How Does the ClickFunnels Affiliate Program Work, and is it Worth it?

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The affiliate marketing industry is big. Really big.


With an estimated net worth of $12 billion in 2021, this is an absolute must-have skill if you’re interested in the online marketing niche.


No wonder you want to learn about ClickFunnels’ affiliate program!


With more than 8,000 online businesses using ClickFunnels to grow their companies, we’re not surprised that it's the 6th most popular tool for conversion optimization in the US.


If you’re curious about how this program works, keep reading! We’ll teach you everything you need to know.

1. What is ClickFunnels?

ClickFunnels’ logo

ClickFunnels’ logo

In a nutshell, ClickFunnels (CF) is a website and sales funnel builder that helps you market, sell, and deliver your products online.


According to their website, you don’t need to be a programmer or have coding or design experience to be able to use their features.


They provide upcoming entrepreneurs with the tools they need to guide website visitors through the sales process.


Some of these tools include:

Sales funnels play an integral role in helping businesses generate leads and then convert those leads into paying customers.


ClickFunnels is designed to simplify the creation of the sales funnel to allow for higher conversion rates and more sales over time.


For a more in-depth review of ClickFunnels and its features, click here.

2. What is the ClickFunnels affiliate program?

The process of affiliate marketing

The process of affiliate marketing

The ClickFunnels affiliate program provides ClickFunnels members and non-members the ability to earn revenue — with a twist.


Not only does ClickFunnels have a high commission rate of up to 40%, users who complete a certain set of milestones also stand a chance to win the car of their dreams (more on this later).


In addition to increasing their income through more website/software sales, ClickFunnels affiliates also earn money whenever someone uses their link to sign up to become a ClickFunnels member themselves.


Let’s see how this program operates.

3. How does the ClickFunnels affiliate program work?

Once you opt in to become an affiliate marketer with ClickFunnels, you’ll be introduced to their Affiliate Portal.


This portal hosts all the ads, copy, banners, emails, graphics, tools, and your personal affiliate ID links for each product promotion.


ClickFunnels’ affiliate program also provides you with something called “sticky cookies.”


Let’s investigate these generally tasty treats.

3.1. Sticky cookies

Sticky cookies

Source: Scaleo.io

Sticky cookies are trackers applied to you and your visitor’s browsers once they make use of your affiliate link.


When a customer clicks on the affiliate link located in your funnel, a sticky cookie gets attached.


From here, any purchases or sign-ups made allow the affiliate to earn a commission from 45 days onwards.


Active sticky cookies also remain on file for you to track whoever makes a purchase.


Sticky cookies additionally help with quick checkouts, member logins, and advanced product features.


For a better example of how these cookies work, let’s view the infographic below:

The sticky cookie process using two examples

The sticky cookie process using two examples

Let’s look at the other features on offer with this affiliate program.

3.2. Affiliate Avengers community

Affiliate Avengers community

Source: Tenor.com

Cap couldn’t have summed it up better.


The Affiliate Portal comes with another nifty feature to grow your business: The Affiliate Avengers.


This is a Facebook community you’ll get access to that has provided a space for more than 90,000 entrepreneurs to come together and share help, tips, and strategies for growing their lists and promoting ClickFunnels.

3.3. The Dream Car Contest

ClickFunnels boasts that they’ve paid out more than $100 million in commissions, and with this contest, we don’t find that hard to believe.


The Dream Car Contest is one of the biggest driving forces for the affiliate marketing world when it comes to this platform, but how does it work?


For starters, you need at least 100 affiliate signups to ClickFunnels accounts.


Unfortunately, new affiliates can’t promote ClickFunnels’ software until they’ve made at least $1,000 in commissions in one month from selling other ClickFunnels products such as:

Once you hit that 100 active members mark, you’ll automatically qualify for the Dream Car Contest.


If you continue to have 100 or more active members in your affiliate program, ClickFunnels will pay you $500/month indefinitely towards your car’s lease payment.


This amount is increased to $1,000/month when you reach 200 active affiliate members.


One last important thing to note is that “active members” refer to members that have purchased the $97/month Startup (or above) ClickFunnels plan.


Let’s see what other rewards are in store once you have an affiliate account.

4. How much can you earn as a ClickFunnels affiliate?

The earning potential of ClickFunnels’ affiliates

The earning potential of ClickFunnels’ affiliates

When you become a ClickFunnels affiliate, your earning potential could be enough for you to create an online business in affiliate marketing.


So, what kind of compensation are we looking at here?


ClickFunnels’ affiliates receive up to 40% commission on all of their front-end sales.


These are the book sales previously mentioned.

ClickFunnels’ affiliates

Source: markinblog.com

In addition to the book sales, you also receive a $100 commission for the sales of:

  • One Funnel Away Challenge
  • 30 Days Summit — If you promote this free summit instead, you’ll get a $100 commission for each person who upgrades and joins the One Funnel Away Challenge

New ClickFunnels' affiliates (Tier 1) will also earn a 20% commission for every subscription their front-end buyers purchase and sign up for.


This is a monthly recurring commission, making it a great bonus to help you get to your first $1,000.


As long as your new buyers continue to pay for their ClickFunnels account, you’ll receive your commission.


Once you’ve earned $1,000 in commissions in a single month, you can apply to become an approved affiliate (Tier 2).


You’ll be able to receive a 40% commission on the front-end products (books, 30 Day Summit, One Funnel Away). You can also receive 30% on the following software:

  • 14-day free trial
  • Funnel Builder Secrets
  • Funnel Hacking Secrets

You can boost your software commission percentage up to 40% (Tier 3) if you have at least 40 active ClickFunnels members paying for their membership through your affiliate ID for 30 days or more.


Something important to note as mentioned on the ClickFunnels help page:


Commissions (minimum $100) are paid after a 30-day "cooling-off" period, including the added 14-day trial period.


Due to possible refunds or cancellations, ClickFunnels’ total "cooling-off" period for subscriptions/new sign-ups is 45 days.


From the time it takes the cooling-off period to take place and for the sale to become eligible, it could take anywhere from 31-45 days from the date of initial payment to the time it is paid out to the affiliate.

A ClickFunnels affiliate’s Tipalti payment dashboard

A ClickFunnels affiliate’s Tipalti payment dashboard

ClickFunnels pays affiliates using Tipalti, so you’ll need to sign up for an account first (they help you with this) before you can earn payouts.


No doubt you might still have some questions that need answering, so let’s look at some FAQs below.

5. ClickFunnels affiliate FAQs

ClickFunnels affiliate FAQs

5.1. Is the ClickFunnels affiliate program free?

The answer to this question depends on which route you want to take.


Most people first become ClickFunnels members, meaning they purchase a monthly subscription to a ClickFunnels plan before they opt for the affiliate program.


At the same time, there are free options available (more on that in a minute).


You also don’t have to pay any additional fees to become an affiliate.


Once you’ve signed up for a membership, you automatically have access to your ClickFunnels affiliate login and have the potential to start earning commissions.

5.2. How do I become a ClickFunnels affiliate?

As a ClickFunnels member, you automatically have the option to become a ClickFunnels affiliate.


There are no separate application processes to go through, but you do have to register your affiliate account and agree to the site’s terms and conditions regarding affiliate sales and commissions.

5.3. How do I promote ClickFunnels for free?

You don’t have to be a ClickFunnels member to become an affiliate.


If you want to take the free route, you can sign up for the ClickFunnels Affiliate Bootcamp.


This program teaches you some of the basics of affiliate marketing so that you can, in theory, earn higher commissions.


Once you sign up for the Affiliate Bootcamp, your affiliate account will automatically be activated.


There is a catch though.


You only have 96 hours to access the training.


After that, it’s gone. If you feel you’d need more time, then you’d have to sign up for the One Funnel Away Challenge — which is $100.

5.4. Are ClickFunnels affiliates happy with their outcomes?

In general, most ClickFunnels affiliates seem to be satisfied with what they earn through the site’s affiliate program.


Based on some ClickFunnels reviews, however, there are potential downsides that come with the program:

  • Longer waiting times between payouts
  • Higher refund and cancellation rates due to ClickFunnels’ high prices
  • High levels of affiliate competition
  • A terrible affiliate reporting system

Most users also believe that you can get the same software functionality for a cheaper price elsewhere.


This mindset might make it difficult to bring in commissions for promotions like the Dream Car Contest.

5.5. What rules do I have to follow?

The rules associated with the ClickFunnels affiliate program are pretty straightforward.


They include some of the following:

  • Include relevant Privacy Policies on all sites when promoting ClickFunnels
  • Include a relevant Terms of Service statement on all sites when promoting ClickFunnels
  • Include Forward-Looking Earnings Statements on all sites when promoting ClickFunnels
  • Do not spam users via email or on social media
  • Do not misrepresent yourself as a “typical customer” when promoting ClickFunnels offers
  • Be transparent and authentic to clarify that you are a ClickFunnels affiliate and receive a commission from purchases made through your links

In general, these rules are easy to abide by.


It’s important to read the fine print (found in the ClickFunnels Affiliate Agreement) before joining any kind of affiliate program to ensure you don’t violate any terms.

6. The best alternative for ClickFunnels affiliates: systeme.io’s affiliate program

systeme.io’s logo

systeme.io’s logo

Like ClickFunnels, systeme.io also offers an affiliate program to its users.


But how does it work?


To start, you need to sign up for the free affiliate program.


Because our affiliate program is in-house, you belong to our family as a personal affiliate, rather than the impersonal programs that farm you off to ClickBank and other networks.


Once you start sending visitors to our website using your affiliate link, we’ll convert them into customers, and you can start earning commissions.


Systeme.io affiliates get a 60% commission on all of their sales of systeme.io’s products and training, before tax.


This is a lifetime affiliation — the contacts that our affiliates send are marked in our database with their affiliate ID.


Even if our affiliates’ referrals don't buy anything for 6 months or even a year, they will still earn commissions on their referral’s purchases.


If your referrals operate on different devices or use different email addresses to make purchases using your link, you’ll still get credited for the sale and earn affiliate commissions.


There's also the second-tier level where affiliates earn an additional 5% commission if their referrals refer people who then make purchases.


If you’d like to convince more prospects to sign up as one of your recruits, you can add some credibility, mentioning that:

  • We pay more than $100,000 in affiliate commissions each month
  • We’ve paid out well over $2,000,000 in commissions to our affiliates

Let’s look below at how systeme.io’s programs benefit our affiliates.

6.1. Products to sell

Products to sell

As mentioned previously, members of our affiliate program receive a 50% lifetime commission on all products that are purchased through their sales funnels or on their websites.


These products include:

  • Our forever Free plan (no card details required)
  • Our free The New System To Launch An Online Business eBook
  • Our best performing Business Coach: Turn 1h of work a week into $2,000 a month course

For more information, click here.

6.2. Easier affiliate management

systeme.io’s affiliate dashboard

systeme.io’s affiliate dashboard

In addition to providing additional ways for affiliates to earn money, systeme.io also provides users with more tools to help them do a better job of managing the affiliates who have joined through them.


These tools are included in all of our plans at no extra cost once you sign up.


With ClickFunnels, you have to purchase their $97/month Basic plan in order to join their FunnelFlix program and get access to similar tools and resources.


For more resources, you’ll need to upgrade to their Premium plan at $297/month.


This requires more of an investment from users if they miss the Affiliate Bootcamp’s 96-hour timeframe.


Systeme.io simplifies the process and provides free access to training materials so that affiliates can succeed and increase their earnings without ever being pressed for time.

6.3. A lower entry barrier

ClickFunnels is much more expensive than systeme.io.


Their Basic plan’s price is the same as our Enterprise plan ($97/month).


Because of this, it can be difficult to entice people to sign up for ClickFunnels’ services and become monthly members.


This, in turn, makes it harder for affiliates to earn commissions.


Systeme.io’s features and services are much more comprehensive than ClickFunnels’ and for a much more affordable price.


This makes systeme.io more enticing to potential affiliates, and it allows more commission opportunities for you.


After all, it’s much easier to get someone interested in a service that costs them $27/month compared to one that costs several hundred.

7. Comparing ClickFunnels and systeme.io

We’ve made you a comparison graph to help you decide which platform offers you the best affiliate program:

A comparison chart between systeme.io and ClickFunnels’ affiliate programs

A comparison chart between systeme.io and ClickFunnels’ affiliate programs

8. Conclusion

Today we focused solely on the affiliate aspects of ClickFunnels and systeme.io, but if you’d like to see what they can offer you for growing a business, check out this link.


Ultimately, the best way to become a convincing affiliate is to know your product inside and out.


If this product comes with a steep price — achieving success might not be as easy.


We’ve shown you all there is to know about these two affiliate platforms. You need to decide which one might be best suited for you.


With systeme.io, you can promote a product that gives your audience everything they need for free.


Once you’ve made your decision, head on to our sign-up page to get started!

Other posts about affiliate marketing:

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