Affiliate Marketing Verticals: The Definitive Guide

Prepared to check the most impressive guide ever created about affiliate marketing verticals? Keep reading!

Introduction

Have you already chosen the vertical that will make you rich?

Sweepstakes, CC Submit Offers, Nutra, Mobile content…

There are so many verticals in affiliate marketing that you can feel lost!

What about those offers that tell users to fill in some details and then you get a sale for that?

Or the amazing app installs, making everyone’s lives a bit easier and funnier?

No need to despair!

These two gals have something real special for you:

It’s the ultimate guide of the best affiliate marketing verticals – or offer categories, as they are sometimes called.

Main Verticals

By now, you may already know that there are two main verticals in affiliate marketing:

• Mainstream
• Adult

Is that it?

Yes.

And no.

For mainstream, you’ll find a wide range of sub-categories, from entertainment to the juiciest E-Commerce content.

Among others, there’s Mobile content, Nutra, Videos, Games.

What else?

Even Crypto!

It was about time!

What about the Adult vertical?

It’s quite straightforward:

It’s basically any offer that’s possibly related with adult content, such as Adult Dating, Adult Videos, Adult Glamour, Adult Topless, Adult Sexy.

You get the idea!

Now, we’re gonna give you a detailed map so that you can navigate through the wonderful arena of sub-verticals.

Ready to find the best affiliate treasures of all time?

Come along!

Let’s get going!

Check this updated and super cool list of affiliate marketing verticals!

Best Affiliate Marketing Verticals

Mobile Content

You’ve probably heard the word on the street.

No?

Then pay attention!

Here’s a fact:

Mobile content has been a very successful vertical for affiliate marketers for many years, no doubt about it.

As the technology of mobile became available to more and more users from all over the world, it’s only natural that these super eager fellows are ready for a whole plethora of amazing mobile content.

And why shouldn’t they be?

This is what business is all about!

As the market expands, new products/offers are being created to fulfill its demands.

Now, let’s not forget that all this technology and connectivity is moving forward way more rapidly than at any other time in human history.

Just think about it:

In 2004, people were sending text messages to one another in an effort to catch up with friends or plan gatherings.

Now?

Everyone seems to be video calling, sharing current locations, taking selfies, or using Facebook Live!

Come on!

People are unlocking their iPhone X with face recognition.

Yes!

You can talk about progress, indeed!

One word:

Evolution.

Feeling some turbulence on this technological flight?

We feel it too!

Don’t panic!

The truth is that users ask to be respected, therefore mobile service providers are listening and acting as they know best.

Yes:

There have been lots of changes in GEOs that used to rock hard in terms of profit.

Switching from SOI or DOI to SMS, or adding a captcha…we get it!

What about those GEOs you used to overlook because they weren’t ready for your fabulous ads or simply because there weren’t enough offers for them?

You see?

It’s not the end of the world.

At least not yet.

Just as some countries decided to move on to different conversion flows, some others are now eager to get the offers they missed in the last few years.

Make sure to get a piece of that sweet Mobile Content honey.

Trust us gals:

You won’t regret it.

You’re probably familiar with the most common sub-categories.

No?

Wanna know which are the coolest Mobile Content sub-categories around?

Check them now!

Utility Apps

We all need our performance boosters and battery saver offers for both mobile and desktop.

These offers can either be subscription based (CPA) or require the download of an app from the Google Play Store/Apple App Store (CPI).

Check these four examples of Utility Apps for Android:

• Smart Tools
• All-in-One unit Calculator
• LastPass Password Manager
• Google Translate

In 2018, we’ll be hearing from Systweak Android Cleaner or AppLock, among others.

Sweepstakes

Win an iPhoneX!

Get 100€ for Primark shopping!

Don’t miss your chance to get a $50 Virgin gift card!

We’re sure you’ve seen these types of slogans so many times you start getting dizzy!

They sometimes appear on your Facebook feed, among your friends’ updates and a cat video where the obese cat chases a fuzzy ball.

Sweepstakes are always gonna be making money for some cool affiliates.

In case you ever felt like trying to actually be the lucky winner, you’ve probably went through a very nicely designed prelander with user-customized questions (just like these pre-landers for iPhone), followed the steps and….

You’re probably still waiting to be the one!

That’s a sweepstakes offer for you, alright!

They’re a type of contest where a prize may be awarded to a lucky winner.

As you may have noticed, some of these offers don’t actually require any purchase on the user side.

In fact, users just need to fill a form submit or simply enter their email address (CPL) which makes it all seem super appealing.

Don’t be surprised, though:

There are some awesome Credit Card (CPS) offers out there.

For instance, you can go for Netflix subscriptions.

The most common flow is Card + free trials.

Make sure you understand the flow for the user.

You can even find some direct billing in this sub-vertical.

Understanding the flow will help you when it comes to the targeting.

What about the traffic?

Most ad networks out there are gonna go for popunders.

Nevertheless, social media is currently winning the game.

Why?

Because it’s basically a huge user database where hungry consumers are looking for appealing ads and cool opportunities to win free stuff!

Moreover, Facebook users are terribly bored out of their minds.

And guess what?

According to some studies, boredom is actually the official reason for users to check their Facebook as frequently as they now tend to do.

Boredom.

Who knew that having nothing to do could be a catalyst for clicking a sweeps ad?

Make sure you’ve got a nice, clear and super honest ad.

You don’t wanna mess with Facebook Ads policies!

Remember:

You want their traffic, not a terrible headache.

Now, you’re probably asking yourself:

Do people actually ever win these online lotteries?

The answer is yes (we’ve checked with the source!)

You’ve just gotta keep calm, relax, and wait for that golden ticket to come home!

Antivirus

Losing all your contacts, photos, and some terrifically important data?

Getting your email hacked?

Are you afraid of identity theft?

All of these are true stories!

If you haven’t been through any of these or similar, you probably know someone who has!

This sub-vertical is all about that awesome piece of cool software that’s gonna keep your device safe.

Safe from what, exactly?

All that nasty malware, of course!

Most of these offers can be adapted to fit almost any audience out there (both Adult and Mainstream.)

Plus:

You can use those amazingly generic banners and alert pre-landers which can suggest a user’s device has been infected!

Use them well and “force” naive users into acting rapidly and buying like hungry little lambs!

Why are we so evil?

We don’t know.

Golden tip:

The promotion of this kind of offers often includes the use of engaging and alarming pre-landers on pop traffic, created to grab the user’s attention.

We know you love your smartphone and treat it like a family pet dying from feline AIDS, which means you can be scared that any whisper of a threat can harm your device.

That’s why it’s so easy for affiliate marketing players to prey upon these willing victims.

Even so, don’t forget to always bear regulations in mind so you don’t risk getting banned or something!

Games

Good creatives, galvanizing pre-landers, and well-designed video manuals are 90% of the road to success!

According to Forbes, the best Video Game in 2017 was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Yes.

Nintendo has been turning complexity and continuity into a game since 1986.

And the Best Android Game was Monument Valley 2.

Puzzles, anybody?

Gamers love the beautiful design and the fun-on-the-go aspect of this game.

You can find games where users need to install the game on their phone (CPI) or even subscribe (CPA).

Gambling

Sports bets, poker, casino games!

You’ll find all this and much more in this category.

Everything that makes the user addicted is worth promoting.

How?

Simple:

Strategy, planning, and street smarts!

This really is the point in time where researching your GEO’s behavior becomes mighty crucial.

Moreover, you should remember the gaming industry is hugely influenced by brands.

Forget a higher CR/Payout/RevShare offer in the premium site spots:

If no one has ever heard about them, they’re unrecyclable junk.

Moreover, remember to lure the user with a strong message.

Go ahead and tell them why they should subscribe to an online casino, instead of a real one.

Everything’s gotta look straight-up legit, especially in terms of payments.

If you happen to be a gambler, your mindset will help you succeed in the tough but fabulous Affiliate Marketing road.

Golden Tip:

Don’t underestimate adult traffic!

If you do, we’ll make fun of you!

Nutra

The name gives it away.

If you’ve been in the business for a while now, there’s no freaking way you haven’t come across this term.

Nutra is a broad vertical.

It’s all about health, dietary supplements, weight loss, and skin care products, but also some adult products such as male enhancers.

In LATAM GEOs, such as Brazil, as well as in the US or Canada, this vertical is trending and has many cash cows to discover!

The most common models are CPA (subscription/rebills, commonly following a free trial period) or CPS (straight sales or cash on delivery.)

You could say that – with CPS flows – you’re actually selling a product without even having to produce it or care about stock.

These offers tend to work best on Facebook, Google AdWords, or native traffic.

The usage of aggressive creatives featuring celebrity endorsers and bold claims to make the products more appealing to the user are a widespread practice.

However, this may hit a nerve on some traffic sources and is often connected to the use of cloaking services.

Dating

What kind of evil person doesn’t look for their true love, or at least a legit company for a bit of funky fun?

There are different types of dating offers out there.

In fact, you’ve got adult offers and others which are more mainstream-oriented.

Since you’re an affiliate marketer, this usually means offers based on CPL (leadgen offers based on data submission), CPS (subscription with credit card), or CPA (carrier billing).

Now, if you’re trying to step into a brighter world and away from mobile content, you have to try dating.

With both CPL and CPS flows, you’ll find yourself out of the mobile operator’s scope for a bit.

What a better way to do it while being a matchmaker, or at least something similar.

These offers now tend to work better on display rather than pop traffic, even though pop can be worth a shot, depending on your traffic source.

In any case, the use of engaging banners and pre-landers is a must.

Due to the need of filling out contact details and match-making forms, which is more comfortable to do at home, protected from curious eyes, dating works particularly well on Wi-Fi traffic and can also have a decent performance on desktop.

Travel

Hotel booking, transportation tickets, trip purchases, getting the best deal and the whole holiday schedule!

Last year, these offers boomed.

Who doesn’t like to plan the family holidays or their fun-filled spring break while commuting to work?

Depending on the service, you can check some different flows:

• CPI – travel & booking apps – think about the season in which you wanna promote
• CPS – credit card billing on booking trips from a landing page
• CPS/CPL – travel calls – transferred to the call centers or to the team of travel agents helping to book flights. Attention! It may convert only after a connected call has been going on for a certain period of time!

Golden tip:

Seasonality!

Always seasonality!

Mainstream VOD

Hands up right now!

Who among you readers isn’t currently searching for ALL the available “Game of Thrones” seasons online?

Yup!

We figured!

Saturday comes every week and all we wanna do is grab a cheap IKEA blanket, curl like soft puppies, and watch an entertaining movie, Saturday Night Live scenes, or a rerun of an old TV show while sipping some delicious hot chocolate (or wine!)

TV sells!

Movies sell!

Go with the flow!

Golden tip:

Travel sites also work well with videos.

People wanna be entertained while travelling for a long period of time.

E-Commerce

It’s shopping time!

As the name suggests, E-Commerce is all about promoting e-shops and the products they sell.

This is a huge vertical, which means there are several ways of working on it and of actually getting a nice piece of the cake.

CPS (cost per sale) offers, where affiliates promote a third-party online shop e.g. with coupons and get a percentage of the purchase value, or app installs (CPI) are two common practices.

Plus:

A big trend in E-Commerce is that of affiliates reselling products from platforms like AliExpress through Shopify on a drop-shipping basis – often promoted as FREE + delivery.

The great thing about this kind of offers is that you promote the products, yet don’t need to think about the production, storage, or the shipping.

Great deal, right?

The main promotion platforms in this vertical are Facebook and other social media networks, as well as Google AdWords, and native traffic.

Due to the growing density of e-shops and partly shady ways of promoting, however, it’s increasingly challenging to work smoothly on Facebook.

What to do?

Make sure you get your game straight.

The idea of acquiring a product or service is correlated to always playing it safe.

Which means?

The affiliate marketing scam lovers should start to tremble.

The rest?

No need to fear!

And remember:

Don’t attack the user, attract them to the product.

There’s still lots of cash to be made.

Ka-Ching!

Let’s get this moving to the latest trend in affiliate marketing!

Crypto and ICO

Shall we all take a bow to honor the great Satoshi Nakamoto?

Wherever and whoever he is.

If you’re up to date with the latest trends in the digital world, and even if you’re not, you probably know by now that – about 10 years ago – this amazing utopia called blockchain was brought to life.

Time to talk about those wonderfully profitable cryptocurrencies.

It’s a bit hard to keep up with all the new currencies that have been created over the last years.

The same goes for their value and usage.

One thing is clear:

You can’t predict whether they’ll crash or skyrocket from one day to the other.

The most popular ones are probably Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple.

And so many more to catch up with.

You can enter CoinMarketCap to check all the new cryptocurrencies available.

Remember, though:

Watching graphs and charts going up and down doesn’t increase their value!

The good thing about this latest vertical is that the word has been spreading for a long time, maybe even before you got started in the affiliate marketing business.

It’s now time to take advantage of the buzz.

The conversion flows could differ, from CPS and even CPL + Rev Share.

This will give the whole purchasing process a legit touch and a feeling of security to both users and publishers.

Then again, with this product you aren’t just bringing another exchange value to your users.

You give them anonymity and the most complex security transaction process humankind has ever been able to use!

What about those users you know want to get into Crypto and ICO but aren’t ready to invest?

Make them get ready.

There are a ton of offers about how to get started, and they are available for almost any country.

Not to sound repetitive, but this is happening all over the world!

If you fail to dive into it and fail to make your users dive in with you, you won’t get a piece of the future!

Watch out for restrictions:

Some crypto offers accept Adult traffic which is quite the juicy opportunity.

This isn’t the rule, though.

This means you should stick to rules and regulations!

Traffic sources, you ask?

Since the crypto vertical is just rising like crazy, it seems only natural that new sources are now starting to specialize on this traffic type.

A bit of advice:

Test the best traffic you’ve got.

That way, you’ll find the users you’re looking for.

You’ll then be ready to explore some more sources.

One thing is for sure:

Facebook has had it!

The latest regulations coming outta Facebook are set against Finance and Cryptocurrency products/services to be promoted through Facebook Ads.

Yet again:

People are still craving for crypto.

It’s time to find the hungry mobs and give them what they want!

Finance

Another vast vertical with highly-targeted content that was recently promoted not only on ad networks but directly on websites and social media.

Attention, sailors!

These offers are difficult to convert.

Why are these finance offers difficult to convert?

Because of these two reasons:

• Some users have had a lousy experience with unreliable offers
• You’ve gotta invest a lot of cash

How to play in this financial game?

Try to be as legit as humanly possible!

Make sure users get all the info they need in advance.

Then, work it all and see that saucy brass pour with class!

Now let’s check some examples:

• Forex – offers dedicated to currencies trading
• Insurance – home insurance? Life insurance? Travelling, maybe? Catch users when they fear for the most valuable things they’ve got!
• Binary options – give people the opportunity to feel like a real stockbroker at Euronext, show the sweet life a millionaire has after cashing in millions, make users aspire to that awesomely wealthy life and…they shall subscribe!
• Loans – again: seasonality is the name of the Loans game! Christmas, Black Friday, Summer Holidays. This is where zeros become heroes!

Adult

Oldie but goldie!

It’s easy to understand what it’s all about just by reading the name!

These are classical subscription offers, either via pin submit or direct carrier billing.

Even though this infamous vertical has been around for a while and certain segments have now matured, there are still some hidden niches to be explored.

Adult offers work well, both on display and pop traffic, and you can usually work with more generic banners or pre-landers.

This makes it a very appealing vertical for newbies as well, since these beginners wanna focus on getting a feel for launching and optimizing campaigns without spending too much time and money on creatives.

As we’ve mentioned at the beginning of the article, this vertical has many categories.

Even so, the ones affiliates love best are Adult Sexy and Adult Dating.

Don’t be shy!

The world is your oyster!

A pretty sexy, luscious, lingerie-clad oyster.

Still an oyster, though!

We’re excited for you!

Can you tell?

Conclusion

It’s time to start!

Now, you’ve got everything you need to buckle up, think about a winning strategy and make your move to become one of the richest affiliate marketers on earth!

Remember that – before choosing any vertical – you must identify the needs and tendencies of your traffic.

You could say that the vertical you pick is chosen by your audience.

You just need to find the right sub-category to select the perfect offer.

Don’t stay in the present:

Strive to earn big in the future.

Being scared of trying new sub-categories will make you lag behind!

Loosen up, start testing new conversion flows, and you’ll find your way to the top and away from carrier billing.

We hope this article has managed to help you out!

You know you can always contact us for more ideas, tips, and advice on how to find success in affiliate marketing!

Feel like Affiliate Marketing Verticals rhyme with questions?

Ask anything right now!

We’re a team of lasses who can help the masses!

See Also:

• Adult Niche: The Gold Mine in Affiliate Marketing
• What is Mobile Affiliate Marketing?
• Mobile CPA Ecosystem: Where This Story Begins
• CPA vs CPI: What’s the Deal?
• Sweepstakes Offers: How to Monetize Them w/ Charles Ngo