The ShareASale referral program (now part of the Awin network) is a high-paying two-tier affiliate monetization system that pays publishers a $150.00 cash bonus for every qualifying merchant referral and $1.00 for every qualified affiliate referral who joins the network. Professional affiliate marketers utilize ShareASale to monetize merchant discovery recommendations alongside standard product commission promotions. Referring 30 merchant stores to ShareASale generates $4,500.00 in direct referral earnings with zero physical inventory or customer support overhead.
Scaling affiliate referral income requires mastering deep search engine optimization and audience conversion funnels. When training to build authoritative affiliate properties, exploring comprehensive training like The Affiliate Lab teaches advanced keyword mapping, site architecture silos, and conversion optimization strategies.

ShareASale Referral Commission Rates & Payout Structure
ShareASale referral payouts provide clear two-tier compensation models for merchant acquisitions and publisher registrations.
| Referral Category | Commission Payout | Qualification Requirement | Payout Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant Referral | $150.00 per merchant | Merchant signs up and makes account payment | Monthly on the 20th |
| Affiliate / Publisher Referral | $1.00 per affiliate | Affiliate application approved by network | Monthly on the 20th |

Step-by-Step Guide to Joining ShareASale and Getting Referral Links
Joining the ShareASale referral program requires completing the publisher registration application, verifying your website ownership, and copying your unique referral tracking URLs.
The structured onboarding workflow is detailed below.
- Step 1: Navigate to the ShareASale Publisher Signup Page.
- Step 2: Enter your username, account password, and contact details in the 5-step registration wizard.
- Step 3: Provide your website URL and describe your content promotion strategies.
- Step 4: Confirm your domain ownership via email verification or HTML meta tag insertion.
- Step 5: Once approved, log into the ShareASale publisher dashboard.
- Step 6: Navigate to Links > Get a Link / Banner > ShareASale.com Referral Program to generate your unique merchant and affiliate tracking links.

Logging into your active publisher dashboard allows you to access tracking reports, search merchant directories, and manage payment preferences.

Accessing the referral link generator provides customized banner HTML codes and raw tracking URLs for content embedding.

Embedding your customized referral link across blog tutorials and review articles ensures 100% accurate cookie attribution across all referred users.

How to Cloak and Manage ShareASale Affiliate Links
Cloaking affiliate links protects tracking IDs against commission theft, improves link scannability, and prevents browser ad-blocker filtering.
Utilizing dedicated link management plugins such as ThirstyAffiliates Pro automatically cloaks raw ShareASale URLs into clean vanity links (e.g., bloggersneed.com/go/shareasale/) while logging outbound click analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions About ShareASale Referral Program
What is the minimum payout threshold for ShareASale?
The minimum payout threshold for ShareASale is $50.00, distributed on the 20th of each month via direct deposit, ACH wire transfer, or check.
How long is the ShareASale referral tracking cookie duration?
ShareASale provides a 90-day tracking cookie duration on all publisher and merchant referral links.
Can I join ShareASale as both a merchant and an affiliate?
Yes, businesses can operate separate merchant and affiliate accounts on ShareASale to sell products and promote external partners simultaneously.
Is ShareASale free to join for affiliate publishers?
Yes, joining ShareASale as an affiliate publisher is 100% free with zero registration fees or recurring subscription charges.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I’m Abdullah Prem, a passionate blogger with over 10 years of experience. I created BloggersNeed to produce high-quality, easy-to-understand articles, guides, and tutorials that help people start their blogging journey. Specializing in WordPress, Hosting, Themes, and online money-making strategies, I’ve been featured on leading tech platforms such as Tech.co, Cloudways, Business2Community, Leadpages, GoodFirms, and ShareThis. BloggersNeed.com

I was completely oblivious of sharesale till now.Going to try it today onwards.
Thank you
By 30 refferals ,you mean publishers or merchants?
Thanks
Thank you for this article, I recently received a $25 commission directly from Shareasale besides the commission I make through a particular merchant who is on Shareasale. Question does this mean that every time one gets approved through a merchant, and a customer makes a purchase from that particular merchant, you also receive a commission from Shareasale? Like is this what you mean by a signup? Just a little confused as to how it all works…thank you
Great post!
I am a shareasale affiliate and applied for its referral program several months ago. Now in my account still display “pending approval”. This isnot an auto-approved program. How long can affiliate get their approvement?
I know some people who want to join the merchant program, but shareasale refund their fee. Why?
thank you
Thanks for the good detailed review. I really like it when people get together and share ideas. I like this post, enjoyed this one appreciate it for putting up.
Thanks for this detailed piece of information! Now I will look into some of the affiliate programs related to my niche.