I read the title of this post and I hear a collective groan from our male affiliate marketers. Beauty Blog? Beauty Blog!? Like, what is that?
For all of those not in the know, a beauty blog is a blog with a focus on fashion and makeup. It’s really all about makeup, but some bloggers have expanded to include fashion in their content. After all, a pretty face goes perfectly with a pretty frock.
Beauty blogs publish makeup reviews like this and feature how-to articles or videos like this one. The average blog starts out as a personal repository of one’s experience, likes and dislikes, adventures and misadventures.
I can see a few of our gentlemen readers cringing. I’m sure you’re going to hit that red “X” on the top right of your browser any minute now, but please hear me out. Beauty blogs are big these days, and they’re going to get bigger. You might want to pay a bit of attention (and get your wife or girlfriend to read this post with you!).
So Just How Big is the Makeup Niche?
People love to look good, and it shows: The cosmetics industry is HUGE.
The cosmetics industry is definitely a large one, with an estimated annual worldwide turnover of USD $170 billion. You can see the consistent growth of the industry on this graph by Statista:
Yep, those numbers are in the 50s and 60s of billions of dollars. In the U.S. alone, that much money is being poured into these products every single year. And it just keeps growing! This infographic from MapsofWorld.com, “Are We Obsessed With The Way We Look?” details how much the global population spends on beauty.
There’s a strong need in all of us to look good, and this is why these types of blogs are growing in numbers. They’re not limited to women, either: There are beauty blogs for men, too.
What’s the Competition Like?
A high level of demand often means a high level of competition. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it, you’ve just got to be savvy with your keywords.
You can skip this part and jump right into the makeup affiliate programs you can promote, but I suggest you don’t. There’s plenty of competition in the cosmetics/skincare niche, and it pays to look at how you can outsmart the competition by targeting the right keywords.
To start, we must ask a common question: Is it “makeup” or “make up”? The two are similar; however, “makeup” refers to lipstick, eye shadow and all other things applied to the face, while “make up” is a verb that can refer to the act of applying makeup.
So we need to get more specific. Just from this search I’ve managed to find some keywords that are commonly searched for but don’t have a great deal of competition.
The types of keywords you’ll want to home in on for your website content or ad campaigns should revolve around specific terms with a lot of searches but less competition. In this case, for example, you might want to consider “Makeup looks” or “Wedding makeup” or “natural eye makeup” as keywords for blog topics.
If you go ahead with any of the affiliate program options that I’ve outlined below, make sure to do some further keyword research to ensure your success.
When coming up with keyword ideas for this niche, don’t forget to try “how-to” phrases, such as “how to put on eyeliner.”
10 Affiliate Programs for Your Beauty Blog
Here they are! The 10 best makeup affiliate programs for you to choose from to promote on your blog.
I’ve tracked down some of the most popular brands and products in the cosmetics industry so that you can find out everything you need to know about them here and now. In no particular order, here are the top 10 makeup affiliate programs:
1. e.l.f. Cosmetics
About e.l.f.
e.l.f. Cosmetics is a makeup brand well-known all over the world. The company offers everything from lipstick to makeup brushes to nail polish.
How much can I make?
Affiliates receive a 5% commission for each sale.
How do I apply?
The affiliate page is outdated, as it links to the CJ Affiliate network where the program is no longer active. However, I found e.l.f. on the Rakuten Marketing (LinkShare) affiliate network, so if you’d like to sign up to promote produs an affiliate you can apply to do so there.
2. Sigma Beauty
About Sigma
Sigma Beauty is a fast-growing cosmetics company recognized not just for its makeup line, but for its innovative makeup brushes as well. There’s a neat ‘affiliate spotlight’ page here where you can see how other makeup blog affiliates are doing.
How much can I make?
Sigma offers a 10% commission on all sales. If you do really well the program has rewards systems, with giveaways and cash bonuses.
How do I apply?
You can apply for the Affiliate program via the Sigma affiliate signup page here.
3. Benefit Cosmetics
About Benefit
Benefit Cosmetics is a San Francisco–based makeup manufacturer popular for its pretty, original packaging. The world-famous “Benetint” is a rose-colored cheek and lip tint.
How much can I make?
Benefit offers affiliates a 4-7% commission on sales.
How do I apply?
You can find the affiliate information on the Benefit affiliate page here. You can apply through the Rakuten Marketing (LinkShare) network here.
4. BH Cosmetics
About BH Cosmetics
BH Cosmetics is a manufacturer of reasonably-priced cosmetics. Like other makeup brands, it offers everything from eye shadow palettes to makeup brushes.
How much can I make?
At 15% per sale, this is one of the higher commission rates for makeup products. The program also offers monthly incentives.
How do I apply?
Once again we have a brand that operates through Rakuten Marketing. You can search for BH Cosmetics there, or get more information about the affiliate program here.
5. ULTA
About ULTA
ULTA is a group of beauty stores in the US. The company offers skincare products and fragrances for both men and women, on top of its extensive makeup line.
How much can I make?
Ulta affiliates get between 5 and 7% commission depending on the total amount they have earned in the month.
How do I apply?
Ulta runs its affiliate program through CJ Affiliate by Conversant. You can signup and search for the program there, or learn more about the ULTA affiliate program here.
6. Avon
About Avon
Avon has been marketing through word of mouth and third parties for longer than just about anyone. Does the term “Avon lady” bring anything to mind? There is a huge range of makeup products here that you can promote as an affiliate.
How much can I make?
Avon offers a 6% commission on all sales, with opportunities for bonuses.
How do I apply?
You can apply to join the Avon affiliate program on the Rakuten Marketing affiliate network.
7. Black Opal Beauty
About Black Opal
Black Opal is a cosmetics company that specializes in “issues specific to skin of color”. These products would be great for a sub-niche site or blog post that addresses makeup techniques for darker skin tones.
How much can I make?
Black Opal offers a 6% commission on all sales.
How do I apply?
You can apply to be an affiliate with Black Opal on the Rakuten Marketing affiliate network.
8. Pür Minerals Cosmetics
About Pür Minerals
Pür Minerals has a range of cosmetics and skincare products that are made without animal testing and manufactured mostly made in the USA. The company prides itself on being eco-friendly, and the best sellers are foundations and other skincare products.
How much can I make?
There’s a 5% commission to be made here.
How do I apply?
You can find more information about Pür Minerals and apply for the affiliate program under “Astral Brands” on the CJ Affiliate network.
9. Colorescience
About Colorescience
Colorescience is a “premier luxury mineral makeup line.” It focuses on makeup products with high-quality ingredients that are easy to use and great for the skin.
How much can I make?
Colorescience offers affiliates a 10% commission.
How do I apply?
You can find all that you need to know about Colorescience on their Affiliates page or apply for their affiliate program on the CJ Affiliate network.
10. Elizabeth Arden
About Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Aden is a very prestigious beauty company with everything from anti-aging skincare products to perfumes. The company also claims to offer “trend-setting color” with its cosmetics.
How much can I make?
Elizabeth Arden offers affiliates a 5% commission.
How do I apply?
You can learn more about Elizabeth Arden and apply for its affiliate program on the CJ Affiliate network.
11. Nanshy
About Nanshy
Your makeup palette is no use if you do not have the right brushes and sponges to apply them to your face. Nanshy offers well-crafted makeup brushes to promote along with the other make up affiliate programs here.
How much can I make?
Nanshy affiliates get 10% commission on all sales. It may not be much but as their affiliate, you get 25% on your own purchases of Nanshy products.
How do I apply?
You can register as an affiliate through the Nanshy Affiliate Program page.
12. Scentbird
Scentbird is a subscription service for perfumes and colognes. Scentbird was created for the pickiest girl (or boy), allowing you the chance to “date” luxury fragrances before “marrying” them. With Scentbird, you get access to a 30-day supply of over 450 top designer fragrances delivered right to your door
How much can I make?
US$14 per sale.
How do I apply?
You can sign up from their affiliates page
How to Promote Your Beauty Blog
No blog promotes itself. These are the best methods for promoting a beauty blog.
A beauty blog is like any other website or blog, and you can promote it through most conventional methods, such as social media marketing. You can’t use every tactic at once, so like I’ve always said, have a link-building plan or strategy guide to get you started. This will help you define your SEO and link-building goals and determine which methods work best for your site. Here are some other methods you can use to promote your beauty blog:
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YouTube Marketing
Put all those how-to videos to good use. Make sure your videos are properly optimized and contain either your affiliate link or a link to the related content on your site. You may refer to this excellent information on video marketing: “Video Content: Super Fun! Super Effective.“
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Blog and Forum Posting
There are a lot of other beauty blogs. Don’t be a snob! These blogs may be competition, but they are still in the same niche, so participating in discussions will do a lot more good for your site than harm.
Participating in blogs often leads to guest posting, since the website owner or blogger gains enough information about you through your comments to trust you. A guest post is great because it not only brings traffic to the site, but also gives you a backlink or two.
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Content Strategy
It’s important that your site is always up-to-date with the current makeup trends as well as popular products. Reading up on what’s new will help with the planning and research of your posts so that you will be able to publish on a regular basis.
Remember that there are also other forms of content, like videos and infographics, that you can create for your site so as not to bore your readers. Keep a working schedule of where and when new posts are published and what they contain.
Having a few make-up tutorials as your core content with some updated info coming out regularly on a blog is a great way to go. This might sound like a lot of work, but new beauty products are coming out all the time. The more you keep your website up to date with the latest and greatest, the more you’ll encourage a following of people looking for MORE MAKEUP.
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Email Marketing
Speaking of new products coming out all the time, if you build a mailing list you can make sales to people over and over again rather than losing them when they leave your site. This is especially useful for any niche that has a high rate of new products and deals, and luckily for you, this is one of those niches.
This niche is definitely for those with a love for fashion and makeup. If you’re such a man or woman, then go for it! I’m sure that it’s going to be an enjoyable, rewarding endeavor for you.
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