There's no denying Nike's impact on the running shoe and apparel industries. The brand is revered worldwide, the Nike "swoosh" is ubiquitous in sports, and their "Just Do It" tagline is one of the best ever penned. Promoting Nike products through the Nike Affiliate Program makes perfect sense for an affiliate marketer, although there will be intense competition because of its immense popularity. In the detailed review of the Nike Affiliate Program below, you'll learn everything you need to know, including its pros and cons and how to get started as a Nike affiliate.
As with most affiliate marketing programs, the first thing you need to join the Nike program is a live website with a payment method in place. A live website is key and, even better, one that has already been established and has a web presence. If your website is brand new, becoming a Nike affiliate will be more difficult (but not impossible).
It's also possible to become a Nike affiliate with a YouTube channel instead of a website (although having both would be an excellent choice). Many affiliate marketers believe that YouTube offers more benefits because video can be so persuasive. However, with Nike, a website with written and photo content might still be more productive and profitable. The reason is that, on YouTube, the competition between Nike affiliates is fierce. Also, producing video content takes significantly more time and energy than written content, as well as the necessary video creation skills and equipment needed to make quality videos.
Below is a quick list of the basics you'll need to be accepted by the Nike Affiliate Program:
• Apply and agree to Nike's terms and conditions.
• A live website (An established web presence is preferred.)
• A YouTube Channel that's been approved and is live on YouTube.
• Online Content. Content is what attracts visitors to your website. Content includes written (blog articles, reviews, pro & con lists, FAQs, etc.) and video content, both of which are critical to your success.
• An email address and your contact information.
• A payment portal on your website or YouTube channel.
Getting approved for the Nike Affiliate program is no different from most other programs. Nike wants quality websites and YouTube channels that will represent its products well, just like any other quality brand. However, one major difference between Nike and many other brands is that they don't run their affiliate program. That forces you to use a 3rd-party affiliate program which will be dependent on where you're located. The 3rd-party affiliate you choose will take a close look at your application, answers, website, YouTube channel, and content before approving your application.
Tip: Use a professional email address from your website or channel. If you use a Yahoo, G-Mail, or other non-specific email address, it's a warning sign to Nike that you don't have a website or online presence established.
Tip: Have high-quality, well-written content on your website and well-produced videos on your channel. High-quality content is essential, no matter the format. Without it, Google will never rank you high enough to get the traffic you need.
Tip: Your website should be well-designed, easy to navigate, and have an easy-to-use payment portal.
Provide a phone number where Nike's 3rd-party affiliate can easily and quickly reach you. If Nike calls and you don't answer, that's a sign that you're not serious about being a Nike affiliate.
Tip: Have a plan in place to bring in targeted traffic, one you can show to Nike if they ask. If you're an established affiliate marketer with confirmed websites or YouTube channels, be prepared to show them to Nike.
Tip: The easiest way to find a 3rd-party affiliate platform that works with Nike is to check with Nike themselves. To do so, visit the Nike affiliate page, click "apply," and the page will redirect to the 3rd-party affiliate merchant based on your specific location.
Tip: Before choosing a 3rd-party platform, check their cookie lengths and commission rates to be sure they are fair and reasonable. (They differ from one platform to the next.)
Nike is in the apparel industry and creates footwear for all activities and a range of other products. They also design products for the well-known Converse brand as well as Jordan Brand. However, you are limited to Nike's fashion category as an affiliate marketer.
Nike Categories available for Affiliate Marketers - Fashion
Fashion excludes sporting goods like baseball bats, balls, certain eyewear, protective equipment, and several either Nike categories. However, that still leaves open thousands of different Nike products, many of which pay up to 11% commissions per sale
Here are some notable exceptions where you would make zero commissions:
• Any transactions through Nike's "sneakers" section.
• Unauthorized codes or vouchers.
• Jordan products.
• Wetsuits, gift cards, and Apple watches.
If you apply through the Nike affiliate landing page (which is recommended), you will join through the AWIN affiliate program. The benefits of doing so include:
• A 30-Day Referral period rather than 7 days
• Higher commissions up to 11% on selected products
Nike appears to have a floating commission structure that changes depending on the product. Up to 11% commissions are one of the best in the affiliate industry, however, and much better than, for example, Amazon, which pays only 7% maximum commissions. Target, which has an excellent affiliate program, pays a max of 8% to affiliate marketers depending on the product sold.
The easy answer if you want to earn $1000 per month as a Nike affiliate is to send hundreds of customers to their website via your website or YouTube channel. Numbers-wise that looks like this:
• Product ($50.00) x 11% Commission = $5.50 profit.
• 182 Sales x $5.50 per sale = $1001.00
In order to generate 182 customers to purchase in a month, you would need 18,200 visitors to your website or YouTube channel per month and a 1% conversion rate.
• 18,200 visitors x 1% conversion rate = 182 sales x $5.50 commission per sale = $1001.00
If you had a 2% conversion rate, you could make the same $1001.00 commission but with only 9100 visitors to your website.
• 9100 visitors x 2% conversion rate = 182 sales x $5.50 commission per sale = $1001.00
Of course, all of these numbers can change depending on the product sold, its cost, the commission rate, the number of visitors your website sees, and your conversion rate. The higher the cost of the product, the fewer sales you'll need to reach $1000 per month. However, as the cost of a product increases, the conversion rate drops, meaning you'll need more visitors to your website or YouTube channel.
• Offer high-quality written content to attract visitors, whether blog articles, reviews, comparisons, etc. One of the best pieces of content for attracting consumers who want Nike products are in-depth, written reviews of their products. This necessity is especially true since Nike's products are expensive and not a spur-of-the-moment purchase for most.
• Deliver new, interesting and entertaining content regularly. Consumers these days eat up content like a child eats Halloween candy; by the mouthful and always looking for more. If you don't give visitors a reason to come back often, they won't come back often.
• Don't overcomplicate your website. Give visitors the information they want and make it easy for them to see it, read it, enjoy it, and then, just as easily, click a link to buy it when they're ready.
Nike has several excellent benefits for affiliate marketers and only a few drawbacks.
• A wide range of excellent, top-quality products. Nike has thousands of products you can promote.
• Nike is a world-renown brand.
• Nike's AWIN 3rd-party platform offers a 30-day Cookie tracker. If a consumer uses your affiliate code and makes a purchase within 30 days, you get your commission.
• You don't need to offer customer service. Nike handles everything after you refer a potential customer from your website to theirs.
• Nike offers a plethora of marketing materials you can use.
• Nike updates their product feed regularly.
• Nike runs several competitions through their 3rd-party providers and offers valuable prizes for the winners.
• Sneakers, Nike's biggest product, don't have commissions.
• You need pre-approval to start.
• Very high competition for keywords.
There are many sneakers and running apparel brands on the market today, but few have the same excellent benefits that Nike offers their affiliates. Some of Nike's biggest competitors include:
• New Balance
• Adidas
• Sketchers
• ASICS
• Steve Madden
Nike has one of the strongest affiliate programs of all the top running shoe brands, with high commissions, a 30-day cookie tracker, free and top-notch marketing materials, and a huge selection of products to promote. The only drawback is that, as a worldwide, world-famous brand, competition among affiliate marketers is ridiculously high for Nike products. That being said, with the right plan, the right product, and excellent written content to attract visitors, promoting Nike's products as an affiliate marketer could be a profitable endeavor indeed.