How much money does a beginner need to get started in affiliate marketing?

Today, we decided to figure out how much money a beginner needs to get started in affiliate marketing. We’ll leave out the cost of courses and calculate the budget for the launch directly. So grab some tea and let’s do the math!

What determines the budget for the launch?

There is a common belief among newbies that all webmasters’ expenses go directly to buying ads. However, as you might guess, this is not the case. After all, even when working with conditionally free traffic, you will need several tens to hundreds of dollars for consumables. 

Both in the case of CFT and traditional affiliate marketing, webmasters’ expenses for the first launch depend on the following factors: 

• Vertical. In white niches, the costs of the launch are much lower, but the profits are also corresponding. In gray or even black verticals, these costs will be many times higher, because you will need better tools;
• GEO. Everything is simple here: the cost of a lead in the US and Mexico differs tenfold. Therefore, if you are attracted to paying for traffic in the US, it is better to calculate whether you are able to finance it;
• Expenses. Next, we will calculate this aspect. But in general, the cost of consumables varies greatly and depends on the quality, the name of the supplier in the market, and many other factors. Including the source of traffic;
• Creatives. Someone makes them on their own, and someone spends money on a designer or installer. It all depends on your budget and goals. Of course, high-quality creative will significantly increase your conversion rate, so it is better not to skimp on it;
• Software. Depending on the vertical and traffic source, you may need some other tools as well. This is most relevant for UBT.

But here is a list of tools that do not depend on the vertical or traffic source and are necessary for all webmasters at the beginning of their work: 

• Accounts
• Proxies
• Payments
• Anti-detection
• Land, pre-land

So, how much money do you need to start working in affiliate marketing? 

Let’s calculate each of the components separately to answer this question.

Accounts

For the first deposit, 15 accounts will be quite enough. And this is taking into account the fact that the first accounts will almost certainly be banned if you do not have any support. 

And here, prices differ not only depending on the platform itself, but also on the quality of accounts. Let’s take the classic and familiar Facebook as a basis. It has six types of accounts: 

• Farms, including kings/moms;
• Auto registers;
• Rentals;
• Brutes;
• Logs;
• Agency.

The cost of each of these accounts differs significantly. If auto registers can be bought for 20–60 cents. Then, the cost of high-quality kings starts at $8. 

Let’s take two kings and 13 auto registers as a basis – it’s about $21.

Proxies

As with accounts and all other consumables, the cost of proxies varies greatly. It also depends on the quality of the proxy provided. Let’s take individual resident proxies as a basis. The average cost on the market is about $2.5. If you take a proxy for every other account (although there is not much need for this), it is about $19.

Anti-detection

Most anti-detection browsers provide a certain number of free profiles (sessions) at the start. And if you need 15 accounts, you can simply download several of these browsers and use the free versions. However, if you have to buy a minimum subscription to start, it will cost about $10.

Payments

For the first steps in affiliate marketing, your own card will be enough. However, if you want to avoid using them, it is better to use high-quality payments. Here, the cost is very situational. Everything depends not only on the cost of the cards, but also on the payment commission, which can reach 5% for replenishment or transfer. 

Land and pre-land

The cost of developing such materials is quite expensive – you need at least $100. However, the good news is that many affiliates and offers provide ready-made landing pages/pre-lands for work. So, at the beginning, you can save a lot of money on this by simply choosing a high-quality offer.

Let’s do the math

To get started in affiliate marketing and make your first launch, you’ll need at least $50 in supplies alone. We don’t include the cost of advertising itself, which can cost as much as $100 or $1,000 – as we’ve already mentioned, it all depends on the GEO, vertical, and a bunch of other parameters. 

Of course, we don’t take into account the best consumables. We also do not take into account the tools you will need if you work with a large number of accounts and track all the parameters of the launch. So, over time, the cost of the filling will increase. So, study, test, and enjoy the ROI!