Black Friday to Cyber Monday is the most lucrative weekend of the year for affiliate marketers.
It’s an opportunity like no other to generate massive affiliate earnings within a brief period of time. It’s a chance to exceed personal expectations and profit targets— a dream come true for anyone earning income online.
Simply put, Black Friday weekend should fill affiliate marketers with excitement. However, if you’re an affiliate, there’s a good chance there’s a second emotion present right now. Anxiousness, perhaps?
The fact is, such an advantageous opportunity inevitably creates a lot of pressure to properly take advantage of that opportunity.
As consumers prepare to empty their wallets for gadgets and gifts, brands and affiliates need to ensure they’re creating effective campaign strategies that attract audiences and outdo competitors. We understand that it can feel like a daunting task.
This guide is going to provide you with the knowledge and confidence to eliminate that affiliate anxiety and soar your Black Friday profits, including:
Our recommended highest-converting Black Friday verticals and affiliate campaigns
The most effective traffic sources for directing quality traffic to those campaigns
Tips on how to plan and strategize your campaigns
Specific tips for MaxBounty affiliates
We’ll also include links to MaxBounty campaigns that we believe have the best chance of boosting your earnings for Black Friday. We recommend checking out the campaign page for each as many will offer special Black Friday discounts, promotions and creatives that will further increase your conversion rate.
Here’s everything you need to create an earnings-exceeding Black Friday/Cyber Monday affiliate promotion plan.
The Best Verticals and Affiliate Campaigns for Black Friday
Online Black Friday sales increased another 8% in 2023 over 2022, generating an astounding $70.9 billion (USD) in total global sales. Those sales are expected to continue to grow in 2024.
This growth benefits affiliate marketers by persuading more advertisers to launch viable affiliate campaigns that can earn you money during Black Friday weekend. This in return has provided affiliates with more options than ever when looking for a profitable Black Friday campaign.
This is a good thing, but it can also create over-saturation which in return can leave you feeling overwhelmed. You could likely find a campaign in nearly every vertical that can earn you money during this time of year, so where do you start?
We think there’s a handful of campaign types that perform best at sending you high-quality desktop and mobile traffic to your affiliate campaigns. Here’s why.
E-commerce
It should be no surprise that this is the big one.
Black Friday weekend is a massive sales opportunity for online retailers. Already high-converting e-commerce campaigns are likely to perform even better as advertisers at networks like MaxBounty increase their caps and consumers increase their spending.
The e-commerce vertical probably has the best likelihood of supplying you with that dream Black Friday campaign, that one that has you refreshing your account every few minutes to watch your earnings increase.
Most e-commerce campaigns have the potential to earn you money if you’re able to effectively target the right audience. That said, there are a few tried and tested ones that perform especially well this time of year, including:
Clothing and accessories
Tech gadgets/electronics
Gift-themed products and services
Pet products
You also have the option of promoting campaigns from online retailers that offer countless different products. This can be a better option if you’re targeting a broader audience, where promoting specific product campaigns are better if you’re acquiring niche traffic.
Later in the guide we’ll provide you with some tips on how to find profitable e-commerce campaigns at MaxBounty. For now, here’s a few that many of our affiliates are already testing and poised to earn from.
High-Converting Black Friday E-commerce Campaigns:
Temu – Online Shopping – RevShare (CA,AU,UK + more)
AliExpress – International Marketplace – RevShare (US)
Personalization Mall – Generic Gifts – CPS (US,CA)
Heath/Self-care
Although many health and self-care campaigns could technically be considered e-commerce campaigns, they are deserving of their own category.
These products also offer two unique differentiators compared to most other online products being sold this time of year.
Firstly, desire for self care products increases as we approach the beginning of a New Year. People are starting to plan their health-focused New Year’s resolutions and part of that involves purchasing the products that will help them achieve those goals.
Secondly, health products offer a different messaging angle than many other e-commerce products.
Where something like a tech product is purchased as both a gift or a personal item, most consumers are buying health and skincare products primarily for themself. This allows you to confidently promote these campaigns using headline, images, and copy that connects personally to the user.
Online therapy campaigns also convert extremely well this time of year.
Many individuals struggle with their mental health more during winter months due to seasonal affective disorder. Online counselling services can help alleviate these issues without users needing to leave the comfort of their own home. Therefore, these campaigns usually see heightened interest and conversions throughout November and December.
Health and selfcare can be a winning Black Friday vertical if you can tap into users’ personal desires to improve their body and mind.
High-Converting Black Friday Health/Selfcare Campaigns:
Proactiv – Acne Treatment – RevShare (US)
Snow Teeth Whitening – CPS (US)
Better Help – Online Therapy – CPS (US,UK,CA)
Cyber Security
Online security and anti-virus software are a staple of profitable Black Friday affiliate campaigns. Year after year, they generate some of the most consistent earnings for affiliates from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
Brands in this vertical also often offer some of the best Black Friday discounts and promotions. So much so that many consumers will only purchase online security software during this time of year. They’re aware of how much money they’ll save on annual subscriptions to a VPN or anti-virus program if they just wait until Black Friday.
Effectively communicating these savings to users can significantly increase engagement and conversions.
High-Converting Black Friday Cyber Security Campaigns:
Norton AntiVirus – CPS (US,CA)
NordVPN – RevShare (Worldwide)
Travel
The growth and popularity of e-commerce campaigns has actually helped make Travel one of the more underrated verticals for achieving Black Friday profits.
Online shopping isn’t the only thing that increases near the end of the year. The holidays also spike commercial flights as people take to the skies to visit family or escape the winter cold. This greatly boosts travel campaign profits, especially those offering special Black Friday discounts.
Travel services also require users to spend more money on average than almost any other vertical. This makes discounts especially attractive to those who need to book flights heading into the holiday season.
High-Converting Black Friday Travel Campaigns:
Skylux Travel – Business Class Flights – CPS (US,CA)
Best Affiliate Marketing Traffic Sources for Black Friday
Okay so you have an idea of what types of campaigns you want to promote for Black Friday, but how exactly are you going to promote them?
The answer to that question is somewhat dependent on the specific campaign(s) you plan to promote. This is because each campaign at any network will have a different set of permitted traffic.
Below are the traffic types we believe are the most effective at driving Black Friday traffic to the verticals campaigns we mentioned above.
Google Ads and Google Display Network
Google search ads and the Google Display Network are two of the most effective traffic sources for promoting e-commerce campaigns. Considering many affiliate campaigns that convert well during Black Friday fall into this vertical, this is a pairing that always generates a ton of affiliate income this time of year.
Both search and display can offer you massive reach as well as unique benefits depending on the specific campaigns you’re promoting.
Search ads tend to have a higher conversion rate than display ads because users are searching for similar words you’re bidding on. There’s some intent at play. However, search ads on average also have a higher cost-per-click.
The Google Display Network has the benefit of allowing you to fully take advantage of Black Friday banners many MaxBounty advertisers supply this time of year. The ones that showcase those massive discounts front and centre.
Not many traffic sources can match Google when it comes to getting your campaigns in front of as many people as possible.
Native Ads
Native ads are one of the most effective affiliate traffic sources, regardless of the time of year. During Black Friday weekend, their superpower of being unobtrusive advertising becomes even more valuable.
Consumers are bombarded by ads and promotions around Black Friday. Native ads have the ability to attract users to your campaign without being perceived as just another Black Friday ad.
We recommend writing native ad headlines that offer something to users while creating a sense of urgency. Headlines like: “The 5 Best Black Friday Deals That Expire Today” or “These Hot Christmas Gift Ideas Are Selling Out”.
From there, you can populate your landing page with content that delivers on the promise you made in the headline while promoting your campaign(s) within.
Promoting affiliate campaigns through email is a tactical venture. It requires organically grown user lists and strategically written subject lines just to get someone to open the email, let alone click anything inside of it. However, email gains a unique advantage as Black Friday approaches.
The mentality of your average email user shifts as they begin actively looking for savings.
This makes email one of the better traffic sources for promoting Black Friday campaigns because it’s a direct line of communication. You’re able to angle your campaign messaging so that users perceive you as helping them save money.
Look for MaxBounty campaigns that permit email traffic while offering special Black Friday discounts.
Also, be sure to make those percentage off discounts prominent in the subject line and preheaders. Those short and sweet numbers are going to go a long way in gaining attention and making your email standout.
Social Media Ads
Similar to Google’s ad platforms, social media ads can offer you the massive reach you’re craving during Black Friday.
Their advanced targeting options are hard to beat at a time when finding the right audience can make all the difference.
If you understand your demographics, you can hone in on the specific audiences who are most likely to generate a conversion.
Let’s say you’re promoting an e-commerce golf equipment campaign like PGA TOUR Superstore – RevShare. Through platforms like Meta Ads, you can then specifically target earning-age individuals who are interested in golf and/or follow golf pages. This is likely to generate higher conversion rates then if you were promoting the same campaign on a native ad platform for example.
Some formats like Meta Ads’ carousel ads can be especially effective for e-commerce and selfcare campaigns as they give you the ability to showcase multiple products or banners in a single ad.
Just be sure to keep a close eye on your spending. While conversions and profits rise throughout Black Friday, so do ad costs. The last thing you want to do is blow through your budget too early leaving earnings on the table as the weekend unfolds.
Contextual/Pop-Under/PPV
PPV/contextual traffic is a longstanding affiliate marketing traffic source that can still move the needle.
Whether you use URL or keyword targeting options, pop-unders (or pop-overs) can get your campaign directly in front of highly targeted audiences. They also often occupy more space than any other ad format. This allows you to utilize creative images and discount banners to quickly attract users’ attention.
Campaigns that can deliver a message quickly like online security software and travel offers can work especially well with this traffic during Black Friday.
Just make sure you sign up to any PPV platforms ASAP so you have plenty of time to prepare and test your campaigns.
Planning Tips for Your Black Friday Affiliate Campaigns
Now that you have an understanding of what campaigns to promote and how to direct traffic to them, you’re going to want to start planning and testing your campaigns.
Here’s some helpful tips to ensure your campaigns are poised to maximize your earnings come Black Friday weekend.
Make a Promotion Schedule
Take out your calendar and identify exactly how many days you have until Black Friday. From there, plan out what you need to do from now until then to ensure your campaigns are properly prepared.
This should include campaign selection, determining your messaging angles, creating and populating your landing pages, signing up to any necessary traffic platforms, and most importantly testing and optimization.
Start Testing Your Campaigns Now
We cannot stress enough that you should not wait until Black Friday to start testing your Black Friday campaigns. If you do, you’ll have no time to properly test and optimize leading into the week where you’re likely to get the most conversions.
Black Friday shopping and sales events also occur much earlier than they once did.
Two to three weeks out is likely the sweet spot, as seasonal discounts will start being launched and you can ramp up your testing as online traffic beings to increase.
Create Conversion-Capturing Landing Pages
Other than rare cases where you’re direct linking, it’s likely you’re going to be using custom landing pages to promote your Black Friday campaigns.
The quality and effectiveness of your landing page is ultimately going to be the difference maker between disappointing conversions and dream-come-true profits.
Here’s a check-list to follow to ensure your landing page turns clicks into conversions:
Include multiple call-to-actions in different areas of the content
Ensure your landing page is optimized for mobile device – test it out yourself!
Emphasize benefits and not features (What this product/service does FOR the user VS simply what it does)
Test page-loading times with online apps or plugins. Improve page speed if necessary
Test all links multiple times to ensure all properly direct to the campaign(s) you’re promoting
Use high quality images that relate to what it is you’re promoting
Write Urgent Ad Copy
It is crucial that your Black Friday campaigns feature ad copy that creates a sense of urgency.
Although Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events have broadened beyond their individual days, they still inherently are limited time sales events. You need to use this to your advantage when promoting any type of Black Friday-related campaign.
Use timers, limited quantity stats, and language like “sale ends in two hours” to ensure users know they need to act now to take advantage of savings.
Black Friday Tips for MaxBounty Affiliates
If you’re a MaxBounty affiliate, you have some specific advantages that can help set yourself up for success heading into Black Friday.
Here’s a few tasks we recommend doing.
Opt-in to Performance Bonus Promotions
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MaxBounty often launches seasonal performance promotions that can further maximize your earning potential.
To check for and opt-in to these promotions, log in to your MaxBounty affiliate account and head to the MaxMoney page.
You can currently opt-in to our Beat Your Best promotion which will reward you bonuses for scaling your campaigns and generating more earnings in the latter half of November than you did in the first half.
This is an easy way to earn even more during an already highly profitable season.
Stay informed of the Best MaxBounty Black Friday Campaigns
MaxBounty Advertisers upload new Black Friday campaigns to MaxBounty every October and November. Although we typically send emails to affiliates notifying them of these updates, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll see every one.
We recommend contacting your Affiliate Manager and specifically asking them what Black Friday campaigns they think you should try testing.
They might suggest a campaign that you somehow missed that ends up providing you your biggest ROI during the Black Friday weekend.
You should also ask them which campaigns are offering the best discounts and promotions. Special Black Friday creative that showcases these discounts have been proven to increase conversion rates this time of year when compared to traditional banners.
Find MaxBounty’s Highest Converting E-commerce Campaigns
If you’re looking for other profitable Black Friday campaigns besides the ones we included in this guide, there’s an easy way to do so if you’re a MaxBounty affiliate.
All you need to do is take a few simple steps:
Log in to your MaxBounty Affiliate Account and go to the browse section of the Affiliate Dashboard.
Then, select the “Top” filter at the top of the page. The campaigns displayed in this section are sorted based on recent revenue generated.
From this list, specifically look for e-commerce campaigns.
If you’re relatively new to affiliate marketing or don’t have time to do extensive campaign research, this is a simple and effective way to find campaigns that are likely to convert well throughout all of November and especially during Black Friday.
Conclusion
The best way to take advantage of the once a year affiliate earning opportunity that is Black Friday is to be prepared.
Having a clear plan as to the verticals and campaigns you want to promote, as well as how, when and where you’ll promote them will greatly improve your chances of exceeding your earnings goals.
We suggest you combine the information in this guide with your own experience and judgement. From there, create a Black Friday promotion plan that utilizes the skills you’re most confident in and that have found you success so far.
If you’re new and still looking for that success, it’s okay to rely more heavily on our recommendations above. Just be sure to thoroughly test your campaigns and be mindful of your budget.
If you think you could benefit from further planning assistance beyond this guide, also do not hesitate to reach out to your MaxBounty Affiliate Manager.
Good luck, stay focused and congratulations on your future earnings.
The post Maximizing Your Black Friday/Cyber Monday Affiliate Marketing Earnings: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on MaxBounty+.
