Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy that is widely used in the e-commerce industry. It allows publishers and content creators to leverage their followings to promote products and services in return for rewards such as commissions on every conversion.
While it is possible for publishers to promote a variety of products and services, certain niches tend to be more rewarding than others. In particular, high-ticket items have the potential to generate better returns for publishers relative to the amount of effort put into marketing them.
Join us as we explore the benefits of high-ticket affiliate marketing and present a comprehensive list of the top 14 high-ticket affiliate marketing programs across various sectors.
What Is High-Ticket Affiliate Marketing?
High-ticket affiliate marketing is a form of marketing that involves the promotion of high-value items in exchange for commissions. Each time a user clicks on an affiliate link placed on a blog post, email, or social media post and completes a purchase, the publisher or content creator becomes entitled to a commission.
Examples of high-ticket affiliate products include business software solutions, online courses, and consumer products such as high-end home appliances, luxury watches etc.
Although there are no strict price thresholds, if the product or service costs more than $500, one could consider it a high-ticket item.
The commission structures for high-ticket affiliate marketing tend to be quite lucrative. There are several reasons for this:
- These products and services often have higher profit margins built into the price.
- The audience is often niche or small which requires considerable marketing effort to convert.
- Sales cycles are longer and come with higher risk for vendors.
- Customers of high-ticket items are often more loyal and have more lifetime value.
Consequently, vendors tend to be more willing to offer larger commissions to incentivize affiliate marketers. It is not uncommon to find programs that offer between 10% and 30% of the sales price as commissions in this niche.
Benefits of High-Ticket Affiliate Marketing Programs
High-ticket affiliate marketing can be a highly rewarding endeavor with the following benefits for talented online publishers and marketers:
1. Higher ROI
Given the higher sale price of high-ticket items, there is usually a much higher margin involved for sellers. This in turn allows them to offer higher commissions to affiliates for conversions.
2. Lower Sales Requirements
Affiliates don't need to generate massive volumes of traffic in high-ticket affiliate marketing. Focusing on a smaller pool of qualified leads from niche audiences works equally well to achieve income targets.
3. Recurring Income
Many high-ticket items and services come with monthly subscription packages. Vendors often offer recurring commissions to affiliate marketers who convert leads into long-term subscribers. As long as these buyers remain with the vendor as loyal subscribers, affiliates continue to earn a percentage of their subscription payments as passive income.
4. Flexible Self Employment
With remote access via the internet, publishers and content creators can work from anywhere in the world as affiliate marketers. High-ticket vendors often have a global clientele, which opens up new avenues of marketing opportunities around the world while traveling.
How Much Do High-Ticket Affiliate Marketers Make?
There are no concrete numbers available for how much money high-ticket affiliate marketers make. This is partly because of the difficulty involved in delineating high-ticket affiliate marketing from other forms of affiliate marketing, and partly because most affiliate marketers rarely, if ever, publicly share their incomes.
With that said, there are several factors that can help in arriving at an estimate of the potential of high-ticket affiliate marketing. These include:
- Affiliate Programs: Different programs may offer different commissions, which in turn will impact the marketer’s income. Some programs may even offer additional benefits on top of the affiliate commission, such as referral rewards.
- Industry/Niche: Products and services in certain niches like finance, real estate, and enterprise software tend to have a higher asking price. Vendors in these segments are often willing to pay higher commissions for conversions.
- Marketing Skills: Finally, the affiliate marketer’s marketing skills are probably the biggest deciding factor in determining their income. For a good affiliate marketer, the sky's the limit when it comes to earning potential.
14 High-Ticket Affiliate Marketing Programs in 2024
High-ticket affiliate marketing is not restricted to any particular niche or sector. Publishers can find affiliate programs run by organizations that sell everything from luxury items to expensive equipment, enterprise-grade subscription services, online courses, consulting services, and more. Listed below are the top 14 high-ticket affiliate marketing programs publishers can consider joining as content creators or online entrepreneurs in 2024.
1. Cruise Direct
Image SourceCruise Direct is an online platform that offers customers deals on cruises to numerous destinations around the globe. The company works with all major cruise lines such as Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, Cunard, and Royal Caribbean.
Although their affiliate marketing program only pays a 3% commission on completed trips, some of the longer trips can cost tens of thousands of dollars, which in turn translates to hefty payouts. The program is easy to join and does not come with any minimum sales requirements.
This could be an excellent fit for publishers and content creators involved in the travel and leisure niches. Do keep in mind that the commission is paid 30 days after a completed trip and the minimum payment threshold is $25.
Link: Cruise Direct Affiliate Program
Product: Cruise trips
Commission Rate: 3%
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, Check, Payoneer
Duration of Cookies: 45 days
2. Net-A-Porter/Mr. Porter
Image SourceNet-A-Porter is an online retailer that stocks products from high-end fashion brands like Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, and Saint Laurent.
It also has a subsidiary called Mr. Porter dedicated exclusively to menswear collections and accessories.
Net-A-Porter is linked to multiple affiliate networks, including Rakuten and Sovrn.
Publishers can earn up to 6% commission per sale, depending on the affiliate network they are assigned.
Since the products include large-ticket items worth up to $20,000, publishers can potentially earn hundreds of dollars on a single sale. However, Net-A-Porter is rather selective when choosing affiliate partners and the vetting process can take up to 5 days.
Link: NET-A-PORTER Affiliates
Product: Designer clothing, accessories
Commission Rate: Up to 6%
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, Check, PayPal
Duration of Cookies: 14 days
3. Villiers Jets
Image SourceVilliers is an online company that allows users to rent private jets and other aircraft for flights around the globe. The company has a catalog of over 10,000 aircraft and offers access to over 40,000 destinations.
The cost of a chartered flight can range from $3,000 at the lower end to $35,000 or more, depending on the distance and type of aircraft. Since Villiers offers a massive 30% commission on booked flights, publishers can potentially earn upwards of $1,000 per sale.
Publishers need to pay a refundable fee of $15 to apply for the affiliate program. The company pays commissions two weeks after a confirmed flight. All told, Villiers has some of the best affiliate terms we have seen in the luxury segment.
Link: Villiers Jets Affiliate Program
Product: Charter jet flights
Commission Rate: 30%
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, PayPal
Duration of Cookies: No information available
4. Liquid Web
Image SourceLiquid Web is a premium web hosting service aimed at e-commerce stores and other online service providers who want a highly reliable and scalable service. The company has been around since at least 1997 and is considered a good fit for advanced users.
The Liquid Web affiliate network is almost as old as the company itself. Since their service is based around a monthly subscription, the commission is usually a multiple of the monthly plan selected by the customer.
At the base level, publishers can earn up to 150% of the monthly subscription as a one-time commission (for 1-9 sales). This number goes up with the number of sales a publisher closes.
Link: Liquid Web Hosting Affiliate Program
Product: Web hosting service subscriptions
Commission Rate: Starting from 150% of the monthly hosting cost
Payment Options: Not specified. Publishers are required to write to affiliateprogram@liquidweb.com for more information
Duration of Cookies: 90 days
5. Kinsta
Image SourceKinsta is a hosting-service provider that provides premium managed hosting for WordPress sites. Since WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems available online, powering over 45% of all websites on the internet, Kinsta offers good earning potential for affiliate marketers.
The Kinsta Affiliate Program offers up to $500 in one-time commissions, along with a 10% recurring monthly commission on every sale that continues till the customer stays with Kinsta.
As the churn rate of the company is just 2%, publishers can expect long-term monthly payments by bringing new customers to the platform.
The company provides dedicated affiliate support, in-house tracking, and marketing materials needed by affiliates through its affiliate resource center.
Link: Kinsta® Cloud Hosting Affiliate Program
Product: Web hosting service subscriptions
Commission Rate: 5% - 10%
Payment Options: PayPal
Duration of Cookies: 60 days
6. Cloudways
Image SourceCloudways offers web hosting packages that target small businesses, agencies, and other professionals. Their products are available on WordPress, Magento, AWS, and all major content management platforms.
With customers in over 200 countries, Cloudways is a brand that is relatively easy to promote. Publishers can earn up to $125 per sale based on the various performance slabs with the Cloudways web hosting affiliate program.
The program also offers hybrid plans where publishers can earn $30 per sale along with a 7% lifetime commission.
Link: Cloudways Web Hosting Affiliate Program
Product: Web hosting service subscriptions
Commission Rate: $125 or $30 + 7% monthly lifetime
Payment Options: Wire transfer, PayPal
Duration of Cookies: 90 days
7. Microsoft for Business
Image SourceMicrosoft for Business is a free-to-join affiliate program for bloggers and other online content creators. Apart from the numerous Office 365 subscription packages, publishers can also promote the sales of Microsoft’s Surface device to their audience.
The affiliate program offers a 2% commission for the sale of Surface devices, and a flat bounty ranging from $5 to $20 per user for Office 365 subscriptions.
When customers buy subscriptions for multiple users, a publisher’s commission can easily go above $100.
The affiliate program is available in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Link: Microsoft for Business Affiliate Program
Product: Enterprise software subscriptions
Commission Rate: 2% for Surface devices and $5 - $20 per user for Office 365 subscriptions
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, PayPal
Duration of Cookies: Up to 30 days
8. Teamwork
Image SourceTeamwork is an all-in-one project management platform with over 2 million users that competes with the likes of Asana, Trello, and Monday.
Its affiliate partner program offers a tiered commission system that offers a commission between 10-40% of the sale price.
Teamwork also offers a wide array of resources and guides to help its affiliates succeed.
Link: Teamwork Affiliate Partner Program
Product: Project management software subscription
Commission Rate: 10% - 40%
Payment Options: PayPal
Duration of Cookies: 90 days
9. FreshBooks
Image SourceFreshBooks is an accounting and bookkeeping software that provides solutions for the invoicing and accounting needs of small and medium-sized businesses, self-employed professionals, and freelancers.
FreshBooks’ affiliate program is managed by ShareASale. Publishers have to register as affiliates on the ShareASale network to become eligible for the FreshBooks affiliate program.
FreshBooks pays a $10 commission to affiliates when someone signs up for a free trial using their link. When such a user upgrades to the paid plan, the affiliate earns a one-time commission of up to $200.
FreshBooks does not accept affiliate applications from several countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.
Link: Affiliate Program—FreshBooks
Product: Accounting software subscription
Commission Rate: up to $200
Payment Options: Check, Wire Transfer, Payoneer
Duration of Cookies: 120 days
10. Shopify
Image SourceShopify is a leading e-commerce platform that helps small businesses build online stores and sell their products without advanced technical knowledge. You can manage your sales, market products, and accept payments all through a single dashboard.
Shopify’s affiliate program lets publishers earn commissions by getting new merchants to join the platform’s advanced store plans or the POS Pro Plan which is for offline stores.
The Shopify Starter, Lite, and Plus plans are not eligible to earn commissions.
Shopify’s commission rates can vary by country. In the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, the payout is $150 per conversion for the online store plans. For the offline POS Pro Plan conversion, the payout is a flat $500 commission, provided the merchant is located in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, or select European countries.
Membership to the Shopify affiliate program is only open to original content creators and marketers who own an active website with decent traffic, and have some expertise with eCommerce platforms.
Link: Shopify Affiliate Marketing Program
Product: eCommerce store management services
Commission Rate: up to $500
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, PayPal
Duration of Cookies: 30 days
11. Fiverr
Image SourceFiverr is an online marketplace where skilled freelancers offer services varying from web development to copywriting and more.
The platform has two tiers—a basic marketplace and Fiverr Pro, a premium service tier where the freelancers are carefully selected based on their skills and expertise. In addition to this, the platform also offers an AI-based logo maker.
The Fiverr affiliate program offers a commission of 25% on the first purchase amount in the basic marketplace, and 10% revenue of all future orders for the next 12 months.
For conversions involving Pro Services, affiliates get a 70% commission on the first order, and 10% revenue share of all future orders the buyer places on the platform over the next 12 months.
For the logo maker service, affiliates are paid a flat $30 for the first order, and 10% revenue share of all future orders for the next 12 months.
Link: Become a Fiverr Affiliate
Product: Digital freelancer services
Commission Rate: 25 - 70% one-time, 10% recurring
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, PayPal, Payoneer
Duration of Cookies: 12 months
12. BigCommerce
Image SourceBigCommerce is an online platform that enables users to design and launch their own ecommerce store, much like Shopify.
Its affiliate program offers a 200% commission on each referral, based on the first monthly payment made by the buyer. However, if the buyer opts for an Enterprise-tier plan, the bounty is a flat $1,500 per sale.
BigCommerce’s affiliate program offers excellent tracking features and access to pre-made banners and other promotional content. The sign-up process is quite easy and can be completed in a matter of minutes.
Link: BigCommerce Affiliate Program
Product: eCommerce store management services
Commission Rate: 200% of the first monthly payment made by the customer, $1,500 for Enterprise plans
Payment Options: Not specified
Duration of Cookies: Not specified
13. Authority Hacker
Image SourceAuthority Hacker is an online mentoring site that provides detailed training courses on building and marketing an online business. The learning platform grew out of a full-service digital marketing agency in 2014.
To date, the site has served over 14,000 clients across 120 countries.
Publishers with at least a few thousand visitors per month of organic traffic can sign up for the referral program, as long as their content is relevant to individuals interested in starting online businesses.
Although Authority Hacker does not specify any set percentage as the commission, it promises potential earnings of up to $1,979 per sale. Once selected, publishers have to make at least one sale within 3 months to maintain your status as an affiliate. The program also offers a lifetime commission on other sales generated by a publisher’s efforts.
Link: Affiliates - AuthorityHacker
Product: Online learning platform
Commission Rate: Up to $1,979 per sale
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, Paypal
Duration of Cookies: 60 days
14. Coursera
Image SourceStarted by Stanford University professors in 2012, Coursera is a massive online learning platform with over 7,000 courses spread across numerous disciplines. The platform collaborates with more than 300 global universities and organizations to create its courses.
Publishers can promote multiple products as a Coursera affiliate partner—individual courses, subject matter specializations/certifications, and the Coursera Plus subscription package. The baseline commission is a 15% one-time bounty, with the chance to increase it to 45% based on performance.
The affiliate program is linked to the Impact network. Coursera will provide custom banners and other materials to selected affiliates. The cookie duration is 30 days and affiliates only get a one-time bounty for subscriptions.
Link: Affiliate Program | Coursera
Product: Online learning platform
Commission Rate: 15% - 45%
Payment Options: Wire Transfer, PayPal, Check
Duration of Cookies: 30 days
How to Get Started in High-Ticket Affiliate Marketing?
High-ticket affiliate marketing is a more demanding form of marketing compared to other domains. A carefully formulated plan of action is required to gain a foothold in this highly competitive sector. Here are the main steps you can take to get started:
1. Select Your Niche
Focus on a niche where you either have prior experience, expertise, or which you’re passionate about. To convince your audience, you will need to project authority, and prior acquaintance with the niche can help you develop this persona faster and with greater authenticity.
2. Build Your Online Presence
Most high-ticket affiliate programs have certain eligibility requirements. At the bare minimum, vendors expect your content to be in sync with their industry or niche. Further, you will also require an active website and/or some form of social media presence. Many programs require that publishers have at least a few thousand visitors to their website before they apply.
Create content that showcases your subject matter expertise and provides some value to your target audience. This will help you build trust and gain some vital credibility in your niche.
3. Research and Pick An Affiliate Program
Look at the major brands or vendors that operate in your chosen niche and geographical area. Find high-ticket affiliate programs that offer commission rates above 10% or $100 - $150 per sale. Check their eligibility requirements and see if you can qualify. Once you find a suitable program, apply and provide all the essential details to improve your odds of getting selected.
4. Develop a Marketing Strategy
Once you become an affiliate partner, try to create a comprehensive strategy that combines content marketing, email marketing, and other sales funnels. Be prepared to invest in paid advertising as most successful affiliates rely on it to boost sales.
5. Engage with Your Audience
Use high-quality content including blog posts, videos, and podcasts to educate your audience and address their pain points that can be solved by buying the product or service. Use emails, webinars, and any other lead nurturing tactics to persuade your audience about the benefits of your product. All this can help drive traffic to your sales funnels.
6. Optimize Your Strategies
Most affiliate programs provide data-tracking tools to their affiliate partners. Leverage these tools to analyze your marketing and sales performance, and make adjustments whenever necessary.
As your revenue grows, consider reinvesting a portion of those earnings into scaling your marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts
High-ticket affiliate marketing is a highly competitive field where multiple marketers are vying for the attention of niche audiences.To ensure success, publishers need a combination of patience, perseverance, and above all, a focus on providing authentic value to your audience.
Publift is an award-winning platform that helps publishers maximize the potential of their website. Through the use of cutting-edge programmatic advertising technology paired with impartial and ethical guidance, we have been helping our clients realize an average uplift of 55% in ad revenue since 2015.
Contact us today to learn more about how Publift can help boost your ad revenue and grow your high-ticket affiliate marketing business by improving your page performance.