What do The New York Times, BuzzFeed, and New York Magazine all have in common? It’s not just that they’re household names or news outlets. Here’s the real answer: they’ve all built thriving revenue streams through affiliate marketing.
Wirecutter, BuzzFeed Shopping, and The Strategist are dedicated commerce arms that publish product reviews, gift guides, and shopping recommendations—all monetized through affiliate links. When readers click those links and make purchases, the publishers earn a commission.
For brands, this is more than a curiosity. It’s a direct opportunity. By joining affiliate programs, your products become eligible for inclusion in these highly visible shopping roundups and reviews. That means you don’t just benefit from more clicks—you get the credibility and reach of major media outlets recommending your products.
This guide breaks down the best affiliate programs for brands in 2025 and how they can help you land in those coveted gift guides and “best of” lists.
Amazon Associates
Let’s start with the giant. Amazon Associates is one of the world’s largest affiliate programs and the backbone of commerce content at places like Wirecutter.
Here’s how it works: Publishers and influencers join the Associates program, and when they link to products sold on Amazon, they earn a commission on any sales generated. For brands, the key is to list your products on Amazon. You don’t join Amazon Associates as a brand—you join as a seller through Amazon Seller Central. But once your products are live on Amazon, publishers using Associates can link to them, which dramatically increases your odds of appearing in product reviews.
That’s why so many Wirecutter recommendations link to Amazon: it’s easy for readers to click “buy now,” and easy for the publisher to earn a commission.
CJ Affiliate
Formerly Commission Junction, CJ Affiliate has been a leader in affiliate marketing for over two decades. It connects brands with publishers through a searchable dashboard.
For brands, CJ is powerful because it gives you more control. Publishers apply to promote your products, and you can approve or decline based on fit. On the flip side, you can actively recruit publishers using CJ’s “Recruit Partners” feature, which makes it a two-way street.
This network is especially popular among lifestyle and tech publishers, making it a strong choice if you want to hand-pick who represents your brand.
ShareASale
ShareASale functions as a massive marketplace for affiliate relationships. Brands list their products, set commission rates, and appear in categories that publishers can browse. For example, a writer compiling a list of sustainable beauty products can search that category and instantly see participating brands.
The platform also includes a seasonal marketing calendar, which helps brands tie their affiliate efforts to key holidays and shopping spikes (think Mother’s Day gift guides or holiday roundups). While ShareASale is widely used by bloggers and niche publishers, it’s also leveraged by larger sites for specific campaigns.
Skimlinks
Unlike Amazon Associates or CJ, Skimlinks doesn’t require publishers to set up affiliate links manually. Instead, it automatically turns existing product links into affiliate links—making it a favorite for big publishers who want scale without added effort.
Over 60,000 publishers use Skimlinks, including heavyweights like HuffPost, Hearst, and Condé Nast. For brands, this means that if you’re already part of a major affiliate network (Amazon, CJ, ShareASale), your links can be monetized through Skimlinks without any extra work from the publisher.
Skimlinks also offers a “Publisher Hub,” where brands maintain a profile with commission rates and product info—making it easier for media outlets to discover and feature them.
Sovrn //Commerce (formerly VigLinks)
What used to be VigLinks is now Sovrn //Commerce. Like Skimlinks, Sovrn automatically converts ordinary product links into affiliate links, saving publishers the hassle of manual setup.
While it’s smaller than Skimlinks, it’s still used by many mid-size and large publishers. Being part of Sovrn ensures your brand has broad coverage, since some outlets prefer Sovrn’s tools over Skimlinks. For brands, joining both maximizes your visibility across the publisher ecosystem.
Why Affiliate Programs Matter for Brands
Joining affiliate programs isn’t just about commissions—it’s about visibility. Today’s publishers rely on affiliate revenue to fund their journalism, so commerce content is here to stay. When your brand participates in major affiliate networks, you dramatically increase your odds of being featured in shopping guides, gift roundups, and product reviews.
That visibility translates to:
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More traffic: Articles on sites like Wirecutter or The Strategist reach millions of readers.
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Higher trust: Third-party recommendations feel more credible than ads.
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Increased sales: Affiliate links remove friction, turning inspiration into purchase with one click.
In other words, affiliate marketing isn’t just another growth channel—it’s a PR, sales, and brand-building strategy rolled into one.
Work With Us
The smartest brands in 2025 aren’t asking if they should join affiliate programs. They’re asking which ones and how many. From Amazon Associates to CJ Affiliate to Skimlinks and Sovrn, these platforms are the pipelines that connect your products to the world’s biggest publishers.
If you want your brand featured in holiday gift guides, shopping roundups, or expert product reviews, affiliate marketing isn’t optional—it’s essential. Work with LaRue to build your affiliate strategy today.
