When you search online for ways to earn money online through affiliate marketing, you will definitely come across some familiar names. One of these names is Udemy, an online learning platform. Today’s blog is all about becoming a Udemy affiliate.
What is Udemy?
Udemy is one of the largest online learning platforms. Udemy was founded in 2009 and is one of the internet’s leading online education platforms with free and paid content. According to research, as of January 2020, the platform has more than 50 million students. This number is expected to have grown even further with the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you are a professional adult or a student who wants to learn, then this platform is aimed at you. However, if you are none of those, there still might be something in it for you. According to the same research, there are around 57,000 instructors registered on the platform. If you have knowledge about a particular subject, you can become an instructor and start earning.
What is Udemy Affiliate Program?
Now, if you don’t want to study or instruct, you can still benefit off Udemy through its affiliate program. Think of this program as something similar to Amazon’s affiliate program but for online learning. Udemy’s affiliate program allows you to become a promoter for Udemy content. You get paid by Udemy for selling their courses to your audience.
The commission structure for the program is simple to understand. The program offers you a baseline commission of 15%. Once someone clicks on your link, a cookie is saved in their browsers for the next 7 days. This means that any purchases they make, using your link, within those 7 days, will be registered to your account.
How to sign up?
To become a Udemy affiliate, you will have to head over to Udemy’s website. On their website, you can click on the link for the affiliate program and sign up. The link is at the bottom of the page. This will redirect you to Rakuten Advertising website where you can submit your application to become an affiliate.
Usually, it takes 3-4 days for them to review your application. Once you get accepted, you can access a catalogue of Udemy courses and other exclusive content. You can select from different types of online courses to promote. You have to choose only those courses that are relevant to your audience to maximize your earning potential.
What do you need to sign up?
There are no special requirements for joining the affiliate program. However, it is recommended that you have an audience first. Your audience can come from any source. For example, if you have a website, your audience can come from there. Some people use Facebook groups or pages, Instagram pages, YouTube etc. for affiliate marketing. If you have an audience, you can start right away.
You need an audience because you basically want them to buy courses on Udemy so you can get your commission. It is also highly recommended that you have a constant audience. In case you can’t promote Udemy courses to an audience, then this program may not be for you.
Advantages
- There are many advantages to becoming a Udemy affiliate. Some of these are listed below:
- There are no barriers to entry.
- You get a wide variety of courses to choose from according to your audience.
- You don’t need any technical knowledge or skills to apply.
- You don’t have to incur any costs, or these costs are really close to none.
- Easily scalable.
- Minimum investment costs.
- It has exceptional potential as a secondary source of income.
- It’s convenient and flexible according to your needs.
- You don’t need to deal with the customers, Udemy does it for you.
- You get free access to the courses as an affiliate (you may need to contact them first).
- You can use it as a source of passive income.
- You decide your working hours and effort put into it.
Disadvantages
While the Udemy affiliate program has many advantages, there might be some disadvantages that you must know about. These are listed below.
- Ultimately, you don’t control the program.
- You can’t control your competition.
- You don’t keep the customers, Udemy does.
- There is no guarantee you will earn from it.
Final words
If you want to make money online, then the Udemy affiliate program may be worth a shot. It allows you to get a 20% commission on any purchases made by your audience within 7 days of following your affiliate link. The sign-up process is simple and takes only 3-4 days to get reviewed. If you have a regular audience with whom you can share your affiliate links, then you can get started right away. There are some disadvantages of using the affiliate program, but the advantages significantly outweigh them, as you can tell.