About Skimlinks
Skimlinks is a leading commerce content monetization platform that helps publishers, bloggers, editorial sites, influencers, and creators earn revenue from product links within their content.
It works by automatically converting regular merchant links into monetizable affiliate links. This platform gives publishers and creators access to a vast network of merchants (over 48,500 brands) without the need to sign up for each individual affiliate program.
When a reader clicks a Skimlinks-affiliated link and makes a purchase, the publisher earns a commission. The core value proposition of Skimlinks is automation and scale, making it easier for content creators to monetize their product recommendations.
Skimlinks Affiliate Program Overview
The Skimlinks affiliate program described here is for referring other publishers to join the Skimlinks network, rather than the core function of monetizing product links on a publisher’s site.
| Factor | Detail |
| Industry | Media and Marketing, Digital Services, Affiliate Marketing Network |
| Product Type | Affiliate Marketing Platform/Network (for referring new publishers/creators) |
| Affiliate Program Type | Cost Per Lead (CPL) or Revenue Share (for referred publisher’s commission) |
Skimlinks Affiliate Program Offers
These details generally apply to the program for referring new publishers to Skimlinks, though some policies are network-wide.
| Factor | Detail |
| Promotional Materials | Text links, banners, social media advertisements |
| Affiliate Cookie Duration | Not applicable/No set cookie duration mentioned for the publisher referral program (referrals are generally commissioned upon sign-up via the shared link) |
| Accepted Traffic Source | Worldwide (Social media advertisements, website traffic) |
| Accepted Countries | Worldwide |
| Explicit Content | Not accepted/Excluded |
| Religious or political content | Accepted/Allowed |
Skimlinks Affiliate Commissions & Payments
The following information is primarily about the commission for referring new publishers to the Skimlinks network.
| Factor | Details |
|---|---|
| MLM Structure | No, Skimlinks is a single-tier referral model (not multi-level). |
| Commission Rate | Up to 35% of Skimlinks’ share of the commission generated by your referred publisher in their first year. |
| Commission Structure | Fixed payout based on referred publishers’ earnings or CPL (Cost Per Lead), depending on program. |
| Payout Frequency | Monthly |
| Payout Methods | PayPal, ACH (Automated Clearing House) |
| Minimum Payout | ~$50–$65 / €50 / £55 (varies slightly by region and currency) |
Suitable Affiliates for Skimlinks Affiliate (Publisher Referral Program)
The Skimlinks affiliate program (for referring new publishers) is most suitable for individuals and entities with an audience of other content creators, marketers, and businesses who are looking to monetize their existing or new commerce content.
| Affiliate Type | Suitability | Rationale |
| Bloggers | High | Especially those in the media/marketing niche who write guides on monetization, SEO, or affiliate marketing. |
| TikTokers | Medium | Less traditional but suitable if content is focused on “how to make money online” or “monetize your site.” |
| KOC/KOL/Influencers | High | Ideal for those focused on Creator Economy or Business/Marketing topics, promoting the platform to their peer network or audience of aspiring creators. |
| YouTubers | High | Creators who make videos on affiliate marketing, website setup, or digital publishing strategy. |
| Video editors | Low | Not their primary expertise or audience, unless they have a secondary channel focused on marketing. |
| Livestreamers | Low | Similar to video editors, unless the stream content is education/marketing focused. |
Skimlinks Affiliate Software
Skimlinks is an affiliate marketing platform/network itself.
It does not primarily use third-party affiliate management software for its core publisher monetization service; instead, it uses its own proprietary in-house technology to automatically convert links, track performance, and consolidate commissions from its vast network of partnered merchants. For its separate affiliate program for referring other publishers (as detailed above), it may be managed using its own system or an external platform, though the core service runs on its own infrastructure.
3 Alternatives for Skimlinks Affiliate Program
Here is a comparison of the Skimlinks publisher referral program against three major alternative affiliate networks: Awin, ShareASale (a part of Awin), and Impact (impact.com).
| Comparison Factor | Skimlinks (Publisher Referral) | Awin (Affiliate Network) | ShareASale (Affiliate Network) | Impact (Affiliate Partnership Platform) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Type | Referring publishers to Skimlinks | Promote any merchant across network | Promote any merchant across network | Promote any merchant across network |
| Average Bill | Not applicable (pays based on publisher earnings) | Varies by merchant & niche | Varies by merchant & niche | Varies by merchant & niche |
| Entry Fees | Free to join | £5 refundable deposit (varies by region) | Free to join | Free to join |
| Withdrawal Threshold | ~$50–$65 / €50 | ~$20 / £20 / €20 | ~$50 | ~$10 (platform default, can vary) |
| Payment Frequency | Monthly | Monthly (usually 1st & 15th) | Monthly (usually 20th) | Varies by merchant or contract |
| Commission Structure | Up to 35% of Skimlinks’ share of referred publisher earnings (year 1) | Varies by merchant program (CPS, CPC, CPL) | Varies by merchant program (CPS, CPC, CPL) | Varies by merchant program (CPS, CPC, CPL) |
| Conversion Model | Publisher sign-up referral (CPL or revenue share) | Sale (CPS), Lead (CPL), Click (CPC) | Sale (CPS), Lead (CPL) | Sale (CPS), Lead (CPL), Click options |
| Marketing Materials | Text links, banners, social assets | Banners, text links, product feeds | Banners, text links, datafeeds, landing pages | Banners, text links, creatives, custom partner assets |