Best Affiliate Programs: A Comprehensive Guide to Online Learning Platforms

David Zenler Author

Oct 01, 2024 |

We compare and guide you to the best Partner Program taking into account all factors across New Zenler, Kajabi, Teachable and Thinkific.

With online education and digital marketing techniques evolving, so have affiliate programs as a great way for content creators, marketers, and entrepreneurs to get a return on investment for online presence. This long-tail guide will help you through some of the best affiliate programs out there, with a real focus on four big online learning platforms: New Zenler, Kajabi, Teachable, and Thinkific. Features of each of the programs will be discussed individually, and we'll compare the deals, all to give you an inside look when deciding on which affiliate program will suit your needs best.

Get to Know Affiliate Marketing

But before we get to the programs themselves, let refresh on exactly what it is that 'affiliate marketing' entails. Affiliate marketing is the process by which a business rewards affiliates based on every customer acquired through the efforts of an affiliate marketer. It's frequently done through an affiliate link, referral code, or promo code, with which sales are then traced back to the referring site or person.

Key terms in affiliate marketing include:

Affiliate link: A unique URL that allows one to trace traffic and sales originating from an affiliate.

• Referral link: Another term used for an affiliate link.
• Partner program: The program through which affiliates are allowed to promote products or services of a company.
• Referral code: A one-of-a-kind code identifying referrals and sales.
• Promo code: A code that gives a customer the benefit of a discount while tracking affiliate sales.
• Discount code: Almost similar to a promo code in the sense that it gives discounts while tracking sales.

Now, let us see the affiliate programs of four popular online learning platforms.

New Zenler Affiliate Program

New Zenler is an all-in-one online course platform that comes with a smart affiliate program for its users.

Here are the principal components of New Zenler's affiliate program:

Commission Structure

• Tier 1 referrals: up to 40% commission
• Tier 2 referrals: 5% commission
• Lifetime recurring commissions

Program Details

• No public affiliate sign-up available at this point.
• Course Creator Manual Adding of Affiliates
• Commission Rates Customizable per Course
• Unique Affiliate Codes for real-time Tracking
• Affiliate Management
• Detailed Reporting on Sales and Commissions
• Manual payout system— Creators process payments through their payment gateway
• Ability to set cookie expiration days [Default 30 Days]

Pros:

• High Commission Rates
• Tier 2 Commissions for Increased Earning Potential
• Dynamic Commission Structure for Course Creators

Cons

• No Public Affiliate Sign up
• Manual Payout Process

Kajabi Partner Program

Kajabi is an all-in-one online course marketplace. Within that marketplace, their Partner Program exists with lucrative opportunities for affiliates. Commission Structure: 30% lifetime commission off of referrals' Kajabi subscription payments. 

Program Details You have to be an active Kajabi account holder to participate. Commissions are paid based on whatever the referral's payment schedule might be. 

All Partner payouts have a 60-day hold. Affiliate Management This program is managed in-house, so PayPal payouts will happen on the 25th of every month. Generate and share custom campaign links

Partner Dashboard to Track Performance

Pros

• Lifetime Commissions
• Integration w/ Kajabi's All-in-One Platform
• Dedicated Partner Support Team

Cons

• Will Need to have to be a Kajabi user
• 60 day hold on payouts
• Teachable Affiliate Program

Teachable is one of the well-known online course platforms with an affiliate program that can be availed for its users and even partners.

Commission Structure

• Up to 30% commission on referrals

Program Details

One year of recurring commission per sale

• 30 day cookie duration
• $100 payout threshold
• Affiliate Management
• Full, in-depth affiliate dashboard and reporting system
• Access to promotional materials

Pros

• Well Built Platform w/ High Reputation
• Advanced reporting features

Disadvantages

• Shorter commission duration compared to some competitors
• Longer payout threshold

Thinkific Partner Program

Thinkific has a partner program aimed at agencies, app developers, and marketing partners.

Commission Tiers

• 30% lifetime recurring commission
• Program Details
• Cookie durability: 90 days
• Over 51,000 active course creators
• Get to participate in the Experts Marketplace
• Partner management
• Priority technical support and other respective resources
• Partner-specific training
• Early acknowledgement of new platform releases

Pros

• Long cookie duration
• Huge network of course creators
• Full partner support and resources

Cons

• More agency- and developer-oriented than affiliate-oriented

Comparing the Affiliate Programs

To help you decide on the best affiliate program for you, let's compare these four platforms:

Choosing the right Partner Program factors

Anyway, the factors in play while choosing an affiliate program include:

1. Commission rates and structure: Go for competitive rates and recurring commissions.
2. Cookie duration: The longer it is, the better are your chances of earning.
3. Payout terms: Consider payout threshold, frequency, and method.
4. Program reputation: Be sure to research the credibility of the platform and user satisfaction.
5. Support and resources: The best of them provide you with marketing materials and affiliate support.
6. Relevance to your audience: Go for those programs that concern your audience's interests and needs.

Successful Affiliate Marketing Strategies

Maximize your affiliate program earnings by adopting the following strategies:

• Quality Content: Come up with informative blog posts, videos, or podcasts about using a certain platform.
• Email Marketing: Build an email list and send them quality content with your affiliate offers.
• Use social media effectively: Share experiences and success stories you have got from the platform on social media.
• Offer bonuses: Provide some kind of bonuses exclusively when they sign up through your affiliate link.
• Transparency: Always be open about the links being affiliate links.
• Track and analyze performances: Use the affiliate dashboards provided to track results and optimize strategies.

Let us Compare platforms

Comparing its partner programs to those of New Zenler, Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi will be done based on some key aspects of each program, after which a determination of the overall best package for affiliates is presented.

New Zenler Partner Program

1. Commission rate: Up to 40% on Tier 1 referrals, 5% on Tier 2 referrals
2. Commission duration: Lifetime recurring commissions
3. Cookie Duration: Not specified
4. Payout threshold: Not specified
5. Promotional materials: Available

Thinkific Partner Program

1. Commission rate: 30% lifetime recurring commission
2. Commission Duration: Lifetime
3. Cookie duration: 90 days
4. Payout threshold: Not specified
5. Promotional materials: Ready-to-go creative and promotional content provided

Teachable Partner Program

• Commission rate: Up to 30%
• Commission duration: One-year recurring commission per sale
• Cookie duration: 30 days
• Payout threshold: $100
• Promotional materials: Provided

Kajabi Partner Program

• Commission rate: 30% lifetime commission
• Commission Duration: Lifetime
• Cookie duration: 30 days
• Payout threshold: Not specified
• Promotional materials: Not mentioned explicitly

Comparative and highlighting Notes

Commission Rate: New Zenler is the highest at up to 40%. 

It's followed by Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi with 30%.

Commission Duration: New Zenler and Thinkific both have commission duration for life. However, Thinkific does not spell it out clearly. 

Teachable also follows this approach but shall have it limited only up to a year.
Kajabi does not mention this as well.

Cookie Duration

• New Zenler cookie duration can be set by you to a maximum of 365 days.
• Thinkific's cookie duration at 90 days.
• Teachable trailed second at 30 days. 
• Kajabi just did not specify their cookie durations.

Promotional Materials

All programs but Kajabi specifically mention that promotional material is provided to the affiliate.

Unique Features

Only New Zenler runs a Tier 2 commission, letting affiliates earn from sub-affiliates.

Conclusion

Comparing these, New Zenler's Partner Program comes out as the best overall choice for most affiliates. Here's why: highest commission rate- up to 40%, lifetime recurring commissions, additional Tier 2 commissions that allow for expanded earning potential, and promotional materials provided.

That said, the best program will vary depending on individual needs.

Those who are looking for an older, more established, reputable platform will like Teachable or Kajabi.

If someone is already using one of these platforms to host their own courses, then they may prefer to promote the very same platform.

Finally, New Zenler offers the best financial incentives, but one also needs to think about what else is offered by this platform, who it is targeted to, and whether one knows something about it in order to give their last word for it.

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