Why Does NordVPN Sponsor So Many YouTubers?
Having been in the affiliate marketing space for a while, I’m very familiar with NordVPN. They have an extremely aggressive affiliate program and work with tons of influencers and content creators. So it’s no surprise you may have noticed NordVPN sponsorships popping up all over YouTube lately.
And you might be wondering – why does NordVPN sponsor so many YouTubers?
Is NordVPN approaching creators and paying them directly?
What exactly is going on behind the scenes?
I’ll break down exactly why NordVPN invests so heavily in influencer campaigns on YouTube, how their affiliate program works, the pros and cons of being a NordVPN affiliate, and how you can join their program to start earning commissions!
Most NordVPN Partnerships Are Actually Affiliate Deals
First things first – when you see a YouTuber talking about NordVPN, there’s over a 95% chance they aren’t directly sponsored. Instead, they are an affiliate partner participating in NordVPN’s affiliate program.
So, what’s the difference between a sponsorship and an affiliate deal?
Sponsorships
With a direct sponsorship, a brand like NordVPN will pay the creator a fixed sponsorship fee or a Cost Per Thousand rate (CPM which is based on views) in exchange for product mentions in their video.
For example, NordVPN could pay a YouTuber $10,000 or $15 CPM in order for them to create a dedicated video talking about and promoting NordVPN.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing means the creator earns a commission when they refer users who end up purchasing from NordVPN. So the YouTuber only gets paid if they convince viewers to sign up for NordVPN.
Rather than paying upfront, NordVPN will pay the YouTuber a percentage of any sales they drive.
So when you see your favorite YouTuber talking about how great NordVPN is, there’s a very strong chance they aren’t directly sponsored. Instead, NordVPN is leveraging their army of affiliates.
This allows them to get tons of exposure across YouTube without having to pay creators upfront for sponsored posts. Pretty smart!
This may make you wonder…
Why Does NordVPN Pay So Many YouTubers as Affiliates?
The main reason is simple – their affiliate program converts like crazy.
NordVPN offers one of the most lucrative recurring affiliate programs out there.
In fact, some affiliates are easily making over $200k per year simply by driving signups to NordVPN from their YouTube audiences.
Here are some of the key details:
- 100% commission on first month sales – When you refer a user and they purchase a 1-month plan, NordVPN pays you 100% of the $10-12 sale price.
- 30% lifetime recurring commissions – NordVPN offers primarily annual subscription plans of around $60 per year. As an affiliate, you earn 30% commissions each year the user renews their plan.
- Very low churn rate – NordVPN subscribers tend to stick around and renew year after year. That means recurring commissions for life!
Partnering with influencers and leveraging YouTube to acquire long-term users, NordVPN is able to scale efficiently while rewarding its affiliates with massive recurring payouts.
It’s a win-win!
If seeing these YouTubers earning big NordVPN commissions has you interested, let’s talk about how you can join the party…
How to Become a NordVPN Affiliate
Becoming a NordVPN affiliate is simple and straight forward:
- Sign Up for Their Program – Just search “NordVPN affiliate program” and you’ll find their application page. Fill it out with your info and be sure to describe how you plan to promote them.
- Get Approved – NordVPN will review your application and as long as you have a strategy for promotion, you should get approved quickly.
- Start Promoting – Once approved, you’ll gain access to an affiliate dashboard with all your links and promo materials. Get out there and start earning!
Ideal Promotion Strategies
Because this is a recurring commission program, the key is driving long-term, trust-based conversions.
Rather than doing shady stuff like posting sketchy links on forums, focus on leveraging platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc.
Create genuinely useful content around digital privacy and security, establish know-like-trust with your audience, then sprinkle in some NordVPN offers.
The more authority you build, the higher your conversions will be.
Pros and Cons of Promoting NordVPN
Promoting NordVPN and their affiliate program offers some huge advantages but also some downsides to consider:
Pros
- Huge commissions with recurring revenue
- NordVPN converts very well with the right audience
- You can leverage video and social content to drive conversions
- Authority and trust works very well for this type of offer
Cons
- It takes a while to build an audience and authority needed to convert
- Must create lots of consistent, high-quality content
- Recurring model means you won’t get rich quick off first-time sales
- Tough to leverage paid ads profitably due to low first-time commissions
In summary, while NordVPN’s program can lead to a great long-term income stream, it does require patience and dedication to see significant earnings.
If you’re prepared to slowly build an audience through free content and establish authority around privacy and security topics, you can do extremely well driving recurring NordVPN income over time.
Next Steps
Hopefully, this gives you more insight into why NordVPN sponsors so many YouTubers and how their affiliate program works.
As you saw, there’s certainly money to be made, even if it requires hard work and a sound long-term strategy vs quick wins.
If you do decide to promote NordVPN, I’d love to hear about your experience and results! Be sure to leave a comment below detailing your strategy and how it goes.
PS: If you want an introduction to the broader world of affiliate marketing (beyond just VPN services), you can grab a copy of my free Affiliate Marketing for Beginners eBook using the link below.
It will teach you all about my proven 3-step process for getting started with your first affiliate site from scratch.
