20+ Best Two-Tier Affiliate Programs [2025]

In this day and age, you don’t necessarily have to earn money from your efforts. Why grind while you can get help from others to make some profit for you? Two-tier affiliate programs give us the ability to do so by gathering more people around us who will go the extra mile for us and get the job done.

Two-tier affiliate programs and networks are becoming extremely popular and many programs are adding a second tier to their systems as well. That is why we’ve decided to explore two-tier affiliate programs today and talk about what they are, how you can use them to earn more money, how you can choose one, and share some tips and tricks for you to become successful in the niche.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

What Are Two Tier Affiliate Programs and How Do They Work

Two-tier affiliate programs have two tiers and systems for paying you a commission. Here are the two tiers:

1. The first tier is the usual affiliate program that earns you a commission whenever you refer someone, sell a product, and so on. Of course, this depends on the payout model, but you get the idea. In this tier, you earn what you promote and you sell. So nobody else is responsible for making you any money.
2. In the second tier, you will get a different commission for adding other affiliates to the program (who become your sub-affiliates) whenever they earn a commission for themselves. So this is an extra amount added to your normal commission structure.

The commission rates and earnings are different in each of these tiers. For example, in the first tier, you might earn 50% in commission if you sell a certain product. However, if you also have sub-affiliates and they make a sale with a commission of 50% for themselves, you can earn a commission of 5% from their earned revenue.

So as you can see, your ways of earning are much more diverse and vast. So, for example, if you have 10 affiliates, you will earn 5% of their earned revenue 10 times. This is a great way to accumulate a lot of money as an affiliate.

Also, you won’t need to make any money to be able to receive the commission from the work of your sub-affiliates. You might not even promote anything or drive any traffic on your own. However, this heavily depends on the program itself because in some programs you should drive some traffic and have some sort of activity to remain an affiliate. So be sure to check out the terms of each program.

Where Can You Find Two-Tier Affiliate Programs and Networks

You can usually find two-tier affiliate programs across various niches, both digital and physical products. There is no limit to where you can find them.

Just keep in mind that your sub-affiliates are going to be affiliated on their own, and they can have sub-affiliates as well. So, the program should be a profitable one in a way that your sub-affiliates can earn a commission. Otherwise, you won’t make much money. We will discuss this in the later sections.

Two-Tier Affiliate Programs vs. MLM Programs

Many people think that two-tier affiliate programs have something to do with MLM or Multi-Level Marketing schemes. These two are two different concepts, so let us explain.

MLM is usually also known as the pyramid scheme, which means a company will use various distributors to bring in more and more distributors into its circle of customers. This way there are going to be levels and levels of distributors and managers, and there is no guarantee that the persons working on the bottom level will get paid at all. Mostly, these schemes can become scams, so we would not trust such programs.

On the other hand, you have the tiered affiliate programs. In this mode, you won’t necessarily find other distributors. You should think of them as your referrals who decide to promote the program on their own. Therefore, the sub-affiliates are not in contact with the program through you. They are directly connected to the main program and their payments are secured with that program itself. Therefore, you are neither accountable for their payments nor for their mistakes or lack of work or sales. They are completely independent. The only relation is that the main affiliate program will dedicate an extra amount of reward to you for referring those affiliates who are making money for the business.

This way, the sub-affiliates won’t lose any money, and neither will you. The affiliate program is only rewarding you for bringing more people in. Just like the program itself in the first tier. This way, every single affiliate, and sub-affiliate will have both a first tier and a second tier available to them. This is more like a linear form of collaboration than a pyramid.

If you’re trying to get into an MLM scheme, remember that it is not a two-tier affiliate scheme, and vice versa.

How Will You Get Paid in Two-Tier Affiliate Programs

There is usually only one way you can get paid in two-tier affiliate programs, which is the revenue share model. Unfortunately, other payout models wouldn’t be as possible in the second tier, because you never know how much money the sub-affiliate will be making, so you can’t put a flat price on it. This depends on the affiliate program itself, but remember that you will mostly get a percentage of whatever amount your sub-affiliates make.

If the sub-affiliate sells a product valued at $100 with a commission rate of 50%, they will get $50, and you will get $5 if the second-tier commission is 5%. So this is a general idea. As you can see the commission won’t be subtracted from the sub-affiliates but from the program itself. So there is no harm done to anyone.

What to Consider When Choosing a Two-Tier Affiliate Program

When choosing a two-tier affiliate program, there are several things you should pay attention to. You mustn’t just choose any two-tier affiliate program and waste your time on it because some programs might be so hard to earn a commission from even as a first affiliate, let alone a sub-affiliate. So you might end up not earning anything at all. Here are a couple of factors to pay attention to when choosing.

Product Credibility

First and foremost, you want to pay attention to the product credibility, because the product or service, or brand must be a reputable one, won’t destroy your reputation, and will be possible for sub-affiliates to sell. To figure out whether a product is reputable enough, you should search online for reviews from peers and customers. First of all, you should make sure the product itself is good so you can attract as many customers and sub-affiliates as possible. You can do so by searching on Google, Reddit, and other sites for customer reviews.

The second step is finding some affiliate peer reviews to learn more about the affiliate program itself. How good they are, how available they are to help their affiliates, and so on. You should make sure the program is trustworthy and worth your time. If everything is okay in this case, you can continue working with them.

All of this is to say that you shouldn't just pay attention to how good the products are for your sub-affiliates to promote but for you, yourself to promote. If you can't approve of the product or brand, you should not go for it for your sub-affiliates either because it will likely fail.

Commission Rates

When selecting an affiliate program, the commission rate is an essential aspect to consider. A higher commission rate does not always guarantee more earnings, as the average order value also plays a significant role in revenue share and commission earnings. For instance, a 90% commission rate on a program with a $10 average order value will not generate much income. In contrast, a 10% commission rate on a program with a $1,000 average order value can still yield $100. Therefore, it's crucial to evaluate both factors when choosing an affiliate program. Keep in mind that higher average order values could provide better earnings, even with a lower commission rate.

Cookie Duration

A cookie's duration is a critical factor in affiliate marketing as it tracks a visitor's activity on a website. The longer the cookie duration, the greater the chance of earning a commission. Typically, most affiliate programs have a 30-day cookie duration, but it can be longer, shorter, or even lifetime. It's important to note that cookies can be first-party or third-party. First-party cookies are set by the website a visitor is currently on, while third-party cookies are set by a different domain. Due to web browsers like Safari blocking third-party cookies, some affiliate programs are adopting new tracking methods like fingerprinting. Staying updated with cookie policies and industry changes is crucial for successful affiliate marketing efforts.

Payment Frequency

It can be frustrating to wait long periods to receive commission payments, especially if you rely on affiliate marketing as your primary source of income. While most affiliate programs pay commissions on a monthly basis, some programs may have longer payment terms, such as every two or three months, or even every six months. It's important to carefully review the terms and conditions of a program before joining, especially if you need a steady stream of income. Some programs may delay paying commissions until the warranty period has expired to avoid product returns. To avoid disappointment, choose a program whose payment frequency aligns with your financial goals and needs.

Minimum Payout

Most affiliate programs have a minimum payout threshold, usually around $50. If you don't want to wait to reach this threshold, you can look for programs that do not have a minimum payout requirement. However, some programs may have a maximum payout limit, so it's important to read the terms and conditions carefully before signing up. Additionally, it's important to consider the payment methods offered by the program, as some may charge fees or have longer processing times than others. For instance, PayPal is a common payment method, but some programs may require a bank transfer or check. Therefore, it's important to choose a program that offers a convenient and reliable payment method that aligns with your financial needs.

Affiliate Trackers

Affiliate trackers are online tools provided by affiliate programs to monitor and gauge the performance of your visitors on their platforms. These trackers automatically generate data and statistics about clicks, signups, commissions, sales, bonuses, and more. This data helps you gain insights into your marketing campaigns and optimize them for better results. Affiliate trackers are vital for affiliates to understand their audience's behavior and make informed decisions to increase their earnings. By analyzing the data collected by affiliate trackers, affiliates can refine their marketing strategies and campaigns, leading to better conversion rates and higher commissions. Some affiliate trackers also offer A/B testing, which you can use to test different marketing strategies and determine the most effective one.

Marketing Assets and Resources

Affiliate programs provide various resources to help their affiliates promote their products, including logos, banners, pre-written content, visuals, and landing pages. Opting for a program that provides a variety of imagery and content can make an affiliate's job easier, especially for programs that have visual products. Some programs even offer product samples to their affiliates to test and review. This can provide valuable content to the audience and increase the chances of earning more money. It's important to note that some programs require disclosure if a product sample was received in exchange for a review or video. As an affiliate, it's essential to promote products that align with your values and interests to maintain credibility with your audience.

Affiliate Support

New affiliate marketers can benefit from programs that offer accessible and active support. A dedicated affiliate manager can provide regular emails with tips to increase income, and some programs even offer newsletters with seasonal events and promotions. Researching affiliate forums and asking for feedback from other affiliates can help ensure the program has good support. A supportive affiliate program can make a significant difference in the success of an affiliate marketer. It's worth noting that some affiliate programs offer additional resources, such as webinars, online courses, or one-on-one coaching to help beginners navigate the affiliate marketing landscape and succeed.

Performance-based Bonuses

Affiliate programs incentivize high-performing affiliates with bonuses or higher commissions when they refer a significant number of sales. These bonuses are often tied to specific sales milestones. It's important to look for affiliate programs that offer performance-based bonuses to maximize your earnings potential. Some programs also offer custom discount codes that affiliates can offer to their audience, adding further value to their promotions. Additionally, it's recommended to join affiliate programs that provide marketing assets and resources, including product samples, to help you better promote their products. Utilizing these resources and incentives can help you build a successful affiliate marketing business.

Promos and Discounts

Affiliates can encourage their audience to purchase products by providing them with custom discount codes. These codes can be obtained from affiliate programs and are unique to each affiliate. They offer a discount on the purchase price of a product or service, which can attract and retain customers. Some programs even help affiliates create their own discount codes, while others offer seasonal discounts to all their affiliates. However, not all programs provide discount codes, so it's important to choose programs that prioritize this feature. By offering discounts, affiliates can increase their chances of earning commissions and building a loyal customer base.

How to Promote Two-Tier Affiliate Offers

There are various ways to promote two-tier affiliate programs. The first and most important way is through your very own affiliate website.

If you have an affiliate website where you post about the products you’re promoting, you might as well publish a couple of articles on your blog about the affiliate programs in your niche. This way, when other affiliates are looking for a good program in that same niche, they might come across your article and check out the programs you are introducing. These programs might also happen to be programs you are an affiliate with.

Whenever another affiliate gets impressed by the program you are promoting and clicks on the link to get redirected to the affiliate program to sign up, you will be sourced, and from then on, the program will give you some commission every time that affiliate earns a commission.

If you have any other channels through which you can promote these programs, you should do so. For example, social media, forums, etc. Even though the best way to promote these offers might just be the website traffic anyway.

As you can see in this example, the poster of this article is already a website in the niche of pets and dogs. So, their posting about these affiliate programs is only to attract sub-affiliates.

Benefits of Two-Tier Affiliate Programs

There are various benefits to working with two-tier affiliate programs. Let’s list them here.

• The first and most important benefit of working with a two-tier affiliate program is that you don't have to work towards making a sale yourself. You can just sit back and enjoy watching the sub-affiliates make a commission for you.
• You don’t have to be a working affiliate yourself. You can simply exist and get the passive income coming from other affiliates without spending any money promoting, advertising, etc. Therefore, no marketing budget is necessary from your side. Almost all the efforts are done on the sub-affiliate side.
• If you plan to promote the program as well, the Commission coming from the sub-affiliates is going to be an indispensable amount of help towards making even more money as an affiliate marketer.
• If you believe that the program you're working for is a good one, and it has the potential to sell products, you can almost be sure that your sub-affiliates are going to be able to make a Commission as well.

There are many more benefits to working with a two-tier affiliate program, but that just depends on which program exactly you're affiliated with, what the products are, how they choose to pay their affiliates and sub-affiliates, etc.

Risks Associated with Two-Tier Affiliate Programs

Besides all the benefits associated with promoting two-tier affiliate programs, there are various risks that you need to be aware of as well. So let's have a little chat about what you should keep in mind before you jump into a two-tier affiliate program and forget about your commissions.

First and foremost, you need to keep in mind that not in all cases you can find some sub-affiliates that will make any money at all. Keep in mind that in many cases your sub-affiliates won't ever make any Commission. This means that if you get too excited about referring sub-affiliates and think that you don't have to work anymore, you might take a huge hit. This is because if you are not an active affiliate yourself, depending on the sub-affiliates to make you money can be destructive because in many cases they might not make any money for themselves or you.

Therefore, to make sure your money is safe, you need to continue promoting the program. You need to keep promoting as many people, affiliates, and sales as possible. So you should never quit promoting the program yourself.

Many people start gathering sub-affiliates and think that they are going to be rich soon through the efforts of other people. Even though this is a very lucrative offer and affiliate programs make it seem like it is going to work, keep in mind that about 99% of the time your sub-affiliates are never going to make a commission. This is not because they are bad at it or the program is bad at selling their products, but it just refers to the general statistics of affiliate marketing in general. Many affiliates end up leaving programs and getting disappointed in promotions because they don't earn any money in the first months. Therefore, they are very likely to give up on the whole thing. So, very few of your sub-affiliates are going to make a Commission, and even in that case, the Commission you will earn as a second-tier affiliate is not going to be substantial at all.

So while these offers are very great and you can calculate that if you refer about 10 affiliates for the program and each of them makes you $5, you will be making $50. But this number, 10, can be very destructive because on many occasions it is not a realistic overview of how two-tier programs work.

Two-tier programs are not supposed to be your main source of income but just a side hustle and help to your main affiliate activities. Therefore, make sure you don't count on it as your day job, and only consider these programs as a helper to your usual programs.

Another problem is that many affiliates are not familiar with affiliate marketing that well, and the fact that you are referring to lots of different affiliates, in itself, means that you are more familiar with marketing in general than your sub-affiliates are. Therefore, you should also try to teach them a bit about the secrets of becoming successful in the niche.

Also keep in mind that two-tier programs are available across various niches, so while looking at our list of two-tier programs, you should find your niche, and it is not OK for you to simply jump into trying to promote various two-tier offers because that might not make you any money. So you need to find the two-tier programs in your niche And promote them alongside the normal programs that you've been working with for a long time.

Tips for Profiting from Two-Tier Affiliate Programs

There are various tips that you need to know to become a successful marketer with two-tier offers.

Find a Good Product or Brand

First and foremost, if you're looking for some two-tier programs to promote in your own niche, make sure you find some programs with a good product that has a high promotional value. This means that the product should be converting enough and you should give it a try and make sure that the products will sell. You should also try the product out, read some reviews, and generally make sure that it is a suitable product for the audience.

If the product is not good enough, and if you cannot sell any, it's very likely that your affiliates won't either, so spending more time trying to find sub-affiliates will not help you at all. Therefore, before trying to jump into this two-tier program, make sure the products are valuable and will sell.

Focus on Your Promotions

Instead of focusing completely on the sub-affiliates performance and trying to make them successful, you should try to focus on your performance and the money that you can earn through your promotions. If you cannot promote affiliate products for yourself, there's a very good chance that your affiliates won't be able to either. Your sub-affiliates are going to learn from you how to promote, so if you don't know how to do that and if you don't trust that the product you're promoting cannot be sold, it is an utter waste of time for everybody you're promoting the program to. So while two-tier programs are great, make sure you use them first for your promotions and if you like them a lot, do not give up on promoting their products for your own, because at the end of the day, the Commission you will earn from the first tier model is going to be higher than the second tier at all times. So, for example, the first year might be a 10% Commission and the second year might be only 1%. Just comparing and doing some quick math can show you that the money you can earn from these second-tier commissions is nothing compared to the first-tier.

Keep Track of Your Sub-Affiliates

You should always keep track of how your sub-affiliates are doing. Never let them go and never trust that they are doing well. You should monitor their performance, and if possible include some tips and tricks for promoting that program on your blog so affiliates can come back and learn more exactly from where they found the program, which is your blog or website, remember that if you provide a great source for knowledge about how to promote these programs, you can be pretty successful in gathering as many affiliates as possible.

You should also do so in order to make sure that the amount of Commission coming to you from your affiliates is worth it and if you're putting a lot of work into getting more and more sub-affiliates, be mindful of whether it is profitable for you at the end of the day or not.

Conclusion

Two-tier affiliate programs are a great source of income if you are already an established affiliate with a website or social media platform, with some sort of traffic from affiliates and customers. If you have such a website, and if you are established in a niche, it is the best chance for you to earn even more money by duplicating your income with having sub-affiliates. It might not be the best offer for affiliates who are just starting because it requires lots of traffic and trust in your content as an influencer or affiliate. Therefore, make sure you only get started with these programs if you have some experience in affiliate marketing or if you have an influence or reputation in the niche you are active in. Furthermore, you can look in our directory of affiliate programs and affiliate networks to find the best offers for your customers in whatever niche you are active in. Have fun earning.