CPA Marketing for Beginners 2023 Guide

The affiliate marketing industry is booming and has been for years. With so many new people getting involved, it’s hard to know what you’re doing wrong or what you should be doing better.

CPA has become a fantastic alternative to make money online and you are not alone. In this post, I will cover the basics of CPA marketing for beginners and provide the steps you need to take to succeed.

CPA marketing is one of the most lucrative ways to monetize a niche blog. But before you dive right in, many things need to be learned and applied from the beginning so as not to waste time or money.

Once mastered, a CPA marketer can make 5 figures every month with some even making 6 figure incomes on an annual basis.

What is CPA Marketing?

CPA stands for cost per acquisition (CPA). It’s also referred to as cost per acquisition or cost per lead.

The idea behind it is relatively simple: networks with a range of offers from various sellers, pay the affiliate for sending traffic, leads, and/or sales their way.

This business model is great for beginners because it does not require that the customer make a sale, just take some form of action.

Think of it this way, all the affiliate does is hook the customer up with the salespeople of the seller (aka, global affiliate marketing network). That’s it!

There are significant benefits to joining a CPA network as a beginner. The main benefit is that you get access to CPA offers from manufacturers in a variety of CPA marketing niches.

This gives you more opportunities to make money online as to a single product through an affiliate program.

CPA Marketing Vs. Affiliate Marketing

As noted in the above definition, with the CPA affiliate marketing model you get paid for every lead that you generate for the advertiser. For example, let’s say you have a website or blog, and you have signed up with a CPA network.

As part of your marketing campaign, you place an email sign-up form on your site, advertise for a customer to get a free quote for something, or download an app.

Whenever the visitor to your site completes the required action, you get a commission for that lead.

Affiliate marketing differs from CPA affiliate marketing in that the affiliate is the middleman between the advertiser (i.e. Amazon) and the customer.

The affiliate takes on the burden of doing the majority of the work to earn a commission.

For example, writing product reviews, and user guides, or making videos about the product. Commissions are generated from an affiliate link that is provided by the advertiser.

How Does CPA Marketing Work?

CPA marketing works on a very simple model that involves four components:

• Affiliate or Publisher
• Advertiser 
• Customer
• CPA Networks

CPA Networks

CPA networks are a significant part of this industry. They provide advertisers with access to unique traffic, as well as the tools they need to maximize their performance.

Networks also make payments and transactions easier for everyone involved by managing these processes internally and charging an upfront commission.

So if you’re looking for high-quality traffic but don’t have the time or expertise needed to generate it yourself, CPA networks are definitely something worth considering.

Advertiser

Advertisers are the owners of a product or brand who partner with affiliate marketers or CPA networks to promote products by placing offers on their websites and blogs.

The offers are designed to incentivize website visitors to click on an affiliate link, sign up as paying subscribers, make a purchase, download an eBook, etc.

If they do, the advertiser pays the affiliate or CPA network a commission for successfully converting the lead into a customer for the advertiser.

Affiliate or Publisher

The affiliate or publisher typically consists of a blogger writing about their experiences with particular brands they’ve tried out.

Or social media influencers with a large following who promote specific businesses and products to earn a commission.

They have the power of pushing out viral content to draw attention from their followers, which can lead visitors back to an eCommerce site where they’re likely going through checkout or signing up for some other service like newsletter subscriptions.

Customer

The customer is probably the most important factor when it comes to CPA marketing because without customers all marketing efforts will be useless.

CPA marketing is all about attracting these customers and getting them to purchase from you. The only way for that to happen is you have to establish credibility with your customers.

CPA marketing is a relationship that CPA marketers need to foster with their customers.

It’s up to CPA marketers and CPA networks how they want to market themselves and interact with customers.

This can be in the form of a highly personalized contact to automated popup ads on websites, CPA marketing is open for interpretation by CPA Marketers.

Learning what works best for each CPA network or affiliate can be difficult since different CPA networks offer different services.

CPA Affiliate Marketing Terms You Need to Know

1. Affiliate Manager – An Affiliate Manager is an experienced professional who will help you increase your sales and conversions. They have a skill set that’s perfect for optimizing any affiliate program, no matter how big or small it may be!

2. Advertiser and Publisher/Merchant – The relationship between advertisers and publishers is that one pays the other. Advertisers are people who provide conversion offers to CPA networks for a fee, whereas Publishers promote these offers to make money as well.

3. Commission – a payment given to an individual for the performance of some service. It can be paid as money or in percentage, so it’s important to know what you’re being compensated with before choosing your path!

4. Conversion (in %) –The conversion rate of a CPA campaign can be the most critical factor in deciding which offer to promote. Campaigns with high conversions are always preferable because it is more likely that this will lead to increased returns on investment (ROI).

5. Earnings Per Click, or EPC for short usually refers to the amount of money an affiliate earns per click. Simply put: how much are you earning if someone clicks through your link? The formula is pretty simple – it’s simply (Clicks/$ Commissions earned) divided by the total number of clicks on a particular offer.

6. Offer Page – The page where the user converts after performing a specified action, such as clicking on an ad or making a payment with their credit card.

How do I Start CPA Marketing?

The best way to get started with CPA marketing is first to understand what it entails and how it works for you to make an educated decision on whether or not this type of advertising would be appropriate for you and your blog.

CPA marketing isn’t for everyone so you must decide if CPA marketing is something you’re interested in before getting started.

If you do decide that it is for you, these are the steps required to get started:

1. Select a Niche
2. Find an Offer
3. Join
4. Build Your Website Or Landing Page
5. Promote CPA Offers

Selecting a Niche

Choosing a niche is the most important part of a successful CPA marketing campaign. Yet, many people do not know how to choose a niche because they are unsure about their own interests or what would be profitable for them.

The best way to start is by asking yourself these questions:

• What type of things interests me?
• What am I good at?
• What do I want to learn more about?
• What problem do I want to solve
• What’s my competition like?

When you’ve answered these questions, then it’s time to look around and see which niches match your answers and interests.

You can get some ideas from books on the subject, magazines in bookstores, blogs online, and by talking to your friends who have experience with this type of marketing.

A trick I like to use is Google Adwords. You can search for keyword phrases that could possibly spark an idea.

Find an Offer

There are many different ways to find a CPA offer. The easiest way is to use the assigned affiliate manager once you are approved by the CPA marketing network.

Affiliate managers are your best resource for CPA offers. They have access to a lot of information and can help you find the right offer to help you earn money online.

They can also take care of all your logins, passwords and set up your ad tracking software so that everything is tailored to you when you are just starting out.

Find a CPA Network to Join

As a beginner, finding a CPA network to join will probably be a little bit more of a challenge. Unlike affiliate marketing, the approval process is a lot more strict.

This is because CPA networks are restrictive and typically don’t accept those without any marketing experience.

Plus, advertisers often require certain traffic sources, only traffic from specific countries, and so on.

However, there are newbie-friendly CPA affiliate networks out there, and they are:

1. Peerfly
2. Mobidea
3. Adscendmedia
4. Adworkmedia
5. CPAlead

These are the top CPA networks that you can join and will approve you without much hassle. There are other instant approval CPA networks, but these are the best CPA marketing sites for beginners in my opinion.

Peerfly

Peerfly is one of the best CPA networks available to newbies because they are very easy to get into and have lower requirements than other networks.

The application process is much easier, which means you can start making money sooner with Peerfly.

Peerfly offers a number of banners, text links, and content that you can use to promote their offers. You will be able to track these clicks and earnings through your affiliate manager.

If you are not sure which banners or messages work best for an offer, just ask your affiliate manager they can tell you what banners convert the most on any given offer.

Mobidea-High Paying CPA Network for Beginners

Mobidea is the world’s top mobile affiliate network that targets mobile apps, and they have been for years.

This CPA affiliate network has always had a strong grip on being one of the best CPA networks for beginners in terms of providing their affiliates with exceptional rates as well as an abundance of tools that can help them succeed even more.

Unique offers are what keep the members of this site coming back for more. With a wide variety of sweepstakes, contest entries, and app installs to choose from, it’s easy to find something that interests you on any given day!

Mobidea is the place to be if you want a rewarding affiliate network. With Mobidea, I have been able to earn more money and travel in my spare time because their offers are so juicy!

They pay out quickly as well which makes it easy for me to keep earning income every day with them.

Adscend Media – CPA Network For Newbies

Adscend Media is a CPA affiliate network that has been around since 2009. It’s really easy to sign up for their site.

All you have to do is fill out the form and create an account, no requirements are necessary. You’ll never have to worry about losing your prospects thanks to the company’s state-of-the-art lead tracking system.

The CPA world is a competitive one, but there are some things you can do to level the playing field. Joining a network is an excellent way to learn CPA marketing and get more opportunities for your online marketing.

For this reason, I have to recommend this one to you if you are a beginner and looking for great CPA networks because it is a top CPA network.

AdWorkMedia

Adwork Media is a worldwide CPA Affiliate Network providing monetization solutions to its publishers. You can find advertisements from the most popular brands, and earn money for every click or sale you make.

The company has more than 50K Publishers from around the globe on its roster and they’re continuing on that path by adding 3k+ campaigns per month.

This is the best CPA network alternative compared to CPALead or CPAGrip. I think this ranks up there as one of the top CPA networks for beginners that I have mentioned in this post.

If you want to make some money, sign up with them and enjoy the many benefits they provide.

CPA Lead

CPAlead is one of the best CPA networks for beginners because they have a low approval threshold. They also provide excellent customer service and are transparent about their payouts (both monthly and per offer).

Their offers are high-paying, which means you can make more money with them than other networks. If you don’t feel like doing CPA marketing, CPAlead will also accept you as a CPL marketer.

They have fewer niche offers than the other CPA affiliate networks but they still have CPA offers for everything from health to dating to gaming.

Build Your Website Or Landing Page

Having your own website or landing page for your CPA campaigns is important because they are a great way for promoting CPA offers. It is very easy to have your own website.

These days anyone can create their own website with just a few clicks, no need to know any tech skills or coding language.

You can use website builders like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. These tools are easy to use and do not require any kind of coding skills so you can make a website from scratch really quickly.

Once your site is up and running, it’s time to start taking action. When you’re ready, set up campaigns through your CPA affiliate network and start sending traffic!

Once you have started to earn money, you can reinvest your earnings back into your website or blog. This means investing in services like web hosting, domain names, email marketing, creating banners and landing pages, and maybe even hiring a freelancer to help with some things.

Promote CPA Offers

There are many ways to promote CPA offers, but the best way is through social media. Facebook ads and Twitter offer great opportunities for generating leads that can be converted into customers, or even better, affiliates who will send you their own customers.

YouTube is also an option. CPA marketers can create CPA offers on their own channels.

You can place the CPA affiliate link in the description box. Once visitors finish viewing the video viewers can click on it and take some type of action.

What are the Benefits of CPA Marketing?

CPA marketing is an amazing way to make money online. It’s a fantastic solution for anyone who wants to start making money from home in their spare time.

But there are many benefits of CPA marketing that you may not know about, and they could be the deciding factor when it comes down to whether or not you want to get started.

Some of these benefits are they are:

1. It’s easy to get started with

CPA marketing is a popular way to make money online. It’s easy to set up and can be done with just two things, your website and the CPA network you’re affiliated with.

2. It’s very cost-effective

CPA marketing’s primary advantage is how budget-friendly it is, making this approach a simple method for beginners to engage with brand-new potential customers.

Instead of investing cash in online marketing campaigns targeted at drawing impressions, clicks, and engagements that will not become conversions or leads, you can enhance your marketing ROI with CPA marketing.

3. It’s low risk

Considering that CPA marketing is a performance-based online advertising strategy, it’s extremely low risk for beginner CPA affiliates. If the desired result is reached, both the advertiser and affiliates make profits. This inspires affiliates to generate revenue (to make their commission).

4. It can broaden your audience

One extraordinary advantage of utilizing CPA marketing is how rapidly it can expand your audience. By partnering with influencers, you’re able to get your items in front of more eyes, possibly broadening your client base.

If you’re attempting to break into a brand-new audience or market, this technique is especially reliable.

5. It improves your brand name credibility

On top of adding brand-new clients, partnering with a good CPA network can also increase your brand name’s credibility.

This can strengthen your brand name as a top competitor in your market, which can favorably impact your earnings.

Final Thoughts

In this article, I have outlined the best ways for beginners to make money with these CPA marketing tips. The methods are very easy and you can get started within a few minutes. I have outlined what CPA marketing is and how you can profit from it.

One of the most important things to consider when looking at a CPA network is if they really pay. I have noted 5 of the best CPA networks for you to join. They are trusted and reliable, and you won’t have any trouble making money from them.

FAQs

Is CPA Marketing Still Profitable?

CPA Marketing is still profitable but it doesn’t mean that you will get instant success. It’s a long game. You have to set up good CPA campaigns and good affiliate marketing content on your website.

What I mean is that you might have to do some work for it, at least in the beginning. You just can’t get an audience from anywhere and be able to monetize it instantly. 

You have to work on building credibility so people will take some sort of action in order for you to earn a commission.

Is CPA Marketing Safe?

The CPA marketing business model is safe. That’s not to say that you won’t have some bumps in the road, but with diversified income and marketing streams, it will help tremendously if you are looking to do it on a full-time basis.

Is CPA better than CPC?

In most cases, advertisers with a high-quality PPC-driven pipeline are often better off running CPA campaigns instead of CPC.

While they may pay more for each click and get fewer clicks than those that run CPC ads, they close deals faster and make more money in the long term due to their higher-quality prospects.

Are CPA and CPC the Same?

The main difference between these two types of marketing is the way advertisers will be billed. In cost per action, you’re charged a fixed fee, no matter what happens in the results of your campaign.

Pay-per-click means you’ll only be charged when someone actually clicks on your ad and visits your site.

It is not necessary to fill out a form first or make a purchase; they just need to click on it before being redirected through any other advertising we have running.

These are sometimes called PPC ads, while CPA ads might better be referred to as affiliate programs (especially since partaking in a costly venture like this requires more than one person’s involvement).

Why do CPA Marketers Fail?

There are two reasons CPA marketers fail. The first is poor account management and the second is not understanding the needs of the customer.

What is a CPA Goal?

Your cost per acquisition (CPA) goal is the amount of money that makes sense coming out of pocket for each conversion/purchase completed during a period set by time frame.

This calculation will change in response to changes in campaign settings, including keywords, bids, and quality scores.

How Much Can I Earn From CPA Marketing?

Every CPA advertiser is different, and it’s hard to say what you could realistically earn in a month without understanding how many leads or opportunities are generated daily from your site, or if you’re running paid campaigns on wider platforms like Facebook.

But any good marketer will tell you that it takes more effort to increase traffic than it does to actually make money with your traffic – so don’t worry about making anything until the numbers grow.

How Do I Promote My CPA Offer?

There are many different options available when promoting our CPA offers–so much so that listing each one would take up too much space. Let’s get right down to the good stuff then instead!

The best way to promote your CPA offer is with social media. The platforms I recommend are:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Facebook

Facebook is a great place to find potential clients who are in search of high-quality CPA offers. There’s no better way to tap into your target market and promote the offers that best suit their needs than by advertising on Facebook, which allows you unparalleled targeting options for ads based on age, location, interests & more.

YouTube

You can present your CPA offers to the world at no cost. You’ll need a video that’s engaging, creative, and interesting enough for people to watch it until the end while making sure you mention what kind of offer you’re presenting in this case – an opportunity to make money online through free advertising.

Instagram

Instagram is a powerful tool for people looking to promote their CPA offers and products. Creating an account with your offer name will help you target the right audience so that it’s easy to promote your link in this way. This social media site can be used as yet another outlet for promotion!

Pinterest

Pinterest is an online social media site with a monthly 200 million-plus active users. The majority of traffic on this platform is females, and it’s another excellent way to promote your CPA Products or offers.