Affiliate marketing is a great option for anyone who wants to start an online business. It’s easy to get started, offers flexibility and there is high earning potential.
However, due to its growing popularity, affiliate marketing is becoming a saturated industry. So, one of the key steps to affiliate marketing success is finding the right niche. Some would say it’s the most important decision you’ll make.
If you’re starting to panic, don’t worry. Whop is here to help you overcome this challenge. Read on for the best niches in 2024, along with hundreds of top sub-niches.
As you launch your new affiliate marketing business, maximize your chances of success in this exciting but competitive space with the right niche.
Affiliate Marketing: The Basics
At its core, affiliate marketing works through commission-based sales. You promote a company’s products or services online. If your efforts directly result in a sale, you receive a percentage. Depending on the affiliate program, you can even get paid for driving visitors to a company’s website where they take a specific action, such as signing up for a free trial or downloading an app.
There are lots of affiliate marketing strategies, and most involve creating content. Popular strategies include SEO-optimized websites or blogs with long-form reviews, articles and buying guides. Affiliate marketers also generate social media content on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram , and TikTok to promote their commission-earning products and services.
Read our full guide on Affiliate Marketing 101 to get started
When you sign up for an affiliate program, you receive a unique link to post or embed within your content, so companies can track your referrals each time someone clicks through to their site.
All kinds of companies have affiliate offers, giving you the opportunity to promote products and services in every sector imaginable. For example, Amazon has one of the most popular affiliate programs around - Amazon Affiliates - although it’s not necessarily the best.
So, where do you start? The answer is: niches.
What is a Niche?
Simply put, a niche is a market segment, topic or area of specialization. It's the difference between saying 'movie' and 'horror movie', or 'book' and 'romantic fantasy novel'. A clearly defined niche helps visitors and potential customers understand what a company or website is all about, and helps you to find customers who are already looking for what you're selling. For marketers like you, a niche guides your content creation and promotional activities to maximize the return on your efforts.
Examples of niches include ‘travel’, ‘finance’ and ‘technology’. However, within these broad niches are sub-niches, which further define the area of specialization. For example, within the ‘travel’ niche, you can find sub-niches such as ‘digital nomads’, ‘solo travel’ and ‘adventure travel’.
Why You Need an Affiliate Marketing Niche
Some celebrity influencers build a large enough following that they can get paid by multiple companies simply f being seen using their products or posting good things about them on social media.
However, if you don’t have that kind of status, success in affiliate marketing means building a relevant and engaged audience, whether through a blog, website, social media, or a mix of these.
A niche helps with this by ‘forcing’ you to direct your affiliate marketing efforts in a particular area. Rather than being restrictive, this allows you to build authority and trust by publishing content that adds real value. Become the go-to source for, say, helping people find the best gaming hardware or accessories, and visitors will be more likely to click on that all-important affiliate link.
For example, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, reviews books in this video for his 111 million fans – with affiliate links in the video description for Amazon.
Remember that to make money as an affiliate marketer, you need to get people to engage with the end client’s offering.
They then reward you for driving targeted traffic to their site and increasing their sales by paying you a commission. Do this effectively and there is a potential to make a high level of income.
What Makes a Good Affiliate Marketing Niche?
When it comes to affiliate marketing, not all niches are created equal. It’s important to do your research if you want to maximize your chances of success and avoid the hassle of switching to another niche later.
When you're deciding on your affiliate marketing niche, here are the key factors to keep in mind:
Low competition / high demand
While it’s easy to get started in affiliate marketing, one of the challenges is competition. Choosing a less-saturated niche can help you to stand out. This is where sub-niches come in, as you can drill down into your topic to find an area that has lots of interest among users but fewer marketers vying for those affiliate commissions.
Evergreen
On-trend niches are only going to be profitable as long as that topic is trending. If you’re focusing on Christmas tree decorating, summer is going to be slow.
Finding a niche that is consistently popular boosts your chances of regular income while still allowing you to respond to relevant trends. For example, if your niche is camping equipment or travel tech, you can tie content in with major sports events and music festivals to increase engagement and spotlight any relevant products you are promoting.
Profitability
The best niches are those which offer the highest earning potential for affiliates. This can be because they pay the highest commission rates and/or they offer other monetization opportunities. You can find commission rates from 1%, with the average at between 5% and 30%.
However, it’s important to put percentages into context. A smaller percentage commission on big-ticket items (like technology) or high-volume items (like beauty products) can still add up. The key question is – is it easier to get one big sale or 100 small ones?
Your interests
Finally, think about your hobbies and interests. To succeed in affiliate marketing, you will need to regularly publish quality content. It will be tough to keep your website, blog or social media filled with interesting content if you don’t like your topic.
It can also be hard to build trust and authority in some niches if you can’t relate to – or have no knowledge of – the topic. Finance, gaming and technology are examples of niches where ‘winging it’ can be hard if you can’t ‘speak’ your audience’s language. If you’re not a gamer, talking about gaming is going to be tough.
The strongest niches are those which combine most or all of these elements.
What are the Best Affiliate Marketing Niches? Our 17 Top Picks
Now you know all about niches, which are the best for affiliate marketing?
Here is our list of popular niches to consider in 2024, plus lots of great sub-niches that can help you craft a profitable affiliate marketing strategy.
We’ve also listed some examples of affiliate programs within each niche to give you an idea of what’s out there and the types of products and services you can promote. Some of these might not be a good fit for you due to age or country restrictions. So, be sure to do your homework and read the guidelines for each program before you sign up.
1. Technology
We start with a hugely popular and diverse niche, which offers great opportunities to earn affiliate commissions on big-ticket items if you can find your ‘sweet spot’, meaning an area that is not already saturated.
Success in this niche means keeping on top of new products and innovations, as competition in this niche is high and your audience will have good knowledge of the subject. If you care about the features of the latest iPhone, love a good pair of earbuds, or are excited about the future of 6G, this might be the niche for you.
Building authority in this niche is important. So, good content creation ideas include review and comparison sites, as well as ‘how to’ guides and troubleshooting videos, which establish you or your website as a trustworthy source of up-to-date information. This is a competitive niche, so it’s important to find a sub-niche where you can stand out.
What kinds of things can you promote?
You can focus on technology products and gadgets for home and business use. There are also opportunities across equipment and accessories, as well as related services, such as anti-virus software, insurance and training in coding.
Technology sub-niches to consider:
- Computer hardware
- AR/VR
- Anti-virus programs/software
- Headphones/earbuds
- Wireless tech
- Apps/app development
- Peripherals (such as scanners, monitors, printers and keyboards)
- Office tech
- Mobile devices
- 5G-enabled tech
- Wearables
- Cybersecurity/online privacy
- AI/Machine Learning
- Cloud computing
- Consumer tech/gadgets
- Internet/IoT
- Cameras/drones
- Batteries/chargers
- Equipment (such as bags and phone cases)
- Cryptocurrency/blockchain
- Smart home tech
- Home security systems
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Microsoft, Apple, HP, Epson, GoPro, Sony Store, LifeLock, Amazon Associates, and Codeacademy.
2. Gaming and esports
Boosted by technological innovation and increased demand during the pandemic, gaming is a growing niche. This year alone, the worldwide games industry is expected to reach $455bn in revenue.
Even though the market is smaller, esports have also seen significant growth, with the emergence of professional leagues. This has drawn sponsorship, broadcasting deals and big-money tournaments. Globally, the market is expected to grow by $3.47bn between 2023 and 2028.
Both gaming and esports are areas where being engaged with the community is vital to success as an affiliate. Most affiliates in this space have an active presence online, such as a blog and a YouTube channel.
These are among the more competitive and specialized niche, but if you’re already a gamer or esports aficionado and have, or can build an audience, it can be highly profitable. Typical channels to promote affiliate offers are YouTube and Twitch.
What kinds of things can you promote?
You can promote equipment, accessories and services specific to the gaming and esports markets. Other promotional opportunities include games and esports offers.
Gaming & esports sub-niches to consider:
- Esports leagues (such as ESL Pro, FIFAe, Dota 2, and League of Legends)
- Strategies for play
- Hardware/consoles
- Game development
- Mobile games
- Cloud gaming
- Gaming accessories (such as headphones, keyboards and chairs)
- Metaverse
- VR gaming
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Nvidia, Green Man Gaming, GameStop, Logitech, Amazon Associates, Twitch, Ubisoft Creators, EA Games Creator and Razer.
3. Online casinos
As with gaming, the dynamic online casino industry has grown considerably in recent years, triggered by the demand for at-home entertainment during the pandemic. The total market is now worth around $93bn and is forecast to grow by 10% a year. As well as established names, there have been lots of new entrants, each of which struggles to attract customers, which is where affiliates come in.
Online casinos offer virtual slots and table games, while some also feature live casino action and sportsbooks (betting on live sports events). Competition in this niche is high, but commissions are often lucrative. Content examples here include reviews of casinos and sign-up bonuses, guides to playing table games, and sports betting strategies.
In this niche, you can find affiliate opportunities with individual casinos or with networks, which have different casinos under their umbrella.
Be aware that gambling is not legal everywhere and the sector is regulated. Companies that run online casinos and sportsbooks are required to obtain a license from a recognized jurisdiction (such as the UK or Malta). So, do a little research before signing up to an affiliate program. Age restrictions also apply.
What kinds of things can you promote?
Affiliates drive users to the online casino’s website and receive a commission each time someone opens an account or gambles.
Online casino sub-niches to consider:
- Online slots/slot play
- Table games (such as poker, roulette, and blackjack)
- Bitcoin/crypto gambling
- Bingo/keno
- Sports betting by league (such as NBA, NFL and Premier League)
- Fantasy sports teams
- Virtual sports
- Esports betting
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Betsson Casinos, BitStarz, Bet 365, Cloudbet, Gamesys Group Partners, and Mr Green.
4. Finance
It might sound kind of dull compared to some of the niches on our list, but finance is a huge area, and one that offers great affiliate marketing potential. Money is essential throughout people’s lives, whether that’s everyday banking and savings, or high-end investing, trading and pensions. The opportunities are endless, as long as you can become a trusted source of valuable content.
Within this broad niche, you can focus on the segments of the general consumer market by creating easily digestible content that helps people understand finance and financial concepts. Alternatively, you can pursue a more knowledgeable professional or semi-professional consumer, such as those who invest in the stock market or real estate, and expect actionable content that leads to their wealth creation.
One word of caution with this niche is that financial services are a highly regulated area with different rules applying in individual countries, so do your homework to ensure your marketing efforts meet the criteria set out in the affiliate program’s guidelines. If there are no guidelines or the affiliate offer seems too good to be true, it might be a red flag.
What kinds of things can you promote?
In this niche, you can promote all kinds of products and services related to financial services and banking. Popular options include credit cards, insurance, investment vehicles and platforms, and foreign exchange services.
Finance sub-niches to consider:
- Credit cards
- Insurance
- Stocks and shares
- Comparison sites
- Pensions
- Mortgages
- Banking
- Cryptocurrency
- Wills and estate planning
- Investment opportunities
- FOREX/currency exchange
- Children’s finance (helping kids understand money)
- Budgeting (such as for students)
- Savings
- Coupons
- Alternative investing
- Digital banking
Example affiliate programs in this space include: eToro, Experian, Coinbase, and Hargreaves Lansdown.
5. Web hosting and website building
Any individual or organization that wants to build a website needs a platform and a hosting service, making this a potentially attractive area for affiliate marketers. Web hosting companies, in particular, vie for site owners’ business, so reward affiliates who can send motivated sales leads their way.
This is a trickier space in which to create content, but personal recommendations can work well if you have a large enough audience. Sharing a positive experience with a hosting site can encourage others to sign up. Posting reviews and creating value through, for example, giving away free ebooks can also entice people to click on that affiliate link.
Commissions in this space can be high, as once people pick a web hosting service or website building platform, they are likely to stick with it for the long term, making each sign-up more valuable. Because of its high earning potential, this is a competitive niche for affiliate marketers.
What kinds of things can you promote?
This is a service-driven niche in which you drive traffic to web hosting and website building providers and earn commissions when users sign up. There are also related products and add-on services, such as e-commerce tools, web development and paid plug-ins.
Web hosting & website building sub-niches to consider:
- WordPress
- Plug-ins
- Building websites for beginners
- Small businesses/entrepreneurs
- Ecommerce
- Website themes/templates
- Web analytics
- Monetizing blogs
- Form building
Example affiliate programs in this space include: SiteGround, HostGator, WP Engine, GoDaddy, Bluehost, WPX, HubSpot, Spotify, and Automattic (owner of WordPress.com).
6. Travel
Post-pandemic, the travel industry is once again booming, with the rise of remote work and the availability of digital nomad visas opening up new avenues for affiliates. Globally, the travel and tourism industry is forecast to be worth $1.063tn by 2028.
While competitive, this niche offers great opportunities to create original, high-quality web and social media content across text, images and video. Think travel guides, reviews, and step-by-step articles on topics of interest to experienced or budding travelers.
Not surprisingly, this niche is popular among travel bloggers. However, you don’t have to be a seasoned traveler to find affiliate marketing success in this wide-ranging niche, as long as you focus your efforts on a clearly defined sub-niche and take the time to build an engaged community.
What kinds of things can you promote?
The niche offers the opportunity to promote general and specialist travel agencies, as well as related services such as tours, car rental, insurance and house-sitting. There are also opportunities to promote physical products, such as luggage, clothing and travel accessories.
Travel sub-niches to consider:
- Travel technology/SIM cards
- Air travel
- Accommodation
- Luggage/efficient packing
- Trip planning/itineraries
- Pet/house-sitting
- Digital nomads/workcations
- Co-living/co-working
- Regions (Europe, South East Asia, etc.) or individual countries
- Solo travel
- Sustainable travel/ecotourism
- Student/gap-year travel (including round-the-world)
- TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language overseas)
- Road trips
- Volunteering/working holidays
- Cruises
- Tours/excursions
- Car/bike rental
- Adventure travel
- Rail travel
- Retiring overseas
- Budget travel
- Luxury travel
- Travel photography
- Visas/work permits
- Camper vans
- Nomadic lifestyle
- Caravans/RVs
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Expedia, Booking.com, Amazon Associates, Skyscanner, InsureMyTrip and Viator.
7. Outdoor
This niche is related to travel but focuses on adventure and outdoor activities, at home or further afield. Think adrenaline sports and winter sports, as well as things like camping and wildlife photography.
As with the travel niche, lots of successful affiliates in this space are outdoor bloggers and travelers who have a following of like-minded people who engage with their content and see them as authorities on their topic. However, there is also scope for review sites, guides and other useful content that helps people not only enjoy the great outdoors but go there well-equipped and prepared for adventure.
The important thing in this competitive space is to choose the right sub-niche and to build trust with your audience, who will be passionate about their outdoor activities.
What kinds of things can you promote?
Options in the outdoor space cover a wide range of specialist products, such as clothing, technology and equipment designed for specific outdoor activities. Also, think about promoting related services, such as insurance for extreme sports, and also the booming RV and camper van market.
Outdoor sub-niches to consider:
- Camping equipment
- Outdoor clothing
- Travel tech
- Extreme sports
- Climbing
- Hiking
- Mountain biking
- Distance running
- Adventure travel
- Photography
- Diving/snorkeling
- Skiing/snowboarding
- Open water swimming
- Surfind/paddleboarding
- Specialist insurance
- Eco-tourism
- Survivalism
Example affiliate programs in this space include: North Face, Patagonia, World Nomads, REI, RVShare, Camping World, and Hostelworld.
8. Food
This is another popular niche that offers diverse content creation potential across multiple platforms to inspire people to cook, improve their nutrition, or let them know the best places to eat.
From Insta-worthy recipe creations to home baking equipment reviews, if you can create content that appeals to people who love food and build a strong audience base, there are affiliate opportunities to exploit.
One of the great things about the food niche is that while it is popular year-round, there are lots of opportunities to publish content that ties into particular food trends and seasons. The food niche also intersects with other areas, such as travel, drink (see below) and home.
What kinds of things can you promote?
There are plenty of food-related affiliate opportunities, such as subscription boxes and grocery retailers. You can also promote equipment for home cooks, cookery and baking courses, and delivery services.
Food sub-niches to consider:
- Veganism
- Organic
- Gluten-free
- Eating out
- Sustainable farming
- Budgeting/menu planning (such as for families or college students)
- World cuisines
- Keto
- Paleo
- Baking
- Cooking accessories/equipment
- Bread making
- Grocery shopping/markets
- Recipes
- Seasonings (herbs and spices)
- Takeaway and home delivery
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Amazon Associates, HelloFresh, FarmFoods, Graze, SimplyCook, Cuisinart, and Vitamix.
9. Beverages
Often combined with food as a single niche, beverages offer great standalone affiliate marketing opportunities. As with the food niche, beverages easily complement other areas, such as travel and home. This allows you to create strongly defined content across the web and social media, which gives you a range of commission-earning opportunities.
While this space is prone to trends, which ebb and flow in terms of their popularity, such as cold brew coffee, there are plenty of evergreen sub-niches. This space also opens up committed and knowledgeable audiences, who are passionate about their craft beers, wine regions, and single-origin arabica coffees.
If you are going with something alcohol-related, think about possible restrictions in all the countries in which you promote your content and keep things responsible. Affiliate programs in this space will be age-restricted.
What kinds of things can you promote?
The obvious promotions here are drinks products, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, which are sold individually online and as part of subscription boxes. However, there are also opportunities in beverage-related accessories and equipment, such as glassware and home-brewing.
Beverage sub-niches to consider:
- Specialty coffees/latte art
- Coffee equipment/brewing at home
- Tea
- Non-dairy milks
- Coffee shops
- Bars
- Cocktails/mocktails
- Alcohol-free wines/beers
- Mixers / soft drinks
- Craft beers
- Spirits/ liquor (such as rum, gin, and tequila)
- Wine/wine regions
- Home brewing beer
- Juices/smoothies
- Accessories (such as carafes, mugs and glasses)
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Amazon Associates, Lifeboost Coffee, Art of Tea, Dry Drinker, and Wine.com.
10. Health and wellness
The health and wellness niche covers a wide area, which takes in everything that promotes a healthy mind and body. This includes things like meditation and healthy sleep, as well as alternative therapies and wellness retreats. After a dip during the pandemic, globally, the wellness market is now worth in excess of $5.6tn.
This niche complements other topics, such as fitness, travel and food, so you can create a unique content offering with strong affiliate earning potential.
One potential issue in this area is with products that make unsubstantiated health and medical claims. Unless you have the relevant expertise or the product is supported by legitimate research, it’s best to focus purely on the wellness angle.
What kinds of things can you promote?
Examples in this niche include health and wellness products and services, including sleep aids, nutritional supplements (such as CBD), and mindfulness apps and tools. There is also potential to promote spas and wellness retreats, as well as wellness and yoga training programs.
Health and wellness sub-niches to consider:
- Yoga
- Meditation/mindfulness
- Holistic/alternative therapies
- Wellness retreats
- Spas/home spas
- Aromatherapy
- Nutrition/supplements
- Massage
- CBD products
- Stress
- Mental health
- Back pain
- Managing chronic conditions
- Sleep
- Stop smoking strategies
- Employee wellness strategies
- Occupational health
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Market Health, Barefut Essential Oils, Amazon Associates, Thrive Market, Loka Yoga School, and SpaFinder.
11. Fitness
While gyms took a hit during the pandemic, the fitness industry was still worth $98bn in 2023 and is projected to grow 12% a year for the next few years. Some of this can be attributed to the rise in popularity of working out at home. This offers great opportunities to make money from companies that help people get fit in the comfort of their bedroom or living room.
This is a particularly good niche for personal content that inspires people to meet their own goals, such as by sharing fitness journeys and ‘before & after’ pictures. Equipment and clothing reviews and guides are also good for long-form content. Fitness ties in well with other niches, such as home, health and wellness.
Because this is a crowded space with lots of fitness influencers, it is important to target not just a sub-niche but a specific audience, whether that’s by age group, lifestyle or something else. For example, ‘working out at home’ is a broad space that includes everything from setting up a home gym in the garage to online prenatal yoga classes, making it harder to run effective marketing strategies without defining who you are targeting.
What kinds of things can you promote?
The main things to promote in the fitness space include home gym equipment, tech, and clothing. However, there is also potential affiliate earning power in areas like supplements, training and subscription-based services, including apps and at-home workout plans.
Fitness sub-niches to consider:
- Home gym equipment
- Fitness at different life stages (such as pregnancy, menopause and senior)
- Protein powders/supplements
- Personal training
- HIIT
- Circuit training
- Work-out classes (such as Pilates, cardio and Zumba)
- Boxing/kickboxing
- Gyms
- Weight/strength training
- Fitness trackers/wearables
- Fitness clothing/footwear
- Training/education
- Weight management
- Fitness apps
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Aaptiv, Reebok, Under Armour, Myprotein, Nike, and ACE Fitness.
12. Beauty
Combined, the beauty and personal care industry is projected to be worth $1,436bn by 2027, so getting a foothold in this niche has the potential to be profitable, if you can engage an audience and craft great marketing strategies.
This is another niche where the personal touch is important, so having a strong, active social media presence and a popular beauty blog are great tools for promoting your affiliate offers. In fact, among all the niches, this may be the one where your recommendations are the best type of marketing. If your audience trusts you, they are likely to be guided by the products you buy and use and to click on that affiliate link.
Beauty complements other niches, such as health and wellness, offering a wide range of affiliate offers in a space where audiences are excited to discover the latest products, brands and ranges.
What kinds of things can you promote?
This is a great niche for promoting skincare, haircare and make-up ranges, from budget to luxury. You can also promote things like perfumes, self-tanning and products for specific skin issues. Another area is cosmetic procedures. However, this can be problematic due to the largely unregulated nature of the industry.
Beauty sub-niches to consider:
- Organic beauty
- Cruelty-free products
- Luxury beauty
- K-Beauty
- Aesthetics/hair removal
- Gender neutral beauty
- Products for men
- Haircare/styling
- Safe / sun-free tanning
- Skincare/skin issues
- Tattoos/removal
- Nail care
- Perfumes/fragrances
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Avon, ESPA Skincare, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, Clarins, Sephora, Beauty Bay, Ulta Beauty, Amazon Associates, and Obagi Medical.
13. Home
The home niche is great for creating compelling multimedia content for the web and social media. While this is an evergreen niche, when creating content in the interior design and home décor space, it is important to keep up with trends.
Audiences in this niche often want actionable ideas, whether that’s for decluttering, making rooms look good on a budget, or carrying out home improvements. This is also an aspirational niche, with audiences who want to see how the ‘rich and famous’ live and find ideas to glam up their own homes.
Retailers want their affiliates to drive leads to their sites to make purchases. So, while this is a crowded space, success here can be found if you post inspirational content which encourages your audience to click on your affiliate link and place an order.
What kinds of things can you promote?
This niche is great for promoting all kinds of products for the home, offering an endless supply of possibilities. Beyond homeware and furnishings, there are also opportunities in areas like the DIY market and home office furniture.
Home sub-niches to consider:
- Interior design ideas
- Lighting
- Soft furnishings (such as cushions, throws and rugs)
- Home offices
- DIY / home improvements
- Moving home/realtor services
- Storage/decluttering
- Downsizing/furnishing small spaces
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Bedding
- Bespoke/eco-friendly furniture
- Doors/windows
- Paint/wallpaper
- Flooring
- Conversions (such as lofts, attics and basements)
- Luxury homes
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Amazon Associates, Etsy, IKEA, Ashley Furniture, and Home Depot.
14. Gardens
While this may not be the most popular affiliate marketing niche, gardens have made our list because of the size of the gardening equipment market, which was worth around $88bn in 2022 and is expected to keep increasing by 6% a year.
One of the reasons this niche isn’t as popular is the fact that it’s seen as seasonal. However, when you factor in the increasing popularity of indoor gardening and growing fruits and veggies at home, there is still opportunity here. Plus, many affiliate offers are available globally, so can be promoted year-round in different parts of the world.
Whether people have acres of grounds or a small balcony in their city center apartment, if you can inspire them with ideas of how to create calming green spaces, you can potentially cash in as an affiliate. This niche also combines well with the home and wellness niches to offer additional marketing opportunities.
What kinds of things can you promote?
This is another niche where the product range is vast, from seating and barbeques to gardening accessories. Another area to consider is subscription boxes, where people sign up for regular deliveries of seeds, bulbs and other gardening-related items.
Garden sub-niches to consider:
- Garden design
- Garden furniture
- Garden offices/sheds
- Gardening accessories
- Soil/nutrients
- Gazebos/summer houses
- Barbequing/outdoor kitchens
- Swimming pools/hot tubs
- Plants/flowers
- Organic farming
- Seeds/bulbs
- Cacti/succulents
- Growing vegetables
- Paving
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Click & Grow, Succulents Box, Amazon Associates, AeroGarden, Earth Easy, SeedsNow, Storage Sheds Outlet, and Grill Masters Club.
15. Pets
People love their pets and are willing to spend money to keep them happy and healthy. Worldwide, there are over one billion pets, so this niche offers significant potential for affiliate marketing and unique content creation.
When it comes to pets, think beyond the most popular types (i.e. cats and dogs), which are also the most competitive in the affiliate space. Instead, look at lesser-kept animals like ferrets, turtles and chickens, which have specific needs and tailored products, which may offer more opportunities to earn those commissions.
Because people are attached to their animal companions, it is important to build trust in this space and to ensure your content is accurate and reliable and promotes responsible pet ownership.
What kinds of things can you promote?
This niche is especially good for promoting physical products, from food and bedding to specialized equipment and apparel. Also, there is a wide range of pet-related services, such as insurance and behavioral training.
Pet sub-niches to consider:
- Pet care
- Pet insurance
- Training and education
- Pet boarding/sitting
- Specific pet types and breeds
- Natural pet foods
- Pet treats
- Accessories (such as collars, feeding bowls and beds)
- Clothing (such as practical and novelty outfits for dogs)
- Tropical fish
- Outdoor pets (such as horses, goats, and chickens)
- Enclosures/habitats
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Pets at Home, Pet Pro Supply Co., Petco, Petplan, and Ruffwear.
16. Automotive
If you have a passion for cars or motorbikes, there are good affiliate marketing opportunities in the automotive niche. There is plenty of diversity in this niche, which means lots of ways to engage with your audience and drive traffic to your partner websites and earn commissions.
Success here means defining your audience and targeting your content to build trust among passionate vehicle enthusiasts. Longer form content types to build authority can include things like buying guides and reviews, as well as features and videos showing people how to carry out vehicle repairs at home.
Potential commissions are high in this niche but researching affiliate offers in the automotive space is important to ensure you maximize your earnings.
What kinds of things can you promote?
As well as online retailers that sell relevant physical products, such as vehicle parts, accessories, and tires, this is a service niche, with opportunities across such areas as insurance, maintenance and rentals.
Automotive sub-niches to consider:
- Electric/hybrid vehicles
- Vehicle charging/fueling
- Vehicle parts
- Accessories
- Maintenance/repairs
- Restoration
- Classic cars/motorbikes
- SUVs/pick-up trucks
- Sports cars
- Buying cars online
- Motor racing
- Commercial vehicles
- Driverless technology
- Fleet management
- Insurance
- Car rental
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Advance Auto Parts, eBay, Zoro, Goodyear Tires, Avis, Euro Car Parts and AutoBarn.com.
17. Education & training
Post-pandemic, the world of education and learning has shifted. Along with the rise of remote learning is the high demand for training among those who want to change careers and enhance their professional credentials to future-proof their working lives. Globally, the e-learning market was worth nearly $400bn in 2022 and is projected to grow by about 14% annually.
If you choose this niche, there is huge potential to engage with a motivated audience by creating useful content tailored to their needs, whether that’s academic success or lifelong learning. Education and training can also complement other niches, such as travel and technology.
This is another niche where doing your homework is important as not all platforms are legitimate or popular enough to offer good commission-earning opportunities.
What kinds of things can you promote?
As well as promoting providers’ courses, there are affiliate opportunities related to products and services around training and education, such as books, exam prep, education technology, and teacher training. Beyond academics, there is a high demand for professional development and lifelong learning, such as languages and hobbies, with lots of platforms offering tutoring services.
Education & training sub-niches to consider:
- Career/life coaching
- Career changers
- Entrepreneurship
- Side-hustles
- Remote studying/e-learning
- Education tech
- Academic books/resources
- College life
- Studying overseas
- Admissions test prep (such as IELTS, GMAT and SAT)
- TESOL (teaching English as a second language)
- Language learning
- Job search/resumés
- Post-graduate education/MBAs
- Tutoring
- Adult/lifelong learning
- Vocational training
- Professional training/accreditation
- Pre-school learning
- Lesson planning/curriculums
Example affiliate programs in this space include: Masterclass, Coursera, Rosetta Stone, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, TEFL Academy, edX, Kaplan, Teachable, GradPrep and AbeBooks.
Start Affiliate Marketing With Whop
As you can see, affiliate marketing is an exciting - and potentially lucrative - way to make money, but one that needs research, planning and effective strategies. It can be so overwhelming that you never even get your affiliate marketing business off the ground.
That’s where Whop can help. As we have mentioned in this guide, the key to success with affiliate marketing is having an audience to buy the products you are recommending.
With Whop, you can host and manage a community with your very own whop - a space where you can sell digital products and services and connect with your audience. All you have to do is create your whop, engage your online community with exclusive content and conversation, and start sharing your affiliate links.
What’s more, you can even join Whop’s affiliate program. This gives you the chance to earn recurring income by referring Whop products. You can refer both customers and creators.
Affiliate Marketing FAQs
What’s the best affiliate program for beginners?
With so many niches and sub-niches out there, there’s no single affiliate program to recommend. However, one that crops up often across the product-heavy niches on our list is Amazon Associates. With so many items sold across multiple product categories, the e-commerce giant is a great place to start your affiliate journey.
Commission rates range between 1% and 10%. However, as you dive deeper into the world of affiliate marketing, you’ll soon find other affiliate marketing programs that offer better commission rates and cookie durations (the time in which somebody can click on your affiliate links and then convert). Amazon’s affiliate program is a great starting point, but there’s a big wide world out there.
Can I have multiple affiliate marketing niches?
If you have the time to create and promote the content, you can have more than one niche. However, at first, it’s best to focus on building up your primary niche. If you want to expand, you can branch out through related sub-niches. Starting small also gives you the chance to develop a successful strategy, which you can then apply to other niches.
We suggest creating a brand that can accommodate a broader niche in the long run but focusing on a sub-niche to start. For example, you might launch a website called Brilliant Bikes. To start, you could focus on electronic bikes – with the knowledge that you can move onto road bikes or mountain bikes once you exhaust this topic.
Simply put – start small, but give yourself the scope to go bigger.
Do I need to be an expert in my niche?
With the exception of some niches, such as gaming and esports, you don’t need to be an expert. It’s great if you are, especially when it comes to building trust and authority. As we mentioned above, having a general interest in your niche helps a lot in terms of creating engaging content and keeping you motivated to find new ways to connect with and build a relevant audience. However, as long as you’re genuinely committed and willing to learn about your niche and the products/services you promote, you have the potential to find success in affiliate marketing.
If I don’t see quick results, should I change my affiliate marketing niche?
Success in affiliate marketing takes time and largely depends on the effort you put in, so if you’re not seeing positive results, it may not be because of the niche. If you’re not employing the right strategies, changing from, say, the pet toys niche to something unrelated like earbuds is not going to help.
Look at whether you’ve signed up to the best affiliate programs and are seeing general engagement with your content. You might also find that niching down to focus on a more specific area can help you stand out. Similarly, maybe broadening a sub-niche might boost your audience and those affiliate commissions.
Ultimately, success in affiliate marketing is about knowledge and consistency. So, choose your niche, decide on your channels, sign up to the best affiliate programs and get started with Whop – your comprehensive resource for making money online.
