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If you don't already have Canva, try it for free! Canva makes it ridiculously simple to create blog banners, edit photos, and design social media marketing content. It is also one of the few blogging tools that I use on a daily basis.
CASEY BOTTICELLO
Founder, Blogging Guide
There’s far more to Canva than simply using the platform as a design tool. Since 2012, those with little-to-no design experience have taken advantage of Canva’s vast toolset and expansive free version offering. Now, as more and more people see the value delivered by the design site’s paid options, Canva has launched an affiliate program targeted at design influencers and educators who boast large online followings to help them keep on growing. Yes, you can earn with Canva by promoting the platform for them. With over 75 million users and counting, Canva’s Affiliate program is the perfect opportunity for those looking to add a new revenue stream to their portfolio, and a lucrative one at that.
Canva is growing – fast. Every day, people are turning to the graphic design platform to take care of their visual content needs, from basic editing to advanced graphic design. But while everyone has been raving about how fantastic the platform is, behind the scenes, Canva has been creating new and innovative opportunities for people to make money with them. Beyond the Canva Contributor program and fledgling Creator project, we now have Canva’s Affiliate program.
In this Canva Affiliate program review, we unpack the platform’s latest partner offering and try to investigate how much do Canva Affiliates earn, really. We’ll take you through the relatively straightforward sign-up process, look at those impressive commissions and explore why people are rushing to apply to the Canva Affiliate program.
Canva Affiliate Program: An Overview
Okay, so in case you don’t know what Canva is all about, here’s a quick reminder.
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to use basic editing tools, templates, and elements to create a variety of rich visual content, from logos to icons, posters, brochures, documents, presentations, and, more recently, videos. If you want to know more about Canva and what it can do for you, check out this comprehensive guide to the graphic design platform.
New Revenue Options
While Canva offers its design users an innovative platform to create incredible visual content, we’re here to learn about how creators can benefit from the platform as it continues to grow and evolve.
At the end of 2021, Canva reported that its community had grown to over 75 million users from almost 200 countries, pumping out more than 3.5 billion designs that year alone. As impressive as these numbers are, however, most of them are credited to people using the platform’s free version.
Canva has since been focusing heavily on getting people to sign up for its paid Canva Pro and for Teams plans, enticing users by offering ever-improved premium tools, access to high-quality library content, and more. As their Contributor program took off – where artists and design creators get paid for submitting visual content to the platform – so too is their latest partner program: Canva Contributor, where creators can now design entire, full-suite templates for purchase by users on the platform.
Canva Affiliate Program 101
The Canva Affiliate program allows partners to market the platform on their blogs, vlogs, websites, social media channels, and videos and earn while doing so. Affiliates can earn by promoting Canva through any number of means, including sharing their affiliate links via:
- Design video tutorials that promote Canva Pro
- Blog posts and articles targeted at potential Canva Pro users
- Personalized email marketing to select niche audience lists
- Social media posts focusing on design content
- Website ads and banners pitching the Canva Pro subscription
As these links drive visitors to Canva’s landing pages and increase the chances of them purchasing a Canva Pro paid subscription, cookies left for up to 30 days on their computer will know if your affiliate link played a role in getting them to purchase a subscription and, ultimately pay you a well-deserved commission.
The program uses a reputable affiliate network called Impact and offers affiliates very attractive commissions for referring users to sign up for the platform’s Canva Pro paid plan. Partners can earn a rosy 80% commission for new users signing up for an annual subscription and 15% on the monthly sign-up. That’s as much as $36 for each new Pro plan subscriber – not bad at all.
Anyone can apply to the program, and you’ll need to check a few boxes before being approved as an affiliate, like agreeing to promote Canva across your digital marketing channels and meeting their audience size requirements (which aren’t public knowledge – yet), but the program is generally ideally geared towards:
- Design influencers – with solid followings who put out engaging video posts, blogs, and articles.
- Design educators – who create and offer credible tutorials and online courses to users looking for expert design knowledge and advice.
- Content creators – boasting a substantial audience base, whether through social media channels or a high-traffic website.
Canva Affiliate Program Review
The Canva Affiliate program is a popular choice among creators, online business owners, and passive income seekers alike. Aside from those hard-to-beat commissions, the program also offers in-depth support, super-fast payments, and a 30-day cookie period. Next up, in this Canva Affiliate program review, we take a peek into what working as a Canva Affiliate is all about.
Signing Up
Signing up for Canva’s Affiliate program is quick and easy. However, if you’re new to the Impact network, you’ll need to create a new account before getting started. If you want to get the most out of your commissions, it is strongly advisable to sign up for Canva Pro as well – don’t worry, the $119.99 a year subscription quickly pays itself off. Here’s how to join the program:
1. Hit the “join now” button on Canva’s affiliate page and begin with the affiliate application form.
2. Complete the form by answering as thoroughly as possible. Canva will ask about the type of partner you are (content, influencer, or email, for example), allowing them to get a better idea of the affiliate role best suited to you.
3. Once you’ve applied to the Canva Pro Affiliate program, you will be notified after 48-72 hours about whether your application was successful or not. Remember, Canva is looking for worthy Pro affiliates, so admission isn’t guaranteed.
4. Once approved, Canva will get you started by providing everything you need to get promoting – and earning! This will include your affiliate link, login details for your Impact dashboard, and instructions.
Promoting Canva
Once you’re up and running and ready to promote Canva, simply add your Canva HTML or tracking link to your marketing resources. Since you’re already operating on Canva, designing your banner ads is easy, while the affiliate program’s support features are available to answer any questions you have. Promoting Canva means showcasing the platform’s best features via your website, mobile, or social media channels by including:
- Your HTML code – which creates your display ads or banners for your popups, sidebars, or homepage website marketing.
- The tracking link – which can be included as a text link in your email marketing newsletters, in your blogs, on your social media posts, and even in direct messages sent to potential Pro buyers.
Earning Commissions
Many of the Canva Affiliate program reviews you’ll find online talk about the partner program’s commissions being the real winner. They’re right. Canva’s Affiliate program offers partners up to $36 every time their tracking link pings a new Pro sign-up – that’s right up there with the best returns available.
While affiliates won’t earn commission on a lead converting to a free account, or a 30-day trial, you will get paid if these users upgrade to a Canva Pro plan inside that 30-day window. Canva’s affiliate partner, Impact’s, cookie-based affiliate tracking software will ensure that any new subscribers who purchase within 30 days of their first click on your link are credited to you. Earnings depend on whether the new sign-up took out a monthly or annual plan.
Monthly plan: Affiliates will receive an 80% commission from the new subscriber’s first two months’ worth of fees.
Annual plan– Affiliates take a one-off 15% commission for each new sign-up, with a $36 maximum commission incentive for those top affiliates.
Payment Options & Thresholds
The Canva Affiliate program excels in getting its affiliates paid quickly and easily. The cookie-based tracking software means you’ll have your commissions in your pocket within 30 days, while the ultra-low $10 payout threshold means no funds getting tied up while you wait to reach your minimum amount. The program is flexible, too, when it comes to getting money paid out. Payments can be made via e-transfer, direct to your bank account, or through PayPal, and Affiliates can cash out 15 days after confirming a payout.
Canva Support
Canva Affiliates enjoy substantial support from Canva. They can reach out to the platform via responsive email and live-chat support access, available 24/7. Aside from their assistance, the Affiliate dashboard provides detailed sales tracking and earnings data. The program also offers affiliates a rich resources set, including a comprehensive ‘how-to’ guide, access to community tips and news forums, and ad templates reserved exclusively for Affiliates.
Canva Affiliate Program Pros and Cons
Booming Commissions – Canva offers stunning commissions among the affiliate industry’s best. At up to $36 per new Pro sign-up, that’s a good number, even for affiliate pros.
Easy to Use Interface – Canva’s use of Impact’s tracking software is a home run. The user dashboard is easy to learn, and affiliates have no problem managing their sales and performance.
Tools and Support by Canva Make Marketing Easy – The Affiliate program’s promotional HTML and tracking toolsets make getting banner ads up and running simple, while the comprehensive support and resources available mean that partners are always in the loop.
30 Day Cookie Retention – While some may argue that 30 days is a little short, it’s still above industry standard and, compared to Amazon’s 24-hour retention period, isn’t bad at all.
Big Opportunities for Growth – Canva is growing, and as more and more users flock to the platform, it’s simple mathematics: More users mean more potential sign-ups. Getting involved with the Canva Affiliate program now is a good idea.
Tough to Get Accepted Into – Canva’s Affiliate program is looking to collaborate with creators who will do a good job promoting them. And, with a reported 43% program acceptance rate, this means that those applying with sites or channels that don’t get enough traffic or aren’t design-related are going to struggle to get accepted.
No Recurring Commission – Affiliates on the program only get paid once per user. They won’t earn a new commission when the subscriber renews their plan or upgrades after the initial commission has been paid. But, with commissions as high as they are, this shouldn’t bother too many.
Canva Much Do Canva Affiliates Earn?
Canva states that affiliates can earn up to $36 per new user signing up through their marketing efforts. Whether earning from a monthly sign-up or an annual one, Affiliates are guaranteed good returns for their promoting activities. Let’s take a look at a hypothetical situation here to try and estimate how much money do Canva Affiliates earn.
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- 100 people click through to Canva’s site via your affiliate links on your website and social media channels.
- 50 register for the free version, and 30 take the 30-day Canva Pro free trial.
- Of the 30 who signed up for the 30-day free trial, 15 decide to take out a paid Canva Pro plan as follows
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10 on the Monthly plan at $12.99 per month (at 80% commission, ) = $103.92
5 on the Annual Pro plan at $119.99 per year (at 15% commission, or $18) = $90.00
That’s $193.92 in one month!
And that’s not counting the additional $103.92 you’ll get the following month for the 2nd commission you earn from monthly users.
Yearly subscriber commissions are once-off but worth more per new sign-up (assuming some of those monthly users cancel after month 1).
While commission structures may vary according to how much traffic your channels make, the passive income potential for the Canva Affiliate program is pretty impressive.
I’ve been an affiliate for about a year, and typically generate a few hundred dollars per month in consistent passive income with the Canva Affiliate program!
Below are some sample earnings screenshots / payouts for July (last month to fully clear):
Conclusion
With the graphic design juggernaut on the up, joining the Canva Affiliate program is an excellent idea if you’ve got the numbers to back you up, are interested in making money on a popular platform, and are looking to scale your business without doing too much work.
Aside from the Canva Affiliate program offering users an easy-to-use database that is quick off the mark and loaded with support and tools, the commissions alone are eye-watering. At 80% and 15% of subscription fees for monthly and yearly new sign-ups, respectively, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better offer in the affiliate marketing game.
Impact’s 30-day cookie tracking software and impressive payment track record make getting your hands on your revenue a breeze, while low payment thresholds and flexible payment options are just as attractive. Understanding how much do Canva Affiliates earn is up to how well their promotions perform, though Canva’s general structure makes monetizing their channels pretty easy.
Getting approved as an affiliate can be tough, and the platform’s free version popularity means that conversion rates can get a little tricky. Still, with some smart, creative marketing and a little innovative messaging, affiliates will have their prospects signing up en-masse to Canva Pro in no time.
Overall, this Canva Affiliate program review has found few reasons for you not to take a shot at joining the graphic design platform’s partner program. It’s a creator’s paradise, after all.
