At Izeafest I got a lot of affiliate questions. Lots of them were in the reference of me as a “super affiliate”. I have never really thought of myself as a super affiliate and have blogged about this many times.
I kind of fell into affiliate marketing simply because I had a ton of traffic to some very niche websites and out of the blue an affiliate manager called me one day and talked me into trying it… then that created a monster.
I posed the question on twitter… How do you define a super affiliate:
@sukosaki (John Sukowaty) says:@shoemoney a super affiliate is: one that can successfully create an income stream using affiliate marketing AND blog about it
@DominickEvans (DominickEvans) says:@shoemoney a super affiliate is one I want to have because it has the potential to generate a lot more success than other affiliate programs
@jcoronella (John Coronella) says:@shoemoney Affs who make enough to have ‘Fuck You Money’. So far I only have ‘No Thank You’ money, but I’ll keep trying.
@WayneLiew (Wayne Liew) says:@shoemoney One who made millions from affiliate marketing and have influence and authority over the industry.
@sugarrae (Rae) says:@shoemoney back in the "old days" there weren’t blogs and there was a code of honor so to speak… But the old days are gone… Long gone.
@sugarrae (Rae) says:@shoemoney back in the "old days" a super aff meant anyone netting more than 10k a month from aff efforts
@steven_sanders (steven-sanders) says:@shoemoney A super affiliate? Someone who can make alot of money through affiliate marketing in the most creative ways.
@ShanePike (ShanePike) says:@shoemoney I would consider $100,000 net a month to be a Super Affiliate, but I have no idea if there’s a standard definition or not.
@JonSymons (JonSymons) says:@shoemoney super affiliate = someone who has the clout to cut a preferred percentage deal with the merchant or affiliate network.
@khawe (Kieran Hawe) says:@shoemoney Super Affiliate = dominates ROI regardless of category, product, technology, etc. Sets the trends and path for everyone else.
Some pretty interesting answers. So how do you define a super affiliate?
About the author...
Jeremy Schoemaker – who has written 2412 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Hi I am Jeremy Schoemaker and ShoeMoney.com is my blog. 99% of the post here are done by me but you will see others occasionally make guest posts. This blog is fun to write but for my day job I run several online companies.
Images provided by ShutterStock
How A $1295 Gambling Debt Turned Me Into An Online Marketer 
Twitter will be as worthless as MySpace shortly 
How I hacked your Facebook account 
{ 104 comments… read them below or add one }
I would agree @ Mattaw
Silent Person making tonnes of money
Honestly, I know a few people like this and they are the true super affiliates. Of course the bloggers that actually make what they say are considered to be the same (and some of them are) but think about it, how many more of the silent guys are there?
There are few affiliate marketers from India i know personally whom no one recognizes online and they are in 100k$+/year zone. They try to stay completely underground.
Not everyone wants to be known for it…. It makes it much easier to pay taxes lol
Well, they obviously don’t want their niches exposed, although a blog or two could bring in some extra cash for them. Blogging is a hobby anyways. The silent guys are cool, but the active ones like Shoe are equally cool.
If I was making a lot of money I’d probably keep it to myself too. Letting the secret out would have a direct affect on my income!
How much do you make? are u a super affiliate Amit?
I’m certain that there are complete unknowns making money hand over fist with aff. marketing. Not me though
Im sure if they make so much money,
they wouldn’t want to expose their niche so I can understand
staying unknown
We will never know how many silent guys there are because they are silent and we never hear from them. They just secretly make millions each year and they don’t blog about it, they don’t connect with anyone. They just live in their own world, live their life and make millions…
This is so true. And a lot of people do not like to be in the limelight. So they decide to just secretly make money without any of us ever knowing it. Then there are a lot of people that are smarter because they create blogs to help people do the same thing they are doing. The only problem is that there are a lot of people blogging about how to become a super affiliate but they’ve never hardly made anything themselves.
Thats why I laugh at all of those blogs… even some of the good ones. Its getting old fast!
True. I really don’t mind those that are logging their steps on becoming a super affiliate someday, but those that claim and give tips, b ut actually are fraud, just suck and are obvious.
Amit, why are you not in affiliate marketing ?
Affiliate Marketing is not something which can be easily learny obecause i feel its something which should be your passion, dont get into it if you feel there is a lot of money and potential into it. You need to have great ideas unique plans high risks and should expect serious up’s & down’s when you are into it. Iam a person who loves to grow at a small speed and dont expect any downs
I wouldn’t agree. I think the top 1% of all affiliates have earned the right to call themselves Super-Affiliates.
But can we define a limit by saying X amount per month ?
Why bother what the definitions are.
Focusing on building your biz is more important, especially if you get it to the point where it mostly runs itself when you’re not there.
Who really cares? It is all about the money??
Or is it? Being a super affiliate and a blogger is different because you connect with people. You don’t just set it up so it runs by itself and you collect your check every fortnight.
If you just want the money then yes you are right, if you want relationships then you are wrong….what does everyone else think?
Relationships are something lucrative. However, if social networking is not your thing but you still make a ton, I guess you don’t have to. However, no one is guaranteed the super affiliate spot forever, so I think relationships could be helpful in the future if you look to extend your network into other fields.
Ah!
Why bother? Because the question alone sparks comments, conversation, and debate among readers. Reader participation increases traffic, and more traffic means more money. Just like asking how people would define SEO… in a sense it is toned-down controversy. So if nothing else, it’s good blogging. Shoemoney gives out valuable info even when he’s not actively teaching.
You will never be able to run an online business effectively without being there to support it 100%… You can have a team of people to manage things but it’s your ideas that got the business to where it is now.
Super Affiliate is One that can successfully create a lot of income streams online using affiliate marketing and blog about something else like how much i made this month etc.
I would agree with Sukosaki: a super affiliate is: one that can successfully create an income stream using affiliate marketing AND blog about it.
I disagree, blogging can be detrimental to your affiliate business, it can bring increased competition, and not enough return for what you give up (time, information and the like). This isn’t my personal view but just playing the devils advocate here..
What’s blogging got to do with it?
Twitters were going crazy on Izeafest .. But I think a super affiliate must make 100k a month to be classified as a super affiliate.
I disagree. I think you can make $10,000 a month using affiliate marketing and you’d still be considered a super affiliate.
i think jeremy is making more than 10 grands and he doesnt consider himself a super affiliate so maybe its more than that
$120,000 a year doesn’t sound like a super affiliate. However, who really knows and it’s hard to tell if these people are even really making this amount of money. Sometimes it sounds too good to be true. I think the people that are really making the money are just sitting at home and laughing at us idiots trying to make money.
Haha yeah probably. Reading a whole lot of articles thinking, “These guys are going nowhere.”
They probably spend the time we spend on blogging/socializing to better optimize their products.
There are people (*me* cough cough) that can make that in a day with affiliate marketing….
I agree 100K a month sets you apart from the pack.
100k a month!!! this is RIDICULOUS money!!!
I wish I was making this sort of money.
Twitter has completely exploded. Where did this revolution come from? I really need to get on the band wagon
Unless you have a plan/purpose Twitter will not do anything for you.
Super Affiliates are those guys that are killing it with cash but only work 4hrs. a day or less.
You can make 100K a year in Aff. marketing but work 8hrs. a day. The true meaning of making money online is not having to work full time.
Hope I am not annoying you shoemoney with all my comments. But I don’t agree that the definition of making money online is that you don’t have to work 8 hours/day.
I work 8 hours/day online and I absolutely love it. I do it not so I can do nothing and not work, I do it so I can enjoy the work I do and get paid well for it.
A benefit of the internet is that you can make money from this. But this is not THE definition
Hell I work sometimes over 12 hours a day on affiliate marketing, it’s definitely not the “Easy life” as some people like to say. It’s actually more work than a 9-5 job but I love every minute of it.
Yup, it is no four hour workday.
You obviously don’t do any affiliate marketing. People who do this 100% can tell you the day never ends…. Money never sleeps.
A super affiliate does not settle for an 8 hour work day. They look at what they made in that 8 hours and think “let’s see if I can triple it by midnight.”
Smart work
Who knows it better than Jeremy …
I’ve barely scratched the surface of affiliate marketing, doing it on top of a day job, and I could easily spend 6 hours a night on it and not run out of stuff to do. I think it’s one of those jobs where the more successful you are, the more work there is that can be done.
I think I would exclude blogging from the definition – I’d say anyone making $100k/mo is sufficient. Blogging is just one way to reach the super affiliate plateau (for people that aren’t already there).
Yes, perhaps this is a fair judgement.
If they are selling affiliate stuff through their blog then also they can be called as super affiliates… no point in excluding bloggers from the list …
PPC, blogging, SEO’s any one who generates traffic and sells affiliate stuff can be called as super affiliate ..
Nope – not excluding them… just countering some other posts that called blogging in as a requirement before somebody could claim the title “super affiliate”.
Asupper affilate is an affiliate marketer that do a fevourable work with encouraging result-income.
This is a really good list of what a super affiliate is. Some I disagree with, some I agree with. I don’t know where the term came from and I am pretty sure you cannot find it in the oxford dictionary so lets all choose one definition and then submit it to oxford and see what they think
Wouldn’t it be cool to just make up a word and have it in a dictionary
@ Shoemoney – I would love to read more posts on how to effectively affiliate market. Because I am starting to build up a really decent foundation of leads (subscribers to my newsletter) and am really looking to start some affiliate marketing.
If you have already written some then just point me in the right direction. If not then please write some. I know they will be super popular posts.
Go over to my blog then lol
A super affiliate is someone in a cape making people warship the floor he/she walks on.
Good call – I second the vote to make a cape part of the definition.
I think a super affiliate is someone with a large and responsive list that can move a lot of targeted traffic with their credit card in hand to a sales page.
Super affiliate is someone who makes more than you as an affiliate.. If you’re saying youre not a super affiliate, then I guess super affiliate arre those who are a better affiliate than you..
Someone who works their ass off on campaigns, tests out multiple things and doesn’t give up. Success is never easy and those who work hard at it usually succeed and become “Super Affiliates” if you want.
Super Affiliates are the 5% who rake in 98% of affiliate revenue.
I think you can look at it industry wide, or more granular, like per network, or even per offer. I’m sure if a network has one guy pushing almost all the revenue for a single offer, then he probably gets treated like a super affiliate when it comes to that particular offer.
I don’t think you can quantify it in terms of large dollar amts, though that usually is part of the territory.
I think this is the best definition on this whole post. Super affiliates are the top people that make the top money.
Just like G8, which is a very small percentile of the world population but with a large percentile of the total wealth.
Super Affiliate = unknown human Making Solid Income online in pyjamas
Good work shoe, now it displays nicely in google reader
Super Affiliate is someone who runs a successful business based on promoting products and make good profit out of that.
Super Affiliate = someone who makes a s**tload of commissions, works like crazy on campaigns, and considers their blog (if they have one) something they do for fun
Hey, thats me
haaha I like that definition.
not sure about a “super affiliate” but every time I look in the mirror I see a super nerd!
A superaffiliate is an affiliate with a red cape and blue tights
LOL… I agree… red cape and blue tights
super affiliate is who the affiliate managers call when the get a new offer coming and not the other way around ?
I still have to call my affiliate managers to findout what is doing well on their network, so i am not super affiliate yet.
This is funny
So means you can be a super affiliate on one network and a normal guy on the other…
I guess this term has to be global
super affiliate, is a marketer that out performs all affiliates in not one niche but in multiple niches.
i would say anyone that doesn’t have to say they are.
numbers speaks louder then words.
if you have to say you are a super affiliate chances are you arent one.
Anyone who makes a living using affiliate marketing.
So basically you mean to say that every one who lives in this world can be known as a super man as well ?
Or another thing a Super Affiliate could be is someone with an ego larger than their…you know.
wallet? credit limit?
My idea of a super affiliate would be $1 million per year.
Modesty is a great human dignity. -))
Anyone making $xxx,xxx a month is a super affiliate in my opinion.
Anyone who makes a whole wod of money by affiliation.
I guess anyone in the 6 figure is a super affiliate. We have a lot of 5 figure guys, but the jump from 5 to 6, and then a dream towards 7 is when it starts getting harder and harder.
I would say $100k a month makes a person an super affiliate.
Side Note: jcoronella (John Coronella) has the most funniest answer out of everybody. <a href=”http://www.kushmoney.com” title=”make money”
I’d say the person should be able to work with multiple networks , promote a variety of products and make a mid to high $xx,xxx net , per month.
Its for sure the underdog. One who make 6 figures and keeps himself/herslef on the down-low.
I think there are lots of interesting answers to this question…
I tell you some interesting story. They are called super affiliate when they make like 5k a month in Japan!
I am not sure about this but I think you are one of super affiliates indeed. T
Jeremy,
A Super Affiliate is someone who gives a free pass to a newbie blogger like me, a subscriber to shoemoney.com, for BlogWorld Expo! In exchange for that I will clean your pool, mow your lawn, wash your limousine or tractor weekly, walk and bathe the family dog, and apply flea drops, trim your trees, check your house for unsafe electrical wiring, teach you video production -values, (!), and anything else you need… Respectfully, Nicholas
I think a super affilaite is someone who has a massive list and is able to pursuade a large proportion of them to buy a product each month.
I don’t think being a super affiliate has anything to do with how much money you make. Money is a byproduct of being a super affiliate.
There are a few things that one has to do to be a super affiliate and just making money and demanding high percentage commissions aren’t any of them.
I did not want to leave a comment that was 500 words long so instead I wrote a post it. Feel free to drop by and find out what being a super affiliate means to me.
I’d consider someone as a super affiliate if he is making bucks with affiliate marketing and teaching (I mean, really teaching) others to make money too.
A super affiliate is one who can make a ton of money with multiple affiliate programs. The problem is, no one is honest anymore with affiliate programs. There is no way you can track exactly how many sales you have made. All affiliate programs will cheat you one way or another with the amount of sales you make.
For information on how to market your own product without affiliate programs simply by copywriting, visit, http://www.copywritingincome4life.com
I like super affiliates.Thankooooooo
A super affiliate is someone who makes at least 10% of what Jeremy makes in affiliate commission
I agree someone who isn’t shouting all the time about how great he is and still making tons of money would be a super affiliate for me!
Whom do think fits the bill>?
A super affiliate is one who is bringing in a lot of money, is very experienced, and knows how to market very good. Thats what I think.
The term is not made for an outsider. It’s a term for those who have people selling their products and services for them. Therefor my conclusion is that its an affiliate who sends top sales to one affiliate network. On income we can by defenition take the MensaIQ for example. Its the top 2% of the population who manages to become a member. So on pure income I would say if you take all affiliates that earn a living with affiliate marketing, look for the top 2% and see what they earn. That’s a super affiliate to me.
Super Affiliate should be the one who can convert pretty well.
Maybe someone he makes $ 1 000 000 or more per year Right
There is really nothing more to add to the discussion after John Coronella’s witty answer.
A super affiliate is one who can make a ton of money with multiple affiliate programs but nobody knows how!
well some blogs are good and some are not..!!
This is information..
Thanx for writing about it…!
What?s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely useful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & assist other customers like its helped me. Great job.
There is a reason “super aff’s” are silent. There are many who will attack a site thats a success due to jealousy (Seen it happen first hand) and sadly thats the world we live in.
I know one aff who was attacked in a major way not that long ago. He’s a comfortable 10,000 – 20,000 per month aff and he takes crazy steps to hide his websites identities.
I don’t blame him one bit!