10 Sites That Will Pay You For Referrals

If you’re a brand-new blogger and you don’t have a lot of traffic, it can be hard to get accepted into many affiliate programs. But don’t despair! There are a number of sites that don’t require you to even be a blogger in order to promote them — and they will pay you for sharing your referral link! Most of these sites pay via credit to their site that you can use to buy products on their site.

This can be a fun way to buy some items you need to buy or want to buy, even if you’re not making a lot of money off of your blog yet. You can share your referral links on your social media, on your blog, or even in your email newsletters!

Here’s a big tip to make this work well: Tell people details on how it worked for you. Don’t just say, “Hey, sign up through my link!” You might get a few people interested if you do that, but you’re probably not going to earn much credit.

Instead, share your own personal experience and people will pay attention. For instance, share your own pictures and say, “Hey, look what I got for only $12 from Zulily! You can get great deals from Zulily when you sign up here…”

OR, “I can’t believe we only paid $22 for all 5 of us to go to an escape room thanks to Groupon! If you haven’t signed up for Groupon yet, be sure to sign up and see what deals they offer for your local area…”

The more you can share your personal experience, pictures, and real thoughts, the more people will be intrigued and want to actually check it out!

Here are 10 companies I have personally used, promoted, and earned referral credit from that might be great for you to consider starting with (note: most of these links are my own affiliate or referral links — so you if you sign up through my link, I may make a percentage back in affiliate commissions, at no additional cost to you):

1. Groupon — Earn $10 in Groupon Bucks per person you refer who signs up through your link and makes a purchase. Groupon Bucks can be used toward any purchase on Groupon.
2. Zulily —  Earn $15 in Zulily credit for every person who signs up through your link and makes a purchase. Zulily credit can be used toward anything on the Zulily site and can be used toward shipping, too.
3. Swagbucks — Earn $3 in Swagbucks credit for every person who signs up. Plus, you’ll earn 10% of their earnings for LIFE! This is a fantastic referral program because not only is there ongoing credit potential from it, but it also doesn’t require people to spend any money out of pocket for you to earn credit. And the more you can encourage your friends to earn Swagbucks, the more you earn, too! It’s a win-win! You can cash in your SBs for gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, and more. Read more about how to earn more Swagbucks here.
4. ibotta — Earn $5 cash for every person who signs up through your link and then earns their $10 Welcome Bonus (which is really easy to do!). They also offer special incentives throughout the year. This is another great program to promote because you are helping your friends save money and you are earning money by doing so! Read more about how ibotta works here.
5. Ebates — Earn a $15 bonus for every person who signs up through your link and makes a minimum purchase that qualifies for a cashback. They send you a check for your earnings every quarter — if you meet their payout minimum. Read more about how Ebates works here.
6. My Reader Rewards — Earn 10 points for every person who signs up through your link. You can also earn points for taking surveys and taking a few other actions. You can then cash in these points for free books. The books they offer are always changing.
7. Shopkick –Earn 250 kicks for every person you refer — up to 25,000 kicks. Shopkick is an app that rewards you for going into stores or taking actions in stores (you don’t have to buy anything!). You can cash in your kicks for gift cards. Read more about how Shopkick works here.
8. InstaGC — Earn 10 points for every person who signs up through your link. In addition, you’ll earn 10% of all their earnings, except for bonuses. InstaGC is similar to Swagbucks in that you earn points for watching videos, filling out surveys, and taking other actions. You can cash in your points for gift cards.
9. Erin Condren — Create your referral link and share it on your blog and social media and every person who clicks on it will be offered a $10 off coupon to use on their first purchase. You’ll earn $10 for every person who make a purchase through your referral link within 30 days. You can use the referral credit on anything on the Erin Condren site, and it is good toward shipping, too.
10. Stitch Fix — Earn $25 in credit for every person who clicks on your referral link and signs up for a fix from Stitch Fix. They do not need to actually purchase any of the items sent to them in their fix; they just need to sign up to have a fix sent to them. You can use your credit toward any purchase from Stitch Fix.

Are there any other companies you know of that offer referral programs? Have you used them before? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience!

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