How Much Money Do You Need to Start with Affiliate Marketing?


Imagine walking into a casino without money, sitting at the high-rollers table, and winning a few grand without having to put anything on the line. It would be amazing, wouldn’t it? But, as you’re probably thinking already, it also sounds extremely unlikely.
Launching an affiliate campaign is similar to this scenario, minus the gambling of course. Even when some platforms offer great deals and what seems to be the ability to advertise almost for free, it’s impossible to become a successful marketer without making a solid investment first.
In this article, we’ll give you an idea of the budget you need to start your own affiliate business.

Low-Budget Campaigns Are Not an Option

Before we go over the expenses that all affiliates need to cover, it’s important that we explain why “free-money” and low-budget campaigns are not a good idea.

List of Expenses All Affiliates Need to Cover

In simple terms, you’ll need a budget of around $500 to get started as an affiliate. Remember, some of the tools you use have to be paid monthly, which means that you need to reinvest part of your gross earnings every cycle.
The list of expenses can be broken down into:

Traffic

To run campaigns, affiliate marketers must purchase traffic. The price you pay and the platform you use will help define the quality of the traffic. Usually, $300 is enough to run a few tests and make some profit.
The first campaign you build should be targeted to Tier-3 (GEOs). What is a Tier of Traffic? Also, make sure you choose an offer that has a simple conversion flow (i.e. doesn’t require deposits or CC submits).

Tracking Tools

Platforms like PropellerAds allow you to use the built-in tracker to measure the performance of your ads. But, if you want more flexibility, you can invest in an independent tracker, which usually start at $100 per month.

Hosting

You also have to find a reliable hosting provider that’s suitable for your landing pages and the tracker you choose, if it’s not self-hosted. There are many options in this category, and their price tag range from very cheap to obscenely expensive.
Additionally, if you have a self-hosted tracker, you may have the option to upload your landing pages to the same platform. This can improve the accuracy of your tracker, and result in more conversions thanks to the reduced number of redirects. 

Spy Tools

Spy tools help you identify competitors that are performing well, so you get an idea of the type of ad you have to design. These start at $40 and can include a huge number of features like keyword research and search page analysis. There are free options available, but they come with limited functionality more often than not.

Landing Page Builder

Before buying a landing page builder, check if your CPA network provides ready landing pages. If not, you may have to fork out around $20 for a decent builder, but make sure you can also download the landing pages to avoid vendor lock!

Translators

Language should not be a limitation if you want to target a lucrative market. Translator services can be found via Upwork, Fiverr, and other freelancing platforms, and they cost about $5 a pop if you get a good deal. 

Images and Creatives

Free stock images are becoming popular, but the truth is that users usually can tell they are stock images. Paid platforms offer more options and cost around $29 per month, with the most popular ones being Shutterstock and RawPixel.

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