Ultimate Guide to Affiliate Marketing on LinkedIn 2024

Affiliate marketing on LinkedIn might not sound wise for marketers looking to monetize their passions and interests. However, you’ll be surprised!

Although LinkedIn doesn’t have the massive multi-billion-user reach of other networks, it has several tricks up its sleeve. And these features can make affiliate sales & marketing activities more productive (read, a potential for a fatter paycheck).

So, how can you find success in the social media world’s most underrated (but surprisingly effective) platform as an affiliate? Chill and learn ten juicy steps to acing LinkedIn as a digital marketer.

Affiliate Marketing on Linkedin: Success in Simple 10 Steps

Finding success on LinkedIn as an affiliate might seem far-fetched. However, we talked with hundreds of super-affiliates on the platform to learn their secrets. Here are ten of the best-kept ones you must consider to carve your destiny on LinkedIn.

Create a strong LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn offers two tracts for establishing an online presence with their platform – personal and business (or company).

While Facebook encourages affiliates to create a business page or group, LinkedIn prefers a personal profile page for better chances of affiliate success.

And here’s why.

Although LinkedIn caters to professionals with “more or less formal” relationships, they are still humans. And as far as we know, most folks prefer “interacting” with “ordinary people” rather than companies or businesses unless it’s official.

There’s proof, too.

Forrester says LinkedIn company pages only enjoy 0.054% interactions with their respective followers. By comparison, Facebook has 0.073% company-customer engagement.

Switch to a LinkedIn personal page, and engagement activities will jump by 1.946%. You can send messages and connection requests, comment, share, like, join groups, identify followers, publish articles, and more.

So, what’s the secret to a more “robust” and “magnetic” profile?

Ditch the wacky, “clowny” picture and pick something more “professional.” Be creative about the headline, and think outside the usual “job title.” Transform the LinkedIn page summary into YOUR story, and forget buzzwords.

That should make your LinkedIn profile an audience magnet. But don’t forget endorsements and connections.

Post engaging content for followers

Nobody wants to read a boring post. Otherwise, they would be better off reading a novel. But even that would be more entertaining than a straightforward piece of literature.

You’ll want to generate excitement among followers and make them want to read more posts. More importantly, you’ll want them to “react” to your articles or “messages.”

Share a story, an experience, or anything that touches audiences’ emotional strings. Some will feel a “pinch,” while others might want to share their stories.

Additionally, you could “add value” to what LinkedIn followers already know. It’s one way draw a reaction (i.e., share or like) from them.

They’ll recognize your efforts of putting them above income-generating ambitions. It shows you value followers, and (hopefully) they will also spread the new-learned information to their networks.

Engaging LinkedIn followers keeps them in your sphere and improves your chances of becoming a successful LinkedIn-based marketer.

Use affiliate links smartly

An advantage of this social network over others is its link-friendliness.

Yes, you can post affiliate tracking links in your LinkedIn posts, DMs, and comments.

But that doesn’t give you the green light to flood the post with blue-highlighted alphanumeric strings. You’ll look spammy that way.

Moreover, you’ll need a disclaimer for every post you embed with an affiliate link.

But here’s the real kicker.

Links are exceptionally long. LinkedIn doesn’t like that. So, it automatically “shortens” the alphanumeric string to fit the post.

Unfortunately, the action will leave your audience wondering what happened to the link. Are you misleading them or are they reading wrong?

Audiences won’t be happy!

So, be strategic and smart in posting links. Use them sparingly and only when it’s relevant to the messaging.

Try out multiple post formats

Did you notice we embedded images every so often in this post? Why is that?

Writing lengthy articles is fun, especially if you’re doing it to add value to your followers’ experiences and knowledge.

Unfortunately, text-only articles are boring and aren’t a fool-proof way of gaining potential clients.

So, spice things up with images, video clips, and other “non-boring” elements to break the text monotony.

These “creative” elements allow readers to digest the information they just read. They also boost engagement!

For example, blogs with well-thought-out images enjoy 94% more viewership than a text-only version. Facebook posts with stunning or thought-provoking visuals are three times more likely to be shared or liked.

It should be similar to LinkedIn posts with embedded images, clips, or other visuals.

More importantly, these multiple-format posts tell your followers you recognize and understand their information and entertainment needs.

Plan posting strategically

The key to earning a steady passive income is frequently posting high-quality, relatable, and value-adding content on your LinkedIn page.

You might ask how frequent is “frequently?”

HubSpot released a thought-provoking survey finding about LinkedIn posts, and we’ll share them here.

Posting on LinkedIn five times weekly will see your post performance drop from two clicks on the first week to about half a click on the tenth post.

Additionally, posts between 8 o’clock in the morning and 5 o’clock in the evening are more likely to get better clicks and engagements than outside these hours. (Interestingly, the time frame corresponds to business operations.)

And here’s another observation that will blow you away (but great for marketing on LinkedIn!).

Tuesdays to Fridays are the best days to post on LinkedIn.

So, if you want to be strategic about LinkedIn posts, try scheduling at least two but not more than four posts weekly, preferably between 8 AM and 5 PM Tuesdays to Fridays.

That should be easy to remember.

Leverage LinkedIn groups for connections

Like Facebook and other platforms, LinkedIn has “special interest” groups for connecting like-minded people into a cohesive unit.

Although similar, LinkedIn Groups have a more “formal” and “fine-tuned” vibe than other networks. After all, LinkedIn is for professionals, and people naturally expect them to “behave” accordingly.

Still, joining groups on LinkedIn is an ingredient for success, especially if you choose the right ones within your niche.

Leveraging LinkedIn groups is all about expanding your audience and followers. And if you make a “connection” with some industry bigwigs, that would be an icing on the cake.

The point is interpersonal connections matter. And with fellow professionals covering your back, it would be impossible not to succeed in digital marketing.

Active interactions and discussions

It’s one thing to connect with other LinkedIn users. Interacting with them is another.

It shows respect for other members and how you value their posts, comments, likes, shares, and other “engagement” behaviors. More importantly, you nourish the relationship, build trust, and boost credibility.

So, if you’re a member of some affiliate marketing communities, dedicate some time to read posts and comments. Better yet, share your thoughts and encourage discussion.

Be open-minded enough to know that some might not agree with your comments. Respect is always great!

Answer queries as honestly and accurately as possible, but don’t be afraid to admit you’re unsure.

It’s all about credibility-building.

And once your LinkedIn followers trust you enough, promoting products and services through your posts should be easy.

Utilize LinkedIn tools

LinkedIn offers marketers the Sales Navigator to boost affiliate earnings by providing you with data and insights for prioritizing potentially high-earning accounts.

This tool allows you to leverage LinkedIn’s advanced lead-generating algorithm, integrate CRM data, connect with prospective leads, analyze buyer intent, and explore future relationships.

Unfortunately, Sales Navigator isn’t free.

Don’t worry. Third-party businesses recognize LinkedIn’s potential, motivating them to create innovative tools for the platform.

We recommend checking these LinkedIn tools to help boost affiliate sales & marketing activities.

You could generate higher quality leads, automate repetitive & mundane tasks, and improve engagement practices.

Although these technologies can make your life easier on LinkedIn, we pray you’ll still make the effort of personally connecting with and engaging your followers and audiences.

Engage in LinkedIn ads

Although LinkedIn is a “social” platform, it still needs to generate revenue. And accepting paid ads from companies and businesses is perfectly fine.

Paying for ads on LinkedIn is excellent for promoting big-ticket or high-value affiliate products, but not your ordinary or average items.

Why is that?

Although LinkedIn lets you decide the advertising budget, its average cost-per-click (CPC) is more dismal than Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).

You’ll pay LinkedIn $5.26 every time a user clicks your paid ads. And if you have a hundred clicks, you’re down $526.

Compare that with Facebook’s 97-cent CPC or Instagram’s $3.56 costing, and you’ll recognize LinkedIn Ads aren’t for the shallow-pocketed affiliate.

So, unless you’re promoting a high-ticket item with a generous commission, you’re better off with LinkedIn’s organic traffic (it has a higher engagement rating than Facebook’s 0.18%).

Review metrics then improve strategies

LinkedIn has a comprehensive marketing solution to let affiliates analyze performance and modify marketing strategies.

You’ll want to know how many clicks your post generated, the impressions it received, and other “social actions” it produced. These metrics allow you to analyze whether campaigns are effective or require tweaking to obtain the desired outcomes.

Affiliates also want to understand their audiences better, considering them business partners instead of the usual ends-to-a-means.

And that’s why reviewing and analyzing data is crucial for affiliate success. It empowers you to improve marketing and advertising strategies and, perhaps, even optimize costs.

So, take this advice to heart: check, review, and analyze your metrics daily. You don’t want a landscape-shifting update or change to catch you flatfooted.

What is Linkedin Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing on LinkedIn is like other money-making activities leveraging social media channels (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok). It hinges on people’s relationships or connections to promote a product and monetize such interactions.

The typical affiliate marketing strategy requires a marketer to create a website or blog and fill it with high-quality, engaging, valuable, and relatable content to attract and grow audiences.

Like any business, you’ll want to convert these audiences to potential customers, and earn money whenever they buy using your link.

The only difference between the traditional affiliate sales & marketing method and LinkedIn is you don’t need a website. LinkedIn serves as your website to create compelling blog posts and entice LinkedIn users to buy or avail of a promoted service.

You’ll need an affiliate program, too. These are companies or businesses offering a solution to people’s pain points. You’re the gatekeeper between these organizations and consumers. And your LinkedIn page is the bridge.

Affiliate programs share a part of each sale you produce from the people buying in their (businesses) platforms, provided they (buyers) click your link.

And that’s how LinkedIn, like other platforms, can add extra money to your pocket.

Pros Vs Cons of Affiliate Marketing Using Linkedin?

A well-crafted LinkedIn page can be a powerful tool for earning extra from business and professional connections. If you’re unsure, you can check out the table we prepared outlining the pros and cons of digital marketing with LinkedIn.

LinkedIn says its membership is short of about 50 million to breach the billion mark.

That’s a far cry from Facebook’s three billion-plus, YouTube and WhatsApp’s 2.7 billion, and Instagram’s 2.5 billion users. WeChat, TikTok, and Facebook Messenger also eclipse this Reid Hofmman-founded company.

So, LinkedIn’s reach isn’t as extensive as other social media platforms.

However, nearly a billion users are still sizable. And that poses an excellent market for affiliates.

What’s more, LinkedIn users aren’t your ordinary folks. These are professionals and career executives ready to decide for their organizations.

Here’s an interesting thought!

Over 60 million LinkedIn users (about 15%) are organizational decision makers.

That’s huge!

You could attract these high-profile LinkedIn users with your sassy but high-quality content creations and set your finances for life.

Additionally, high-income households prefer LinkedIn over other platforms, with about 570 million LinkedIn users posting a $100,000-plus average annual income.

And that means you could promote high-value, big-ticket items to three out of five LinkedIn users. They will be very appreciative, and you’ll have fatter paychecks.

Unlike other networks, LinkedIn recognizes affiliates need to earn. So, it has several features that facilitate effective and efficient marketing on a single platform. For example, you can write a blog post on your LinkedIn page.

Even its advertising policies are affiliate-friendly. Although it has a minimum advertising budget recommendation, $25 is still light on an affiliate’s pocket, and the results can be equally surprising.

More Reasons to Choose Linkedin for Affiliate Marketing

Still not convinced LinkedIn is right for you? How about you check three more reasons to pick this platform over other social media networks?

It supports multiple selling models

Almost everyone knows LinkedIn caters mainly to professionals, making it the world’s leading professional network. This observation also makes LinkedIn an excellent platform for doing business-to-business (B2B) strategies.

LinkedIn says four out of five LinkedIn users are key organizational decision-makers (i.e., top-level executives, managers, and leaders).

And if you can wow these decision-makers with high-quality, evidence-based offerings, Christmas will come early this year.

But LinkedIn is also perfect for business-to-customer (B2C) tactics. After all, professionals have personal lives you can make more worthwhile and meaningful with good-quality products.

LinkedIn doesn’t stop with B2B and B2C strategies, however. It’s also a favorite of business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) marketers.

In fact, this strategy is perfect for affiliates because they partner with a company offering products and services to other businesses, making the lives of end-consumers more meaningful.

Hence, LinkedIn’s multi-marketing and sales model support is perfect for affiliate marketers. You could zero in on individual professionals and their families or excite organizational leaders to consider your offer.

Of course, you can also promote to retailers and small businesses by connecting them with big-name brands, giving them the chance to wow their customers.

You can leverage LinkedIn’s high domain rating for more effective blogging

Sure, you can write a blog article on other platforms. However, landing on the top two SERPs is never a guarantee unless you’re an SEO wiz.

Not with LinkedIn.

Although we don’t have the exact figures, we observe that LinkedIn-based articles manage to land highly on Google and similar platforms.

Could it be a coincidence?

We believe this observation hinges on LinkedIn’s reputation as a platform for professionals. When you write something on LinkedIn, people know you’re legit. After all, no professional will want to stain their reputation with mediocre-quality content.

Everything has to be polished, organized, and receive the same treatment as an academic paper or research article, albeit in a “less formal” style.

And since it’s a blog within a social media channel, you can maximize organic traffic by placing keywords strategically. It’s like hitting two bullseyes with a single arrow.

Hence, LinkedIn allows you to “piggyback” on its “credibility,” landing your post higher on SERPs.

It Has Excellent Automation Tools

Becoming a successful affiliate isn’t as straightforward as many hope. Hard work and commitment are crucial.

Thankfully, LinkedIn understands every affiliate’s concern. You’re busy engaging with connections, building, growing, and solidifying relationships to ensure a steady flow of commissionable activities.

That’s why LinkedIn’s automation tools are an affiliate’s best friend.

For example, you could use Expandi to connect and engage leads across the omnichannel marketing spectrum.

Or, how about Lempod’s unique algorithm searching the LinkedIn sphere for boosting inter- and intra-pod engagement? Collaborating with multiple users and brands, managing your content, tracking key brands, and analyzing social media performance are a cinch with Lempod.

And if you’re ready for a sales pitch, you can rely on LinkedIn’s Demand automation tool. The best part? You can customize it.

You can also add Phantombuster or TexAu for automating growth through spot-on lead-generation.

Tens of automation tools are available for LinkedIn, empowering affiliates to focus on relationship building and nurturing while these technologies handle repetitive and mundane tasks.

So, affiliate marketing with LinkedIn is so much simpler and less stressful than with other platforms, thanks to these tools.

Are these reasons enough to make you use LinkedIn for your digital marketing? We really hope so.

Examples of Affiliate Marketing on Linkedin 

Marketing on LinkedIn makes perfect sense, given the reasons we offered. But we’re sure you want examples of how this platform can be an excellent tool for beginner and seasoned affiliates. So, check these out.

How to Choose the Best Affiliate Marketing Niche for Your Blog or Website in 2024 by Sahea Dul Bashar

Here’s a blog post Sahea Dul Bashar created for LinkedIn users aspiring to earn extra as affiliates. It’s like an ordinary blog, except Bashar published it within LinkedIn.

Interestingly, Bashar is a seasoned industrial engineer with a stellar experience in operation, planning, and supply chain management. Yet, despite the high-paying job, he still finds time to work on the side as an affiliate for ClickBank, JVZoo, and Warrior+Plus.

Bashar’s post on choosing an affiliate niche is perfect for aspiring digital marketers. The content is comprehensive without overbearing, covering everything a marketer needs to succeed

Although Bashar only has about a thousand followers, you can expect these people aren’t your ordinary folks on LinkedIn.

Neill Morris

Here’s what a seasoned affiliate marketer’s page on LinkedIn looks like.

And if you’re familiar with FlexOffers, Neill Morris should be a familiar name. After all, this marketing legend heads the affiliate network’s strategic relationships, allowing the company to build and reinforce long-lasting business connections for improved business-affiliate-merchant-customer relationships.

Connecting with Morris is like having a Goliath propping your affiliate activities, with David’s fortitude fueling your commitment.

Affiliate sales & marketing isn’t the only thing Morris is highly qualified for. He’s also an expert in pay-per-click strategies, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, web analytics, e-commerce, online advertising, and conversion optimization.

Unsurprisingly, Morris is a favorite of aspiring affiliate superstars.

Evan Weber’s Affiliate Marketing Industry Group

LinkedIn can be as effective as Facebook in creating small online communities. Maybe even better.

And one of the best LinkedIn Groups for affiliates and digital marketers to join is Evan Weber’s Affiliate Marketing Industry Group. It has over 80 thousand members, having been with the platform for 16 years.

This online group is a melting pot of publishers, affiliates, networks, brands, advertisers, and everyone else in the thriving affiliate industry. It encourages anyone to join and leverage the community’s rich knowledge about all things affiliate sales & marketing.

As for Evan Weber, he touts over 35.,000 followers on his LinkedIn personal page. The platform also recognizes Weber as its ace in affiliate sales & marketing. So, you know your marketing exploits are in excellent hands.

Marketing Automation: How to Build a Successful Campaign by Madecraft

Proof of LinkedIn’s professional-centric philosophy is its learning content. And you can create similar courses to generate enthusiasm about your products.

Take MadeCraft’s Marketing Automation: How to Build a Successful Campaign, for example. It’s a 43-minute video course addressing the basics of automation in digital marketing.

Learners will appreciate the automation mindset, terminologies, uses, setup, operationalization, and optimization. You could generate more leads with this program, boost sales, manage lists effectively, and appreciate “nurture” marketing.

And when you complete the course, you could approach the affiliate sales & marketing industry with renewed faith, vigor, and focus.

These examples highlight LinkedIn’s versatility and effectiveness in helping affiliates find success in their marketing endeavors. Few social media channels can beat that!

FAQs

How to become an affiliate on LinkedIn?

You can become an affiliate on LinkedIn by creating a personal or business account with the platform, although personal profiles have higher engagement rates. Pick a program to affiliate with and use LinkedIn to drive traffic.

Should I do affiliate marketing on LinkedIn?

You can consider marketing on LinkedIn because it supports omnichannel marketing strategies, provides cutting-edge automation tools, and lets you do promotional activities other platforms might not allow. Its ad services are also budget-friendly and effective.

How can I choose the right program for affiliate marketing on LinkedIn?

Choosing a program for affiliate marketing on LinkedIn requires analyzing the affiliate company’s dos and don’ts, specifically those pertaining to posting on LinkedIn. You can then assess the program’s trustworthiness, quality of offerings, commission structure, and niche suitability.

How to find suitable products to promote on LinkedIn?

Focus on your niche and identify relevant products to promote. Examine or assess each product for quality, customer benefits, value, availability, and commission.

Can I directly post affiliate links on LinkedIn?

Yes, LinkedIn allows posting affiliate links on its platform (unlike other networks). However, it should not appear “spammy,” “pushy,” or “salesy” to avoid receiving penalties or outright banishment from LinkedIn.

Conclusion

LinkedIn might be a professional’s favorite social media channel, but this platform can also be an affiliate marketer’s best friend. Our honest opinion is it’s friendlier to digital marketers than other social media, with a limited reach being its only downside. But even that isn’t enough to dampen our admiration for this channel.

Whether you use LinkedIn for digital marketing or another platform, know that content and meaningful relationships rule in this endeavor. And that’s the real secret to affiliate success.