The estimated size of the U.S. baby product industry is 10.3 billion dollars as of 2016…
… and this is only one sub-niche of the family industry!
Hundreds of years of parental advice helped form the parenting industry; this has slowly evolved into what we’d call the “family” niche which follows the journey of these little ones as they age.
The “family” industry is quite broad but easily adaptable to nearly every type of site. You’ve got anywhere from family counseling to new-born insurance. There are apparel and dating to education and toys. Really, it’s an industry for life products and services.
You’re likely to do these promotions within the massive niche: Mommy Blogging.
The big markets to focus on are baby’s and early education because of the huge commitment it takes to be a parent. Parents are willing to forgo their own well-being to provide for their children – that’s commitment.
The cost of raising a child is nearly quarter million dollars! That’s a big opportunity.
Then you shift into family mode where the parents are finding things to do, home renovations, college prep, buying homes/cars/businesses, hosting get-togethers, birthday parties, games, and more.
Yet, it’s not just about mommy blogging – it’s malleable meaning you can fit promos in just about any niche if you add a personal edge to the content.
In this post, we’d like to share the best family affiliate programs and a few that will help add to the overall commissions you’re earning when doing affiliate marketing in this industry. Let’s go!
The Best Family Affiliate Programs
This industry is ripe with opportunity because it’s not only people buying for themselves but for their immediate and extended family. Big moments like a new child or home buying calls for a celebration which also translates to gifts.
Just look around at all the stuff that’s been building up in your home and immediately you can get an idea of where this industry can take you.
Here are some programs to consider:
Care.com
Care.com is one of the largest providers of care services for parents. The platform connects parents with babysitters, nannies, dog walkers, housekeepers, and senior caregivers. They offer low-cost memberships and an affiliate program that pays for new subscribers.
We think this is a perfect combination when covering family-related topics such as home upkeep, child development, and senior assistance.
Care.com affiliate program details:
- $30-$40 per premium subscriber sign-up
- 45-day cookie
- Industry leader
- Banner creatives & ad copy
- Coupons & promotions
Sign up: Care.com program via ShareASale
Overall, Care.com is an easy tie-in to your family-related affiliate marketing site. You could use Care.com’s categories to create entire sections of the site focused on tips & tricks and personal stories about these services lending to credibility and authority – leveraging it to draw interest and a sale.
Cruise Direct
Take the family on a fun vacation through Cruise Direct.
We selected this program because it gives your family-focused audience a big goal – travel. This focus can lend to topics covered on the site such as savings and wellness. It’s a big reward for having to sacrifice on the daily things that come with raising a family.
Package options have destinations all over the world!
Cruise Direct affiliate program details:
- 3% commission
- 45-day cookie
- Data feed (coming soon)
- Affiliate management team
- Banner ads, text ads, and search boxes
- Weekly newsletters with tips & tricks
- Bonus commissions
- Personalize landing pages & banners (coming soon)
Sign up: CruiseDirect.com Affiliates
Overall, it’s a good program to give a try because cruise packages are big-ticket items. Even though the commission is a paltry 3%… do remember it’s a whole family going and this costs thousands so it quickly adds up! Plus, it’s something new & exciting to add into the family niche!
Ebates
Ebates is a website that gives cash-back for everyday shopping.
Why are we including this? Because it’s a catch-all – a site that has rebates for over 2,000 online stores.
You could technically pay attention to what people are purchasing and integrate those affiliate programs since that’s how Ebates makes money. Or, you could do it all in one swoop by pointing to Ebates. It’s a no-brainer type of promotion because signup is easy for the reader and they get instant savings on what they were about to buy anyway.
Ebates affiliate program details:
- $5 each first-time buyer
- 90-day period (after sign-up)
- Payout via Paypal after 60 days
- Bonus incentive creatives
Sign up: Ebates Bloggers
Overall, you’re giving up your chance to make direct affiliate sales with the companies’ people are finding through Ebates in exchange for a low-resistance program. This would be a great fit for those that are still building their site and haven’t quite niched down. It’ll help earn money until there’s enough feedback to really take a focus on products & services to promote.
Family Affiliate Program Runner-Ups
There’s a lot of micro niches out there within this industry that you could pair with the overarching themes you’re going for on your affiliate site – programs like:
Protect America Home Security
We all want to protect our families; Protect America, while they may not be as big as ADT, offers great home security and monitoring options. It’s a DIY solution that cuts costs which should be attractive for those interested on the site.
~$300/sale – Dealer Sign Up
Family Tree Magazine
Family Tree Magazine covers a broad range of topics about genealogy. They have premium products and services that help families put together family trees including guides, courses, and family history.
$12 commission – creative/copy provided – management – see the program
Save My Marriage
An educational course for those families going through trouble timed. The products are a little obtuse but it’s a reality some of your readers will have to deal with. The info product package comes with a ton of great information your select readers will appreciate.
75% commissions – 50% recurring (on incentive offer) – Low refund rate – Check it out
Learning Resources
Learning Resources offers a ton of learning resources for you and your family. They have interactive, fun programs for all ages to help them engage topics and prepare for harder subjects in school. They also offer packages for teachers and cover special needs education.
6% commission — $87.56 average sale – 0.89% conversion rate – LR affiliate page
The Honest Company
One of the leading retailers in family-friendly, safe & effective baby and home products. Here you’ll find an excellent mix of promotional items from diapering to vitamins. They’re hot and trendy! It’s a great match for an affiliate running multiple niche sites within the industry.
$2 cpa or $20 invites – strong brand – bundles – promotional copy/creative – see the program
Our Family Wizard
OFW is a tool to help separated parents plan custody of their children; it’s a service that helps families avoid conflict by keeping the children out of the middle.
25% commission – low return rates (2%) – Analytics & reporting – Become an affiliate
General Family Affiliate Programs
Walmart, Amazon, and Target are your big players to go generic with family affiliate programs. These big retailers don’t pay out the best but they’re usually the go-to place for family items. Baby registries, graduation gifts, home furniture, and the like – it’s all there – may as well roll with what works.
The commissions are so-so:
- Walmart: 4%
- Amazon: $3 Amazon Family else ~1-10%
- Target: 8% (on popular categories)
Apparel and fashion will be the bigger money-makers though the big-ticket items like furniture can be a real pusher. Home improvement, lawn & garden, and tools would work, too.
A good push would be the subscription services like baby diapers or phone plans.
The site EverydayFamily is a good example of what all ‘family’ could include + they have an affiliate program which could cover just about every type of topic and product you’re likely to cover.
Raising Families (and Affiliate Incomes)
They grow up so fast! (Just like your earnings).
The family niche is darn cool because we all have family and many of us have kids; take what you know about being a parent and begin including it in your campaigns!
Go ahead, try one of these with your affiliate business as your readers(hip) grow.
