Last updated on October 16th, 2018 at 07:41 am
Did you start your blog because you want to earn money from it? If so then you are in the right place, this ShareASale review is going to show you everything you need to know about using the largest affiliate program.
What Is ShareASale
It is one of the largest affiliate programs that has been in business for over 15 years. Regardless of your blog niche, you’ll be able to find something that you can promote on your blog.
One of the best ways to get started making money with your blog is to join 1-3 affiliate marketing networks that have products to promote on your blog.
Joining ShareASale is completely free and you can sign up through this link.
How to Use ShareASale
Once you sign up as a Share A Sale partner you’ll be able to sign into your account and start searching the large database of merchant programs you can work with.
Completing the ShareASale Application doesn’t take long and is definitely worth your time if you want to monetize your blog with affiliate links.
Don’t worry, I’m going to walk you through the entire dashboard so you know what to do. I still remember joining the CJ affiliate network back in the day and was completely lost when I signed up.
It took me forever to find the affiliate links and start using them. When you get done with this ShareASale guide, you’ll understand how to use ShareASale and how to make money with it.
If you’re still lost, then make sure that you visit the ShareASale blog to read up on the best practices to help you earn more money with their program.
Finding Your First Merchant to Work With
#1 Access your ShareASale login and go to Merchants >> Search for Merchants
This will bring up all the different categories in the program. As you can see, there are literally tons of different categories, so even if you don’t blog about blogging, you’ll still be able to use them.
Here’s a look at some of the featured categories:
- Back to School
- New Programs
- Power Rank
- Marketing Calendar
- Clothing
- Home & Garden
- Automotive
- Accessories
If your blog niche falls into one of the categories, you’ll just click on it.
For example; let’s say you have a blog in the gardening niche and your blog teaches people how to grow a garden. You’ll want to look for affiliate products that relate to your niche.
So let’s find you some popular merchants you can start working with.
Finding Your First Merchant
You can either click on the featured category or you can search for a merchant by name in the search tab. When I type in Home & Garden there are over 200 results that are returned.
If I was in this niche, I would only be looking at some of the most popular networks. One that comes to mind the Home Depot affiliate program.
Unfortunately, if you want to join the Home Depot program you’ll need to sign up with Commission Junction (CJ) which is another great program to use.
Applying for A Merchant
Once you find a program you want to join, you’ll want to pay attention to the following:
Amount Per Sale: What you’ll be paid whenever you make a sale
EPC (Earnings Per Click): This will give you an idea of how many sales you can expect per 100 clicks
Power Rank: This is a ranking given to merchants in the program. Merchants with a top 100 Power Rank meet certain criteria to help them rank better in the ShareASale network.
Time to Apply
Click on the blue Join Program and you’ll fill out all the information in the program.
A lot of the merchants will manually review all applications. So you’ll want to be patient when you are applying to merchants.
If you still haven’t heard back from a merchant in a week, you might want to consider contacting one of the affiliate managers to see why your application is taking so long.
I’ve also found noticed that when you fill out the optional text box information, the approval process is quicker. I usually just put that my marketing methods involve blogging and social media.
How to Find Your Affiliate Links
Once you’ve been approved to work with ShareASale and have been approved with some merchants, it’s time to create some affiliate links you can use on your blog.
Log into your dashboard and go to Links >> Get A Link/Banner
How to Find Your ShareASale Affiliate Links
You’ll notice all the affiliate networks that have agreed to work with you. Click on the green Get Links button. Click on the Get HTML Code and then click on the Select URL Only button.
You can start using your ShareASale affiliate link on your blog. Now whenever you write a blog post that is related to that network, you can start deep linking to your blog posts.
I personally use ThirstyAffiliates Plugin to help me quickly add affiliate links to my posts. Plus it makes it easy if I ever need to change out links.
Related: How to Cloak Affiliate Links In WordPress and Why You Should
How to Create A Banner In ShareASale
A lot of bloggers love putting banners on their sidebar. So let’s get your first banner created so you can quickly add it to your WordPress blog.
Creating a banner is pretty much the same as creating a link. However, instead of searching the links, you’ll want to choose banners.
You’ll notice how many different banners you have the option to choose from. Now just scroll down all the different browsers and find one with the right dimensions to fit on your blog’s sidebar or inside the content. (this is the plugin I use to quickly add banners to my sidebars)
Click on the Banner
Cop the HTML code and paste it into your blog. If you’re using WordPress, this tutorial will show you how to use text widgets.
Creating A Custom Link
One of the cool things that I love about ShareASale is you can use the custom link generator to link to a page of your choosing.
You’ll need to browse the different pages of the network that you’re working with. If you see a page that you want to link for but does not have a preset link, you can create your own custom link.
Just copy and paste the URL of the landing page you want to use and paste it in the custom link generator. You’ll be given a unique link you can use for that specific page.
Now all you have to do is use that link to take your visitors to that landing page.
Real Time Reporting
Are you stats person? If so then you’re going to love the real time reporting feature. Go to Reports >> Today At A Glance
This will show you real time stats of today’s clicks and sales.
Other Reports to Pay Attention To
Activity Details: A quick glance at all the sales you’ve made. You can also filter the sales made by merchants as well as a custom date range.
Payment Summary: This will show you how much you have been paid as an affiliate.
Weekly Progress Report: Use this to see how many sales you’re making on a week by week basis.
Monthly Summary: This report will show you how many sales you made in the month.
There are several other reports you can use, but honestly, I really don’t use them. If you have any questions regarding any of the resports, I suggest reaching out to customer support to see if they can help you out.
Account
Account Settings: This is where you will add your domain URL and create your profile. You’ll also want to make sure that you complete and submit your 1099 form for tax purposes.
You won’t get paid until they have an updated 1099 form. When I completed mine, I just faxed it over instead of mailing it via the postal service.
Manage Leave Programs
This page allows you to manage all your current programs. You can see the:
- Number of transactions
- Commissions
- Clicks
- Conversion Rates
- EPC
If you’re not making sales and find a better program that converts better, you can leave the program on this page.
PPC Violation Reports
If you’re paying for traffic, you’ll see any type of violations on your account. Keep in mind they have a “3 Strikes” policy in place.
Anyone who is using paid traffic will want to make sure they read their policies to ensure they remain in good standing. I personally don’t pay for traffic, so you might want to reach out to their customer service for clarification on what’s legit and what isn’t.
View Manage Feedback
If you’ve had any feedback you will see it here. You’ll find feedback from merchants in this area.
Close Account
No longer want to be an affiliate, you can request to close your account on this page.
Payments
You can set up how you want to be paid. You can set up to receive commission checks or get free auto-deposit to your bank. ShareASale has a minimum threshold of $50 before you get paid as an affiliate.
1099 Tax Forms
This is where you will fill out and either fax or mail your tax required tax forms. Every blogger is required to report their income. Make sure that you learn the laws in your state or country as they differ from place to place.
Past Revenue
A quick glance at how much you’ve been paid out on the network.
Rejected Payments
You’ll find any payments that weren’t paid out because they didn’t qualify. I’ve personally never had to deal with this, so fingers crossed I never do.
Non Tracked Order Inquiry
This report will show you an order that wasn’t tracked to your account. I’ve never experienced any issues with this, but here’s a link to help you understand more about this reporting feature.
FAQ
How Does ShareASale Work?
If you’re an affiliate marketer who wants to get paid for your content, you can complete the sign up process to start monetizing your blog. Once you’re approved, you can start promoting your unique affiliate URL.
Whenever someone buys something through your link you’ll be paid a commission or flat fee for your referral. All you have to do is drive traffic to your unique URL.
Is ShareASale Safe?
I know that there are a ton of scams online that promise to help you make thousands of dollars. I’ve personally been using ShareASale for several years and I have never had trouble getting paid.
Once you reach your $50 threshold and have set up your payment settings, you’ll be paid without having to worry about doing anything on your part.
They have a user-friendly dashboard that is pretty easy to figure out. Even if you’ve never been an affiliate before, I have no doubt that you’ll find it pretty easy to use.
Just remember, you probably won’t use all the reports in your dashboard. I’ve made sure to help you understand some of the most important reports that you’ll be using on a regular basis.
Which Affiliate Programs Would You Recommend?
There are literally hundreds of different affiliate programs you can join. I’ve written a blog post on 9 affiliate programs for new bloggers.
Every blog is different and you might have to do some testing to see which programs convert best for you. However, here is a list of some of the most popular networks:
- Clickbank
- Rakuten
- Commission Junction
- ShareASale
Final Take Away
Making money from affiliate marketing is not as easy as just plastering your blog with links. This course will help you learn how to actually make money with affiliate marketing.
Don’t be afraid to test out different programs to see which ones convert best for you. It takes time to learn how to actually make good money, but with persistence, you will reach your goals.
Hello Susan,
Thanks for this post. Unfortunately I didn’t have a positive experience from Shareasale. I had made almost $500 commission by promoting merchants on my blog. All the commissions are locked successfully but when the payment time comes they suspended my account without giving me any valid reason. I have also send them several emails but they didn’t reply me. Glad to know that you get paid timely.
Have a Great Day ๐
Vishwajeet
Hey Vishwajeet,
Sorry to hear that happened to you with ShareASale, that totally sucks. I’ve been very fortunate and have never had to deal with anything like that.
Which affiliate network are you working with now?
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
Have a great day ๐
Susan
Hello Susan,
Currently I am joining programs indvidually and using CJ and Impactradius. I will let you know how my journey will go through these networks.
Have a Great Day ๐
Vishwajeet
Hey Vishwajeet,
I use Imapctradius as well. I’ve had a CJ account in the past but never really used it.
Let me know how it goes, have a great day ๐
Susan
Great article Susan. I just got started with Share A Sale and this was really helpful! Glad to know you’ve been with them for a while and have had a good experience with them. Thanks!
Hi Tanya,
Glad to hear that you’ve joined ShareASale. I hope you have a good experience with them.
Have a great day ๐
Susan