized as such. For the most part, this niche deals with white offers: hygiene products, household detergents, cosmetics, clothing, shoes, toys, phones, electrical appliances, etc.
Niches within the Niche
Products of the biggest online stores and smaller shops;
Dropshipping: Chinese products of low quality.
Burning Pains
The target audience is huge, and its problem is that the people in this category want a certain product. The niche gives you rope as to which approaches and methods to use; you can divide the audience into segments based on age, sex, or interests.
Сomplexity: Medium
Traffic Sources: Google Ads, social media, advertising networks
Payment Models:
CPS. Cost per sale. The amount of money paid for every sale generated by a specific advertisement.
COD. Cash on Delivery. The recipient pays for a good at the time of delivery.
Direct Sales. Clients pay for the product on the Internet.
Popular GEO: entire world
Finance
Finance has always been reliable as a niche, but now it is growing as extensively as ever, turning into one of the top niches in affiliate marketing. People order cards, take loans, and show more interest in investment programs.
Niches within the Niche
Bank offers: card applications, credit requests, mortgage, and other services;
Payday loans: high-interest rates for short-term, immediate credit;
Forex trading, brokerage services, PAMM investing.
Burning Pains
The main problem is that people don’t have enough money to make it till the salary, or they need a certain sum to pay for medical services, education, or accommodation. People are driven by the desire to earn money, get into trading, open a brokerage account, start investing in shares, or make their income higher and more reliable.
Offers
Complexity: High
Traffic Sources: Contextual advertising, social media, teaser and banner networks, email newsletter.
Payment Models:
CPA;
CPL;
CPS.
Popular GEO: Russia, CIS Countries, Eastern Europe
Dating
Dating is enormous and includes dating sites for long-term relationships, one-night stand websites, and webcam projects.
Niches within the Niche:
Mainstream ─ white websites where people look for a serious, committed relationship.
Adult Dating ─ sites for one-night stands, normally considered gray.
Adult Webcam ─ sites where one can look at webcam models, send messages, and give them presents in the site currency.
Burning Pains
The pain of the target audience is the lack of friendly, sexual communication. Various complexes and fears. Low self-esteem. Fear of communication in real life.
Offers
Complexity: Medium
Traffic Sources: ExoClick, Trafficjunky for adults, ad networks, social media.
Payment Models:
CPL. Cost per lead. The advertiser pays a pre-established price for each lead generated.
CPS. Cost per sale. The amount of money paid for every sale generated by a specific advertisement.
RevShare. advertisers share a percentage of their revenue with affiliates.
Popular GEO: North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Africa.
Mobile Installs
In mobile installs, there are specific types of offers uncommon in conventional affiliate marketing: mobile app installs based on the CPI model. Mobile installs are divided into subcategories: their main idea is that the advertiser pays for installing and opening a mobile application.
The main categories available for installing apps are games, utilities, e-commerce, and dating apps.
Niches within the Niche:
Games. The largest app install market. The amount of payout depends on the quality of the referred users.
Utility. Launchers/software shell for Android smartphones, battery booster, memory saver, etc.
E-commerce. This category includes all trading sites with an application. For beginners, only popular brands can be effective.
Forex and binary options.
Utility apps. These are the apps that can make your life easier: taxi, food, hotel booking, etc. Service app payouts are lower, but the conversion rate and target market are better.
Burning Pains
The problem is lack of time, the need to quickly solve everyday tasks, make purchases easily, and open the game or binary options site of interest without hindrance.
Complexity: Low
Traffic Sources: ad networks, social media, contextual advertising.
Payment Models: CPA, CPL.
Popular GEO: North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, CIS Countries.
Gaming
This is one of the most popular affiliate marketing niches. The mobile games market is growing every day. Today more than 2 billion people play games, so this vertical is good even for complete beginners. Online game sign-up is free of charge.
Niches within the Niche
Browser games do not require the installation of an application on your computer. The user simply signs up on the site. Such games are preferred by less sophisticated users. If you promote such games, arrange payment for the registration.
Client games are chosen by advanced, reckless gamers ready to part with their money. These games are more dynamic in terms of both plot and graphics. If you're wondering which payment model to use, the most profitable option here is Revshare.
Burning Pains
The target audience mainly includes 15-20-year-olds, which is almost half of the entire market, but you should never forget about financially reliable adult users. Such people are driven to take part in a popular game and get a drift of the latest market news.
Complexity: Low
Traffic Sources: social media, ad networks, newsletter among interested subscribers
Payment Models: CPA, CPL, CPS, Revshare.
In this niche, there are several common practices:
payment for registration (installation of the application), an active player, and an effective player.
Gambling
Gambling as a niche has its main idea hidden in the name: the vertical deals primarily with casinos. One of the most high-earning niches but highly competitive, so if you're in affiliate marketing for just a few days, you'd better choose a safer option.
Niches within the Niche
Online casino;
Poker;
Virtual slot machines.
Burning Pains
The problem is that people want to get quick and easy money, but at the same time, they're looking for strong emotions, adrenaline, and a desire to assert themselves. It is safe to say that the target audience of the gambling niche is driven by excitement and sometimes the inability to stop playing. All these feelings are skillfully powered by advertising.
Complexity: High.
Traffic Sources: ad networks, social media, messengers, thematic sites, push notifications, email newsletters.
To promote casinos, affiliate marketers often build their own apps, or lease them, because in-app ads are extremely efficient. However, these applications get banned quickly.
Payment Models: CPL, CPA, CPS, RevShare.
Popular GEO: Finland, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Australia.
Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes are giveaways that give a chance to win a mobile phone, cash, a gift card, or other similar prizes. This niche is increasingly popular among affiliates and the perfect fit for beginners. Lots of renowned marketers started with sweepstakes.
A user types their e-mail address in an application form and clicks the SUBMIT button. Everyone's happy: the advertiser receives contacts for advertising e-mail distribution, the affiliate receives payment, and the user does not pay for anything: they only take part in the giveaway. The more information the user provides in the application form, the more money the advertiser is ready to pay. The target audience is very wide and depends on the product category.
Niches within the niche
Smartphones;
Headphones;
Apple Watch and other smartwatches;
Debit cards;
Apple Gift Cards;
Vouchers;
Household appliances.
Offers
Complexity: Low
Traffic Sources: ad networks, social media
Payment Models: CPA, CPL, CPS.
Popular GEO: European countries, North America.
Sweepstakes are popular in developed countries, but they've recently started to bloom in South America, Asia, and Africa.
Adult
The adult niche encompasses all resources and all content for adults. The user can watch or download videos on paid and free sites. On free resources, they will need to pre-register a paid subscription. There is also a separate "branch" of this niche, adult gaming, games with erotic plots.
Payment in adult affiliate marketing is made in the form of a fixed amount or a percentage of the amounts of each paid user.
CPS. The affiliate receives a fixed amount for each referred user. The amount of the payout is mainly determined by the GEO.
RevShare is a percentage of the profit. The affiliate receives from 40 to 80% of the amount paid every month by a paid member of the website. This model is quite difficult for beginners.
In this niche, mobile traffic is most effective, so affiliates resort to Mobile Subscription Offers. They are called Pin Submit.
There are 2 types of mobile subscriptions:
Wap-Сlick or One click or 1 Click. In this case, the user must be connected to the mobile Internet from their operator. Subscription can be accomplished in one click (SOI) or multiple clicks (DOI).
SMS Subscription, Premium SMS. The user either sends and SMS to a short number to confirm the subscription or receives an SMS from a paid number with an activation code, which he has to type in the offer window to confirm the purchase/subscription.
Complexity: Low
Traffic Sources: ad networks for adults
Payment Models: CPA, CPS, RevShare
Popular GEO: Western and Eastern Europe, South America
Education
This is a developing niche which has gained popularity during the pandemic.
Niches within the Niche:
The niches are determined by the subject of study and the age of the student.
Burning Pains
Possible problems may include the necessity to learn a language for moving or work, acquire new skills for a profession, or educate a child.
Complexity: Medium
Traffic Sources: contextual ads, ad networks, social media.
Payment Models: CPS
Popular GEO: Russia, CIS Countries, Western and Eastern Europe
Travel
It faded during the pandemic, but now it is much in demand and can convert.
Niches within the niche
The niches are defined by the GEO and the chosen way of travel.
Burning Pains
The main problem is a lack of rest, fresh emotions, and new experiences. People grow tired of the monotonous lifestyle.
Complexity: Medium
Traffic Sources: contextual ads, advertising networks, social media
Payment Models: CPS
Popular GEO: Europe, North America
Choosing the Right Niche
There are so many different niches in affiliate marketing, everybody speaks about best affiliate marketing niches traffic sources, and you might feel at a loss: how can you define which verticle is just for you? Well, here's the algorithm.
- Choose your traffic source. Studying new traffic sources is a tricky undertaking, which will take a lot of time and effort: you won't become a guru in a few days, and the newest aspects of Facebook will remain a mystery until you understand how it generally operates. However, if you are already working with a traffic source you know perfectly well, find a niche that would fit this source, not vice versa. For instance, you decided to get into gaming, and the most profitable source for this particular niche is social media platforms. Unfortunately, you have never dealt with social media before, so you'll have to start your Facebook/Instagram journey from scratch, which is, at least, difficult. So, more experienced affiliates are welcome to keep working with the sources of choice while beginners should find out which one they really like and would like to explore, take pop traffic or push traffic as an example — and think about sweepstakes and installs.
- Choose your niche. It should work well with your traffic source of choice. We strongly recommend mobile installs or gaming because they're easy to convert, and you won't need a prelanding page; you can also pick sweepstakes, but always keep in mind that they don't work without a landing page.
- Choose your targeting. If you're a beginner, forget about highly competitive GEOs (tier-1 countries) for a while. There you will be competing with successful teams that consist of experienced affiliates with huge budgets, so chances are slim that you will get the results you want. Instead, try South Asian countries, South America, and Eastern Europe.
- Choose the right offers. In the niche of choice, find offers with low payments and simple target actions, and make sure all these offers belong to different affiliate programs, so you can compare the terms and conditions.
- Choose the affiliate program. It would be unwise to limit yourself to only one affiliate program: look through, and glean information on the offers and niches because they will always be different. Compare and pick the one that suits you best.
Beginners should focus on one affiliate program and then try others. There are a few reasons for that:
You'll receive payments quicker;
You'll improve your relationship with your manager;
If there are several niches in the network, you are introduced to new opportunities.
FAQ
How many offers should I test in the niche of choice?
You should test several offers at a time and then focus on the most profitable one. If you choose only one option, even if the vertical by itself is highly lucrative, you're risking spending all your money on an offer that isn't even in demand.
Can an affiliate program manager help pick niches and offers?
Yes, you definitely should ask about that! You will find out the latest tendencies, what's in demand, and what converts better, but do not consider these pieces of advice a strict algorithm to follow. Instead, adjust the recommendations to your conditions, experiences, and preferences.
