CJ Affiliate Review & Beginner’s Guide

Many factors contribute to success in affiliate marketing, from your skills and niche to the affiliate network. 

If you’re here, you’re probably looking for a good affiliate network to work with, and CJ Affiliate was recommended. 

This article presents an in-depth CJ affiliate review. It covers everything from the signup requirements to the available programs and payment methods. Read on to find out if this is the network for you!

What is CJ Affiliate?

CJ Affiliate is a popular affiliate marketing network. It is one of the oldest and largest networks online.

It started in 1998 as “Commission Junction.” This was the network’s name until 2003 when ValueClick acquired it.

Shortly after this, ValueClick changed its name to Conversant, and for a while, people called the network Commission Junction by Conversant.

Nowadays, it goes by a shorter name, “CJ.”

This network brings together advertisers (businesses seeking sales or leads) and affiliates (people who promote products for commissions). It’s consistently ranked among the best affiliate networks in the world. And for good reason.

The network is awesome, as you will get to learn throughout this Commission Junction review.

If you’re doing any affiliate marketing, I strongly recommend that you give CJ a try. They provide incredible support and work with some of the world’s biggest brands that prioritize strict quality standards.

What Sets CJ Affiliate Apart From Other Affiliate Networks?

There are many factors that make CJ Affiliate stand out from other affiliate networks. From the network’s features to its offerings, you get more than average. 

Below are some key areas where CJ affiliate programs stand out and why: 

1. Amazing Insights and Analytics

CJ’s advanced insight and analytics are one of its strongest features. Unlike many smaller affiliate networks, its reporting system provides a ton of data about your commissions. You also learn how you have generated them.

Plus, the network’s dashboard auto-refresh feature is amazing. Gone are the days when you had to manually refresh the page to see if you had any new sales or commissions.

Another amazing feature is CJ’s real-time commission tracking. You don’t have to hit your F5 (or reload) button anymore. Instead, just leave your CJ Affiliate dashboard open, and it updates automatically.

Cookieless tracking technologies are another major feature to reduce lost commissions. Many affiliate networks struggle to maintain tracking accuracy as browsers continue to limit third-party cookies.

Some other standout analytics features include:

• Device-level reporting
• Placement tracking
• Advertiser performance breakdowns

All of these features mean that, instead of simply seeing that you made a sale, you may also see:

• Which device did the customer use
• Whether they switched devices before purchasing
• Which link placement converted best
• The time between click and purchase

That kind of information helps experienced affiliates improve campaigns much faster.

2. Incredible Affiliate Programs and Premium Advertisers

CJ Affiliate has an outstanding quality of advertisers. The network works with thousands of merchants. This includes some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Microsoft, Nike, Samsung, Verizon, Barnes & Noble, and Walgreens.

You get the point, right?

Their affiliate programs inventory is huge and packed with big names. Giving them a try means:

• Long-term affiliate opportunities
• Better landing pages
• Higher conversion rates
• Reliable payouts
• Better brand trust with audiences

Expert affiliates often prefer CJ because:

• Payments and tracking are reliable
• Large brands feel safer to promote
• Some programs offer exclusive bonuses
• Enterprise-level reporting improves scaling

These factors matter for affiliates running serious SEO sites or media businesses.

3. Higher Commissions

Did you know? CJ Affiliate has strong commission structures. Physical product commissions may range from 2% to 10%. Additionally, its digital services can pay:

• $50 per lead
• $100+ per sale
• Recurring monthly commissions
• Performance bonuses

I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s a serious revenue stream. You won’t see any run-of-the-mill CPA network paying out that much. Maybe not even in a lifetime, let alone in a single year.

It all depends on the niche you choose to promote and the quality of your traffic. Your audience intent and conversion optimization also play a vital role.

For example, a finance blog could earn more per conversion than a fashion blog. This happens because finance advertisers usually have higher customer values.

4. CJ Affiliate Has Stellar Support

I always judge and review an affiliate network based on its support performance. It is a huge deal in digital marketing. Some networks take days to respond, or never respond at all.

A great network always offers excellent support, and I’m happy to report that Commission Junction Affiliate does, too.

Whenever I had any issues, their help team was always on point, fast to reply, and helpful. For instance, when I didn’t update my payment method, the payment bounced back.

Or when I didn’t quite understand a program’s special rules and needed some extra clarification. I always get a reply within 24 hours. Simply amazing.

There is a help center documentation where you can find answers to common questions. You can contact the Commission Junction Affiliate directly via live chat or email. No phone, though.

These channels can help you with common issues like:

• Payment problems
• Tracking concerns
• Advertiser application issues
• Verifying tax or payment
• Clarifying program compliance

Besides CJ’s support, many advertisers on the network have dedicated managers who can:

• Increase commissions
• Provide coupon codes
• Share custom creatives
• Offer advice for improvement
• Approve exclusive deals

5. Help You Kickstart Your Affiliate Journey

CJ’s Content Certification is one of its interesting publisher features. The content certification program allows you to focus more on writing good content. This way, you can focus less on affiliate marketing and applying to advertisers.

You may qualify to join if your site has strong original content and receives about 10,000+ monthly page views.

The benefit?

You don’t need to apply manually to hundreds of advertisers one by one. Instead, CJ will automatically provide quick access to many brands. This saves you from the trouble of getting approved by advertisers.

Another requirement is that your traffic must be mainly from the U.S., UK, and Canada. This feature is especially useful for:

• Bloggers
• Media publishers
• SEO-focused affiliates
• Review websites

Sign Up Requirements for CJ Affiliate

As part of the CJ Affiliate review, it is my job to tell you the requirements to join this network as a publisher.

Not like there are many, anyway. But you usually need a website, blog, app, or social media presence.

You will also need original content and functional pages, such as About, Contact, and Privacy Policy. 

Yeah, that’s about it. But keep in mind that this applies only to the CJ Affiliate network. It is up to you to apply to every advertiser that you wish to work with individually.

Some of these advertisers will have their own set of rules and requirements. You will have to keep in mind that before applying to promote their services and products as an affiliate.

Advertisers may check:

• Quality of site traffic
• Relevance to their niche
• Location of your audience (you need basic audience information for this)
• Content quality
• Engagement levels

Oh, and CJ Affiliate may deactivate your account if you don’t make any sales for 6 months. So it’s best if you have a site that receives some traffic and generates sales from time to time.

Want to optimize your revenue? Explore these free traffic sources for affiliate marketing.

CJ Affiliate Sign Up Process

The CJ Affiliate signup process is pretty straightforward. 

You can increase your chances of approval by preparing your social pages or content platform first.

Let me break down the steps for an easy CJ Affiliate signup.

First, go to the Official CJ Affiliate website signup page. Choose Publisher/Creator, not an advertiser. But you already knew that. Right?

Alt text: A screenshot of CJ Affiliate’s signup page

Next, fill out your name, email address, password, and business type (individual or company). Don’t forget to select your country of residence for tax purposes.

Proceed to verify your email address once you receive the email to do so. This action will redirect you to CJ’s publisher agreement page. Read and accept the agreement.

After this, complete everything on the onboarding checklist.

Alt text: A screenshot of CJ Affiliate’s Publisher Agreement page

After that, it’s time to set up your network profile. Here, you can add details about your website or blogs that you plan to use to promote offers. You can also include email addresses, mobile apps, or social media accounts.

Do this on the onboarding checklist page. Make sure your description remains professional. Include all the important points about your blog/website and promotional methods.

Alt text: A screenshot of CJ Affiliate’s Onboarding Checklist page

This will be the first thing an advertiser sees when you apply to promote their products.

Remember, you will have to apply to advertisers manually on CJ. You need to join the Content Certification program to promote any product/service freely.

This description of you and your main promotional method/property matters a lot. Think of it as a CV.

After this, it’s time to add your Promotional Properties. Click on the green button “Add Property.” It will take you to a page where you can add your websites and social media accounts.

You will see something like this:

Alt text: A screenshot of CJ Affiliate’s “Add promotional properties” page

If you plan to promote affiliate programs on your website, choose a website. If you’re an influencer or manage big social media accounts with huge follower numbers, then choose social. If you have built an email list for affiliate marketing, then choose email, and so on.

You will see different questions and have to fill in different fields depending on the channel you choose.

Most of you would probably choose the website one. This means you will need to add your URL and additional details, such as the site name and promotional model.

Speaking of tax, you should add your tax details to your CJ Affiliate account before submitting the form. You won’t be able to receive payment unless you do this step.

The final step is waiting for CJ to approve your account. This may happen instantly. You need to have an active website with unique content to gain approval.

Now you can start applying to affiliate programs that you would like to promote.

While you’re waiting for a reply to your request, you should sort out your payment info.

Remember, the advertisers will have to approve or deny you manually so that it might take up to 48 hours (usually). This depends on the advertiser (also known as affiliate vendor), and it’s not up to CJ’s staff.

CJ Affiliate Payment Methods

What is a CJ Affiliate review without telling you how to receive payment?

There are only a few payment methods available, such as direct bank transfer, check, and Payoneer. Sadly, they don’t use PayPal, but Payoneer is still a great solution with low fees for international affiliates.

Direct bank transfer is fast and cheap for affiliates in the U.S. International users can easily withdraw funds to their local bank account via Payoneer.

Checks may work, too, but CJ has reduced support for them. Plus, it is slower and may include clearing fees.

CJ pays affiliates on a Net-20 term. This structure means that they will send out payments on or around the 20th of each month if you meet the minimum payout limit.

For direct deposit and Payoneer, the minimum balance to be eligible for payment is $50. It is around $100 for checks. 

You can set CJ Affiliate payment methods from the Account section on your dashboard. Select Administrative Settings and add your Payment Information.

What Affiliate Programs are Available on CJ Affiliate?

There are all sorts of affiliate programs in the CJ Affiliate network. Since there are thousands of merchants, you will be able to find products and services in pretty much any category.

You can promote physical products, digital services, subscriptions, bookings, software, and more from major global brands.

To find affiliate programs to join, click on the Partners link in the top menu. Then, select Find Advertisers. This option will send you to a page that looks like this:

Alt text: A screenshot of CJ Affiliate’s “Find Advertisers” page

On this page, you can check all the affiliate programs that interest you. Click on “Apply to Program” to apply to programs that are relevant to your website or audience.

The left-hand side of the screen includes options to filter advertisers. 

As you can see, you have a big list of categories to choose from.

Alt text: A screenshot of CJ Affiliate’s program category filter option

Some of the most popular programs on CJ Affiliate are:

• Retail and E-commerce: You can earn commissions for product sales. Popular online stores and consumer brands include J.Crew, Office Depot, Sainsbury’s, and more.
• Travel Affiliate Programs: You can earn from hotel bookings, vacation packages, flights, and car rentals. Travel brands on CJ include Priceline, CheapOair, Virgin Atlantic, and Emirates.
• Software and SaaS Programs: These programs allow you to earn high commissions. Many tech companies, including NordVPN, TurboTax, web hosting, and cybersecurity brands, run affiliate programs through CJ.
• Finance and Business Services: Most of these are CPA (Cost Per Action) offers. Examples include credit monitoring services, tax software, and insurance and fintech offers.
• Beauty, Health, and Lifestyle: This is perfect for you if you’re a blogger, influencer, or reviewer. CJ includes many lifestyle and personal care brands, such as FOREO and BabyBjörn.
• Home, Furniture, and Decor: These offers work for SEO blog posts and YouTube reviews. You can find affiliate programs for furniture, home improvement, or kitchen products.
• Coupon and Deal Programs: Many advertisers allow cashback platforms and loyalty apps. CJ specifically indicates incentive, coupon, and loyalty publisher models on its platform.
• Mobile Apps and Digital Products: Some advertisers pay for app installs, lead generation, free trial signups, and subscription upgrades.
• Content Creator and Influencer-Friendly Programs: CJ doesn’t just offer programs. It includes tracking and deep linking tools for content creators. It supports bloggers, YouTubers, email marketers, review sites, and more.

Don’t just apply to all of these programs. Apply only to those you feel you have a good chance of promoting.

You will receive an approval or denial email in a few hours or days after an affiliate manager from that advertiser checks your application.

If an advertiser denies you, don’t stress too much. Try a competitor’s program, or go for general offers you can promote on pretty much any site.

This way, you can build up some reputation and experience, and after a while, you can reapply.

What is Network Earnings in CJ?

Network earnings are a score that shows how well an affiliate program is doing across the CJ Affiliate network. This means it measures whether they earn a lot of money from sales generated by affiliates.

A high-network-earnings affiliate program indicates that the product or service is popular with publishers. It shows that it is getting a ton of conversions and generating strong commissions for affiliates.

CJ’s network earnings range from 0 to 5:

• 0–1: Very low earnings or poor performance.
• 2–3: Average performance.
• 4–5: Super popular high-performing programs that affiliates are earning well from.

How does CJ Affiliate Work?

So, how does CJ Affiliate work, given its outstanding benefits?

Well, Commission Junction works like any other affiliate network. Companies join to promote their products or services. They decide:

• How much commission to pay
• What actions qualify for payment
• Cookie duration
• Promotion rules

Getting Your Affiliate Link

Next, you (publisher) sign up and apply to an advertiser. Once approved, you gain access to tracking links, promo materials, banner ads, and product feeds.

You can copy and paste your unique affiliate links on your website or other promotional properties.

Here’s how that works:

Go to Advertisers on your dashboard and select My Active Advertisers. Click on Search to see a list of your active advertisers. Then, click on the get links button (step 3 in the image).

It will take you to a page containing all the affiliate links for that product or service. It should look like this:

Depending on the advertiser, you will find here a bunch of promotional material:

• Text links
• Banner ads
• Flash link
• Smart link

Most popular, though, are text and banner links. Choose the ones that are appropriate for your promotional method and content.

If you have a website, you can use banner ads and text links. If you only promote via social media or email, you can use content links and similar tools.

It’s up to you, really. But make sure you follow the program’s terms.

Next to the ad creatives, you will find a “Get Code” button (check the pic above).

Click on it, and then a field will expand under the promo ad with a few options for you to grab your unique affiliate link, like so:

Find the tactics that work for YOUR business

300+ growth strategies organized by category, difficulty, and impact. Test what fits your situation.

Explore the database →

Embed Your Affiliate Link

Again, it’s up to you which of these codes you want to use. You have 3 options:

• HTML Code
• JavaScript code
• Click URL (Simple link)

All you have to do is copy the code you think best suits your promo method and paste it where you feel it’s appropriate.

For example, if you want to promote a product from CJ Affiliate in your blog post, you can copy the click URL without dealing with HTML and JavaScript.

If you want to add affiliate products and offers to your app or use them in more dynamic ways on your site, use HTML or JavaScript.

Notice the SID field. You can use this to identify each of your affiliate links uniquely. For example, if you promote the same link multiple times in your blog.

You can use a unique SID to track your affiliate links better and know exactly which article, post, or email brought you the commission.

All you have to do is manually add something in that field. For example, FishArticle, then click on Update code, and get the new affiliate link with the “FishArticle” SID. Now you take that link and use it in your “Fish Article” to promote that product.

If you want to promote the same affiliate link in another post and want to track that accurately, you will do the same thing all over again. But use a different SID this time, for example: “FlowersArticle.”

Earn Your Commission

Remember that the advertiser defines the required action. It could be filling out a form, installing an app, or buying a product. You only earn commissions if your audience completes the action within the cookie period.

The cookie period is how long the network tracks your referral.

CJ’s dashboard shows information to help you know which campaigns are performing well. This includes:

• Clicks
• Sales
• Conversion rate
• Earnings
• Network earnings
• Pending commissions

CJ Affiliate will pay your commissions after approval by the advertiser.

Example of How CJ Affiliate Works

The article has just explained how CJ works, but let’s break it down to simple terms with an easy example. This is important to review CJ Affiliate for beginners. 

So imagine you run a tech blog.

1. You join a laptop affiliate program on the network.
2. You copy your unique affiliate link.
3. You write a review article about laptops and put your link in it.
4. A reader clicks your affiliate link. 
5. The reader purchases a $1,000 laptop through that link.
6. The advertiser offers a 5% commission.
7. You earn $50 after approval.

Is CJ Affiliate Legit?

Of course, CJ is a legit affiliate network. Several CJ Affiliate reviews online back this up.

The only reviews you will see with negative ratings are probably from bad publishers. They must have gotten caught doing some nasty stuff, like sending bot traffic or repeatedly breaking the program’s rules.

For me, CJ has been great, and I have never had any issues with them. Besides, this is a company with a proven track record dating back to 1998. Few, if any, affiliate networks are older or larger than CJ.

Its affiliate payments have always been on time. Plus, many affiliates like it because it offers reliable tracking and high-paying affiliate programs.

CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction): Conclusion

CJ Affiliate is one of the best affiliate networks that you can join. You should give them a try.

And no, I’m not affiliated with them or sponsored by them to write this post either. So I earn no money for praising them.

I mean, I am a publisher/affiliate on their network. But I promote and make money by talking about other products, such as Namecheap, Grammarly, or Fiverr, and not CJ Affiliate.

FAQs

1. Is CJ Affiliate free to join?

Yes, it is completely free to join CJ Affiliate as a publisher. You do not need to pay any signup or monthly fees to create an affiliate account on the platform.

2. Is CJ Affiliate legit or a scam?

CJ Affiliate is a legitimate affiliate marketing network. It works with thousands of popular brands around the world. It also has a long history of paying affiliates on time.

3. How much can beginners make with CJ Affiliate?

Some beginners may only make a few dollars initially. Over time, you can earn hundreds or even thousands per month. Your earnings depend on your niche, conversion rates, and the affiliate programs you promote.

4. Why do advertisers reject applications on CJ?

Advertisers may reject applications because your site has little or no traffic. They may also deny approval if your niche is not relevant and your content looks incomplete.

5. What are SIDs in CJ Affiliate?

SIDs (Sub IDs) are tracking identifiers you can add to affiliate links. They help you track which blog post generated sales and which email campaign converted. They also monitor which traffic source performed best.

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