In 2020, the cigar industry in the United States is projected to bring in revenues of around $9,420m. While it’s a relatively small segment of the tobacco industry, it’s also a niche segment that is expected to grow by about 2.5%, while other tobacco segments are slipping.
Because of its niche market appeal, cigars could be a good fit for some affiliate marketers who have strong strategies and know what they’re looking for. The best cigar affiliate programs provide luxury cigars in a variety of brands and prices, as well as accessories and the ability to customize cigars for special events.
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If you’re interested, read through this list of the top ten cigar affiliate programs. At the end of the article, I’ll share some ideas of ways you can incorporate these programs into your affiliate websites.
Cigar Affiliate Programs
- Famous Smoke Shop
- Thompson Cigar
- JR Cigar
- Mike’s Cigars
- Cuban Crafters
- Gotham Cigars
- Cigar Country
- Cigar Manor
- Cuvana E-Cigar
- Custom Tobacco
1. Famous Smoke Shop
- URL: Famous Smoke Shop Affiliate Program
- Commission: Up to 15%
- Cookie: Up to 30 days
Famous Smoke Shop sells cigars and cigar accessories from several top brands such as Alec Bradley, Avanti, Liga Privada, and Rocky Patel. Customers can use the search bar to find a specific item, or they can browse through categories such as cigars, accessories, pouches, tobacco, swag, and gifts.
Customers who sign up for email notifications on upcoming deals also get a promo code to use for free shipping on their first order of $75 or more.
The affiliate program is run through Impact Radius. Affiliates have access to a product feed and custom banners in any size or format. One nice thing about this program is that it also covers the brands, Cigar Monster and Cigar Auctioneer.
Why You Should Promote Famous Smoke Shop: The email notifications for deals and the free shipping offer could help convert shoppers. The special gift section is nice, too. For affiliate marketers, both the commission and cookie length are great. Affiliates can also earn commissions from Cigar Monster and Cigar Auctioneer with this program.
2. Thompson Cigar
- URL: Thompson Cigar Affiliate Program
- Commission: 5-7%
- Cookie: 30 days
Thompson Cigar carries a wide range of cigar brands in bundles, samplers, and boxes, as well as accessories and related products with several categories that customers can browse through. The website has a special deals section, a tab for humidors, and a tab where customers can look for pipes and pipe tobacco.
The affiliate commission structure is tiered, with the base commission rate starting at 5%. Commissions can go up to 7% for affiliates who refer more than $10,000 in sales each month. The affiliate program is run through CJ. Affiliates get access to affiliate-only promotions, a daily data feed, a monthly newsletter, and promotional coupon codes.
Why You Should Promote Thompson Cigar: The wide variety and great website organization make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for. The commission structure is tiered, too, which means affiliates can earn more for high monthly referrals.
3. JR Cigar
- URL: JR Cigar Affiliate Program
- Commission 10% for new referrals, 7% for repeat customers, and up to 20% on specialty items
- Cookie: 30 days
JR Cigar is one of the world’s largest cigar stores, with an impressive selection of cigars and accessories. This company has a price match guarantee, an auto-ship option, and both daily and weekly auctions.
The affiliate program is run through CJ. Affiliates can use the daily product feed, marketing calendar, and exclusive coupon codes to help promote the products. One nice thing about this company is that it offers a commission for repeat customers, and the commission for specialty items is as high as 20%. Specialty items include JR Plus memberships and Cigar of the Month memberships.
Why You Should Promote JR Cigar: The commission structure is great, especially for the specialty items, and the ability to earn repeat commissions is wonderful.
4. Mike’s Cigars
- URL: Mike’s Cigars Affiliate Program
- Commission: Starts at 5%
- Cookie: 30 days
Mike’s Cigars sells a variety of cigar products, including discounted double stacks. This company offers a freshness guarantee as well as free shipping on some products. Orders that are placed before 5 PM are shipped the same day.
The website has a liquidation tab where customers can get up to 40% off name brand cigars and accessories. This online storefront is optimized so that customers can view it well on a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet.
The affiliate program is run through ShareASale. Affiliates get a monthly newsletter, a promotional marketing calendar, and exclusive coupon codes.
Why You Should Promote Mike’s Cigars: The liquidation and double stacks tabs on the website are somewhat unique.
5. Cuban Crafters
- URL: Cuban Crafters Affiliate Program
- Commission: 10-15%
- Cookie: 30 days
Besides offering a great selection of cigars and accessories, Cuban Crafters hosts a monthly drawing where customers can enter to win a box of 25 cigars and a cigar cutter. The website also has tabs for weekly deals, discount cigars, and email specials.
Orders of more than $100 get free shipping in the United States. Another nice thing about this company is that affiliates can give friends and family a 20% discount.
The affiliate program is run in house. Affiliates can market the products with banner ads, graphics, and text links that the company provides. Special and exclusive promotions are available for affiliates with websites, and this company holds holiday promotions, too. Affiliates get a $20 bonus just for signing up with this company.
Why You Should Promote Cuban Crafters: The free shipping and monthly drawing are fun perks for customers. Affiliates get a sign-on bonus and a friends and family discount as well as a decent commission rate.
6. Gotham Cigars
- URL: Gotham Cigars Affiliate Program
- Commission: 10%
- Cookie: 30 days
Gotham Cigars is one of America’s largest online cigar stores. This company carries an exceptional selection of cigars, including samplers for new cigar enthusiasts and super-premium five-packs. This store also offers a cigar of the month club.
The affiliate program is run through CJ. The commission rate starts at 10%, but affiliates with high sales volumes can earn up to 12% per referral. Affiliates are given high-converting coupon offers and a daily feed to help them promote the products. Creatives and other promotional items are updated regularly. Commissions are paid on every product.
Why You Should Promote Gotham Cigars: The tiered commission rate is nice. The cigar of the month club and the samplers could be helpful and fun for new cigar smokers.
7. Cigar Country
- URL: Cigar Country Affiliate Program
- Commission: 10% for new customers, 5% for repeat customers
- Cookie: 30 days
Cigar Country sells cigars made from tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic. This store carries the largest selection of cigars and cigar accessories in the Caribbean, as well as cigars that are customized for specific events, such as celebrating the birth of a baby. Orders of more than $150 get free shipping.
The affiliate program is run in house. The average order value is more than $100. Affiliates get a monthly newsletter, and they have access to monthly sales, a marketing calendar, and exclusive coupon codes to help them promote the products.
Why You Should Promote Cigar Country: The free shipping and customized cigars could be a draw for some shoppers. The average order value is high, the commission rate is great, and affiliates can make money from repeat customers.
8. Cigar Manor
- URL: Cigar Manor Affiliate Program
- Commission: 10%
- Cookie: 90 days
Cigar Manor provides customers with high-quality cigars and accessories at great prices and with excellent customer service. Besides cigars and items like ashtrays and humidors, this store carries golf accessories, cuff links, belts, and other gift ideas.
Customers whose orders total more than $50 can get free shipping. One nice thing about the website is that it’s set up so that customers can shop for cigars based on their price, as well as by brands and product types.
The affiliate program is run through ShareASale. Affiliates are provided with fresh, new creatives and a data feed to help them market the products.
Why You Should Promote Cigar Manor: The cookie length is one of the longest I’ve seen in this industry. The commission rate is nice, too. For customers, the free shipping and the intriguing gift ideas could be converting factors.
9. Cuvana E-Cigar
- URL: Cuvana Cigar Affiliate Program
- Commission: 15%
- Cookie: Unknown
Cuvana E-Cigar sells electronic cigars that are safe and easy to use. These products look almost like real cigars, but they’re tobacco-less and are disposable. The Cuvana E-Cigar has a nice Cuban flavor.
This company runs its own affiliate program. Affiliate marketers can link to the home page or to specific products that Cuvana E-Cigar carries. The base commission rate is good, but affiliate marketers who are great at bringing in referrals can earn higher commission rates.
Why You Should Promote Cuvana E-Cigar: The commission rate is relatively high, and it can be negotiated higher for affiliate marketers who bring in more sales. This company stands out from other cigar companies because it offers an electronic product instead of cigars.
10. Custom Tobacco
- URL: Custom Tobacco Affiliate Program
- Commission: 25%
- Cookie: 30 days
Rather than selling cigars, Custom Tobacco sells customized cigar bands to spruce up cigars for special events. These events cover everything from baby births to bachelor parties and golf tournaments. Customers choose the event, the design, and the type of cigar they want. They can get a 10% discount on their first order.
This company has been featured in several prominent publications, including Crave, Boston Herald, Sports Illustrated, American Way, Fox 4, The Daily Beast, Uptown, and Los Angeles Business Journal.
The affiliate program is run in house.
Why You Should Promote Custom Tobacco: The cookie length is decent and the commission rate is generous. Custom Tobacco is a well-known company that has been featured in several prominent publications. It stands out from other cigar affiliate programs because it focuses on customizing cigars rather than offering a wide variety of cigars.
Affiliate Website Idea
Now that you’ve read through the list of the top ten cigar affiliate programs, do you have any ideas for how you’d like to incorporate them into your affiliate websites? I have a few ideas to share here that could help get you started.
First, cigars and cigar accessories could pair well with any golf-related website, so you could feature any of the programs listed above. You could also promote items like golf clubs, golf gloves, golf apparel, and even passes to golf clubs around the country.
A second idea is a website dedicated to planning and hosting events. Party supply companies could be featured here, as well as caterers, bridal rentals, companies that sell folding tables and chairs, electronic invitations, and software applications for managing events. Custom Tobacco would be a great fit here, as well.
A third idea is a website for expectant mothers. Any of the programs from the list above that customize cigars to celebrate baby births could be promoted here. You could also feature baby furniture, maternity clothing, hypnosis programs to ease birth, nursery items, and even diaper sample boxes.
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These 10 affiliate programs are just the beginning of what's possible. There are hundreds of ways to earn affiliate commissions with your website, including product reviews, top 10 lists, how-to guides, and more
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Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
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