20 Affiliate Marketing Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2024]

Updated: July 24th, 2023

Interested in starting a affiliate marketing business in 2024?

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 youtube channel

For anyone looking to start a successful YouTube channel, there are plenty of YouTube channel success stories that can be used as inspiration and encouragement. In addition, YouTube has an established monetization system and boasts incredible popularity, making it a potential platform for revenue generation.

In this article, we'll look at different approaches you can use to help promote your channel and grow your viewers. While there's no quick and easy way to success, you can take these tips to build your own YouTube Channel Success story. If you love content creation, you can capitalize on YouTube's popularity to earn extra income.

If you want to join the Youtube partner program to monetize your channel, you will need to reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.

How much you can make: $800 — $4,500,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 48 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

How This Couple Makes $5K/Month Generating Content About Ways To Make Money Online

Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.

About
Chhavi started Mrs Daaku Studio almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Chhavi grew the business to $5K/month
Costs
It cost Chhavi $500 to start the business
Read by 13,571 founders

2. Start a website development business

Website developers create websites for their clients. as a website developer, your responsibility is to ensure a website is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Web developers also focus on improving the website’s performance and capacity.

To become a website developer, learn different web programming languages. Your customers can be eCommerce business owners or brick-and-mortar businesses looking to have an online presence.

How much you can make: $200 — $350,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,750 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

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

How a founder turned his passion for marketing and technology into a successful Boston-based web design and SEO company, generating over $20k in sales each month by focusing on serving the niche market of small businesses through affordable and personalized services, while establishing his reputation through B2B networking and online initiatives.

About
Scott started Up And Social almost 10 years ago
Revenue
Scott grew the business to $25K/month
Costs
It cost Scott $2500 to start the business
Read by 25,421 founders

3. Start a youtube channel

For anyone looking to start a successful YouTube channel, there are plenty of YouTube channel success stories that can be used as inspiration and encouragement. In addition, YouTube has an established monetization system and boasts incredible popularity, making it a potential platform for revenue generation.

In this article, we'll look at different approaches you can use to help promote your channel and grow your viewers. While there's no quick and easy way to success, you can take these tips to build your own YouTube Channel Success story. If you love content creation, you can capitalize on YouTube's popularity to earn extra income.

If you want to join the Youtube partner program to monetize your channel, you will need to reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.

How much you can make: $800 — $4,500,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 48 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

How This Couple Makes $5K/Month Generating Content About Ways To Make Money Online

Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.

About
Chhavi started Mrs Daaku Studio almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Chhavi grew the business to $5K/month
Costs
It cost Chhavi $500 to start the business
Read by 13,571 founders

4. Start an influencer marketing business

Influencer marketing is a business that involves partnering with social media influencers to promote products or services to their followers. The influencer marketing business model relies on building relationships with influencers who have a large following and can engage their audience effectively.

The business entails identifying relevant influencers in your industry, negotiating the terms of the partnership, and managing the campaigns. It also involves creating content and messaging that aligns with the influencer’s brand and style, as well as tracking and analyzing the performance of the campaigns.

To run a successful influencer marketing business, it is essential to do thorough research to identify the right influencers for your brand. Look for influencers who have a genuine interest in your products or services and align with your brand values. You should also be transparent and upfront with influencers about your expectations and the terms of the partnership.

In addition, it is important to stay up to date on industry trends and best practices. This includes understanding the different types of influencer partnerships, such as sponsored posts, brand ambassadorships, and affiliate marketing.

Finally, it is crucial to have a clear strategy and plan in place for each campaign. This includes setting goals, determining the budget, and tracking the performance of the campaigns to ensure you are getting a good return on investment. By following these tips, you can build a successful influencer marketing business that helps your clients reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals.

How much you can make: $2,000/month

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

I Created A Two-Sided Marketplace That Helps Brands Find Influencers

Afluencer is a two-sided marketplace that connects brands with influencers and helps influencers, creators, and ambassadors find paid gigs, with 6,500+ active influencer users and 1,000+ brand users yielding 100% YoY revenue growth.

About
Brett started Afluencer about 3 years ago
Revenue
Brett grew the business to $2K/month
Costs
It cost Brett $500000 to start the business
Read by 3,235 founders

5. Start a paid online surveys business

6. Start an affiliate marketing without website business

7. Start an amazon book promotion business

8. Start a campaign promoting business

9. Start an amazon associates business

10. Start an affiliate program consulting business

How much you can make: $1,200 — $4,333,333/month

How much does it cost to start: $7,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 33 days (?)

How I Run Four Travel Blogs And A Consulting Blog Making An Average Of $55K/Month

Travel blogger turns four profitable blogs into a six-figure business, increasing income by 3,113% from 2021 to 2022, and now teaches others how to scale quickly using her techniques.

About
Shelley started Travel Blogging 101 over 1 year ago
Revenue
Shelley grew the business to $55K/month
Costs
It cost Shelley $100 to start the business
Read by 3,032 founders

11. Start an email marketing business

Email marketing is a popular and effective way for businesses to reach their target audience and promote their products or services.

With the rise of the internet and the increasing use of email as a communication tool, starting an email marketing business can be a lucrative and rewarding venture.

An email marketing business involves creating and sending marketing emails to a list of subscribers. The emails can be newsletters, promotional messages, or other types of content designed to engage and convert the recipient into a customer. The business owner is responsible for building and maintaining the email list, creating the content, and sending the emails using specialized software.

To start an email marketing business, you must have a strong understanding of marketing principles and a good grasp of best practices. This includes creating compelling subject lines, segmenting your email list, and analyzing your campaigns’ results. You will also need to be proficient in email marketing software like Mailchimp or Constant Contact.

To run a successful email marketing business, you must clearly understand your target audience and what they are interested in. This will help you create relevant and engaging content that resonates with your subscribers and encourages them to take action. A solid call to action in your emails is crucial, whether it’s visiting your website, making a purchase, or signing up for a newsletter. Starting an email marketing business requires marketing skills, expertise, and a willingness to learn and improve continuously. The right strategies and tools can be a rewarding and successful way to reach your target audience and grow your business.

How much you can make: $1,500 — $8,333,333/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Started A $55K/Month Email Marketing Agency Specialized in Ecommerce

Boundless Labs is an email marketing agency for eCommerce brands that has generated over $25 million in email attributable revenue for their clients since launching 18 months ago and currently makes around $90K per month, with plans to reach $100K per month by the end of January 2020 through client referrals, strong relationships, and hard work.

About
Chase started Boundless Labs almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Chase grew the business to $8.3M/month
Read by 11,751 founders

12. Start a price comparison website business

How much you can make: $40,000 — $500,000/month

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

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

Learn how the founder of Fin vs Fin turned a "dumb side project" into a profitable media business generating $70k in profit per month, by committing to creating a "dumb blog" and consistently experimenting with strategies to attract and retain customers.

About
Alex started Fin vs Fin over 5 years ago
Revenue
Alex grew the business to $40K/month
Read by 6,834 founders

13. Start a cashbacks sites business

14. Start a meme marketing business

According to statistics, millennials review memes an average of 20 to 30 times daily. While traditional marketing yields only 5% engagement, memes earn about 60% of the attention.

Therefore, using memes to market gives businesses immense potential.

Based on the above findings, starting a meme marketing business on social media offers a good profitability potential.

A meme marketing business can involve creating catchy memes that will go viral on the internet and selling them to marketers. You can sell memes through social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or even Facebook.

15. Start a paid advertising business

How much you can make: $2,797 — $250,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 45 days (?)

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

Flying V Group, a digital marketing agency co-founded by Robb and Tyler Fahrion, has experienced explosive growth and profitability through their focus on SEO and content marketing, generating 540% more traffic in 2020 compared to the previous year, and increasing revenue YoY, all while operating debt-free and cash-positive.

About
Robb started Flying V Group over 8 years ago
Revenue
Robb grew the business to $250K/month
Costs
It cost Robb $10000 to start the business
Read by 4,917 founders

16. Start an online entertainment coupons business

17. Start a content marketing business

Content marketing is developing and distributing relevant, helpful content to convert the target customer to take the necessary steps. Businesses with a content marketing strategy get 67% more leads than other companies.

Therefore, the demand for content marketing services is high than ever before. Starting a content marketing service can be a significant business venture.

To start a content marketing business, you need a good understanding of SEO and social media. You can hire content creators to help you develop relevant and valuable content.

How much you can make: $2,000 — $416,666/month

How much does it cost to start: $750 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

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

How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.

About
David started Article-Writing Co about 13 years ago
Revenue
David grew the business to $125K/month
Read by 23,591 founders

18. Start a free course recommendation business

19. Start a hair products affiliate marketing business

The hair products affiliate marketing business is an exciting opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the beauty industry. As an affiliate marketer, you will be responsible for promoting and selling hair care products from various brands on your website or social media platforms.

To run this business, you must have a strong online presence and understand how to market products effectively. You will also need to research and select the best hair care brands to partner with, as well as negotiate commissions and terms of the partnership.

One of the benefits of running a hair products affiliate marketing business is the flexibility it offers. You can work from anywhere and set your own schedule as long as you have an internet connection. Additionally, you can earn a good income through commissions and sales.

Another advantage is the opportunity to educate and inform your audience about the latest hair care trends and products. By sharing your knowledge and experience, you can establish yourself as a trusted source of information in the beauty industry.

Overall, the hair products affiliate marketing business is a rewarding and lucrative opportunity for those interested in the beauty industry and passionate about marketing and promoting products.

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.