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Many of the top niches to make money with online fall within three categories – health, wealth and love.
Dating affiliate programs fall inside the love category and are one of the most profitable niches you’ll find on the internet, mainly because everyone needs love and they sometimes find help using the internet in some way or the other.
Whether they’re looking for dating advice, dating sites where they can find someone for a relationship or a quick hookup or products to help them improve their current relationship, if you’re currently promoting in the dating niche then you’re well positioned to take a huge chunk of this $3 billion industry.
There are lots of niches you could target as an affiliate and you can be guided by how dating sites are targeting their users. Location, age, sexual-orientation, culture, habits, social status, race, religion and even hobbies are all criteria used.
The industry is huge and there are endless ways and angles you can use to make money with a website or blog in the dating niche. In this article, I’m going to give you 10 of the best affiliate programs you can use to monetize your website.
This year, you’ll fall in love with earning from these 10 top dating affiliate programs.
1. eharmony
One of the very best dating offers you can promote in terms of trustworthiness is eHarmony. They take dating seriously and because of this they’re known as the world’s most trusted dating site.
The site has a patented compatibility matching system based on a relationship questionnaire that they came up with from 35 years of research. They’re actually responsible for a lot of people getting together who eventually get married.
eHharmony frequently runs television ads which has a positive impact on their online presence and affiliates end up benefiting from this. See the video to the right for an example of one of their commercials.
The affiliate program offers 30% per sale on CJ Affiliate and also pays $10 per lead when someone completes and submits the questionnaire. I’ve seen other commission rates quoted elsewhere online but I’m not sure where those are from since some affiliate programs may be on multiple networks.
eHarmony’s UK site also has an affiliate program with AWIN which pays £70 per sale to UK affiliates so if you’re from that side of the world then that’s an option.
Referral period is 45 days and I say referral period instead of cookie length because on CJ Affiliate, eHarmony is one of the programs which use the latest technology of cookieless tracking as a lot of modern browsers are trying to block cookies now. So visitors click on your link and you’ll be credited with a sale if it happens anytime within that 45 day period.
When it comes to their affiliates, eHarmony takes good care of them by offering regularly updated creatives and anything you may need to effectively promote their offer. It’s one of the best affiliate offers you’ll find as they’re the #1 trusted dating website in the world.
2. People Media
Affiliates looking for niche offers to promote to their audience can look no further than People Media. This company is owned by Match.com, which is another dating site brand you may recognize.
People Media’s top performing websites include:
- OurTime.com
- SeniorPeopleMeet.com
- BlackPeopleMeet.com
- SingleParentMeet.com
- CatholicPeopleMeet.com
- ChristianPeopleMeet.com
- BBPeopleMeet.com
- LoveAndSeek.com
- LDSPlanet.com
Each site caters to a very specific niche which you can sometimes tell from the domain name. People Media consistently spends on TV and offline advertising to raise brand awareness which helps to generate high conversions which affiliates may benefit from.
Their affiliate program pays 50% on entry and you can work your way up to earning 100%. You can sign up their the CJ Affiliate network which handles tracking and payments for their affiliate program. Cookies have a duration of 120 days after a visitor clicks on your affiliate link.
If you want to promote dating offers to multiple niches then People Media gives you this opportunity. They work with their affiliates to ensure they have the creatives they need and pay out over $1 million in commissions on a monthly basis.
3. Match.com
Match.com is another recognizable brand in online personals and dating that you may have come to know about through television and offline advertising. The company spends a lot of advertising which impacts their online presence. This is good for affiliates and can positively affect conversion rates.
Match.com also owns People Media, another company on this list with niche dating offers and their affiliate details are almost the same. They both use CJ Affiliate to manage their affiliate program and they start at 50% commission rates with the opportunity for affiliates to earn 100% commissions.
Cookie length is 120 days although I should refer to this as referral days since cookie-less tracking is enabled for them through their affiliate network.
The company also has a UK version of the affiliate program managed through CJ Affiliate so if you’re from that side of the world and prefer to get paid in Euros and Pound sterling then that option may be for you.
Match.com respects their affiliates and offers their expertise and new and updated as well as customized creatives to help you convert your website visitors into paying subscribers.
4. Elite Singles
Elite Singles has a target market of mostly working professionals and about 85% of their members are highly educated. Members have high standards in both their working and private lives and Elite Singles aims to provide them with a long term, satisfying and serious relationship.
They have a highly recognizable brand due to their investment in both television and print advertising and affiliates benefit greatly from this. Elite Singles achieves their main goal by focusing on compatibility which is measured through their use of a scientifically based personality test.
This personality test is where conversions are achieved for affiliates and Elite Singles will pay $7 per lead for every completion from the traffic you send. They only allow US leads though and they also have a Canadian offer available for you to promote. Both affiliate programs are managed through CJ Affiliate.
Cookie length is 45 days. For a lead to be counted, the personality test must be fully completed and Elite Singles also takes into account some minimum quality requirements. They’re serious about the safety and quality of their members so if you really want to help your audience then this may be a quality program to promote to them and earn $7 just for having your traffic complete a compatibility test.
5. Christian Mingle
Christian Mingle is an online dating site that caters to the demographic of Christian singles. They’re owned by Spark Network, the same company that owns the aforementioned Elite Singles.
The site focuses on helping Christian men and women find “a loving, God-centered relationship built on mutual faith and love” so if you have a website with a similar topic then you may be able to add this affiliate program to offers you can use to monetize your website.
Christian Mingle’s affiliate program is managed through CJ Affiliate where they pay $2 per lead. A lead qualifies when a visitor signs up and completes the compatibility test within the 30 day referral period. It may not sound like much but this is $2 you get by sending a very focused niche crowd to an offer where they don’t have to even make a purchase.
Christian Mingle is a recognized brand thanks to television and offline ad campaigns that boost their online presence and benefits affiliate traffic. There is even a movie that features the brand and goes by the same name.
The marketing team at Christian Mingle knows that affiliates can make them even more successful and vice versa and are ready to help in any way, even going as far as creating custom creatives when you need. They also offer from time to time bonus incentives and special promotions.
6. AdultFriendFinder
Not everyone who is looking for a date online is looking for a serious, lasting relationship. Some people just want to meet up for some adult fun. They’re not interested in eHarmony or Match.com compatibility tests. For these people, there are sites like AdultFriendFinder.com.
AdultFriendFinder is one of the largest online communities that cater for swinger and sex dating and they have a network of sites that affiliates can promote. These sites each handle a different demographic whether it’s straight, transgender, gay, mature and so on.
The commission rates are paid on a tiered-payout plan based on the number of orders you generate per day and can range from $50 up to $130 per sale. There is also a 55% commission rate payable for recurring orders.
If you prefer to get paid per lead then you’ll have to apply to this and pass a test. Once approved, you’ll be able to earn $5 per lead on traffic from select countries.
You can find out more about AdultFriendFinder’s high-paying affiliate program through their affiliate page where you can also sign up to promote.
7. Ashley Madison
Founded in 2001, Ashley Madison is a website with a very special target market – they cater to married people who want to have an affair or discreet relationship.
However controversial this may be, there is money to be made by catering to the needs of this market and Ashley Madison will pay up to $200 per sale or 60%-70% for each referral.
Their affiliate program is operated in-house and has a second tier which means you can earn by referring other website owners. You’ll get 10% of whatever your referred affiliates earn.
Cookies are lifetime so your traffic an convert at anytime in the future as long as they’re not referred by another affiliate. Payouts are made every 1st and 15th of the month and you must have a minimum of $200 in commissions in order to be paid.
Affiliates can benefit from incentives such as bonus promotions, prizes and even trips. Ashley Madison spends money on television and print advertising to boost their online exposure and affiliates can benefit from this.
8. Cougar Life
Here’s another very targeted niche dating site that you can use to get up to $80 per sale. It’s called Cougar Life and it’s for women looking to date younger men or men looking to date older women (cougars).
Created in 2008, “Cougar Life has grown to become one of the largest online dating sites catering exclusively to cougar singles and hot young men looking to date them.”
As an affiliate, you’ll get high commissions with a 30 day cookie duration managed through an in-house affiliate program. Every account has a dedicated affiliate team and promises 24/7 affiliate support.
The largest user bases are in the United States, Canada and Australia although the site is available to anyone in the entire world. This is an exciting offer that can net you high commission rates if you can promote it well.
9. Kasidie
Swinger dating as an affiliate niche can be very profitable when you choose Kasidie as one of your affiliate programs.
Kasidie is an adult community for sexually adventurous people who are looking for swinging parties, erotic events, dining, writing, travel, BDSM and fetishes. According to the site it’s mostly about making friends and living an uninhibited lifestyle.
The site has the “most rewarding affiliate program in the swinging world” as they pay you 35% recurring commissions per sale for as long as your referrals stay on as a member of the site.
90 day cookies ensure that you get credit for your referrals even if they don’t immediately convert. You get paid via checks or PayPal every month on the 15th. The real appeal of this program is the recurring commissions which can allow you to build up a nice annuity for as long as you keep sending members.
10. David Wygant
David Wygant has helped millions of people transform their personal lives and relationships with his free advice and coaching. He has been featured on mainstream media channels like MTV, E! Entertainment, AskMen.com, Bravo, NBC, Fox and Huffington Post.
He has written books and as a relationship coach, helped both men and women find success in their dating, social and personal lives. He has numerous high converting courses on his website which you can promote to your audience as an affiliate if you genuinely want to help others.
Affiliates can earn 50% per sale promoting his high converting products for men and women. Cookies have a 30 day duration. Some benefits of joining David Wygant’s affiliate program are the massive amounts of resources and creatives available for affiliates to leverage.
David Wygant’s team provides custom banners, unlimited support, access to Wygant himself for interviews and there are over 300 videos available to use in your promotional campaigns. Commissions are paid monthly via checks or PayPal.
Promoting Dating Affiliate Programs
If you have a website that targets a dating topic or you write about relationships and love then you may find adding dating affiliate programs to your website an easy way to monetize.
If you don’t run a website about dating and relationships, you may think that it won’t work but everyone is looking for dating options and there is always some angle in which you can target people who want to date online. For example, if you run a diet and weight loss website then you can always include topics that relate to weight loss and dating and include options. Someone reading your diet website may be interested in finding a compatible partner who doesn’t mind dating a guy who is working to improve himself. Anyone can find compatibility by completing the eHarmony test.
Many of these dating websites have already done their homework and target a very tight niche such as Catholic Dating (or see any other religion), Black People Meet (or see any other race), swinger dating (or see any other lifestyle). If you have topics based on religion, race or lifestyle then you should be able to find a dating site that caters to people in your niche. It’s just a matter of connecting the two topics.
Affiliate Training Can Help You Earn More
As an affiliate, you can earn more by getting the right affiliate training whether you need to know how to build a better website, how to write better converting content or how to get more traffic to your websites from search engines or social media.
If you’re just starting out or have been doing affiliate marketing for a short time then you may need training even more.
Since 2007, I’ve used this website to learn how to make a full time income on the internet and it has helped tremendously as they provide step-by-step training, tutorials, live classes, website creation tools, web hosting, community support and more. You can create a free account to get started and grow your dating website from there.
Hi Jay – I’ve got some great offers. How might I get them added to your list?
I’m not sure what you mean. What offers do you have? I don’t think I’ll be adding anything to this top 10 list of dating offers.