So, with affiliate marketing, finding affiliate programs that match your niche is step one. Step two is where the money and the reputation live: evaluating the actual products you’ll promote. Plenty of people trip up here. Some chase the biggest commission and ignore quality. Others promote what they personally like and forget to check whether the commission makes sense. One burns trust, the other burns time.

Your aim is a balance of quality and profitability. If either side fails, long-term revenue suffers.

Quality Comes First

Every recommendation reflects on you. If a buyer feels let down after clicking your link, they won’t just return the product; they’ll stop trusting your advice. That trust is the foundation of affiliate marketing, and rebuilding it is slow.

Quality doesn’t have to mean luxury pricing. It means the product does what it claims, consistently, and feels fair for the cost. Ask yourself: would you use it, or recommend it to a close friend? If you’re hesitating, it’s a pass.

Assess Quality Like a Buyer

Start with the customer experience.

• Software: Is the interface intuitive? Are updates regular and useful? Are there tutorials or templates that shorten the learning curve?

• Digital products (courses, eBooks, memberships): Is the content practical, structured, and outcome-focused rather than padded with fluff?

• Physical products: Are materials durable and the design functional? Do reviews confirm it holds up after weeks or months?

Test when you can. If you can’t, use trials, demos, balanced reviews, and comparisons. Look for recurring patterns in feedback rather than one-off complaints.

Support and Refunds Matter

Good products unravel fast with bad support. Slow replies and vague policies lead to refunds and negative comments that hurt your brand. Favour companies with timely, helpful support and clear delivery, warranty, and return policies. You’re endorsing the company as much as the product.

Then Check the Money

Once quality passes, study the economics.

• Physical products often pay 3–5%. You’ll need volume.

• Digital products commonly pay 20–50% or more. Lower distribution costs mean better shares, which is why software, courses, and memberships are affiliate staples.

Recurring Revenue Is the Base Layer

Subscriptions pay for as long as the customer remains active. A £50/month tool at 30% yields £15 per month, £180 per year, per referral. Stack enough of those and you stabilise your income between launches and seasonal dips.

Price Point Mix

Low-ticket items convert more easily but need volume. High-ticket offers convert slower but pay more per sale. Recurring commissions sit in the middle and smooth cash flow. A practical mix looks like this:

• Low-ticket for quick wins and trust

• High-ticket for planned revenue spikes

• Recurring for predictable monthly baselines

Read the Fine Print

Before you commit, confirm:

• Payout timing and thresholds

• Commission type: one-off, recurring, or hybrid

• Attribution rules: do you earn on upgrades, add-ons, renewals?

• Promotion restrictions: channels, coupon rules, regions

• Stability: frequent rate cuts or policy swings are red flags

Transparent, consistent programs deserve priority.

Cookie Durations Count

Cookies track referrals. Short windows, like 24 hours, demand instant purchases. Longer windows, like 30–90 days, raise your odds with longer decision cycles. If two offers look similar, the longer cookie often wins over time.

Balance Enthusiasm With Data

Your enthusiasm helps content and conversion, but it can’t replace numbers. If a product you love pays poorly, reviews badly, and lacks recurring potential, it’s not a pillar. Conversely, a product you feel neutral about may have strong outcomes, fair pricing, responsive support, and recurring commissions. That’s a keeper.

Use three filters:

1. User outcomes: do buyers report real results?

2. Unit economics: does a sale pay enough for the effort?

3. Retention mechanics: subscriptions, consumables, or upgrade paths that extend lifetime value

Track What You Test

Use a simple comparison sheet so decisions aren’t memory-based:

• Product and use case

• Audience fit

• Commission rate (initial and recurring)

• Cookie duration

• Typical plan price or AOV

• Refund rate if available

• Payout schedule and threshold

• Notes on support and any red flags

Review monthly to prune underperformers and double down on winners.

A Quick Decision Ladder

1. Audience demand: do they already want or need this?

2. Personal confidence: would you recommend it to a friend?

3. Economics: do commissions and AOV justify the work?

4. Terms and cookies: fair, clear, and trackable?

5. Company reliability: responsive support and stable policies?

Clear all five and you’ve got a strong candidate. Fail two or more and move on.

The Sweet Spot

Your best products sit at the intersection of three things: your audience already wants them, you can confidently endorse them, and the commission model plus terms justify the effort. Miss one, and you pay elsewhere through lost trust, wasted time, or thin margins. Evaluate carefully up front and you’ll build a portfolio that converts consistently and keeps paying long after the first click.