How to Use ClickFunnels for Affiliate Marketing

By Marius Kiniulis – August 22, 2025
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You can use ClickFunnels for affiliate marketing by building a funnel that captures leads first and then promotes your affiliate offers through email follow-ups.

Instead of just sending traffic straight to an offer, ClickFunnels lets you create a system that collects emails first, builds trust, and maximizes commissions over time.

Here’s how to use ClickFunnels for affiliate marketing:

1. 🎓 Join the ClickFunnels Affiliate Bootcamp — Sign up at affiliatebootcamp.com
2. ✍️ Create your ClickFunnels account — Sign up at www.clickfunnels.com.
3. ⚙️ Set up your first affiliate funnel — Choose a pre-built template or create one from scratch to promote your affiliate offer.
4. 📧 Set up your email automation — Connect an email autoresponder and create a simple sequence to follow up with leads.
5. 🚀 Promote your affiliate funnel — Send targeted visitors into your funnel.

Can ClickFunnels Be Used for Affiliate Marketing? 📈

✅ Yes — ClickFunnels works extremely well for affiliate marketing.While it was initially built for entrepreneurs selling their own products, the same funnel tools are just as effective for promoting offers you don’t own.

Here’s why it fits affiliate marketing so well:

1. 🖥 Bridge Pages: Instead of sending traffic straight to an affiliate link, you can build a pre-sell page that warms up leads, shares your story, and increases conversions.
2. 📧 Email Capture: ClickFunnels lets you collect email addresses before sending people to the sales page, so you can follow up with future promotions.
3. 🔗 Affiliate Funnels: You can design funnels that showcase bonuses, compare offers, or provide extra value — helping you stand out from other affiliates.
4. 🚀 Scalable Traffic: Whether your leads come from SEO, YouTube, ads, or social media, ClickFunnels funnels are optimized to convert traffic into buyers.

Why Use ClickFunnels for Affiliate Marketing? 🚀

ClickFunnels isn’t only for product creators — it’s also a powerful tool for affiliates.

Instead of just sending traffic directly to an affiliate link, you can build a simple funnel that collects leads, warms them up, and then sends them to the product you’re promoting.

Here’s why it works so well for affiliate marketing:

1. Lead Capture First ✍️ — Collect emails before sending people to an affiliate offer. This way, even if they don’t buy right away, you can follow up with more emails later.
2. Pre-Sell Pages 📝 — Use landing pages to explain the product’s benefits in your own words. This helps bridge the gap between cold traffic and the affiliate sales page.
3. Email Automation 📧 — Nurture your list with automated sequences that build trust and highlight different aspects of the product.
4. Upsells & Bonuses 🎁 — Offer your own bonuses or extra value to make your affiliate link more attractive. ClickFunnels lets you easily build pages that showcase these.
5. Analytics & Tracking 📊 — See where your leads are coming from, how they’re converting, and optimize your funnel for better results.

How Can You Use ClickFunnels for Affiliate Marketing? 🛠️

You can use ClickFunnels by building simple affiliate funnels that turn visitors into leads before sending them to your affiliate offers.

This way, you don’t lose traffic after a single click — you keep an audience you can promote to again and again.

Here are the most common ways affiliates use ClickFunnels:

1. Landing Pages for Lead Magnets 🧲 — Create a freebie (like a guide, checklist, or template) to collect email addresses before sending visitors to an affiliate product.
2. Bridge Pages 🌉 — Warm up your audience with a short page that explains why the product is worth their attention, then link them to the affiliate offer.
3. Bonus Pages 🎁 — Showcase the extra value you’re giving (like templates, cheat sheets, or mini-trainings) when people buy through your affiliate link.
4. Webinar Funnels 🎥 — Run live or automated webinars that educate your audience, build trust, and naturally recommend the affiliate product.
5. Follow-Up Email Sequences 📧 — Send automated emails that share tips, case studies, and stories while promoting your affiliate offer over time.

This approach gives you two major advantages: you keep control of the audience you attract, and you can promote multiple offers to the same list instead of losing them after one click.

Types of Affiliate Funnels You Can Build in ClickFunnels 🌀

ClickFunnels can be used to build several types of affiliate funnels, including lead magnet funnels, bridge funnels, bonus funnels, webinar funnels, and even challenge funnels.

Each one helps you capture leads, warm up your audience, and increase conversions before sending traffic to your affiliate offers.

1. Lead Magnet Funnel 🧲 – capture emails with a freebie, then promote via email.
2. Bridge Funnel 🌉 – explain the offer on a pre-sell page before linking out.
3. Bonus Funnel 🎁 – showcase extra bonuses buyers get when purchasing through you.
4. Webinar Funnel 🎥 – educate with a live or automated webinar, then recommend the product.
5. Challenge Funnel ⚡ – run a short challenge that naturally promotes the affiliate product.

How to Build a High-Converting Affiliate Funnel with ClickFunnels (Step-by-Step)

Here’s my step-by-step process for building an affiliate marketing funnel using ClickFunnels.

It will take you from a complete beginner to having a working funnel that generates commissions.

Step 1: Get a ClickFunnels Account

First things first—you’ll need a ClickFunnels account to start building your funnel.

Step 2: Set up an Opt-in Landing Page

To set up an opt-in funnel in ClickFunnels, follow these detailed steps:

1. Access Funnels: From the left side menu, click on Funnels.
   
2. Create a New Funnel: Click the Create Funnel button to redirect you to the pre-made funnel templates page.
   
3. Select a Funnel Type: Click on Lead “Squeeze” Funnel to filter the types of templates.
   
4. Then, choose an Opt-in Funnel template you want to use.
   
5. Customize the Opt-in Page:
   • Click on the Opt-in page to edit it.
     
   • Add necessary elements like an email field and a submission button.
   • Customize the page URL and SEO settings as needed.
6. Save Your Changes: Make sure to save all edits to ensure your funnel pages are updated.

Step 3: Create a Bridge Page

To set up a bridge page within an opt-in funnel in ClickFunnels, you need to follow these steps:

1. Add a New Page: Within your funnel’s workflow, select the New Page button to add a new page.
   
2. Select or Create a Bridge Page Template:
   
   • You can choose a pre-existing template that suits a bridge page function or create a new page from scratch.
   • A bridge page typically includes content that connects the initial opt-in offer to the final conversion goal, such as a product sale or a deeper engagement step.
3. Customize Your Bridge Page:
   • Add Content: Introduce the next steps or benefits that encourage users to proceed further into the funnel.
   • Include Strong Call-to-Action (CTA): Place a CTA that leads them to the next part of the funnel, such as a sales page or a deeper informational page.
   • Optimization Elements: Add elements like testimonials, benefits, or a short video to enhance credibility and engagement.
4. Save and Test: Save your changes and test the flow from the opt-in page through the bridge page to the final destination to ensure all links and redirects work smoothly.

Step 4: Design a Thank You Page

To set up a Thank You page within your opt-in funnel in ClickFunnels, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Thank You Page: In the funnel workflow, locate the Thank You page.
   
2. Customize the Thank You Page:
   • Click on the Thank You page to edit it.
   • Add elements such as text thanking them for signing up, video messages, download links, or further instructions.
   • Customize the page URL and SEO settings as needed.
3. Save Your Changes: Ensure all edits are saved and that the page reflects the message and actions you want to convey to new subscribers.
4. Test the Funnel: Preview the funnel from the start to the Thank You page to ensure all parts work seamlessly and the user experience is smooth.

Step 5: Add Affiliate Links

To add affiliate links to your opt-in page funnel in ClickFunnels, follow these steps:

1. Edit the Bridge Page: Click on the bridge page within your funnel to start editing.
2. Add Affiliate Links:
   • Text Link: Highlight the text where you want to insert the link, click on the hyperlink icon, and enter the affiliate URL.
   • Button Link: Click on the button element, then, in the right settings, set the action to “Go to Website URL” and paste your affiliate link.
3. Save Changes: After adding the affiliate links, make sure to save the changes to your page.

Step 6: Setup an Email Autoresponder Sequence

1. Access Workflows: From your ClickFunnels dashboard, navigate to the Automations » Workflows menu.
   
2. Create a New Workflow: Select the Add Workflow button to create a new workflow.
   
3. Set Up the Trigger: Choose the appropriate trigger for the workflow. For an opt-in funnel, you might use an Opt-In event trigger, which activates when a user submits their email on your opt-in page.
   
4. Add a Delay: You can optionally add a delay step if you want to wait a certain period before sending the first email.
   
5. Create Follow-Up Emails: Design and add the emails that will be sent as part of the sequence. These could include a welcome email, educational content, engagement prompts, or offers.
6. Test Your Workflow: Test the workflow with a test email address to ensure that it triggers and runs as expected. Also, check that all emails are sent at the correct times and contain the correct information.

Which ClickFunnels Plan Is Best for Affiliates? 💼

ClickFunnels has four pricing plans — Launch ($97/mo), Scale ($197/mo), Optimize ($297/mo), and Dominate ($5,997/year).For affiliate marketing, the Launch Plan ($97/month) is more than enough.

It includes the funnel builder, lead capture pages, email automation, and checkout integrations you’ll need to promote affiliate offers.

Higher-tier plans mainly add extra funnels, more analytics, and advanced features. While those are useful for large businesses, most affiliates don’t need them to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)❓

1. Can I promote affiliate products other than ClickFunnels with my funnels?

✅ Yes. You can use ClickFunnels to promote any affiliate product — whether it’s software, courses, eBooks, or physical products. The platform is simply the tool you use to build funnels and capture leads, so you’re not limited to promoting ClickFunnels itself.

2. Do I need a website to use ClickFunnels for affiliate marketing?

No. ClickFunnels can replace a traditional website because it hosts your funnels, landing pages, and email sequences. However, some affiliates also use a blog or website alongside ClickFunnels for SEO and long-term content marketing.

3. Can I add tracking to monitor which traffic sources are converting?

Yes. ClickFunnels integrates with tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and other tracking software so you can see which traffic channels bring in the most leads and sales.

4. Is ClickFunnels compliant with affiliate networks?

Yes. Most affiliate networks (like ClickBank, JVZoo, or Impact) allow you to use funnels, as long as you follow their policies.

5. How much time does it take to set up an affiliate funnel in ClickFunnels?

It depends on your experience, but with pre-built templates you can have a basic affiliate funnel live in a few hours. Adding custom bonuses, email sequences, and traffic strategies may take a few days to complete.

🚀 Ready to Start?

ClickFunnels gives you the tools to create affiliate funnels that capture leads, build email lists, and promote offers with higher conversions than sending traffic directly to an affiliate link.

Create your account at ClickFunnels.com and join the Affiliate Bootcamp at AffiliateBootcamp.com to get step-by-step training on turning funnels into commissions.