Commission Junction aka CJ, is the oldest and largest of all the affiliate networks. That should make it the best right? Hmm for me no - not so much!
CJ was actually the first affiliate network I came across. Several years ago I'd managed to make $100 payout on Adsense and I'd sold a few items on eBay and Amazon, so CJ seemed like the next way to make money. I was getting the hang of this make money online thing - how hard could an affiliate network be?
Yeah, right, talk about a shock! The interface was horrible, I didn't know where to start, and most of the merchant's wouldn't accept my application! I don't think I ever made $100 on CJ, and what's worse, I lost what I did make when they closed my account for inactivity.
Comments
Great series of articles!
I too found CJ lacking. The high amount you needed for payout just crushed most of us. Share A sale still has a high amount too. Ejunkie is the best for affiliates. Some private ones use $10 or 25 as their payout amount but they let you ride until you hit that amount. For one it took almost a year but now in just 3 months I have that amount. It takes time for the page or affiliate link page to rank and be actively pursued. I just don't do any affiliates with CJ
I think the key with CJ is finding a merchant that you can get sales from. I've just noticed that one of my favourite hotel booking sites is with them - so I might start pushing hard with them.
I signed up with CJ once and then discovered, as you did, that you are penalized when your account is deemed "inactive." I know people, such as lakeerieartists and others, have done well on CJ, but for me it doesn't really seem worth it, at least not yet. Maybe after I feel I have mastered some of the other affiliate systems, I will be ready to tackle CJ. It helps to get a site such as ShareASale under your belt first. It sounds easier to succeed at.
Your advice is appreciated.
I have to disagree with you on this one, Lissie, and maybe it is because I am an American. While it took me a while to get accepted by a lot of merchants, I do quite well with CJ. I add tracking information to my links so that I can track where my sales come from, and it shows on each sale right away. Once I started making regular commissions from CJ, more and more companies accepted me.