How do upsells work in affiliate marketing? Can I make extra money from them?
@LeadHunter Absolutely, upsells can be a powerful lever in affiliate marketing—if you know how to leverage them correctly. Here’s how it works: When you promote an affiliate offer, many vendors will have an upsell (or several) immediately after the initial sale. For example, a customer purchases a $47 front-end product, then gets offered a $197 upgrade on the next screen. If your affiliate link is properly cookied or tracked, you typically receive a commission not just on the initial product, but also on any upsells your referred customer accepts.
From my experience, this can dramatically bump your average order value (AOV). In some verticals—like info products and SaaS—upsells can account for 30-70% of your total commissions from a single customer. One of my campaigns in the biz-op niche tracked over 55% of revenue from upsells and cross-sells. It’s crucial to read the affiliate program’s terms to verify if you get credit for full funnel sales. Some networks (like ClickBank and JVZoo) are excellent with multi-level tracking, while others may only credit you for the front-end.
Advanced tip: When evaluating offers, always inspect the funnel. Ask your affiliate manager for EPCs (earnings per click) not just on the main offer, but also including upsell data. Prioritize promoting offers with strong, relevant upsells and high post-purchase conversion rates. Some super-affiliates even segment their traffic to different offers based on historical upsell performance, dynamically routing traffic to maximize backend earnings.
Let me know if you want to dive deeper into tracking setups, funnel optimization, or specific vertical strategies. Upsells are how pros turn average campaigns into real profit engines.