If you’re new to affiliate marketing – or you’re finding that some of your once-reliable strategies for making money as an affiliate are suddenly not working as well – the good news is, you’re not alone. Like all the AI tools keep saying, we’re officially in “a fast-changing digital landscape!”

In fact, there isn’t a corner of the internet that’s untouched by AI. Not only can you now instantly generate text, image, audio, and video content with AI, but consumer behavior is already shifting away from traditional Google search in favor of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude.

That’s why I talked with the experts at ClickBank who work with our top Platinum and Diamond clients (the ones who are making $250K+ in sales per year, $1M+ per year, and even $5M+ each year as an affiliate marketer, offer owner, or both). 

I wanted to know what our clients are finding success with in 2025. Here are the 7 affiliate marketing strategies that are genuinely working right now:

1. Native Advertising & Large-Scale Traffic Channels
2. Short-Form Social Media (TikTok, Reels, Shorts)
3. YouTube Videos
4. Newsletters
5. Pinterest + Blogging
6. Community Management
7. Brand-Based Email Marketing

Let’s dive into them!

1) Native Advertising & Large-Scale Traffic Channels

You’ve probably heard tons of hype about Facebook Ads and YouTube ads for making affiliate sales. And to be honest, both of these ad networks still work really well for affiliate marketers – but the competition on these platforms is immense, which is only pushing costs like CPMs and CPCs higher.

If you’re focusing your paid traffic efforts there, then you might be missing out on one of the most scalable and affordable affiliate strategies working right now: native advertising.

We’re talking about platforms like Taboola, Outbrain, and even newer channels like NewsBreak, which combine native ad inventory with massive first-party user data.

Native is actually the third-largest traffic source that top ClickBank clients are using to make affiliate sales. (Facebook Ads is still #1 – see the full list of ClickBank traffic sources to learn more.)

But native is a perfect fit for so many types of affiliate products and it’s nowhere near as saturated as the other big ad networks.

The reason native ads are so powerful is because they blend in with the content people are already consuming, which makes them less disruptive and more engaging.

And what really sets NewsBreak apart is that it’s not just an ad platform – it’s also a popular news app with millions of active users. These users are logged in, which means you can enjoy rich targeting options that you just can’t get on traditional native ad networks.

So instead of spray-and-pray targeting, you’re tapping into behavioral signals and smart segmentation – while still driving scale.

Native Ads Affiliate Marketing Example

Let’s say you’re promoting a ClickBank health offer like Pelvic Floor Strong.

On NewsBreak, you could target women over 40 in urban areas who actively engage with wellness or lifestyle articles – and serve them a native ad that looks like a piece of content they already trust.

That’s how affiliates are getting affordable clicks and serious conversion volume – all without needing a massive budget up front.

And the best part?

ClickBank is currently offering $500 in ad credit for ClickBank affiliates who launch their first campaign on NewsBreak this year (2025), as long as you’ve already earned a paycheck and are in good standing on ClickBank.

And if you’re a Platinum-level affiliate, you can qualify for up to $2,000 in ad credit. So this is one of the few paid strategies that actually lowers your barrier to entry instead of raising it. (Just make sure you take advantage of this offer before the end of the year!)

Native Ad Tactics to Remember

Build pre-landers specifically for mobile. Since most native ad traffic comes from mobile devices, make sure your landing pages load quickly and present a compelling case for your affiliate offer within seconds. Keep paragraphs short, use bulleted lists, and incorporate scroll-stopping visuals to encourage lots of clicks through to the vendor’s pitch page.

Focus on click-through rate (CTR) and on-page conversion. Native platforms reward engaging content that performs well, often reducing your cost per click as your CTR improves. Develop headlines that promise clear benefits or arouse curiosity without veering into clickbait territory.

A/B test your ad copy and creatives with AI-assisted tools. Platforms like Anyword or Jasmine can help generate variants of your best-performing ads, while visual AI tools can help create multiple versions of images to identify what resonates most with your target audience.

Remember that native advertising typically requires a testing budget before finding profitable campaigns. Start small, measure results carefully, and scale gradually as you identify winning combinations of creatives, landing pages, and affiliate offers.

2) Short-Form Organic Social (TikTok, Reels, Shorts)

Believe it or not, organic is currently the 5th-biggest traffic source for top ClickBank affiliates… and short-form video is a great opportunity for massive organic reach in 2025.

I’m talking about TikTok. Instagram Reels. YouTube Shorts.

The reason this is so powerful is because it’s still up-and-coming, believe it or not. There’s a ton of demand for short videos, and not necessarily as much supply as you’ll see for longer videos on YouTube (or articles and pages on the wider internet through Google search).

Now, I get why you might not be active in these places…

Maybe you’re an elder millennial like me and don’t get these platforms that the “kids” are on today, or maybe you just don’t see an obvious connection between creating short-form content and making actual affiliate sales.

Well, here’s the good news: within the last few years, there’s been a HUGE shift in social media algorithms!

And now, short-form video platforms are built for discovery, not followers. That means you don’t even need an existing audience to start winning on organic social media – you just need compelling videos around a very targeted subject or niche.

It’s like Big Tech is handing you a fresh lottery ticket every single day, and each time you tap “publish” is another chance to hit the social media algorithm jackpot.

But the best part is, if you know how to create content that hooks curiosity and delivers value quickly, you don’t really need luck to find success and drive traffic to affiliate links in your bio, through your Linktree, or directly to a landing page or email opt-in.

Short-Form Affiliate Marketing Example

Let’s say you’re promoting a digital product from ClickBank, such as the spirituality offer Numerologist.

You can post a 30- to 60-second video like:

• A quick myth-busting tip
• A mini story or mistake you made
• A reaction to a viral post in the manifestation niche
• A visual demo or before/after testimonial

And then at the end, you include a line like:

• “Want to learn how I did it? Link’s in bio.”
• Or: “Free training in the link. This changed everything for me.”
• Or: “Interested? Comment “VIRAL” in the comments and I’ll DM you the link!”

And because you can post daily, test new hooks fast, and remix what works, you have a powerful feedback loop for better conversions – especially once you figure out what kind of videos your audience reacts to.

And no, you don’t need to be a “creator.”

You just need one repeatable format that gets consistent clicks and keeps growing your audience and the clicks to your landing page.

Some of the top ClickBank affiliates we work with are using faceless reels with AI voiceovers, or talking-head tip videos – and building real traffic streams in just weeks.

Short-form video is a traffic source you can test today… even if you’re just starting out, completely unknown, or still figuring out your niche.

Short-Form Video Tactics to Remember

Create quick tutorials or how-to videos. Create content that ties into your affiliate product at the pain point –> solution level. In other words, you’re not selling a product, you’re proving that you understand a viewer’s pain point and then encouraging them to take the next step (DMing you, commenting, or clicking the link in your bio). 

Use New Tools for Your Sales Funnel. We know that these short-form video platforms don’t love links or sending viewers away, but to make money with affiliate marketing, that’s exactly what you have to do. So, consider page building tools like Stan Store, LinkTree, or ClickBank Accelerator, which make it easy to stand up a quick landing page to link to from your bio and embed your affiliate link. Or secondarily, try a chat marketing tool like ManyChat where you can send your affiliate link to followers who leave a comment asking for it.

Use AI to Accelerate Production. There are countless AI tools available to speed up your workflow for creating short videos. Things like Descript for scripting and editing, Opus Clip for extracting the most engaging segments from longer videos to repurpose on other platforms, Suno for AI-generated music, and ElevenLabs for AI-generated sound effects and voiceover. The kind of video quality you can achieve these days with the phone in your pocket plus AI-powered tools is off the charts. 

3) YouTube Videos

Organic YouTube video content is a gold mine for all kinds of marketers, including affiliate marketers. Whether you’re focused on building a brand or just promoting affiliate products, YouTube continues to be the #2 largest search engine in the world, behind only Google (for now, anyway!). 

The key with YouTube is discoverability – that’s what ranking blog articles in Google search was all about for affiliate marketers, and many of the same tactics you may have employed with affiliate blogging can work with YouTube as well.

But on YouTube, you actually have at least 5 different discovery avenues:

1. YouTube search
2. Suggested videos
3. Browse features
4. Channel pages
5. Direct traffic (such as Google search, embeds on other websites, and even AI mentions)

Here’s an example of traffic sources from one of my top-performing YouTube videos for ClickBank’s channel:

Like short-form video, YouTube is powerful for discovery, but it’s also incredible for engagement. Because YouTube videos tend to be long-form (usually in the 8 to 15 minute range, but sometimes longer), you have the ability to engage an intent-driven audience in your niche for several minutes at a time.

And the shelf life of YouTube videos is also much longer than with short-form video, which is why many of ClickBank’s most-viewed YouTube videos this month were posted back in 2022 or 2023. 

With YouTube, you can build trust remarkably fast – there’s a credibility that comes from seeing a real person demonstrate a product or explain a topic on video. ANd of course, you can easily include multiple links to your affiliate products in the description of your video, which is a great benefit of YouTube over short-form video platforms.

In the big picture, YouTube continues to be one of the best channels for affiliate marketing.

YouTube Example

There are plenty of videos from people reviewing popular ClickBank products like the “Brain Training for Dogs” example below. 

Product review content is one great way to address a solution-aware or product-aware audience and generate affiliate commissions.

But you can create more top-of-funnel content as well. In the pet niche, that could be topics like “which breed of dog is right for you” or “grooming tips for black labs.” 

The point is, you want an audience that’s primed to buy and who know, like, and trust you enough to take your recommendation and go through your link to make a purchase. 

YouTube Tactics to Remember

Create in-depth affiliate product reviews and tutorials. There are all kinds of video types that feature products, from unboxing to product reviews to tutorials/how-to content. Address the specific questions and concerns your target audience may have about the products you’re promoting, or for a more general audience, dive into the biggest pain points that your chosen affiliate products will alleviate.

Leverage YouTube Shorts for top-of-funnel reach. YouTube’s vertical, short-form videos can introduce your channel to new viewers and direct them toward your longer, more detailed content that contains affiliate links. While Shorts themselves can’t contain clickable links, they’re perfect for reach and channel growth.

Focus on consistency over perfection. Establish a sustainable publishing schedule and focus on providing genuine value rather than overt selling. The most successful YouTube affiliates position themselves as trusted advisors first and promoters second. Ideally, you’ll publish at least one longer video each week.

4) Newsletters

Email newsletters have experienced a remarkable renaissance this year, powered by platforms like LinkedIn, Beehiiv, and Substack. They’re a reliable way for a brand or content creator to craft words that are truly written for human readers, not algorithms.

In fact, many top affiliates are now focusing intensely on building and monetizing newsletter audiences.

Like with video content, newsletters are actual content, which means the idea is to deliver value, not just invoke curiosity or grab attention. A well-produced newsletter positions you as an authority in your niche while creating regular touchpoints with your audience, which you can leverage to promote affiliate products.

Perhaps most importantly, newsletters typically generate high engagement rates and conversion metrics. Open rates for niche newsletters frequently exceed 30%, providing a reliable channel to promote affiliate offers to an engaged audience.

Newsletter Example

Let’s say you’re promoting an e-business or personal finance offer on ClickBank.

You could run a weekly newsletter like “Money Made Simple,” where each edition offers:

• A quick tip for managing finances or growing an online business
• A short story or case study about someone who turned their finances around
• A featured tool or product – your ClickBank affiliate offer – with a natural tie-in

Each week through your newsletter, you build trust and offer value… and when an affiliate promotion makes sense, your readers already know, like, and trust you, which means they’re primed to convert.

Even if only a small portion of your audience buys, the math starts to work quickly with recurring newsletters, especially if you’re combining high-ticket digital offers with a list that grows each month. These are the kinds of products that cost a lot (and pay out a lot), so they convert best when you’ve got a strong relationship with your audience.

Newsletter Tactics to Remember

Blend curated content with soft affiliate pitches. The most effective newsletters provide genuine value through industry news, useful resources, and original insights, with affiliate promotions woven in naturally rather than dominating the content.

Experiment with solo ads and dedicated affiliate offers. Once you’ve established trust with regular value-driven content, you can experiment with sending some dedicated promotional emails that feature a single affiliate offer. Just make sure you’re still focused on delivering value more than making the ask.

Build your newsletter using platforms designed for growth. Services like Beehiiv or Kit offer specialized features for newsletter creators, including native monetization options, automated workflows, and detailed analytics.

Like with any other affiliate strategy, newsletters will only work if you focus on delivering consistent value that addresses your audience’s interests and pain points. If you get this right, you can monetize through not just affiliate marketing, but sponsored ads and even your own products and services!

5) Pinterest + Blogging Combo

I hate to say it, but Google has basically killed the affiliate blogging business model that so many publishers and smaller affiliates relied on. It’s much harder to rank in Google and get traffic, especially with Google’s push into AI Mode and AI Overviews that result in so many zero-click searches.

That’s where Pinterest comes in. This long-standing social media site is more like a visual search engine than a traditional social platform. That means users aren’t just scrolling to kill time – they’re actively looking for inspiration, ideas, and products that solve their problems.

So, if you’re looking to create a new affiliate blog or you’re sitting on an existing blog that isn’t feeling the love from Google anymore, Pinterest is an incredible fit for evergreen blog content in niches like:

• Health and fitness
• Recipes and food
• Relationships and lifestyle
• Music and creative hobbies
• DIY and home
• Fashion
• Personal finance

Best of all, the blog posts you promote via Pinterest can rank intraditional search, AI search,ANDPinterest simultaneously, which gives you several discovery engines working together to drive long-term affiliate sales.

Pinterest + Blogging Affiliate Marketing Example

I’ve been experimenting with this exact strategy on my music niche website to promote a ClickBank music offer called Piano For All.

Years ago, I wrote a blog post featuring 101 songwriting prompts that I optimized for SEO. When I wanted to start promoting the post (and my chosen affiliate product) on Pinterest, I was able to slice and dice all of the prompt ideas I shared in the blog post into more than a dozen different vertical graphics using Canva.

It takes a while to find what works, but it DOES work! I’ve been getting dozens of monthly outbound clicks to my website, plus affiliate sales.

I like that Pinterest sends warm, high-intent traffic – often better than TikTok or Instagram for affiliate blog conversions. And because Pinterest content sticks around longer, a single good pin can generate traffic for months or even years, just like how content made for SEO historically does!

Tactics to Try

Create SEO-optimized blog posts with strategically embedded affiliate links. Focus on informational keywords with commercial intent, such as “best [product] for [specific use case]” or “how to [solve problem] with [product category].”

Pin every blog post with multiple creative variations. Different visual styles and text overlays allow you to test what resonates best with Pinterest users. Create at least 3-5 unique pin designs for each important blog post to maximize visibility. And don’t be afraid to publish a winning pin design again later – this is actually a best practice on Pinterest! 

Leverage scheduling tools like Tailwind to maintain consistent presence. Pinterest REALLY rewards regular activity, and scheduling tools will help you keep up a daily posting cadence without nearly as much manual work.

Whether you’re in a creative niche like mine or something more commercial like fitness or finance, Pinterest + blogging gives you a compounding content strategy that grows over time – and keeps working long after you’ve hit “publish.”

Lastly, note that when you’re going the Pinterest + blogging route, patience is essential. Unlike paid traffic or viral short-form content, the Pinterest + blogging combination typically builds momentum over months rather than days. However, once your Pinterest account has momentum, you’ve got an organic traffic source to power your blog and deliver affiliate commissions with minimal maintenance.

6) Community Management

Have you noticed that everyone seems to have an online community lately? 

Now, there’s a good reason why this is happening, and it’s sort of the “dark side” of what I mentioned earlier about short-form video.

See, social media used to work on a follower model, where you would subscribe or follow people and that meant you’d definitely see their content. 

But these days, most social media is modeled after the “For You” page, with an algorithm curating content to watch based on what viewers have already engaged with. 

This is amazing for getting discovered by new people, but it throttles your organic reach with your own audience on these big platforms, from YouTube to TikTok to Instagram. So, what if you want to engage with your followers on a regular basis?

For that, you need a community. 

With shared interests and ongoing interaction, you can deepen the relationship with your audience and make it a lot more likely that they’ll follow your affiliate product recommendations, as well as other monetization opportunities like a paid subscription, coaching, or online course!

Community Affiliate Marketing Example

I follow a few different creators around content marketing and writing – one primarily on YouTube, another primarily on LinkedIn – and in both cases, after joining their email list, I was invited to their free Skool communities. I’ve also joined paid Circle communities and private Facebook Groups for digital products I’ve paid for.

Whether the community is free or paid, it’s a step away from a “rented” platform like social media and into a dedicated “owned” space where you can connect with a brand or creator.

And I’ll admit, when I’m in a community following someone I admire and whose opinion I respect, I’ll take their recommendations seriously, whether they’re talking recording gear, books to read, or software to try. In one case, someone I follow even lists out the team they use to edit their videos, which is a smart cost-per-lead (CPL) affiliate recommendation!

Community Management Tactics to Remember

Build your community on platforms that align with your audience’s preferences. Facebook Groups remain popular for many demographics, while Discord attracts younger, more tech-savvy audiences. Slack communities work well for professional and B2B niches, and Skool is great for a more casual audience that responds to gamification.

Prioritize engagement and value creation before attempting monetization. To monetize your community, you’ll need to establish yourself as a helpful and knowledgeable leader, rather than just someone interested in making sales. Create rituals, traditions, and participation opportunities that keep your members actively involved – and don’t make the mistake of thinking that the community will sustain itself with you adding value, because you’re the reason everyone joined in the first place.

Introduce affiliate offers that naturally address problems frequently discussed in your community. The most effective community-based affiliate promotions will solve issues that members are actively expressing. In other words, rather than finding a product and trying to make get people to buy it, you can wait and see what they say they need help with and then go find a solution for that! With this approach, you’re actually providing real value when you promote affiliate products, as long as they address one of their pain points!

Community-based affiliate marketing requires a longer-term perspective and genuine interest in serving your members. While it may not generate immediate returns compared to paid advertising tactics, it’s a fantastic foundation for sustainable affiliate income in the long run.

7) Brand-Based Email Marketing

For years, one of the go-to affiliate strategies has been simple: build an email list and blast it. A lot of ClickBank affiliates still use this approach – sending out 3 to 5 promotional emails per day to drive quick commissions.

And for a while, that model worked really well! Volume-based promotions, curiosity-based subject lines, and a rinse-and-repeat formula delivered consistent revenue.

But in 2025?

It’s getting harder and harder to make the “blast and cash” model work, for two primary reasons:

1. Deliverability: With Gmail and other providers tightening spam filters, the more you blast your list, the less often your emails even hit the inbox. High unsubscribe rates and low engagement can tank your sender reputation – fast.
2. Audience fatigue: Your subscribers are more savvy than ever. They don’t just want another pitch – they want real value, unique insight, or a sense that they’re following a trusted brand (not just a rotating door of affiliate tracking links to click).

Email Marketing Example

Let’s say you’re in the dating and relationships niche and you’re promoting a ClickBank product like His Secret Obsession.

Instead of hammering your list with daily “open now!” style subject lines, you could structure your email strategy around a brand identity like Manifest Mondays or The Inner Power Digest where each email includes:

• A quick inspirational tip
• A short story or testimonial
• A single affiliate link (with context!)

Because your readers see your name in their inbox as a source of helpful, consistent content – not just another pitch – they’re much more likely to open, click, and convert over time.

It’s not necessarily about mailing less – it’s about mailing better.

Email Marketing Tactics to Remember

Use soft CTAs and story-based selling. Tying your affiliate product to a personal story or user journey is far more persuasive than a raw pitch. This can be your own story, one of your own customers, product reviewers, or even official testimonials. 

Warm up new leads with automations. Set up a 5- to 7-day welcome sequence that builds a relationship and trust with new subscribers before you aggressively pitch anything.

Watch your engagement metrics. Clean your list regularly, segment based on behavior, and focus on maintaining open and click rates above industry average (typically 20%+ open, 2%+ click). This will ensure your list doesn’t burn out and you can continue getting the most value out of your email list.

When building out your email marketing strategy, I highly recommend focusing on list quality over quantity. In the world of email, a smaller list of engaged subscribers who trust your recommendations will always outperform a larger, but disengaged audience. Provide genuine value in every email – even strictly promotional ones – to keep your emails landing and winning.

Affiliate Marketing Strategy in 2025 Wrap-up

As we’ve explored in this guide, affiliate marketing in 2025 offers many possible pathways to success. Here’s a quick recap of the 7 strategies we looked at:

1. Native Advertising and Large-Scale Traffic Channels – Ideal for affiliates with media buying skills and a budget of $1K+.
2. YouTube Videos – Perfect for affiliates comfortable on camera and working with video who can provide in-depth insights for a specific audience.
3. Newsletters – Excellent for written communicators with specific niche expertise.
4. Short-Form Social Media – Well-suited to creative, trend-conscious marketers who can produce content consistently.
5. Pinterest + Blogging Combo – Great for patient content creators in visually-oriented niches.
6. Community Management – Optimal for relationship-builders who genuinely enjoy interacting with their audience.
7. Brand-Based Email Marketing – A must for virtually all affiliate marketers, as either a primary or supporting strategy for their business.

Now, your next step isn’t trying to decide whether these strategies work – because I can promise you, all of them do!

Instead, it’s about choosing the approach that aligns best with your unique skills, resources, and goals.

Then, commit to that one strategy and do it well.

The most common mistake that aspiring affiliate marketers make isn’t choosing the “wrong” strategy – it’s trying to implement too many of them at the same time. Think about it this way: you’re competing against people who are all-in on a single traffic channel, whether that’s newsletters, YouTube, Instagram, or native ads.

How can you compete with them while you’re trying to master two or three of these strategies at once?

Choose One of the 7 Affiliate Marketing Strategies

Instead of doing several things mediocre, I recommend going with ONE primary approach based on your natural strengths, plus the time and money you have available – and then commit to mastering it first before expanding your efforts.

NOTE: Mastering a specific traffic channel and niche is probably at least 3-6 months of work!

Lastly, remember that affiliate marketing success rarely happens overnight. Most entrepreneurs who generate life-changing income through affiliate marketing have invested years in developing their skills, systems, and online audiences.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it has to take you that much time. You just need the right playbook to get you where you’re trying to go faster.

If you’re ready to accelerate your affiliate marketing journey, ClickBank has a quality education platform called Spark by ClickBank to help you get there. You can learn the strategies I’ve shared with you inside of Spark, including paid ads, organic social, and email!

We also have an affordable funnel builder tool called ClickBank Accelerator built specifically for affiliate marketers, which allows you to create opt-in pages for your newsletters, landing pages for your link-in-bio, or even an entire blog for your Pinterest + blogging plan! 

So, the question now is, affiliate marketing strategy will you choose?

Happy scaling!