ShareASale Review 2025: Powering Your Affiliate Succes

ShareASale is a popular affiliate marketing platform connecting over 30,000 merchants with nearly 1 million affiliates. Now integrated with Awin, it offers tools to help affiliates earn commissions through pay-per-sale (PPS) or pay-per-lead (PPL) models. With over 4,500 merchant programs across 39 categories, it’s a go-to choice for content creators, bloggers, influencers, and small businesses.

Key Features – ShareASale Review

• Merchant Options: 4,500+ programs with commissions up to 80%.
• Payment: Monthly payouts on the 20th with a $50 minimum.
• Tracking Tools: Insights on Earnings Per Click (EPC), conversions, and more.
• Marketing Tools: Custom link generator, banner rotator, and deep linking.

Benefits

• Low $50 payout threshold.
• Wide range of merchant programs.
• Reliable monthly payments.

Drawbacks

• Outdated interface.
• High setup costs for merchants ($625).

Quick Comparison with Other Networks:

If you’re looking to start affiliate marketing or expand your partnerships, ShareASale offers a reliable option with diverse tools and programs. Registration is quick, and new accounts will transition to Awin in late 2025.

How To Use ShareASale For Beginners (Complete Tutorial)

Platform Basics

Getting Started

Signing up takes around 15 minutes. To speed up the approval process, use a business email linked to your domain, provide detailed traffic stats and audience demographics, and ensure your contact details are accurate. Once your application is submitted, approvals usually take 1-3 business days, though many are processed within 24 hours. Once approved, you’ll get access to the ShareASale dashboard, where you can start exploring merchant programs.

Selecting Merchant Programs

ShareASale features over 4,500 merchants with varying commission rates (some as high as 80%), cookie durations, and payment terms. When choosing programs, consider factors like commission structure (Pay-Per-Sale vs. Pay-Per-Lead), auto-approval availability, and the program’s reputation.

Here’s an example of what’s possible: In June 2024, a health and wellness affiliate marketer strategically picked five programs that complemented each other. Within three months, their monthly earnings jumped by 150%. Smart selection can make a big difference.

Via ShareASale

Performance Monitoring

Once you’ve joined the right merchant programs, use ShareASale’s analytics to track your results:

• Weekly Progress Report: Check metrics like gross and net sales, click-through rates, commission earnings, and void transactions.
• Affiliate Timespan Report: Review long-term data, including affiliate-specific performance, EPC (Earnings Per 100 Clicks), and sales conversion rates.
• Banner Performance Report: Measure the success of creatives by tracking click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated by each asset.

You can customize reporting periods and download CSV files for deeper analysis. Keeping an eye on these metrics will help you fine-tune your strategy and boost your earnings.

Main Platform Features

Marketing Tools

ShareASale provides a range of tools designed to help affiliates drive promotions effectively. One standout is the “Make-A-Page” tool, which helped one affiliate increase earnings by 40% by creating custom product showcases.

Here are some of the key tools:

• Custom Link Generator: Build trackable affiliate links tailored to your campaigns.
• Banner Rotator: Automatically test various merchant banners to find what works best.
• Merchant Discovery Box: Discover promotional opportunities that fit your audience.
• Deep Linking Tools: Create links that direct users to specific product pages.

These tools are paired with a reporting dashboard that delivers real-time metrics, including impressions, clicks, conversions, and revenue. Together, they help affiliates identify and focus on high-performing merchant partnerships.

Merchant Selection

With these tools in hand, ShareASale also offers advanced filtering options to refine your merchant selection for better conversions. Instead of just browsing programs, you can use filters to find partnerships that align with your goals, based on factors like EPC, commission structure, and cookie duration.

The platform features 39 categories and over 4,500 active merchants, with filters such as:

“ShareASale offers a plethora of opportunities for affiliates to earn a substantial income online”, says Niall Roche, Senior SEO Specialist. “The platform provides various promotional tools that can significantly enhance your affiliate marketing experience.”

Payment Systems

On top of its marketing and merchant tools, ShareASale ensures affiliates are paid reliably and transparently. Payments are processed monthly on the 20th under a net-30 model. You can choose from these methods:

• Direct Deposit: Quick and clears within 1–2 business days.
• Physical Check: Delivered via standard mail.
• Payoneer: A great option for affiliates outside the U.S.

Via ShareASale

There’s a $50 minimum payout requirement. Since 2000, ShareASale has processed over $200 million in affiliate commissions annually. The dashboard also tracks pending commissions, processed payments, and upcoming payouts, giving affiliates a clear view of their earnings.

Platform Strengths and Limitations

Benefits

ShareASale stands out with its large selection of merchants and a low $50 payout threshold, making it appealing to affiliates at any stage. Whether you’re interested in well-known brands or niche products, the platform offers a wide range of partnership opportunities across various industries. The low payout requirement is especially helpful for beginners, while still being a solid option for seasoned marketers.

But even strong platforms have areas where they fall short.

Drawbacks

One of the main issues with ShareASale is its outdated interface, which can make navigation and usability challenging, especially for newcomers. Slow application responses can delay partnerships, and link verification problems sometimes lead to broken links and lost earnings.

For merchants, the costs can be a hurdle. The one-time setup fee of $625 and a $35 monthly platform fee may discourage smaller businesses, potentially reducing the variety of partnerships available.

Network Comparison

When compared to other affiliate networks, ShareASale’s strengths and weaknesses become more evident:

“ShareASale offers a plethora of opportunities for affiliates to earn a substantial income online”, says Niall Roche, Senior SEO Specialist. “The platform provides various promotional tools that can significantly enhance your affiliate marketing experience.”

As the third most-used affiliate network, with 21.8% of affiliate marketers choosing it, ShareASale sets itself apart with its mix of diverse merchant options and relatively low entry requirements. While other networks like CJ Affiliate often focus on big-name brands, ShareASale’s inclusion of smaller, lesser-known programs adds to its appeal for affiliates of all experience levels.

Success Strategies

Program Selection Guide

Use the Power Rank filter to identify top-performing merchants and boost your earnings. For the best results, focus on merchants ranked within the top 1,000.

Here are some key metrics to track:

For example, B2B programs like Sopro offer up to $700 per sale, while FreshBooks pays between $55 and $200 per sale. Use these insights to shape your promotional strategies.

Campaign Improvement

Improve your conversion rates by refining how and where you place your content. Here are three practical tips:

• Strategic Link Placement: Add affiliate links early in your content to capture attention naturally.
• Visual Tools: Use comparison tables and clear, engaging CTAs to guide users.
• Audience Fit: Align merchant offerings with your audience’s interests and needs.

Did you know? Affiliates who placed links earlier in product reviews saw a 34% increase in conversions.

“A successful ShareASale strategy involves selecting relevant merchants, understanding commission structures, and effectively using and optimizing affiliate links and promotional content to maximize visibility and conversions.” – Bradley Keys, Digital Marketing Strategist

Rules and Guidelines

As you fine-tune your strategies, following guidelines is critical for long-term success. With ShareASale transitioning to Awin by late 2025, it’s essential to update your approach and stay compliant.

The FTC requires clear disclosure of affiliate relationships. Here’s how to stay on track:

• Clearly disclose affiliate relationships upfront.
• Regularly review merchant terms to ensure compliance.
• Always use official ShareASale links.
• Keep records of your promotional activities.

“Compliance is not just about following rules; it’s about building trust with your audience.” – Awin Compliance Team

Take advantage of Awin’s compliance tools to simplify your efforts and maintain trust with your audience while meeting regulatory standards.

Making Your Decision

Main Points Review

ShareASale continues to be a popular option, trusted by more than 20% of affiliates. In 2021 alone, the platform facilitated over $200 million in sales, proving its reliability for both beginners and experienced marketers.

Here’s a quick look at its standout features:

“ShareASale is very easy to use, some of the merchants offer payouts of up to $300 per sale, and there are over 4,000 programs to choose from.” – Niall Roche, Senior SEO Specialist

With these strengths in mind, you can confidently explore your next steps.

Next Steps

Starting March 2025, new accounts will be created exclusively through Awin, with current users transitioning in Q2 2025. If ShareASale aligns with your goals, here’s how to get started:

• Visit the official ShareASale website.
• Complete the registration form with accurate details about your website and traffic.
• Submit your application and wait for approval (typically 1-3 business days).

Once approved, take advantage of ShareASale’s merchant discovery tools to find programs that fit your niche. Its tracking and reporting features allow you to monitor performance and fine-tune your affiliate marketing efforts right away.

FAQs