How much do creators earn per affiliate click?

Creators earn whatever their commission divided by their clicks comes to, and that number, earnings per click (EPC), varies widely. It is set by three things: the share of clicks that turn into orders, the average order value, and the commission rate. A $0.05 EPC and a $1.00 EPC can both be normal, depending on the product and the audience.

The two EPC formulas

The first formula measures what happened:

EPC = total commission ÷ total clicks

If 800 clicks on a link earned $64 in commission, the EPC is $64 ÷ 800 = $0.08.

The second formula predicts it:

EPC = conversion rate × average order value × commission rate

If 3% of clicks become orders, the average order is $50 and the commission is 4%, then EPC = 0.03 × $50 × 0.04 = $0.06.

For flat-fee programs, such as software that pays a fixed amount per sale, use:

EPC = conversion rate × flat commission

Both formulas give the same answer once you have real numbers. The second one shows you which lever to pull. Doubling the order value helps as much as doubling the conversion rate.

Worked examples

These are illustrative examples to show the math, not data about what creators typically earn. Each assumes 1,000 clicks.

Notice the last two rows. The product and the commission are the same. Only the audience changed. A video seen by people who were already shopping beats one seen by a huge, curious crowd. This is why EPC is worth tracking per video, not only per link.

You can plug your own numbers into the affiliate earnings calculator.

How commission structures differ

Amazon Associates (US)

Amazon pays a fixed rate by product category. As of October 2026, the US "Standard Commission Income Rates" page in Associates Central lists:

Amazon changes these rates from time to time and rates differ by country, so check the page in your own Associates account.

Timing matters too. Amazon's Associates help pages say items added to the cart within 24 hours of the click can earn commission, and the program policies require the order to be completed within 89 days of that first click. That short window is one reason Amazon EPC tends to favor viewers who buy soon after watching.

Affiliate networks (Impact, CJ, Awin, Everflow)

On networks, each brand sets its own terms. You will usually see one of these:

• Percentage of sale: a share of the order value. Some programs pay different rates for different products or customer types.
• Flat fee per sale: common for software, subscriptions and financial products.
• Per lead or sign-up: a fixed payout for a free trial, a quote request or an app install.

The tracking window (how long after the click a sale still counts) is also set per program. Read each program's terms before you compare EPCs.

Pending and reversed commissions

Networks usually report a sale as pending, then approve it or reverse it, for example after a return or a cancelled order. If you calculate EPC on pending commission, your number will be too high. Calculate it on approved commission, or at least track how much of your pending commission is typically reversed.

How to raise your EPC

1. Send buyers, not browsers. Reviews, comparisons and "what I use" videos bring people who are already deciding.
2. Match the link to the video. If a viewer arrives from a tent review, the tent should be the first thing they see on your page.
3. Pick higher-value products where it is honest. At the same conversion rate, a $150 product earns more per click than a $15 one.
4. Check the commission tier. The same product can pay differently through Amazon and through the brand's own program on a network.
5. Cut what does not earn. Links with lots of clicks and no sales take attention from links that pay.

When you compare numbers, check whether a dashboard reports EPC per click or per 100 clicks. Mixing the two makes one link look 100 times better than another.

Seeing EPC by video in Vyrl

Most affiliate dashboards show EPC by link or by program. They cannot show EPC by video, because they do not know which video sent the click.

Vyrl adds that. Each video gets its own address, like vyrl.at/yourname/storm, and Vyrl attaches its click ID to the network's sub ID parameter on every click. When the network sends the sale back by postback, or when you upload Amazon's Earnings report, the commission is matched to the click and to the video it came from. The dashboard then shows commission and EPC by video, by link and by place, such as TikTok versus YouTube. Postbacks and revenue per video are on the Creator plan. Setup guides: Impact, CJ, Awin, Everflow and Amazon Associates.