18 High Paying Affiliate Programs That Pay Per Lead

When it comes to affiliate programs that pay per lead, there are a lot of absolutely terrible ones.

It’s a fact.

But there are also some really good ones. In fact, my all time favorite affiliate program is a pay per lead program.

I’ve made a living doing affiliate marketing since 2016. I’ve learned some things about finding affiliate programs that can make you wild amounts of money, and programs that will waste your time.

Looking for high ticket affiliate programs? Check out my video below:

The programs I focus on in this article are the money-makers.

They have solid sales processes.
They have good customer experiences.
They have high commissions.
And they have good tracking.

What is a Pay Per Lead Affiliate Program?

To understand how pay per lead affiliate programs work, let’s first look at the difference between the various types of affiliate marketing programs…

• Pay Per Lead (PPL) – Otherwise known as CPA (cost per action) or PPA (pay per action), you’ll earn a commission each time a new lead (contact information) is acquired
• Pay Per Click (PPC) – Commissions are earned each time a person clicks on your affiliate link, even if they don’t become a lead or a customer.
• Pay Per Acquisition (PPA) – This is traditional affiliate marketing. You earn commissions on each sale generated through your marketing efforts.

Traditional affiliate marketing means you get paid a commission when you bring a new paying customer to a company.  But when it comes to pay per lead affiliate programs, you get paid when you bring in a new lead, whether they turn into a customer or not.

Seeing the potential here?

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The Advantages & Disadvantages PPL 

Getting paid commissions just to bring in leads definitely has its advantages, but there are some downfalls to this type of affiliate marketing as well.
With some pay per lead affiliate programs, the lead needs to be qualified, which means they would have to take a certain action in order for you to earn your commission.

That action might include any of the following:

• Opting into a mailing list
• Entering an email, phone number or zip code
• Signing up for a free trial
• Creating an account
• Downloading a piece of software
• Requesting a demo
• Scheduling a meeting
• Requesting a quote

Other companies will pay commissions just for the traffic you bring to their site.

This model is simple to understand (though hard to make money). All you have to do is find a way to spend less money per click than you make from the company. Once you do you can scale it to the moon.

These companies also usually provide a bonus based on the percentage of traffic that turns into qualified leads.

Here are the highest paying affiliate programs that pay per lead that I’ve come across to date…

High Paying Affiliate Programs That Pay Per Lead

1. Fresh Desk (hosted by ShareASale)
2. Rank Pay (hosted by ShareASale)
3. National Debt Relief (hosted by ShareASale)
4. CreativeLive
5. Merchant Equipment Store
6. Personal Capital (self-hosted affiliate program)
7. Hiscox (self-hosted affiliate program)
8. ClickFunnels
9. Leaf Filter
10. Skillshare
11. Rakuten (Formerly Ebates)
12. Canva
13. Embrace Pet Insurance
14. Constant Contact
15. TouchBistro
16. Cashsuperstar
17. Born to Sell
18. Buildium

1. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is an award-winning cloud-based customer support software that makes it easy for companies and customers to communicate with one another.

This software was made for small and medium-sized companies, and it works across multiple support channels (web, email, phone, and social media).

Freshdesk affiliates earn $5 per lead, as well as 20%-25% commissions on first year payments. Increases are given on the amount of sales you make.

Sign up for Fresh Desk Affiliate program on ShareASale

2. Rankpay

Rankpay is a performance-based search engine optimization company. You tell them the keywords you want to rank a page for and they try to make it rank. You only pay them if it does.

There are two ways you can earn as a Rankpay affiliate:

On ShareASale – If you sign up through ShareASale, you’ll earn $25 per free sign up. If you reach more than 20 signups in one month, they’ll bump that up to $50.

It’s not free for your referral if the SEO works, but it’s risk-free since they don’t have to pay if it doesn’t.

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Through Rankpay Directly – When you sign up as a Rankpay affiliate directly on their website, you’ll earn through pay per sale affiliate marketing.

That means you’ll get 10%-20% recurring commissions on all of their services (SEO, social marketing, blog management, website maintenance, content optimization services, WordPress plugin) for as long as the customer stays with Rankpay.

Sign Up For Rank Pay affiliate Program With ShareASale

3. National Debt Relief

National Debt Relief is one of the lowest-cost ways to get out of credit card debt. In times like these, this type of service is needed more than ever.

This is one of the highest-earning pay per lead affiliate programs, and they provide several different ways that you can earn:

• PPL (pay per lead) – Earn $27.50 per qualified free debt relief quote request. Leads simply need to complete a 6-field form that takes just one minute to complete.
• PPC (pay per call) – Earn $41 per qualified phone call.
• 2nd Tier – Earn 12% override on commissions for all affiliates you refer.

Leads are qualified if they live in a qualified state (each state except CT, GA, KS, ME, NH, SC, OR, VT, and WV) and have at least $10,000 in unsecured credit card debt.

Sign up For NDR Affiliate Program With ShareASale

4. CreativeLive

CreativeLive offers over 1500 free and paid courses taught by over 700 master creators, such as Tim Ferriss, Lindsay Adler, Lewis Howes, and Jasmine Star.

Courses are meant for creators, and the categories featured include: Photo & Video, Money & Life, Art & Design, Craft & Maker, and Music & Audio.

Affiliates earn through pay per sale and pay per lead affiliate marketing.

You’ll earn $1 per lead that signs up for free, as well as 20% commission on new customer purchases and 10% for returning customer purchases.

The program is offered through ShareASale.

5. Merchant Equipment Store

Merchant Equipment Store gives businesses the ability to accept credit cards by offering payment processing solutions and processing equipment that is priced close to wholesale.

With a strong reputation and an attention to great customer service and low prices, you can’t go wrong promoting this one.

As an affiliate, you’ll get $20 for each person who fills out an application for merchant services through a simple online form.

You’ll also earn 3% on equipment purchases.

Sign Up For MES Affiliate Program on ShareASale

6. ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is an amazing piece of software that allows users to build funnels, create landing pages, do email marketing, receive payments, recruit affiliates, and more. But even better than that is their affiliate program.

In my experience, ClickFunnels is one of the best (if not the best) affiliate programs that pay per lead because while the amount earned per lead is only $1, there is great potential to earn thousands from that lead over time without doing any other work.

Let’s look at how it plays out…

• You’ll earn $1 for each free book (CopywritingSecrets, DotComSecrets, ExpertSecrets) your referrals request and your referral only pays for shipping.
• Once you get the referral in the door, ClickFunnels will begin marketing to the referral. With a proven sales funnel and many products to promote to them, you’re likely to earn some commissions without having to do any other work.
• To top that off, if the referral ends up purchasing a ClickFunnels membership, you’ll get paid 30-40% recurring commissions.
• They also have a high-paying affiliate product called the One Funnel Away Challenge. It costs $100 for customers and you get 100% commissions, which means you’ll make $100 per customer.

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7. Hiscox

Hiscox touts themselves as America’s leading small business insurer, specializing in customized policies and exceptional customer service. They offer:

• General liability
• Professional liability (E&O)
• Business owners policiesss
• Cyber security
• Short-term liability
• And more

As a Hiscox affiliate, you’ll earn $25 for each quote generated through your link.

Your referrals just have to fill out a quick and easy form that has a 33% conversion rate. This affiliate program is through CJ Affiliate.

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8. Personal Capital

Personal Capital is a free online budgeting software that allows you to see all of your accounts in one place so that you can track and manage your finances, plan for retirement or education, and more.

This is definitely one of the best pay per lead companies because you can earn $50-$100 per sign up.

The only catch is that they would need to link $100,000 worth of investable assets into their dashboard, which is incredibly easy to do if they are tracking their home equity, IRA, 401K, savings, etc.

When your number of leads increases, your commissions per lead will increase as well.

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9. Leaf Filter

Leaf Filter is America’s largest gutter protection company, providing and installing the most effective debris-blocking system.

With Leaf Filter, customers will have a phenomenal experience , and they get to enjoy lifetime warranties on all purchases as well.

As a Leaf Filter affiliate, you’ll earn $17 per free estimate your link generates. The program is managed on CJ Affiliate.

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10. Skillshare

Skillshare offers thousands of classes to enhance your creativity. Categories include design, animation, illustration, photography, writing, business, and lifestyle.

Each course is taught by experts in the industry who are passionate about sharing their knowledge, expertise, and resources.

Affiliates earn $10 for each new person who signs up for a free trial. The affiliate program is managed by Impact Radius.

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11. Rakuten (Formerly Ebates)

Rakuten is a cash back shopping site that is free and easy to use, especially when you install their Chrome extension.

Whenever you are shopping online, it will notify you if you can get cash back through Rakuten.

Just click the button to get the cash back and it will automatically add it to your account. Then you just proceed with your shopping as usual.

As a Rakuten affiliate, you’ll earn $5 per lead. Just sign up for a Rakuten account to get your referral link.

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12. Canva

Canva is a graphic design platform that allows non-designers to create professional-looking graphics either for free or for a minimum investment (depending on the tools you want access to).

With this software, it’s easy to create graphs, infographics, logos, brochures, etc, as well as photo and video editing. Designs can he easily exported for print in the proper format print shops require.

The Canva affiliate program is a combination of PPS and PPL. You’ll earn $6.50 for each free trial you refer as well as 25% of each Pro subscription, which comes out to $30.

You’ll also earn 100% on monthly subscriptions for the first month ($12.95).

In terms of affiliate programs that pay per lead, this is a definite winner.

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13. Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace Pet Insurance is an online pet health insurance provider for cats and dogs in the U.S. They have a lot going for themselves, including:

• One of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry
• Nose-to-tail accident and illness insurance coverage
• Flexible Wellness Rewards plan for routine care
• Up to 90% cash back on vet bills
• Personalized plans

Affiliates earn $36 per qualified lead. A qualified lead is a new referral who has completed an online application and started to enter their mailing address on page 3 of the quote request.

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14. Constant Contact

Constant Contact provides email marketing software for small businesses, bloggers, and entrepreneurs. With it, users are able to do the following:

• Boost sales or donations with email marketing automations
• Use e-commerce tools to drive more sales
• Build leads with Facebook and Instagram ads
• Integrate other programs for more efficiency

Affiliates earn $5 for each referral that signs up for a free trial. And when that referral becomes a paying customer, you’ll earn an additional $105!

That’s not bad when it comes to affiliate programs that pay per lead.

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15. TouchBistro

TouchBistro is an award-winning iPad Point of Sale system for Restaurants. It helps restaurants make more money while providing a great customer experience and making restaurant management easier.

With this POS system, restaurants can:

• Increase sales with suggested upsells at the right time
• Turn tables faster
• Allow customers to upgrade their own meals with a smart self-ordering kiosk
• Streamline with a kitchen display system
• Make better business decisions with reporting features

TouchBistro’s affiliate program is incredible! They offer $100 per demo acquired through your like, as well as $1000 per sale.

They also have special opportunities for more active affiliates.

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16. Cashsuperstar

Cashsuperstar.com is a pay per lead affiliate program that allows you to promote a simple system for earning a daily income online.

You’ll earn $2 every time you generate a free lead within the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia or New Zealand through double opt-in.

The landing page you’ll be promoting is constantly being tested for maximum conversions, and it generates a 50% conversion rate worldwide.

What’s unique about this program is you’ll also earn free traffic back to a link of your choosing as a bonus.

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17. Born to Sell

Born to Sell is an award-winning trading software that allows you to earn additional income from stocks and ETFs you already own. It also makes it easy to find new investment opportunities for selling options to other people.

There are many ways to earn with this affiliate program.

First, you’ll earn $5 per lead for a free trial signup. Then, you’ll earn $40 per paid subscriber and 54% commission when the free trial converts to a paid customer (about $26.60).

There is even a second tier that allows you to earn 10% on the commissions earned by the affiliates who are under you.

Affiliate programs that pay per lead like this one provide lots of income opportunities from which to gain.

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18. Buildium

Buildium is a property management software that helps property management companies with the following:

• Controlling tasks and maintenance
• Managing tenant and owner relationships
• Marketing properties
• Growing their businesses

Buildium affiliates earn $10 per free trial sign up, plus 25% commissions on monthly subscriptions.

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Let’s look at the pros and cons now…

Advantages

• It’s Easier – Let’s face it, it’s easier to get someone to sign up for something that is free or low-priced than it is to get them to make a purchase.
• It’s Good for Traffic That is Difficult to Convert – If your audience doesn’t convert well when you present them with offers they are unfamiliar with, affiliate programs that pay per lead are often the way to go. That way, you can get them in the door and then the company can market to them and earn their business once they gain trust.
• You Get Paid No Matter What – Of course this is the top advantage of pay per lead affiliate programs. If you have a decent size audience, you can earn well based on the traffic and/or qualified leads you send their way.
• Multiple Ways to Earn – Many affiliate programs that pay per lead also have secondary payout tiers that allow you to earn additional commissions when leads become customers.

Disadvantages

• Earnings Are Less – While you’ll get paid more often with pay per lead affiliate programs, the amount that you’ll get paid is less than you would earn with traditional affiliate marketing (and often, it is drastically less).
• Not a Full Solution – While adding pay per lead affiliate programs to your arsenal of income-earning programs is a great way to diversify, promoting only PPL programs is not going to earn you the big bucks. It’s best when thought of as a supplementary income stream (unless they allow you to also earn commissions on sales generated from those leads).

Believe it or not, there are some high paying pay per lead affiliate programs out there, and to me, that’s what qualifies them as the best pay per lead companies.

Pay Per Lead Affiliate Marketing Tips

Now that you have a healthy list of some of the best affiliate programs that pay per lead, let me give you some additional tips to help you promote these programs successfully…

• Read the Terms and Affiliate Agreement – Each pay per lead affiliate program has restrictions on how you can advertise their products, so make sure you always read the terms and agreement carefully. This is especially important if you’re going to be promoting them with ads or social media.
• Promote Affiliate Links on Social Media Properly – Most social media networks don’t allow affiliate marketers to promote their affiliate links. It’s better to write a blog or shoot a video and include your affiliate products in those pieces of content and then promote that on social media instead of posting direct links to the affiliate programs that pay per lead.

What’s Your Next Best Step?

Now that you have a good list of affiliate programs to earn decent commissions from, sign up for my free affiliate marketing course to take your business to the next level.