The Complete MailerLite Affiliate Program Review 2025

I’ve been looking into the MailerLite affiliate program, and honestly? It’s one of the more straightforward deals in email marketing. After going through their terms and chatting with people who actually do this, here’s what stands out: they keep things simple.

Thirty percent lifetime recurring commission. That’s their offer, and they stick to it. No weird tier systems or declining rates after year one. If someone you refer pays them $50 monthly, you get $15. Every month. As long as they stay a customer.

What got my attention isn’t just the commission rate – it’s that MailerLite customers tend to stick around. Lower churn means your recurring income actually stays recurring.

MailerLite Affiliate Program Commission Rates

The math is simple: 30% of whatever your referrals pay, forever. No caps, no complicated tiers, no “first year only” nonsense. Someone pays $20/month, you get $6/month. They upgrade to $100/month, your cut goes to $30/month.

The 45-day cookie window gives you decent tracking time, though it’s shorter than some competitors. But here’s the thing – email marketing decisions happen pretty quickly. People don’t usually research for months before picking a tool.

I like that they don’t try to get cute with the commission structure. Some programs start high then drop your rate, or have these complex performance tiers. MailerLite just says 30% and means it.

Base Commission Structure

Flat 30% across all their paid plans. Whether someone picks their $10/month starter plan or goes enterprise, you get the same percentage. The commission covers subscription fees but not add-ons like dedicated IPs.

Most affiliates I talked to don’t mind the add-on exclusion. The main subscription is where the real money lives anyway.

Recurring vs One-Time Payments

This is all recurring. You earn every month (or year for annual subscribers) as long as your people stay customers. No upfront bonuses, but the long-term potential often beats one-time payment programs.

Here’s why this works well with MailerLite – people who build their email lists and set up automations don’t usually switch platforms. It’s too much work to migrate everything.

Bonus Payments & Incentives

No traditional bonus tiers, but they do provide solid support to help you succeed. Monthly newsletters with tips from other affiliates, early access to new features you can write about, that sort of thing.

The support feels genuine rather than corporate. When I had questions, they actually answered them instead of sending me to a FAQ page.

Realistic Earning Examples

Let’s get real about numbers. Refer 15 small businesses averaging $15/month each, and you’re looking at $67.50 monthly. Not life-changing money, but it’s passive income that compounds.

The affiliates doing well focus on growing businesses rather than just anyone who needs email marketing. That e-commerce store that starts at $20/month might be paying $200/month in two years as they scale up.

Most successful people I know in this program earn $300-2,000 monthly after about a year of consistent promotion. The key seems to be patience and picking the right businesses to go after.

How to Join the MailerLite Affiliate Program

Getting approved is pretty painless. They’re not as picky as some email marketing companies, but they do want to see you have a real platform for promotion. Not just a random blog with three posts.

The whole process takes maybe a week from application to getting your first affiliate links. Much faster than some programs that make you wait months.

Step 1: Visit the Affiliate Program Page

Go to mailerlite.com/affiliate and spend a few minutes reading through everything. Their terms are actually written in normal English, which is refreshing. No legal gibberish.

Worth checking out their main product too. Hard to promote something you don’t understand, and their platform is pretty intuitive once you poke around.

Step 2: Complete the Application Form

Basic stuff – who you are, how you plan to promote them, what your audience looks like. Be honest about your experience level. They’re not looking for marketing gurus, just people who’ll represent their brand well.

Even if your audience is small, show that it’s engaged and relevant. A food blogger with 500 active readers isn’t getting approved to promote email marketing tools.

Step 3: Wait for Approval (Timeline)

Most people hear back in 3-5 days. Sometimes faster if your application is straightforward and your platform makes sense.

Rejections usually happen when your promotional methods don’t align with their guidelines or your platform seems sketchy. They occasionally tell you why, which helps if you want to reapply later.

Step 4: Access Your Affiliate Dashboard

Once you’re in, the dashboard is clean and simple. Real-time stats on clicks, conversions, earnings. Nothing fancy, but it has everything you need.

You can generate tracking links for different campaigns and see which promotional channels work best. The interface makes sense without needing a tutorial.

Step 5: Generate Your Affiliate Links

Your links follow a simple format you can customize for different campaigns. The tracking works reliably, and you can create multiple versions to test performance across channels.

Links work for any MailerLite page, not just their homepage. Helpful when you’re writing about specific features or use cases.

Step 6: Start Promoting and Earning

The affiliates who do well focus on education over promotion. Write about email marketing strategy, create platform comparisons, build tutorials that naturally mention MailerLite.

Takes time to build trust, but it’s worth it. People who find you through helpful content convert better than random traffic clicking banner ads.

MailerLite Affiliate Program Requirements

The requirements are reasonable. They want people who can represent their brand professionally, but they’re not looking for marketing experts or massive audiences.

Quality over quantity seems to be their approach. Better to have fewer affiliates creating good content than thousands spamming links everywhere.

Website & Traffic Requirements

You need some kind of online presence. Website, blog, YouTube channel, active social media – something that shows you’re not just collecting affiliate links.

They don’t publish traffic minimums, but having a few hundred engaged followers usually works. A smaller blog with good email marketing content beats a huge site about random topics.

Content Quality Standards

They want helpful content, not just promotional posts with affiliate links stuffed in. Think tutorials, comparisons, case studies – stuff that actually helps people make decisions.

Doesn’t need to be professional production value, but it should be honest and useful. They especially like affiliates who can explain email marketing to beginners without making it confusing.

Geographic Restrictions

Program is open globally, though some countries might have payment processing issues. Most people in North America, Europe, and English-speaking regions have no problems.

If you’re somewhere with limited PayPal access, check payment options before applying. That’s really the main restriction.

Prohibited Promotional Methods

Can’t run PPC ads on their brand terms (MailerLite, MailerLite.com, etc.). Also no sneaky stuff like hidden iframes or automatic redirects to set tracking cookies.

No coupon sites, and you can’t make up discount codes. Pretty standard restrictions designed to protect their brand rather than limit legitimate promotion.

MailerLite Affiliate Payment Terms

Monthly payments via PayPal, which works for most people. The minimum payout threshold is fair, and they’re consistent with payment timing. Haven’t heard complaints about late or missing payments.

The terms are clearer than a lot of affiliate programs. They actually tell you when to expect money instead of vague “within 30-60 days” language.

Payment Methods Available

PayPal only right now. Works globally for most affiliates, but it’s the main limitation of the program. If PayPal doesn’t work in your country, you’re probably out of luck.

They’ve mentioned possibly adding other payment methods, but no timeline on that.

Payment Schedule & Timing

Monthly payments, but you have to request them manually from your dashboard. They don’t happen automatically, which some people forget about.

Processing takes up to 45 days from your request, though most payments arrive in 3-4 weeks. The delay accounts for potential refunds and gives them time to verify everything.

Minimum Payout Threshold

$100 minimum with at least 2 paid referrals. Prevents them from processing tiny payments constantly, and the 2-referral rule ensures you’re actually promoting effectively.

Pretty reasonable threshold compared to programs that make you hit $500 or wait until you have 10+ conversions.

Cookie Duration & Commission Processing

45-day tracking window. Shorter than some competitors, but reasonable for email marketing where people make decisions relatively quickly.

Commission validation happens monthly to account for refunds and cancellations. If someone you referred cancels, that commission typically gets clawed back the following month.

MailerLite Affiliate Resources & Support

The resources are solid without being overwhelming. They give you what you need without drowning you in materials you’ll never use.

Their affiliate support team actually responds to questions and provides helpful answers. Not always the case with these programs.

Available Creative Assets

Professional banners, logos, promotional graphics in various sizes. The designs are clean and on-brand, though not particularly creative or eye-catching.

They update assets periodically for new features and seasonal stuff. Quality is good enough that you won’t be embarrassed using them on your site.

Email Templates & Swipe Copy

They provide templates and copy examples, but they’re more like frameworks than ready-to-send content. Encourages you to customize rather than just copy-paste.

Focus is on educational content with natural affiliate integration rather than hard-sell promotional messages. Works better for building trust anyway.

Support & Training Resources

Monthly newsletters with tips, success stories, product updates. The support team responds quickly and gives useful guidance rather than corporate non-answers.

They run occasional training webinars and give early access to new features you can write about. Better support than most affiliate programs offer.

MailerLite Affiliate Program Pros & Cons

The program has clear advantages, especially if you focus on email marketing content. But it’s not perfect, and some limitations might matter depending on how you promote.

Advantages of the Program

Thirty percent lifetime recurring is competitive. Program is accessible without crazy requirements. MailerLite has good customer retention, so commissions tend to stick around.

The platform itself is user-friendly, making it easier to promote. People who sign up through your links are more likely to actually use the service and stick with it.

Payments are reliable, support is helpful, 45-day cookie window gives decent attribution time for this space.

Potential Drawbacks

PayPal-only payments cut out some international affiliates. The 45-day cookie window is shorter than some competitors.

PPC restrictions on branded terms limit certain promotional strategies. The $100 minimum plus 2-referral requirement might slow initial earnings for new affiliates.

Who Should Join

Content creators focused on email marketing, small business tools, or marketing automation. Bloggers who can create educational content about email strategy.

Consultants and agencies working with small businesses who can naturally recommend email tools. Anyone with an engaged audience interested in growing their email lists.

Who Should Skip This Program

Affiliates who rely heavily on PPC with branded terms. People wanting quick one-time commissions rather than building recurring income.

Anyone without PayPal access. Affiliates whose audiences are outside the small business or marketing space.

MailerLite Affiliate Program FAQs