Should I use an affiliate network to sell my software?

May 18, 2010 2:35 AM

Should I use an affiliate network to sell my software?

I've written a small software app that I want to start selling online. I nearly have all the pieces in place - installer, web site, payment processor etc. I don't have much experience in marketing so I am tempted to join an affiliate scheme. Can anyone offer advice on whether or not this would be a good idea, and if so, which network to use? I am looking at one called Clickbank, simply because it is supported by my digital download provider (ejunkie).

posted by primer_dimer to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Clickbank probably won't look at you until you have serious revenue.

One thing you have to look out for with affiliates is those that add no value, but send you traffic. They either buy adwords for your exact product name, or set up a page with your product, but with the word "coupon" on it so people go there looking to get a deal.
posted by MesoFilter at 10:28 AM on May 18, 2010

Best answer: It depends a lot on what your software does, and what platform it runs on. You want sites where links to your stuff would make sense. Most of the software-specific e-commerce providers (Plimus, Digital River, etc.) have affiliate programs, though they bring their own problems to the table. Take a look at Bits du Jour if your program runs on Windows - they'll expose it to an audience of very dedicated software buyers. There's also some helpful info on the Software Marketing Resource site, and the Association of Software Professionals, which I think costs $100 a year to join, but is well worth it if you're starting out trying to sell Windows software.

If you're trying to sell iPhone software, you may as well join LinkShare, who runs Apple's affiliate program, and ignore everything else I wrote.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:46 PM on May 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Fastspring is a good software affiliate provider, and not owned by Digital River. At least not yet.

This guy has a good small software developer blog, and has written some posts about the various software ecommerce and affiliate program providers.
posted by EllenC at 5:34 AM on May 19, 2010