Affiliate Marketing Jobs – Here’s What People Are Actually Looking for in These Weird Job Postings

I felt compelled to write a post on affiliate marketing jobs after I saw a number of results on Google like this one...

Also the term "affiliate marketing jobs" was being searched 2,100 times in the US alone in Google, so I wanted to be the first article to really explain what these jobs are and what they aren't. 

They probably aren't what you're thinking and they definitely aren't in the spirit of true "affiliate marketing." 

Let me preface this by saying that I am a full time affiliate marketer and the last thing that I think of when I hear "affiliate marketing" is the word "job."

It's what I do for a living, but I don't work for anyone. That's part of why I love it. I answer to myself, set my own schedule and run my business the way that I want to run it. 

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Here is the dictionary definition. 

Affiliate Marketing: "a marketing arrangement by which an online retailer pays commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its referrals."

Affiliate marketing is a commission based system that rewards affiliates for sending traffic and/or conversions to various products.

This is why an affiliate marketing "job" is confusing. No one plays fixed rates for affiliate marketing. That's part of the beauty of it. There is no risk to the company since they only pay the affiliates when they make a sale. 

So, what are these "affiliate marketing jobs" that are posted all over Google search?

What an "Affiliate Marketing Job" Actually Means

I'm sure that countless newbies clicked on job postings about affiliate marketing and were confused. 

The posts that you see are generally one of the following.

#1 Affiliate Marketing Manager Position

An affiliate marketing manager runs a businesses affiliate program. 

Their responsibilities include:

• Recruiting new affiliates
• Creating promotions and contests
• Creating marketing materials and swipe copy
• Ensuring affiliates are following program guidelines
• Generally increasing affiliate conversions 
• And more...

A job as an affiliate marketing manager pays well with a base salary in the US around $86,000 and max pay at $442,605 (source).

There may or may not be bonuses for reaching sales goals and some affiliate managers may even receive a percentage of all affiliate sales.  

The bottom line though is that this is a salaried position and NOT traditional affiliate marketing. 

The best affiliate marketing managers are generally people who have their own prior experience in affiliate marketing (promoting products for other companies). This gives them a good understanding of the process and what makes an affiliate program great. 

Reading this article will teach you most of what you need to know about running an affiliate program, which will give you a nice edge in any interviews 😉 

#2 General Assistant for an Affiliate Marketing Company

I've hired affiliate marketing assistants in the past. This is not nearly as common as the affiliate marketing manager posts you'll see, but some affiliate marketers may promote their position as an affiliate marketing job. 

In reality, this is another job that is paid hourly or on salary and not commission based. 

The business owner is generally the real affiliate and the affiliate marketing assistant is just a freelancer who helps with various marketing tasks such as...

• SEO
• Content creation
• Paid ad management
• Email marketing

Typically, affiliate marketers will look for specialists in each of these skills vs. looking for a "affiliate marketing" expert to bring on board. 

The catch 22 here is that the best people for this position are doing affiliate marketing on their own and making far more money than they could as an employee.

#3 Affiliate Partner Opportunities (Not Jobs at All)

This one grinds my gears.

Companies that say they're hiring but are really just looking for commission based affiliates.

They don't actually pay a penny unless a sale is made, so this is not at all a "job" and it irks me when I see companies word their affiliate outreach as if it were something else. 

How to Get into "True Affiliate Marketing"

The real beauty of affiliate marketing comes from doing it yourself, not as part of someone else's business. 

Once you put in the work to carve out a niche and drive real traffic, you can make money while you sleep. No clocking in or clocking out required.

Good affiliate marketers can easily make 7 figures per year and average ones can easily replace average full time jobs. 

If you want to learn affiliate marketing from a 7 figure affiliate marketer, go grab my book Evergreen Affiliate Marketing on Amazon and subscribe to my YouTube channel here. 

Also, check out the other affiliate marketing articles here on EntreResource (there are dozens)