Member Avatar for Yodaya

Hello,

I am currently launching a design crowdsourcing site. I would like to promote this site with an affiliate network.
I had a look at the major players like cj but they all want an incredible high set up fee. Clixgalore is quite cheap but has an awfull reputation around webmasters.

Do you know any affiliate network which is not so expensive and you can recommend?

Thanks for your help!

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 121 Views
  • 1 Month Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by IdeaAlex

Dani AI

Generated

A pragmatic approach for ’s design crowdsourcing site: decide whether to pay a network to handle affiliate recruitment, tracking and payouts, or run a lightweight in‑house referral/affiliate program that keeps costs down but requires manual QA and payment handling. Both routes work; the right choice depends on budget, time for admin, and how quickly affiliates in the design niche can be recruited.

Ask every network these exact questions before signing anything:

  • Full fee schedule: setup, monthly, per-transaction and any refundable deposit.
  • Payment cadence, minimums, reserve/holdback and chargeback/reversal policy.
  • Tracking details: cookie window, attribution model and access to raw click/lead logs or API.
  • Reporting and verification: real-time CSV/API, test conversions and pixel verification.
  • Fraud controls and how disputed conversions are handled.
  • Publisher base: do they have active sites in the creative/design vertical and can they provide merchant references?
  • Trial terms and exit clauses for a limited pilot.

Lower‑cost tactics and a simple pilot plan: run a capped 30‑day pilot with a few targeted affiliates (design blogs, portfolio sites, freelance communities) using dedicated landing pages and tracking links; monitor conversion quality and rejection rates closely; scale only if ROI is clean. If avoiding network fees, implement a referral system (unique codes or links) and pay on verified converted customers.

Compliance and negotiation tips: insist on written answers for the checklist above, request merchant references, negotiate setup fees or a short trial, and require clear refund terms for deposits. Ensure affiliates follow disclosure rules (see FTC guidance on endorsements). ’s and ’s points about checking different network models and asking about deposits are on target — combine that due diligence with a small pilot to avoid overpaying up front.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for bobchrist

Try out checking with ShareASale and AffiliateFutur network.

Member Avatar for IdeaAlex

Let me recommend some competitors to you :-)

You can not only find cheaper networks than CJ or PPJ, but also free ones (no setup fees). Some might require large deposits thou (like Affiliatebooth; we partner with many large networks - it's common for networks to do crosspublication and market each others campaigns). We wave setup fees for many of our clients too, depending on the campaigns.

Design crowdsourcing... Hm, so you might also want to look for a network that also can monetize you as a publisher... double benefit.

Good luck, Yoda-ya :-)

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.