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What is a Publisher?

A publisher is the party in affiliate marketing that receives commissions for successes such as brokered purchases, leads or deals. This is usually done by the publisher providing advertising space in his media and placing banners or links for the advertisers offers there.

  • Provides the advertiser with his reach
  • Includes affiliate links and banners on his websites
  • Receives commissions via different billing models (PPC, PPO, PPL, PPS)

How does the publisher make money?

The cooperation of the publisher with an advertiser (advertiser, merchant) brings advantages for both sides, and this is the basic principle of affiliate marketing. The publisher makes money without needing a product of his own. The advertiser increases his brand awareness and receives a relatively low-cost acquisition of customers. In most cases, the remuneration for this cooperation is performance-based. The main parties involved in affiliate marketing are therefore the two already mentioned above: the advertiser (dealer, merchant) and his publisher (partner, affiliate). But without a third party, namely the customer (or consumer, consumer), neither of them can make a profit. Often a fourth party comes into play and mediates the relationship between merchants and partners: the so-called partner network. There is also another key figure worth mentioning and often important in practice, namely the affiliate manager, who plays an essential role, and that would be a fifth party. A typical example of a publisher is a blog operator who, for example, sets links for fashion labels in his blog and in this way generates sales for which he receives previously agreed monthly commissions. The publisher, or sometimes referred to as the “affiliate”, is therefore the person who markets the merchants products or services. It is important to select which products and services are to be advertised and which methods and techniques are suitable to attract and persuade potential customers to buy. In practice, there are different tools and strategies and different types of partners. Popular tools include coupons, advertisements, social media and videos.

Affiliate Marketing from the publishers point of view

The interested publisher selects a suitable company or partner network. He looks to see if the advertiser has the most positive reputation possible. In many cases, the amount of the commission for his activity as an agent is also an important criterion. Often the publisher must first register and apply as an affiliate. Provided that everything is in order and the publisher is accepted as an affiliate, it is then up to him how he markets the merchants products and services as long as he complies with the merchants rules or his terms of use. He may use content, ads, videos, apps, various incentives and various combinations thereof in his marketing campaigns, but only as long as these methods are approved by the merchant. He may advertise on his own website or, for example, in social networks, forums, video portals or blogs. The lucrative thing is that the only limitation with which a partner can make money is his own performance and reach. The affiliate receives his personal link and in some cases can even “hire” sub-affiliates among himself. The range of earning opportunities is wide: some publishers make a few dollars with affiliate marketing, others earn hundreds of thousands or even more. Of course, one has to look at how saturated and competitive some markets are and as a publisher always make a wise choice. Also the traffic and the target groups must of course fit, so that affiliate marketing works well in practice. Regardless of whether you are a merchant or a publisher, affiliate marketing can be a ticket to success. As in any field, lasting success is not achieved overnight, but with perseverance and smart work this is almost always possible. In principle, however, it is possible for the publisher to literally make money in his sleep with the right offers, media and methods.

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