What Are the Types of Publishers in Affiliate Marketing?

The entire affiliate marketing industry is valued at more than 12 billion US dollars and that number shows no signs of slowing down. While consumers may be the most important element of the affiliate ecosystem, publishers also play a crucial role as these specialists help attract audiences that advertisers look to interact with. However, there are many types of publishers out there, so you need to understand all of the different options before choosing the best alternative for your case.

At ActiveRevenue, we work closely with some of the top marketers in the world so our team is very familiar with the different types of publishers out there. There are many marketers that follow a hybrid model, but the only way to implement this method is to understand the distinct types of publishers you can become.

Below, we’ll go over the different types of publishers in affiliate marketing and explain what each one does.

What Are Publishers in Affiliate Marketing?

Before going any further, let’s take a moment to define publishers in the affiliate context. Simply put, an affiliate publisher is a content creator that specializes in publishing materials through websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels. The content published can be original or re-published materials that cover anything from sports to entertainment, fiction, science, and everything in between.

Publishers are the connection point between advertisers and their audiences, so these content creators have to stay on top of the most recent consumer trends. Keeping up with the latest vogues allows publishers to develop better content and identify the best distribution channels at the same time. That said, you need to learn how to leverage tools like Google Trends and other platforms that let you identify the most recent shifts.

7 Types of Publisher Found in Affiliate Marketing

All publishers are different, so there is no exact formula to building a successful app or website. Instead, potential publishers need to identify their strong suits and learn about all the different types of content they can specialize in. This will help them choose the best publication channel and, later on, the types of content that are more suited to their skillsets.

Let’s take a look at 7 of the most common types of publisher platforms in affiliate marketing.

1. Blogs and Content Platforms

Bloggers and similar web content creators are the most common type of publishers out there. These publishers specialize in generating content that consumers deem as relevant or otherwise valuable. While there are many ways to drive traffic to a blog or content platform, most of these specialists focus on organic means like SEO in order to attract a high number of users to their content.

2. Cashback and Loyalty Sites

Loyalty and cashback publishers receive a commission for the sales they generate through affiliate links, referrals, or a similar system. Cashback sites split the commission they receive with end-users, returning part of the funds spent as a cash reward. Loyalty platforms are similar, with the difference that users receive loyalty points that they can exchange later on for other products.

3. Comparison Pages

Comparison sites are designed to help people compare two or more products in order to help consumers make the best purchase decision. Publishers that develop this type of platform can charge advertisers for appearing on the search results, to get higher rankings, and for the conversions or sales generated on the site

4. Social Media Publishers

There are many types of social media publishers, but in general terms these content creators promote their materials almost exclusively through networks like Facebook and Instagram. Like bloggers, influencers and other social media publishers have to stay on top of the latest tendencies that consumers follow in order to generate content right away.

5. Email Marketers

Email publishers rely on one of the oldest digital advertising channels available today. Some publishers have collected hundreds of thousands of addresses, allowing them to produce robust campaigns for virtually any industry.

6. Retargeting and Remarketing Experts

Retargeting and remarketing experts usually specialize in paid online advertising channels to help advertisers target audiences that have already attempted to convert. Because these users have already shown interest in the publisher’s content, it’s easier to convince these individuals to complete the final steps to become a conversion.

7. Shopping Directories and Voucher Sites

As the name suggests, shopping directories and voucher sites feature a list of products, services, and other goods sold by a specific type of company. This type of content can be about one specific product or an entire industry. For example, you can have a directory or voucher site for iPhone cases or for mobile accessories in general.

Want to Become an Affiliate Publisher? Get in Touch with ActiveRevenue Now

If you want to learn more about becoming a publisher and making the most of your content, contact ActiveRevenue today and we’ll be glad to help.