How can you sign up, though?
Which products can you promote?
Read on to find the answers
Microsoft Affiliate Program
Types of products: Microsoft 365 plus others
Where to join: Microsoft 365 at Impact, Microsoft Advertising at CJ
Commission structure: varies with program
Cookie length: Varies with program
Payment Methods: Paypal, Bank Transfer
Microsoft Products
Almost anyone born into the tech-savvy generation knows Microsoft. Have you used any of their products? You surely did.
Let’s have a small brief about the company.
Founded in 1980 by Bill and Paul Allen, the company has grown through the years to become a global software and hardware giant. The word Microsoft is a combination of two words –microcomputer and software –hence the name Microsoft.
From reselling an OS sourced from a local Seattle developer when they landed an IBM contract to their first Window OS, the tech giant has revolutionized how businesses carry out their operations using a computer. They now have a wide range of software, games, movies, and phones.
What’s the difference between Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office, though? Well, the former refers to Microsoft subscription plans. They include Skype for business, email hosting for businesses, cloud storage via One Drive, and Skype minutes. You pay for these either annually or monthly.
How to Join the Microsoft Affiliate Program
Microsoft has a pretty excellent affiliate program for affiliates all over the world. They are a huge company with lots of divisions though. There are actually a few different affiliate programs.
Microsoft 365 Affiliate Program
This is the largest affiliate program and their flagship product.
How can you join this?
Here are a few steps to follow:
Step 1 — Sign up at Impact Radius
It’s easy to sign up for the Microsoft affiliate program. Impact Radius manages its affiliate program. So, you need to create an account there. You can then either log in to your Impact Radius account or Microsoft.
Go to their affiliate page and follow the signing up process. They will ask for details such as your primary campaign region, language, account display name, website, and country. You will also fill in your personal and tax information before you review and submit. These steps are necessary to get approved.
If they find you eligible for their program, you will get an approval email. It’s often an email that starts with ‘congratulations you have been accepted into Microsoft program.’
Apart from their affiliate page, several other platforms allow you to sign up as a Microsoft affiliate. They include the Rakuten advertising network and FlexOffers.
However, that would mean your affiliate rates will reduce since you will be basically a sub-affiliate, which I guess you wouldn’t want to be, would you?
Step 2 — Start promoting
Once they approve you, begin promoting the products on their affiliate’s page. Your affiliate link is unique and tracks all clicks, leads, and sales.
There are many marketing options for you, but the best will always be blogging. If you are a tech blogger, it’s easy to get sales since your audience is defined.
Microsoft 365 Affiliate Page
Microsoft 365 Affiliate Signup at Impact
Microsoft Advertising Affiliate
As an advertising affiliate, you can earn commissions when you refer your visitor who signs up with Microsoft Advertising. This program is manage by CJ Affiliate.
Benefits of being a Microsoft Advertising Affiliate?
- Earn monthly commissions.
- Global program so not just your US traffic
- Free to join.
- Your customers benefit with advertising credits from your link.
Microsoft Advertising Affiliate Page
Microsoft Advertising Affiliate Signup at CJ
Microsoft Store Affiliate
The Microsoft store sells apps and some hardware. The affiliate program has been an on-again/off-again offer for the US market. Currently the affiliate page (https://microsoft.com/affiliates) is redirecting to their home page. For international affiliates there are some regional programs at Flex Offers.
Microsoft at Flex Offers
Go to our affiliate programs page for more program reviews.
Program Commission Rates and Rules
f you check out their affiliate page, they say they give out up to 10% affiliate commission rates. However, not all their products go past 7% commission. In fact, the highest is their Xbox games, which goes at 7%.
Here are the commission rates of their products.
- Xbox Consoles and accessories: Xbox consoles, Xbox 1st, and 3rd party accessories go for a 2% baseline commission rate
- Surface and accessories: Surface devices and Surface for business, Surface 1st, and 3rd party accessories go for a 2% baseline commission, as well.
- Xbox gaming subscription: Xbox game pass ultimate and Xbox game pass for TV goes for $1.50 and $1.30 each in affiliate commission while the Xbox game pass for console and Xbox live gold pay a 2% commission rate.
- Office: Office 365 annual subscription will net you $10 while a monthly subscription will get you $5 in affiliate commission. If someone has no subscription, you will get a 5% commission on the purchase amount.
- PCs and accessories go for a 1% commission. Relatively low, right?
- Apps and in-app purchases go for 2%
- Movies go for 7%.
That’s their current commission structure. It can change anytime based on their policy changes.
One consolation, however, is they have a long “referral period” of up to 30 days –just like Amazon. That means a sale is still credited to you even if your referral purchases on the 30th day after they last clicked your affiliate link.
Products that Earn Commissions
There are several categories of products you can promote and earn a commission. Here are different categories:
- Microsoft PCs and accessories
- Xbox games
- Xbox consoles and accessories
- Xbox gaming subscriptions
- Surface and accessories
- Movies and TV shows from the Microsoft store
- Microsoft Office 365 annual or monthly subscription
- Apps and games
Each of these categories of products has varied commission rates.
Guess their payment method?
Yes, they pay via PayPal or ACH. Impact Radius handles all the affiliate marketing work for Microsoft. So, they are responsible for processing payment, which often takes two months after earning your commission.
Microsoft Affiliate Tools and Support
What can you use to promote Microsoft products? Here are some tools available in their dashboard:
Link builder: This tool allows you to create a badge, image, or individual text links. You can use the link in the body of your blog post, promote on social media, or even on your email list.
Compelling banners and pre-generated ads: If you want to launch ads promoting your Microsoft affiliate products, their affiliate team has ads and banners ready for you. You can use the banners on your blog and launch profitable well-defined Facebook ads.
Other tools are top content data feed and enterprise data feed, which help generate specific product links.
Pros and Cons of Microsoft Affiliate Program
Microsoft is a well-known global brand. Hence, it’s easy to leverage their reputation and get sales. If you have been jotting down some notes, the program has several cons and pros. Let’s summarize them:
ADVANTAGES
- Accepts affiliates from all over the world
- It’s easy to sign up for their program
- Cookie duration is long; 30 days.
- There are lots of products to promote based on your audience interest
DISADVANTAGES
- Their commission structure is a bit confusing
- They take time to release your commission money
- Some commission rates are as low as 1%.
Conclusion
Despite the hurdles, you can still make money from Microsoft products. Just sign up, choose the right products to promote, and develop the right marketing strategy.
There are programs for Microsoft 365, Microsoft Advertising and in some markets the Microsoft Store.
One of the best ways to promote Microsoft products is to have a tech blog or YouTube channel to review tech products and software. Someone would always want to check out for a review of a product before he or she makes the jump. That’s what you do as well, right?
Sign up to become a Microsoft affiliate today.
