Top 12 Affiliate Marketing Niches with Affiliate Programs

While there is an endless list of niches in affiliate marketing, there are several that are proven to be more promising based on their track record for making money. 

So what are these affiliate marketing niches and what type of programs do they offer?

In this blog post, I have outlined the top 12 affiliate marketing niches, including related affiliate programs.

Top Affiliate Marketing Niches and Programs

A niche is a specialized segment of the market and there are different niche categories in affiliate marketing:

• Hobby niches: Photography, arts and crafts, travelling, gardening, cooking, music, gaming, sports, golf, cars, fishing, hunting, books, etc.
• Finance niches: Personal finance, debt settlement, bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, investing, trading, credit card, mortgage, real state, tax, etc.
• Health and fitness niches: Sports, yoga, weight loss, organic food, nutrition, vegan, keto, diet, essential oils, supplements, meditation, etc.
• Lifestyle niches: Luxury, cruises, travel, online dating, fashion, jewellery, beauty, coffee, wedding, outdoors, camping, etc.
• Home and family niches: Home security, home improvement, home decor, insurance, parenting, baby products, dogs, pets, religion, etc.
• Tech niches: Web hosting, WordPress, VPN, SaaS, software, computers, phones, apps, etc.
• Online business niches: Affiliate marketing, internet marketing, social media marketing, e-commerce, dropshipping, internet marketing, coaching, etc.
• Other: Online education, personal development, careers, CBD, etc.

For a step by step guide on choosing a niche, check out the How to Find a Profitable Niche in Affiliate Marketing blog post.

Each niche and sub-niche have their own affiliate programs or products that you can promote.

So let’s take a deeper look into these niches and their affiliate programs:

1. The Software Niche

Software is a sub-niche of the tech niche.

Here, you are looking at software products and services that you will utilize when running an online business, such as:

• Web design.
• Optimization software.
• SEO software.
• Pace builders.
• Autoresponder.
• Tracking tools.
• Hosting.
• VPN.

Software Affiliate Programs

Software affiliate programs offer, on average, a 30% commission rate. Within this niche, you will find programs with recurring commissions (usually monthly or yearly).

Here are some examples of affiliate marketing programs for software:

2. The Travel Niche

Note: The travel, tourism and hospitality industry was highly impacted by the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

The online travel industry is primarily made up of travel e-commerce sites and review sites.

According to Statista, the market size of the online travel agency sector in 2020 is 595.78 billion U.S. dollars.

In the travel niche, most affiliates get their income from sites that offer:

• Travel bookings: Online agencies such as Booking.com and Expedia.
• Reviews sites: For example, Tripadvisor offers 50% commission rates.
• Flight tickets: 1-3% commission on the total order value in JetRadar, KAYAK, Kiwi.com and other flight affiliate programs.
• Accommodation: You can expect a 3-12% commission on Booking.com, Agoda, Hostelworld and other hotel affiliate programs.
• Tours and activities: 3-7% commission on the total order value in GetYourGuide, Klook, Viator and other programs.
• Car rentals: You can earn a 4-15% commission rate on sites like DiscoverCars, RentalCars, AutoEurope and other car rental affiliate programs.

Some sub-niches you should consider in the travel niche include:

• Backpacking.
• Travelling on a budget.
• Location-based travelling.

Travel Affiliate Programs

Here are more examples of travel affiliate programs:

3. The Internet Marketing Niche

Digital or internet marketing is a broad niche that has grown steadily over the years.

It covers any online methods of advertising using websites, social media, search engines, and email.

Digital marketing sub-niches include:

• Social Media Marketing: Focuses on generating traffic through Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
• Email marketing: Marketing by sending emails containing offers to your list.
• Content marketing: Consists of creating, curating, posting and distributing content. Blogging and Vlogging are great examples.
• SEO marketing: SEO strategies to increase web traffic and presence.

Internet Marketing Affiliate Programs

Here are some examples of each sub-niche:

4. The Dating Niche

Dating is one aspect of the love and relationship niche.

According to Statista, the revenue in the online dating segment is projected to reach US$2,725m in 2020.

In fact, the revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2020-2024) of 11.6%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$4,230m by 2024.

That’s a huge growth forecast in 4 years!

But this isn’t too surprising as more and more people are embracing the thought of online dating. By 2024, the number of users is expected to amount to 441.8m (from 243.9m in 2020).

So, online dating is not only a new form of courtship but also a profitable niche. People are willing to spend their time and money on a resource that teaches them how to find love.

Some sub-niches to consider:

• Senior dating.
• Single parents.
• Military niche.
• Farmer niche.
• Religion-based dating.
• Dating niches related to hobbyists (gamers, book lovers, sports fans).
• Dating niches related to a lifestyle (vegan, yoga, highly-skilled professionals, sports enthusiasts, ex-pats).
• Marriage.

Dating Affiliate Programs

In the dating niche, affiliate commissions vary. If an affiliate program has a loyalty (bonus) program, your commission can increase after a certain amount of sign-ups.

Here are some examples:

5. The E-Commerce Niche

In 2018, the percentage of consumers who made at least one purchase online in the previous 12 months grew to 93% of internet users in the U.S., 97% in the UK, and 92% in China.

Statista predicts that the revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$2,437,768m in 2020.

The industry’s expected growth rate is 7.4% between 2020 and 2025, which results in a projected market volume of US$3,477,296m by 2025.

Marketplaces like Amazon and AliExpress are flourishing, while many stand-alone retailers struggle to find their USP as brand and store loyalty are decreasing and cart abandonment rate in the industry is at 75%.

While that doesn’t seem to paint a good picture for smaller businesses, that also signals huge opportunities, especially for online marketing.

E-Commerce Affiliate Programs

Among the e-commerce products that you can promote, Shopify is one of the leading e-Commerce software used by bloggers and online retailers.

Here are some examples of affiliate marketing programs for e-commerce:

Affiliate Marketing with Amazon

You might wonder why I didn’t include Amazon in the table above…

That’s because Amazon’s commission rates are low (they start as low as 1% and go to a maximum of 10%), and they have continued to decrease their affiliate commissions over the years.

Plus, the affiliate cookie only lasts 24 hours.

Amazon is mainly B2C sales (business-to-consumer), where the purchase amount is usually low. However, there is a big audience, i.e., many consumers buy on Amazon, which could add some extra earnings to your monthly revenue.

Here’s how much you can earn from Amazon Associates affiliate program:

Affiliate Marketing with eBay

eBay is a diverse user-based marketplace.

Whilst ebay’s Partner Network is similar to Amazon Associates, the way the sale commission is divided is different.

The sale is split in 3-ways between the seller, eBay and you (the affiliate). The commission rate varies on the product category.

6. The Health and Fitness Niche

The health and fitness industry is a very competitive niche, and that’s no surprise!

Being healthy is not a “hobby” that will go out of fashion or one that depends on seasonality.

The health and fitness niche is evergreen, and humans will always have the need to stay healthy (diet, workout, anti-ageing treatments, etc.)

The global healthcare market size was valued at USD 143.6 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.2% from 2020 to 2027.

As with other fields, it’s best to pick a sub-niche e.g.:

• Weight loss.
• Muscle building.
• Health products.
• Reproductive health.
• Stress management.
• Nutritional supplements.
• Yoga.
• Fitness.
• Organic food.
• Healthy eating.
• Nutrition.
• Vegan.
• Keto diet.
• Essential oils.
• Sleep.

And there are many more!

As a reference, one of the top health blogs is Healthline, an authority in the health niche.

Health and Fitness Affiliate Programs

You can earn a 5-15% commission rate per sale from promoting health and fitness products.

In comparison to Amazon Associates and its 3% commission in sports, fitness-specific affiliate programs offer higher commission rates. Plus, the average order value (AOV) of products like treadmills and ellipticals is high.

Here are some examples of health and fitness affiliate marketing programs:

7. The Finance Niche

Finance, like health, is another pillar that will always be relevant.

Here, you can build an affiliate marketing business that helps people save and invest their money in various channels.

Since it’s a wide market segment, some sub-niches you should consider in the finance niche include:

• Personal finance.
• Investing.
• Real state.
• Trading.
• Stock market.
• Credit cards.
• Loan management.
• Mortgage.
• Tax.
• Debt settlement.
• Bitcoin.
• Cryptocurrencies.

Finance Affiliate Programs

Finance affiliates are known as some of the highest paying affiliate programs on the market.

Here are some examples of affiliate marketing programs for the finance niche:

8. The Fashion Niche

The e-commerce market’s largest segment is fashion, which has a projected market volume of US$665,629m in 2020.

In the fashion segment, 24% of total market revenue will be generated through online sales by 2023.

Plus, one of the leading trends is the direct integration of shopping functionality into the content display on social media, enabling high-speed, “inspire and sell” customer conversion (Instagram Checkout, for instance). 

Also, Statista predicts a growth rate (CAGR 2020-2025) of 8.5%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$1,002,215m by 2025.

The fashion niche is another wide umbrella inside the lifestyle market.

Sub-niches include:

• Luxury fashion.
• Womenswear.
• Menswear.
• Accessories.
• Leatherwwods.
• Footwear.
• Childrenswear.
• Jewellery.
• Watches.
• Trends.

Fashion Affiliate Programs

Fashion affiliate programs commission rate varies from 5% to 20%.

Here are some examples of affiliate marketing programs in the fashion niche:

9. The Beauty Niche

The Beauty & Personal Care market is thriving and one of the fastest-growing consumer markets, driven in particular by the Cosmetics and Skin Care segments. 

Young consumers, social media, internationality, and e-commerce have a lasting effect on buying behavior in this sector.

According to Statista, the revenue in the Beauty & Personal Care market is projected to reach US$483,338m in 2020. The market is expected to grow annually by 5.0% (CAGR 2020-2025).

Some sub-niches you could consider in the beauty niche include:

• Cosmetics (make-up).
• Skincare.
• Perfumes.
• Haircare.
• Toiletries.
• Hygiene products.
• Deodorants.
• Oral cosmetics.
• Luxury beauty.

Like fashion, beauty is a very visual sector. Top beauty affiliates have huge followings on their blogs, but mainly on their social media channels (YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram).

Their audience is hungry for the latest cosmetic tips and product reviews. That’s why beauty influencers share tutorial videos and images showcasing how to use the endorsed affiliate products.

Beauty Affiliate Programs

Here are some beauty brands that offer affiliate programs:

10. The Education Niche

Technology has changed the possibilities within teaching and learning. So, the e-learning and digital education niche is growing.

In 2016, the global e-learning market was worth 165.36 billion U.S. dollars. Statista‘s projections show the e-learning market worldwide is forecast to surpass 243 billion U.S. dollars by 2022.

There are online courses for every sector:

• Computers and technology:
  • Programming for beginners.
  • Different programming languages.
  • Website construction.
  • Machine learning (IA).
  • Operating systems.
  • Cybersecurity.
  • Robotics.
• Business and entrepreneurship:
  • Affiliate marketing.
  • Amazon FBA.
  • E-commerce.
  • Digital marketing.
  • Branding.
• Arts and crafts:
  • Drawing.
  • Painting.
  • Knitting.
  • Patchwork.
  • Fashion design.
  • Jewellery design.
  • Joinery.
  • Digital art.
  • Photography.
  • Graphic design.
  • Game design.
  • Animation.
  • Illustration.
• Writing and content creation:
  • Copywriting.
  • Content marketing.
  • Blogging.
  • Writing and book publishing.
  • Creating a script.
  • Grammar review.
• Career:
  • How to choose a profession.
  • Find your vocation or passion.
  • Obtaining an internship.
  • Written resume.
  • Job interviews.
  • Entrepreneurship.
• Health:
  • Diet and nutrition.
  • Meal planning.
  • Vegan cooking.
  • Reflexology.
  • Acupressure.
  • Aromatherapy.
  • Massage.
  • Herbalism.
  • Meditation.
• Personal development:
  • Time management.
  • Mindfulness.
  • Emotional intelligence.
  • Organization.
  • Body language.
  • Leadership.
  • Persuasion.
  • Networking.
  • Negotiation.
  • Public speaking.
• Fitness…

And the list goes on!

Education Affiliate Programs

Here are some education platforms that offer an affiliate program:

11. The Pet Niche

According to Statista, the pet industry expenditure in the United States was forecast to reach approximately 99 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. The U.S. consumer expenditure has gradually increased year-on-year, growing by around 560% between 1994 and 2019. 

In 2019, pet food was the highest-selling pet market product category and is projected to maintain the top spot into 2020.

In the U.S. online pet care market, pet care is the second-largest consumer packaged goods market in the United States in terms of e-commerce sales.

So, pet care can be a lucrative niche. However, you probably want to niche down.

Some sub-niches you should consider in the pet care niche include:

• Dogs:
  • Training.
  • Grooming.
  • Nutrition (diet and recipes).
  • Care.
  • Health.
  • A particular dog breed.
  • Breeding.
  • Dog products (clothes, accessories, etc.).
• Cats.
• Rabbits.
• Birds.
• Guinea pigs.
• Hamsters.
• Snakes.

Pet Affiliate Programs

Here are some affiliate marketing programs for dog and pets niches:

12. The Music Niche

Music, a less obvious niche for affiliate marketing, has proven to be a revenue stream.

The music industry has many sub-niches:

• Audio equipment.
• Musical instruments.
• Composing and songwriting.
• Vocal coaching.
• Sound engineering.
• Online music courses.
• Artist, music and equipment reviews.
• Etc.

Music Affiliate Programs

Here are some of the high paying affiliate programs in the music niche:

Finally, for finding more affiliate programs in your niche, check the Affiliate Marketing Platforms and Networks List.