How to Use ClickFunnels For Affiliate Marketing:
A Step-by-Step Guide

By Marius Kiniulis – November 7, 2024
We use affiliate links and may receive a small commission on purchases (at no extra cost to you). Learn more.

You can use ClickFunnels for affiliate marketing to build high-converting sales funnels that generate commissions.

It provides all the tools you need: landing page builder, email integration, and funnel templates specifically designed for affiliate promotions.

With the proper setup, you can achieve 15-30% conversion rates on your affiliate offers—significantly higher than the typical 1-2% from regular affiliate sites.

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to use ClickFunnels for affiliate marketing, including my proven funnel template that generates consistent commissions.

How Does ClickFunnels Work for Affiliate Marketing

ClickFunnels works for affiliate marketing by providing all the tools needed to create a complete sales funnel—from capturing leads to converting them into buyers of your affiliate products.

Here’s exactly what you can do with ClickFunnels as an affiliate marketer:

But here’s what makes ClickFunnels special for affiliate marketing:

Instead of sending traffic directly to affiliate offers and hoping for sales, you can create an entire marketing funnel that:

1. Captures visitor information
2. Builds trust through valuable content
3. Presents your affiliate offer naturally
4. Follows up automatically with those who don’t buy

This way, you transform casual visitors into loyal customers who trust your recommendations and are likelier to purchase through your affiliate links.

My Recommended Affiliate Marketing Funnel

The most effective affiliate marketing funnel I recommend is a Bridge Funnel.

It’s designed to warm your audience before presenting your affiliate offer, resulting in higher conversion rates.

Here’s exactly how this funnel works:

Step 1: Landing Page with Opt-in Form

Your first page captures visitor information by offering a valuable lead magnet.

This lead magnet should directly relate to the affiliate product you’re promoting.

For example:

Step 2: Bridge Page

This is where you pre-sell your affiliate offer.

The bridge page connects the dots between your lead magnet and the product you’re promoting.

It builds trust and shows visitors why they need your recommended solution.

Step 3: Thank You Page

Here, you deliver your lead magnet and present your affiliate offer again.

By this point, visitors have already received value from you, making them more likely to trust your recommendation.

The key is ensuring your lead magnet helps people achieve a quick win related to your affiliate offer.

When they see results from your free content, they’re much more likely to trust and buy through your affiliate link.

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: Setup 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.

2 Quick Tips to Maximize Your Affiliate Conversions

Here are the two most effective ways to increase your affiliate conversion rates with ClickFunnels: offering exclusive bonuses and using countdown timers.

These aren’t just theories—I’ve tested both extensively with multiple affiliate offers, and they consistently boost conversions by 2-3x compared to standard affiliate promotions.

The best part?

Both can be set up in ClickFunnels in less than 30 minutes.

1. Offer Exclusive Bonuses

Don’t just promote affiliate products like everyone else—stand out by offering exclusive bonuses to people who buy through your link.

Here’s the thing about bonuses: They work because they increase the perceived value of your offer without cutting into your affiliate commissions.

While other affiliates promote the same product, you’re offering extra value, making choosing your link a no-brainer.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a bonus that complements the affiliate product (like templates, checklists, or video tutorials)
2. Add a “Bonus” section on your bridge page
3. Display your bonuses with “Value: $X” to show their worth
4. Mention that bonuses are only available through your affiliate link
5. Set up automatic bonus delivery using ClickFunnels’ membership area

For example:

If you’re promoting an email marketing tool, offer a bundle of high-converting email templates as your exclusive bonus.

2. Use Countdown Timers to Create Urgency

ClickFunnels makes it easy to add scarcity to your offers with their built-in timer feature.

Based on my testing, adding a countdown timer can increase clickthrough rates to affiliate offers by up to 47%.

Here’s exactly how to use countdown timers effectively:

1. Add a timer to your bridge page right above the call-to-action button
2. Set it for 15-30 minutes (this works better than longer countdowns)
3. Enable “redirect when expired” in the timer settings
4. Create a “sorry you missed it” page for expired timer redirects
5. Test your timer to ensure it works properly

Important: Always ensure your timers create genuine scarcity. If you’re offering bonuses, actually remove them when the timer expires. This builds trust and makes your future promotions more effective.

Ready to Try ClickFunnels for Affiliate Marketing?

ClickFunnels makes it simple to build affiliate marketing funnels that convert.

If you follow the steps I’ve outlined in this guide, you can have your first funnel ready in less than an hour.

You can try everything I’ve shown you risk-free with a 30-day ClickFunnels trial.

This gives you ample time to build your funnel, set up your automation, and see if this approach works for you.