What Is CJ Affiliate? (Overview)
CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction) is one of the largest, most trustworthy global networks for affiliate marketing. CJ Affiliate serves as a connection between the Publisher (Affiliate) and Brands (Advertisers). Publishers can make money by promoting products or services of different companies, online, using CJ Affiliate to generate revenue for them.
The first step before to start using CJ Affiliate is understanding what it is and how the Program works, so you will be ready when you sign up.
CJ Affiliate Functions
CJ Affiliate functions as a platform where advertisers post their products for affiliates to promote.
Advertisers provide information about their products (service) on the CJ Affiliate Platform.
Affiliates apply for Advertiser Program(s).
Affiliates will promote those offers (using tracking link) they received approval for.
Affiliates will receive commission after a visitor to their site completes a purchase or performs an action.
CJ Affiliate accurately tracks every click made by affiliates, as well as every conversion and commission earned, which makes it easy to see how much each individual has earned.
CJ Affiliate Is a widely popular network that has a wide range of merchant partners from many different industries including eCommerce and finance, travel, software, and education. Many merchants on CJ Affiliate provide competitive commission rates, long cookie lengths, and reliable post-purchase payment schedules.
Advantages of CJ Affiliate are:
- You will have access to quality affiliate partners.
- CJ Affiliate offers advanced tracking capabilities and reporting tools.
- The affiliate network will regularly pay out in a timely manner.
- CJ Affiliate provides affiliate marketers with the ability to operate on both beginner and advanced levels.
CJ Affiliate is a great fit for:
- Bloggers
- Niche Website Owners
- Review Sites and Content Creators
- Search Engine Optimization-Based Affiliate Marketers
- Anyone with a website or platform that adheres to high-quality standards.
Even those who are new to affiliate marketing can succeed by providing good content and following best practices that will be outlined in this step-by-step CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide.
Does Joining CJ Affiliate Cost Money?
Yes. The cost of joining CJ Affiliate is 100% Free. There are no monthly fees associated with membership. However, to start making an income as an affiliate marketer on CJ Affiliate you will need to meet the quality criteria set by the individual advertisers to which you apply for approval.
CJ Affiliate Account Requirements
There are a number of requirements that need to be met in order to be approved for a CJ Affiliate Account, so it is important for you to understand them fully before you apply for an account. The following section in this CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide will provide you with the necessary information regarding what CJ Affiliate expects from all new publishers, and how to properly prepare for these requirements.
- You Must Have A Website (or online platform)
In order to become a CJ affiliate you must have an active online platform, which may be one of the following:
A niche blog/website (this can be anything related to your business or products, for example, books on how to bake cakes).
A content-based website (this includes sites with reviews, tutorials or comparisons).
A YouTube channel or even a social media outlet (if applicable).
Your online platform should contain only original content, serve a clear purpose (for example, to provide educational information on how to start a business), and contain the standard identifying pages such as About, Contact, and Privacy Policy.
- Content Quality is Extremely Important
CJ Affiliate places a lot of weight on content quality. Your website must provide meaningful, educational or entertaining value to the end user and not be based entirely on copied or spun content.
A clear navigational structure is critical for the success of an affiliate program, as is the need for the website content to match the niche of the product(s) being promoted.
The content on your website should be well-written and educational even if it is new. Creating high-quality, educational content will greatly improve your odds of getting approved for a CJ Affiliate account.
- Compliance with Policies of CJ Affiliate
All affiliates must comply with CJ Affiliates’ policies when using CJ Affiliate’s programs by agreeing to all CJ Affiliates’ terms including:
- Misleading promotions are not permitted
- Spam emails to be sent through CJ Affiliates cannot be sent
- No bidding on another company’s trademark without the proper authorization
- No adult or prohibited content
Failure to follow these policies may result in account suspension.
- Provide Accurate Personal and Tax Information
Affiliates must provide accurate personal information and tax information during Sign-up. Affiliates are required to provide:
- Valid personal information (name, address, phone number)
- A valid email address
- Payment information (can be provided later)
Provide accurate information will help assure you get your payments and are approved in a timely manner.
Step-by-Step CJ Affiliate Signup Process
This section of this CJ Affiliate Account Setup Guide will take you through the processes necessary to correctly open a CJ Affiliate Account. To ensure prompt acceptance of your application without any delays or rejections, be sure to follow every step closely.
Step 1: Go To The CJ Affiliate Website Go To The CJ Affiliate Website
The first step is to visit the official website CJ Affiliate, locate and click on the link that says “Sign Up” or “Join as Publisher.” Be sure to click on the Publisher option if you are an Affiliate who wishes to promote products and receive commission.
Step 2: Create Your CJ Affiliate Account
You will need to fill in your personal information for account creation. Information you must provide includes:
1) Your Full Name
2) Your Email
3) Your Country & Your Time Zone
4) Choose A Password
All of the above information must be accurate, as CJ Affiliate will use this information to verify your account.
Step 3: Add Your Website Or Other Promotion Platform
The next step is to input into the CJ Affiliate website either the URL of your website or where you will promote CJ Affiliate offers. You must provide the following here:
1) The URL of Your Website
2) Choose Your Primary Niche / Category
3) Describe How You Will Promote CJ Affiliate Offers
At this stage be as honest and clear as possible. The information you provide here is critical for your approval when going through this process of completing your CJ Affiliate Account.
Step 4: Complete Your Publisher Profile
You must also complete any further questions CJ Affiliate may have for you. These will include:
- Your Source(s) Of Traffic e.g. SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing etc.
- The Language Of Your Website
- The Number Of Monthly Visitors To Your Website (even if it is low).
CJ Affiliate does not request that you use high traffic, but having transparency may help with your application.
Step 5: Read Agreement and Submit Application
Please read thoroughly all of CJ Affiliate’s terms and conditions. After you read and agree to these terms and conditions, complete and submit your application.
Step 6: CJ Affiliate Review and Approval of Your Account
CJ Affiliate will review or give permission for your application. It takes between a couple of hours or a couple of days. After being approved, you will have access to your CJ Affiliate dashboard, but you will still need to submit applications to each advertiser you want to have access to.
How to Get Approved by Advertisers on CJ Affiliate
The most critical step in getting set up with CJAffiliate is setting up approval from its advertisers. Even after your account is approved by CJ Affiliate, you must still apply to individual advertisers before you can promote offers available through them.
How Advertisers Decide on Approvals
Each advertiser on CJ Affiliate determines its own approval methods. In general, when you submit an application for an advertiser:
You can expect the advertiser to do the following:
1) Review your website or platform to assess the quality of your content and relevance to its product or service.
2) Evaluate the traffic source and promotion methods you are using for future promotions on their behalf.
3) Some advertisers will provide an instant approval, while others will manually evaluate applications.
Ways to Increase Your Chances of Being Approved
1) Only Apply to Advertisers Relevant to Your Niche
Only apply for advertisers that fit into your niche (ex: If you are running a website that reviews technology, apply for advertisers that advertise technology/software products, etc. Don’t apply for similar product categories that do not relate to your niche.)
2) Improve Your Website Before Applying
Before applying, you should:
1) Publish quality, helpful, original content.
2) Add Comeptitive reviews, comparisons, and info.
3) Ensure your website is professional and fully developed before applying.
Advertisers like to see evidence of real value on your website for users.
- Create a Comprehensive Application Message
Advertisers frequently leave room for a small additional application message in addition to your application. Take advantage of this space to:
Outline your website(s) mission or goals
Explain how you will be advertising or marketing their products
Demonstrate that you are familiar with and have respect for their products.
Following these steps can result in much higher rates of approval when completing the CJ Affiliate’s Complete Setup Guide.
- Apply to Initial Beginner’s Affiliate Managers/Advertisers First
If you are a new site, you’ll want to target those advertisers classified as “Auto-Approval” and/or those that are known for accepting new affiliates. This is a great way to start building a successful history for your business.
- Avoid Sending Policy Violations
You should avoid:
Sending misleading or spammy promotional material
Running an ad without first getting the advertiser’s permission.
Complying with the CJ Affiliate and advertiser-specific policies.
Sending policy violations can lead to immediate rejection from the advertisers.
CJ Affiliate Dashboard Explained
You will be able to access and manage your entire account and track all of your activity (what offers you’ve seen, clicked on, etc.). Having an understanding of the Dashboard will enable you to become more productive and make informed decisions throughout the use of CJ Affiliate.
What to expect when you log into the CJ Affiliate dashboard:
- Your overall Clicks received.
- Your total earned Commissions.
- Your total number of Conversions.
- Your overall Performance Trends.
All of this information will allow you to track the success of your promotional efforts and track any potential gains or losses.
Going through the Navigation Menu will also provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what you’re able to do as an Affiliate with CJ.
- Advertisers:
Use the advertiser tab to search through all of the various advertisers available, apply to the affiliate program of your choice, and view the status of each affiliate program you’ve applied to.
There are many ways to filter through advertisers, including filtering by Category, Country, Commission Type, Approval Status, etc.
- Links:
You can generate your Affiliate tracking link (the unique URL that you will use to refer customers back to CJ), create Deep Links (links to specific product pages that are located on the CJ site), and view your available Banners and Text Links (promotional graphics that you may use). Deep Links tend to convert at a higher rate than standard links, and you will have greater success promoting products that you are actively promoting (you’ll have more confidence in your promotions).
- Reports
Reports are used for tracking performance and include:
Click(s)
Sales
Commission Amount(s)
Earnings Per Click (EPC)
Accurate use of reports is vital to being successful with the CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide.
- Account and Payment Settings
In this section of your account, you will manage:
Your personal information
Your payment method(s)
Your tax information
Your notification settings
Maintaining an updated account and payment method section will allow your payouts to be processed smoothly.
The Importance of the Dashboard
Using the CJ Affiliate dashboard gives you complete control and transparency over your business. By constantly reviewing the data, you can:
Identify which offers are converting the best
Eliminate any low converting links from your marketing strategy
Increase the amount of money being generated when already successful marketing strategies are in place
Choosing Profitable Offers on CJ Affiliate
The difference between generating low commissions versus having a steady stream of monthly income comes down to selecting the right offers. This section of the CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide shows you all the important metrics to identify offers that Convert.
Key Metrics To Evaluate Offers
CJ Affiliate gives you the opportunity to look at the following important metrics in order to evaluate an offer:
Commission Rate – This tells you how much you will earn for every sale made by your referral.
EPC (Earnings Per Click) – Is the Indicator for how well an offer Converts.
Cookie Duration – Cookies are what track your referral’s activity after they Click on your offer link. Cookie Duration tells you how long your referral will be tracked after they Click on your offer link.
Action Type – Are they purchasing a product, signing up for a service, subscribing to something, etc. (i.e., Sales, Leads, Sign-ups).
Higher EPCs and longer Cookie Durations typically mean that the offer has more earning potential.
Choose Offers That Are Relevant To Your Niche
You must only advertise products that are relevant to your audience. The more relevant the offer is, the more likely it is to provide the following:
Increased Trust
Higher Conversion Rates
Lower Rejection Rates from Advertisers
As an example, if you run a Finance Blog you should be advertising items such as Credit Cards or Investment Tools rather than Fashion Products.
Check the Advertiser’s Reputation
To promote an advertiser’s offers:
Research the company
Check for user reviews
Ensure the site looks professional
Each advertiser should be a trusted name—this means they will generate more sales and have a lower chance of refunds and/or cancellations.
Begin With a Few Excellent Offers
Rather than promoting multiple advertisers:
Start with 2–3 reliable advertisers
Create quality-focused content with appropriate placement
Use the CJ Affiliate reports to test the performance of your content
This targeted strategy is always recommended, per all CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guides.
Do Not Promote Low-Quality or Misleading Offers
When selecting which offers to promote, look for offers that:
Have unreasonable expectations
Contain very low EPC’s
Do not fit with your content-style.
A focus on promoting quality advertisers will help ensure a long-term success strategy for your affiliate business, as well as safeguard your account.
How to Generate Affiliate Links & Promote Them
Once you receive an approval from an advertiser and choose a offer, the next step in this CJ Affiliate Complete Setup is to create affiliate links, properly promote these links, receive clicks and ultimately create conversions.
How To Generate Affiliate Links In CJ Affiliate
Creating links in CJ Affiliate is easy to do:
- On your dashboard, click the Links tab
- Select the approved advertiser
- Choose either Text Link, Banner or Deep Link
- Copy the unique affiliate tracking URL
You can always utilize deep links when possible since they direct users straight to the product or landing page. As a result they typically generate higher conversion rates.
Where To Place Your Affiliate Links
It’s important to place the affiliate links in a way that’s natural to the reader. The most common way of placing them is in:
- Review articles
- Comparison/Contrast articles
- Tutorials/how-to guides
- Buying guides
You should refrain from over-using them and pay attention to the users first, then to relevancy.
Certification for CJ Affiliate Advertising
- SEO & Blogging
The best way to promote CJ affiliate products is by creating optimised blog content and targeting buyer-specific keywords. It’s important to use natural language when linking to CJ affiliate products.
- Email Marketing
Most affiliates will have permission to promote their CJ offers through email, but advertisers must allow for this. Check all programme guidelines before sending any affiliate links.
- Social Media and Other Content Platforms
Some advertisers allow the use of certain Social Media & Content platforms to promote their CJ offers:
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Be sure to follow link disclosure policies of the Social Media & Content platforms.
- Disclosure of Affiliate Links
Affiliate links should always be disclosed; this builds trust with readers and helps you remain compliant with CJ Affiliate and other related regulations.
CJ Affiliate Payment Setup & Payout Methods
One of the first steps in getting started with CJ Affiliate is to set up your payment information correctly. If you haven’t filled in the correct payment information, you will not be able to receive any commission from the sale, no matter how many sales you make.
Once advertisers pay their commissioners via CJ Affiliate, CJ Affiliate pays their publishers once a month at the end of that month. You usually need to have reached the minimum payment threshold of your account before your payment will be processed; however, once you have received payment for that month, your account will reset again to zero.
The minimum payment threshold that CJ Affiliate requires is usually $50, depending on the country that you live in, the form of payment you are using (bank transfers, checks). If you do not reach the $50 minimum payment threshold this month, your earnings will carry forward into the next month.
CJ Affiliate has several ways to get paid, and your choice of payment option should depend on what type of account you have: a Bank Account (direct deposit), a check (in some countries), or Payoneer, which is used by many international affiliates.
The best option for you and the best for your bank account will depend on where you reside and what options are available to you.
Configuring Your Payment Information
To configure payment settings:
Visit the Account Settings Page
Select the option for Payment Information
Enter your preferred method of payment
Provide the required tax information
The sooner you complete these steps, the sooner you’ll be able to receive the money you’ve earned.
Your Payment Schedule
CJ Affiliate generally pays its publishers once a month after the advertisers have paid for and validated the publishers’ advertising campaigns. The validation is to help protect against fraudulent transactions and chargebacks.
Things That Could Cause Problems with Your Payment
To avoid payment problems:
Make sure all of your personal information is accurate.
Fill out all the tax forms correctly.
Check your dashboard regularly to see the status of your payment(s).
These are important steps outlined in the CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide, which will help you establish a successful partnership with CJ Affiliate.
Common CJ Affiliate Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Most beginners find CJ Affiliate difficult because they aren’t familiar with the platform yet, but most mistakes they make are unnecessary. In this last chapter of our CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide, you’ll find all the common mistakes beginners make so that you can avoid making them.
- Applying Without A Credible Website:
A major mistake is applying for advertisers when your website is not finished or is of poor quality.
To avoid this: Write ORIGINAL, HELPFUL ARTICLES first. Publishing even 5-10 articles on your blog will help you get more approved.
- Promoting Products That Do Not Relate To Your Niche:
There are too many affiliates who promote products that do not relate to the audience they are targeting, resulting in very low conversion rates.
To avoid this: Promote ONLY products that are related to your niche and solve the problems of your audience. When a product is relevant, it will convert better.
- Not Following The Rules Of The Advertiser:
Every advertiser has their own set of rules when it comes to how they want their products promoted. When you don’t uphold the rules of an advertiser you risk not getting approval or having your account terminated.
To avoid this: Read the terms and conditions of the advertiser to understand their rules about email marketing, paid advertising, and brand bidding.
- Too Many Offers
When you promote too many offers at the same time, you will typically lack focus and will experience poor performance with those offers.
How to avoid making this mistake:
Select a few of your top-performing offers and begin with them. After you have successfully promoted them and established some level of trust from the community, then you can begin to add new offers to your account and grow off of your success. This method is strongly recommended by the CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide.
- Not Tracking Performance
Most affiliates will place links on their websites but will never check the results of the links they create and promote.
How to avoid making this mistake:
Track your clicks, EPC (earnings per click) and conversions by using CJ Affiliate’s reporting tools, then remove the offers that are not performing for you and focus on improving your promotional techniques for the offers that are performing for you.
- Missing Payment Setup
Some affiliates create their CJ Affiliate accounts without completely filling out payment and tax information.
How to avoid making this mistake:
Complete your payment and tax information as soon as you are approved to use this affiliate program so that you will not miss any possible payouts due to incomplete information.
Conclusion
CJ Affiliate is a very effective and powerful affiliate program when used appropriately. By avoiding the common mistakes referenced above and following the CJ Affiliate Complete Setup Guide, you will maximize your chances of earning a long-term, sustainable income through the CJ Affiliate Program.
