Making money as an artist has been a dream of mine since middle school, but the sustainability of selling original pieces for income is unrealistic for most people. Fortunately, there are affiliate programs for art blogs that can bring you some passive income, which can allow you to spend more time creating and less time worrying about how you will pay the bills this month.
I’ve been using affiliate marketing for quite a while now, and I wanted to share with others my top affiliate programs for an art blog. So, let’s get started!
Top 5 Affiliate Programs for an Art Blog
All the recommendations below are either actively used on my site and recommended based on my experience, OR they are recommended due to their popularity and praise from other art bloggers.
1 – Amazon Associates
Yes, I’m sure you’ve already heard this one. But if you haven’t already signed up for them, you should. Whether you’re a painter, graphite artist, sculptor, or whatever, Amazon has something you can link to.
Quick Info
- Commission: ~3%
- Conversion Rate: 10-20%
- Cookie Duration: 24 hours
- Affiliate Network: Amazon Associates
Why Use Amazon Associates for an Art Blog
- Huge Userbase
- There are over 200 million Amazon Prime members worldwide. This means that many of your visitors already have a Prime membership and are more likely to convert if your recommended products are on Amazon. This means your conversion rate will be much higher for this program.
- Easy to Sign Up
- Amazon Associates has an easy sign-up process that only requires you to refer 3 sales within 180 days. This can be any products that are eligible for the Amazon Associates program. If you already have a blog that recommends products on Amazon (and you’re receiving traffic), this should be relatively easy.
- Innumerable Art-Related Products
- It’s estimated that Amazon has a staggering 600 million products listed on their website, and many of those products are of or pertaining to the art industry. From paintbrushes to pottery clay, Amazon probably has it.
Potential Downsides of Amazon Associates
- Relatively Low Commission
- Amazon’s commission rates are relatively low compared to alternative programs, depending on what you’re promoting. However, it’s not terrible. The average commission rate I make on this website is about 3% since each category varies. However, you should also consider that most Amazon purchases are small ticket items, so you probably won’t make a living using Amazon Associates alone.
- Very Short Cookie Duration
- Firstly, if you’re unsure what “cookies” are in this context, I recommend reading this article since it’ll be important to know before jumping into affiliate marketing for your art blog. While cookie durations vary greatly among affiliate partners, seeing one under two weeks is uncommon. Amazon’s? 24 hours. While I can somewhat understand this, seeing as how popular Amazon is, it’s also a huge downside, considering how many other programs typically offer at least 30 days.
2 – BLICK Affiliates
This is another commonly used affiliate program for art bloggers, but I’ve actually had a lot more success with Amazon than BLICK so far. However, there are some products only available on BLICK, which is why I still recommend signing up.
Quick Info
- Commission: 10%
- Conversion Rate: 3%
- Cookie Duration: 14 Days
- Affiliate Network: CJ Affiliates
Why Use BLICK Affiliates for an Art Blog
- Unique Products
- As I mentioned in the paragraph above, there are some art supplies and products available on BLICK that just aren’t available on Amazon. For this reason alone, it’s good to sign up. You want to cover all your bases if you want to start bringing in some revenue.
- Higher Commission Rate
- BLICK used to have a 3% commission rate, which increased substantially to 10% in November 2019. This is good, but you need to pair this with their conversion rate, which pales in comparison to Amazon Associates.
- Part of the CJ Network
- I consider this a pro because I like it when I can see affiliate data from multiple brands in one place. CJ has a vast network of affiliate brands, and BLICK is just one of many you can sign up for
Potential Downsides of BLICK Affiliates
- Average Conversion Rate
- Compared to Amazon, BLICK’s conversion rate is pretty low. For those of you who are new to the industry, the conversion rate is the percentage of people who actually buy something after clicking your links. Amazon averages around a whopping 19% (VERY high) for this site. BLICK, on the other hand, is about 3%.
- Shipping Charges
- Shipping costs are a big deterrent for purchases, which is why Amazon Prime is so popular. BLICK customers need to spend at least $59.00 to qualify for free shipping. This can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, some customers will be deterred from purchasing. On the other, it may encourage users to spend more to meet that minimum order amount.
3 – MEEDEN Affiliates
MEEDEN is another art-specific affiliate that works great for art bloggers. Much of what they offer will be very similar to what you’ll find on BLICK, but they’ll have a few unique selling points that’ll make them worth signing up for.
Quick Info
- Commission: 10%
- Conversion Rate: ~3%
- Cookie Duration: 30 Days
- Affiliate Network: UpPromote Affiliates
Why Use MEEDEN Affiliates for an Art Blog
- User Friendly Site
- Their site is very well-made, and their navigation includes many more visuals than BLICK’s website. For example, their main navbar includes images in many of the drop-downs, which is more appealing to me as a user.
- “Buy With Prime”
- A really cool feature MEEDEN has is their “Buy WIth Prime” highlight. This is a huge appeal to anyone with Amazon Prime since it pre-fills your information based on your Amazon account and maximizes Prime’s free shipping benefits.
- Rewards Program
- Reward programs are a great incentive for customers to return to the site. I can think of many examples where I came back to a store specifically because I had some reward points to use.
Potential Downsides of MEEDEN Affiliates
- Average Conversion Rate
- You’ll discover quickly that Amazon’s conversion rate is an anomaly due to their large and loyal user base. While I do not have enough data to confidently say how well MEEDEN converts, I expect it to average around 3%, which is similar to BLICK.
- Shipping Charges
- While I did put this as a “con,” it’s important to note that MEEDEN only requires a purchase of $39.95 or more to qualify for free shipping. This is $20 less than what’s seen on BLICK, but still a potential barrier for buyers.
4 – Domestika Affiliates
Domestika is the first recommendation I have that I don’t personally have experience with as of yet. However, depending on your target audience, it’s an educational platform directed specifically towards artists, which could be a great pairing for an art blog.
Quick Info
- Commission: $2 per Lead | 20% – 40% per Sale
- Conversion Rate: ~3%
- Cookie Duration: 30 Days
- Affiliate Network: Impact Affiliates
Why Use Domestika Affiliates for an Art Blog
- Education Specific to Artists
- The visitors to most art blogs will be other aspiring artists, many of which are looking to improve their skills. Domestika is an educational platform specifically directed toward artists, which will likely be a perfect fit for your audience.
- Generous Commission
- A “Lead” is typically when someone signs up for something but doesn’t make a purchase. This means that you’ll be making money for users even if they don’t spend money. And if they do, you’ll be making an impressive 20-40% of whatever it is they purchase.
- Large Offering of Courses
- Domestika has over 2,000 courses in things such as illustration, design, 3D & Animation, and fashion and culinary classes. Anything artsy, they probably have a course on it.
Potential Downsides of Domestika Affiliates
- Some Negative Reviews
- This is actually the only real con that I have for Domestika, but it’s a pretty big one. There seem to be some recurring reviews that mention shady payment practices at Domestika. It’s hard to know how legitimate these are, but the fact that a good number of them means you should probably alert your audience to the risk. Something to keep in mind is that many of the positive reviews are actually from users who initially made a complaint but had their money returned, so customer service seems to take care of any unwanted charges.
5 – Adobe Affiliates
“Adobe? Like, Photoshop Adobe?” Yes, THAT Adobe. The one that’s touted as the go-to software for digital artists. This is a must-have if your art blog is focused on digital art because this is the first brand that comes to any artist’s mind when they hear “Illustration Software.”
Quick Info
- Commission: 85% First Month Subscription
- Conversion Rate: ~3%
- Cookie Duration: 30 Days
- Affiliate Network: Partnerize Affiliates
Why Use Adobe Affiliates for an Art Blog
- Well Known Brand
- Adobe Photoshop is easily the most well-known software among digital artists, and their brand recognition is a big part of what makes their company worth billions. If you use Adobe and recommend it on your art blog, your visitors will almost definitely already know and trust Adobe’s brand.
- Incredible Commission
- 85% of the first month is a fantastic commission that you likely won’t find anywhere else. If you end up getting your art blog to rank for anything that brings in Adobe conversions, you could easily start bringing in some notable passive income.
Potential Downsides of Adobe Affiliates
- Very Saturated Market
- The brand recognition is a double-edged sword here. Since most people know Adobe, why would they need to click your links? Your best bet will be to rank for traffic that isn’t immediately thinking of Adobe as their best option. Don’t expect to make money writing a page titled “Best Illustration Software” with Adobe at the top. Everyone and their grandmother already have that page on their art blog, hoping to make a killing.
Conclusion
These are just my top picks, but I’m also pretty new to the game and basing these mostly off of my experience so far. As I continue to collect more information and sign up for new programs I’ll definitely be adding them here.
If you’ve had great success with a particular affiliate program that I haven’t mentioned, I’d love to know about it! Leave a comment or send me a message via my contact page. I hope you have a phenomenal day!