Can You Do Affiliate Marketing If You’re Under 18?

Simon
Simon is a former UK call-centre worker who has gone on to build several highly successful affiliate marketing businesses in various different niches & become officially recognized as a Super Affiliate by the world's largest affiliate marketing training platform. He has since relocated to Thailand & now teaches affiliate marketing to others through Commission Academy.

Quick Answer: 100% Yes You Can! If you’re under 18 and you want to profit from affiliate marketing, there is nothing stopping you. Start our free actionable training now to earn commissions in record time.

The internet has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for people of all ages, and that includes students, kids and teens.

One popular way to make money online is through affiliate marketing.

But can you do affiliate marketing if you’re under 18?

Let’s find out.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards an affiliate for each successful sale they drive.

The most common way to do this is through a commission, but businesses can also offer other types of incentives, such as free shipping or store credit. 

How Does Affiliate Marketing Work? 

The basic concept of affiliate marketing is pretty simple:

You promote someone else’s product and earn a commission when someone buys it as a result of your promotion. 

what is affiliate marketing

When someone clicks on one of your affiliate links and makes a purchase from the merchant, you earn a commission. The amount of commission you earn varies depending on the terms of the agreement you have with the merchant, but typically it ranges from 5% to 20% of the purchase price. 

For example, let’s say you have a blog about gardening. You sign up for an affiliate program with a local nursery and start promoting their plants on your blog.

Every time someone clicks on one of your links and buys something from the nursery, you earn a 5% commission. 

If you refer enough people to make $100 worth of purchases from the nursery, they will send you a check for $5.

This is just one example; there are endless possibilities for how you can use affiliate marketing to generate income. 

How To Become A Successful Affiliate Marketer: The Complete Beginners Guide

Can You Do Affiliate Marketing If You’re Under 18?

Now that we know what affiliate marketing is, let’s answer the question: can you do affiliate marketing if you’re under 18?

The short answer is yes, however, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

Some businesses may have their own age requirements for affiliates. For example, some programs require affiliates to be at least 18 years old.

So, if you’re under 18 and looking to get into affiliate marketing, it’s important to research businesses and find out their age requirements before signing any agreements. 

Working On The Amazon Associate Program  

Yes, as a teenager you can become an Amazon affiliate. By promoting Amazon products and services on your website or blog, you can earn commissions on any sales generated.

First, fill out and submit the Amazon Affiliate Program application form to start your process.

If your application is approved, you will be able to start promoting Amazon products on your website or blog to join the top amazon affiliate earners.  

However, you must be eighteen years old and have a bank account to receive commissions.

If you are below 18, your father/guardian or any friend’s bank account can be used for receiving payments.

4 Reasons Affiliate Marketing Is Great For Teenagers 

With affiliate marketing, businesses compensate affiliates for every customer or lead that the affiliate brings in through their own marketing efforts. This type of performance-based advertising is a win-win situation for both parties involved.

If you’re a teenager looking to make some extra money or even start a business, then affiliate marketing could be right up your street.

Here are 4 reasons why affiliate marketing is not just good, but great for teenagers:

1. It’s Super Low Risk

One of the great things about affiliate marketing is that it’s relatively low risk. You don’t have to invest any money into getting started, and if you don’t make any sales, you won’t lose any money either. 

Of course, there’s always the possibility that you could make some sales and even make a profit, so it’s definitely worth giving it a try. Even if you don’t make any money from it, you’ll at least gain some valuable experience in online marketing.

2. Teens Are Tech Geeks

Another reason why affiliate marketing is suitable for teenagers is that teens are generally at the forefront of technology. This means that they’re more likely to be familiar with the latest trends and technologies, which can give them an advantage when it comes to promoting products and services online. 

Additionally, teens are also often more comfortable using social media than adults, which can again be beneficial when it comes to online marketing.

3. No Need To Hold Inventory

With affiliate marketing, you don’t need to worry about creating or stocking products. This means there’s no need to worry about inventory management or shipping costs. All you need to do is promote the products of other businesses and earn a commission on each sale that you generate. 

This makes affiliate marketing a very passive income stream, which is perfect if you’re looking to make money while you focus on other things like school or hobbies.

4. Affiliate Marketing Is Booming Right Now

Some pay say affiliate marketing is dead but watch this video and I’ll show you why the opposite is true:

Is Affiliate Marketing Dead? Nope! Here's Why It's Alive & Kicking (What You Need To Succeed)

The truth is affiliate marketing is not only profitable, but it’s also an industry that is growing strong because more and more businesses are starting to see the value in partnering with affiliates.

As a result, the industry is expected to continue growing in the years to come. This means there will be more opportunities for teenage affiliates to make a lot of money now and in the future. 

Here are some other reasons why affiliate marketing is best for teenagers: 

  • Teens are already comfortable with using the internet and navigating websites.
  • Teens are typically more engaged with social media, making them more likely to share links and recommendations.
  • Teens are more likely to be early adopters of new technology and trends, making affiliate marketing a wise choice for targeting this demographic.
  • Affiliate marketing is a relatively easy way to make money, which is attractive to teenagers who are often looking for ways to make money outside of traditional employment.
  • There is no age limit for becoming an affiliate marketer, so teens of any age can get involved.
  • Teens have more flexible time than adults, meaning they can potentially devote more time to building their affiliate marketing business.
  • Teens are generally comfortable communicating online, making it easier to connect with potential customers and partners.

Getting Started With Affiliate Marketing As A Teen 

If you’re interested in starting your own affiliate marketing program, there are a few things you’ll need to do: 

1) Find merchants with products that compliment your site content: Before you can start promoting products as an affiliate, you need to find businesses with products that align with your website’s content and niche. 

For example, if your website is all about pet care, then promoting pet food wouldn’t make sense because it wouldn’t be relevant to your audience. However, promoting pet toys would be a great fit because it would be relevant to your audience and complements your content nicely.    

Once you’ve found some potential merchants, take some time to explore their products and see if they would be a good fit for your site.   

2) Apply to be an affiliate: Once you’ve found some merchants that seem like good fits for your site, the next step is to apply to their affiliate programs. Each merchant will have their own requirements for who they accept into their program so make sure to read through their requirements carefully before applying. 

Some merchants may require that you have certain traffic levels before they’ll approve you while others may not have any requirements at all.    

3) Promote products on your site: Once you’ve been accepted into an affiliate program (or multiple programs), start promoting those products on your site! You can typically do this by adding banner ads or text links to different parts of your site where visitors will see them while browsing around. 

Make sure to include calls-to-action (CTAs) telling visitors what they should do next such as “Buy Now” or “Learn More.”   

4) Get paid: After someone has clicked on one of your links and made a purchase from the merchant, you’ll receive commissions according to the terms of your agreement with that merchant (usually 5-20% of the purchase price). 

These commissions will show up in either PayPal or as direct deposits into your bank account depending on how each merchant pays out their affiliates.     

And that’s it! You’re now ready to start earning commissions by promoting other people’s products on your website!  

Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn income from your website by promoting other people’s products. It’s simple to get started; just find some merchants with products that compliment your site content, apply to their affiliate programs, and start promoting those products on your site! 

Remember to keep track of all the different merchants you’re working with so that payments are made smoothly and timely; no one likes waiting around for their hard-earned money! Best of luck in all future endeavours!

Affiliate Marketing for Under 18s: The Bottom Line 

All things considered, yes—you can do affiliate marketing if you’re under 18. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before getting started, such as getting parental permission and finding businesses with appropriate age requirements. 

With that said, affiliate marketing can be a great way to earn money online—so if you’re interested in giving it a try, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t!

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6 thoughts on “Can You Do Affiliate Marketing If You’re Under 18?”

  1. what programs allow you to use their sources when your under 18? i tried click bank but you must be 18 to join, is there others that are available for minors?

    Reply

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