20 Affiliate Marketing Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2023]

•

Updated: January 20th, 2022

20 Affiliate Marketing Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2023]

Interested in starting a affiliate marketing business in 2023?

We put together 19 of the best affiliate marketing businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other affiliate marketing businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start a clothing blog ($72K/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$6,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Jon Shanahan from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA started The Kavalier over 8 years ago, a clothing blog.

Revenue: $6,000/ month
Founders: 1
Employees: 1
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Case Study

My days with a camera can be traced back to my parents’ Sony Handycam when I was 6 directing my friends to make mini movies (still somewhere around here on VHS) but high school was a defining time for that passion as I joined the video club.

There’s certainly no substitute for hard work and dedicating thoughtful time to what you’re working on. I’ve published over 500 videos in the last three years and it takes a lot of time and effort to get there but if you show up everyday you will be ahead.

I was a distracted student in high school but my one reprieve was making videos at the direction of my teacher Brad Schulte. One of my earliest projects is still on YouTube which received 700k views at a time when that was a big deal. Most of those views came from people searching for keywords which planted a seed.

starting-a-youtube-channel-and-blog-making-6-000-month

—

Starting A YouTube Channel And Blog Making $6,000/Month ➜

2. Start a niche web design business ($300K/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$200 — $200,000/month

View all 11 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$30,881

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Coding Skills

Design Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Negotiation Skills

Customer Service Skills

Scott Bishop from Boston, Massachusetts, USA started Up And Social about 9 years ago, a niche web design business.

Revenue: $25,000/ month
Founders: 1
Employees: 1
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Case Study

I began my business career with the family in-store sampling business, C.A. Courtesy, in the 1990s, while at the same time attending college at Johnson and Wales University, where I pursued a degree in Web Management & Internet Commerce.

I’ve always had a knack for marketing and technology, and when I left C.A. Courtesy, I was the Vice President of Marketing and Technology.

People don’t remember what you say as much as they remember how they felt when you said it.

how-i-started-a-20k-month-web-design-agency

—

How I Started A $20K/Month Web Design Agency ➜

3. Start a blog ($60K/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$200 — $160,000/month

View all 44 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$2,687

Time Commitment Per Week

Min. 5 hours/week

Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Creativity

Interests

Books

Work

Chhavi Agarwal from New Delhi, Delhi, India started Mrs Daaku Studio almost 5 years ago, a blog.

Revenue: $5,000/ month
Founders: 2
Employees: 3
Location: New Delhi, Delhi, India

Case Study

I am a licensed attorney in India and right after my master’s in law, I started working with a leading company as a lawyer. I worked there for about two years before I quit my job to become more location independent.

Choose a niche in whatever you start. It is critical for streamlining your efforts and make money.

My job paid me well but I worked 12 hours a day, I was exhausted by the end of each day, spent my weekends sleeping and I almost quit the things I liked to do - for example, sketching, yoga, traveling, etc.

how-this-couple-makes-5k-month-generating-content-about-ways-to-make-money-online

—

How This Couple Makes $5K/Month Generating Content About Ways To Make... ➜

4. Start an influencer marketing business

How Much Can You Make?

$2,000 — $4,000/month

View all 2 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$520,725

Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Design Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Examples of a successful influencer marketing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a influencer marketing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an influencer marketing business ➜

Case Study

—

I Started A $48K/Year Business Matching TikTok Influencers With Brands ➜

5. Start a paid online surveys business

Examples of a successful paid online surveys business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a paid online surveys business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a paid online surveys business ➜

6. Start an affiliate marketing without website business

Examples of a successful affiliate marketing without website business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a affiliate marketing without website business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an affiliate marketing without website business ➜

7. Start an amazon book promotion business

Examples of a successful amazon book promotion business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a amazon book promotion business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an amazon book promotion business ➜

8. Start a campaign promoting business

Examples of a successful campaign promoting business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a campaign promoting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a campaign promoting business ➜

9. Start an amazon associates business

Examples of a successful amazon associates business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a amazon associates business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an amazon associates business ➜

10. Start an affiliate program consulting business

How Much Can You Make?

$1,200 — $4,333,333/month

View all 3 case studies

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Design Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Business model

Consulting

Examples of a successful affiliate program consulting business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a affiliate program consulting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an affiliate program consulting business ➜

Case Study

I am Lin (Linekela) Simon, owner, and founder of LS Trading and Marketing. My Company provides free foreign exchange lessons and guidance to potential Forex traders while providing free market analysis to ensure consistent profitability for our network.

my-journey-from-being-a-food-technologist-to-starting-my-own-forex-trading-business

—

My Journey From Being A Food Technologist To Starting My Own Forex Tr... ➜

11. Start an email marketing business

How Much Can You Make?

$1,500 — $8,333,333/month

View all 17 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$10,628

Time To Revenue

90 days

Skills

Customer Service Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Design Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Business model

Consulting

Subscriptions

Examples of a successful email marketing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a email marketing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an email marketing business ➜

Case Study

Hello, my name is Chase Dimond and I am the Co-Founder of Boundless Labs. We are an email marketing agency that specializes in working with eCommerce brands. We currently work with 30 eCommerce brands that do anywhere from 6 to 8 figures in annual revenue.

We ended up bringing on our first full-time employee in Q3 of 2019 and started onboarding clients again. For the second half of 2019, our business grew by ~$12K per month and we’re now making ~$90K per month. We just recently hired our second full-time employee and anticipate we’ll be at $100K per month in revenue by the end of January 2020.

how-i-started-a-55k-month-email-marketing-agency-specialized-in-ecommerce

—

How I Started A $55K/Month Email Marketing Agency Specialized in Ecom... ➜

12. Start a price comparison website business

How Much Can You Make?

$200 — $500,000/month

View all 5 case studies

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful price comparison website business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a price comparison website business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a price comparison website business ➜

Case Study

Hiya! My name is Alex Goldberg, and I’m the founder of Fin vs Fin, a portfolio of popular product reviews that include, among others, finvsfin.com and zenmasterwellness.com. Despite not being much of an online shopper nor a wellness guru, my partner and I somehow managed to build a profitable media business centered on helping consumers compare health products online.

This is the story of turning a “dumb side project” into my full-time focus, stumbling into financial freedom by repeatedly doubling down on tiny wins. I hope you find it inspiring enough to launch your entrepreneurial project or keep at whatever hustle you’re currently focused on. Truth be told, you may be closer to predictable seven-figure revenue than you think.

how-i-grew-my-dumb-blog-to-a-portfolio-that-generates-70k-profit-month

—

How I Grew My 'Dumb Blog' To A Portfolio That Generates $70K Profit/M... ➜

13. Start a cashbacks sites business

Examples of a successful cashbacks sites business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a cashbacks sites business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a cashbacks sites business ➜

14. Start a meme marketing business

Examples of a successful meme marketing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a meme marketing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a meme marketing business ➜

15. Start a paid advertising business

How Much Can You Make?

$2,797 — $250,000/month

View all 5 case studies

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful paid advertising business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a paid advertising business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Affiliate Marketing: The Beginner's Step By Step Guide To Making Money Online With Affiliate Marketing

Learn more about starting a paid advertising business ➜

Case Study

Hi there, my name is Robb Fahrion and I am the Co-Founder and Partner of Flying V Group, a digital marketing and advertising company located. We service clients all across the globe and help them grow their business through the power of the internet. My passion is for business and there is nothing more rewarding than helping others grow their businesses and share in their successes.

Today, Flying V Group employs 12 people, has worked with over 300 clients, operates internationally, and is on pace to double revenue for the second year in a row. Crazy to think about being here when my brother and I both got up and quit our corporate jobs and put $5k into the project to get us started!

these-brothers-quit-their-jobs-started-a-3m-year-digital-marketing-agency

—

These Brothers Quit Their Jobs & Started A $3M/Year Digital Marketing... ➜

16. Start an online entertainment coupons business

Examples of a successful online entertainment coupons business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a online entertainment coupons business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an online entertainment coupons business ➜

17. Start a content marketing business

How Much Can You Make?

$2,000 — $416,666/month

View all 18 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$75,682

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful content marketing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a content marketing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a content marketing business ➜

Case Study

My name is David Tile. I own and operate a Content Writing Service, under the banner Article-Writing.co.

We don’t consider ourselves a content marketing firm. But a firm dedicated to the business of writing. Project management offers most often attached to marketing agencies. We work against marketing briefs delivering content on time and under budget.

how-i-started-a-80k-month-content-writing-business

—

How I Started A $80K/Month Content Writing Business ➜

18. Start a free course recommendation business

Examples of a successful free course recommendation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a free course recommendation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a free course recommendation business ➜

19. Start a hair products affiliate marketing business

Examples of a successful hair products affiliate marketing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a hair products affiliate marketing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a hair products affiliate marketing business ➜

Pat Walls, Founder of Starter Story

Want to find more ideas that make money?

Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.

Get our 5-minute email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

See full profile