Top Trends in Affiliate Marketing to Look Out in 2025: Yearly Recap and Industry Future

As we peer into the horizon of affiliate marketing for 2025, it’s important to look back at 2024 first. We’ve collected insights from well-known advertising networks about last year, which show us what affiliate marketing trends are coming. 

In this article, we dive into the 2024 results of top advertising networks. Discover how these networks fared last year and use this insight to spot future of affiliate marketing 2025. Adding these insights to what we’ve learned from industry reports, we’ve uncovered trends that will shape affiliate marketing in 2025–2026.

Affiliate Marketing Overview in 2024

In 2024, the affiliate marketing industry is poised for significant growth, with global revenues expected to reach approximately $15.7 billion. As Hostinger says, the final number is higher – $18.5 billion. In any case, the field continues to grow and develop, attracting more and more participants.

For advertising networks, 2024 meant different things. Some strengthened their positions in Tier-1 markets, while others made significant breakthroughs in Asian regions. The results varied across different formats and verticals. In other words, each network chooses its own path for development. Despite these differences, a common trend is evident – campaigns are becoming increasingly “smarter”, and new features are designed to allow for even more precise targeting and fine optimization.

About Yearly Recap and Future of Affiliate Marketing: Ad Networks Insights 

Representatives of ad networks summarize the outcomes of 2025. Some of them share plans for the future of affiliate marketing in 2025.

RichAds

Key Insight: RichAds has started new ad format Telegram Mini Apps as well as strategically enhanced its presence in global markets.

RichAds review

In the end of 2024, RichAds has made a focus on launching new ad format known as Telegram Mini Apps. The reason is that this approach gives advertisers a unique mix of high-quality traffic, low user acquisition cost, retention tools, and flexible monetization. So, now you can see that RichAds provides the best price in the market – CPС from $0.02 and CPM from $0,4.

RichAds offers the best price for buying TMA traffic.

Ad format performance:

• Push ads. Dominated by Gambling, Betting, and Antivirus verticals, with the highest conversions in Indonesia, Brazil, the USA, Vietnam, and Japan;
• In-page push ads. Effective in reaching iOS users, excelling in Gambling, Dating, and Sweepstakes, with top GEOs including the USA, Indonesia, Japan, India, and Poland;
• Pop ads. Continued to perform well, especially in Gambling, Betting, Media, and Dating, with the USA, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh leading in conversions.
• Direct click. Praised for its effectiveness in Gambling, eCommerce, Betting, and Telecom, with Brazil, the USA, Indonesia, UK, and Bangladesh as top GEOs;
• Native ads. The most popular verticals for this ad format are Gambling, Betting, Dating and Finance in such GEOs as the USA, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa and Japan;
• Telegram ads. This new, but thriving format shows great results in Gambling, Finance, Betting, and Games, with high conversions in Indonesia, Germany, the USA, India, and Nigeria.

RollerAds

Key Insight: The network introduced new features: CPA Goal bidding model, Hourly budget distribution, and Zone optimization. 

RollerAds review

2024 has been a blast. The ad network has introduced a bunch of features, some of which are already an essential part of the platform. Take for example CPA Goal bidding model, Hourly budget distribution, and Zone optimization. All new features designed to make partners work more seamless and profitable.

RollerAds 2024 in numbers:

• 1,696,403,486,253 impressions;
• 1,197,879,291 clicks;
• 245,416 ad campaigns launched.

In 2025, RollerAds will see even bigger plans: a greater traffic volume, a more user-friendly platform, and shorter campaign creation for an even greater return on investment.

PropellerAds

Key Insight: PropellerAds worked on a new ad format – Telegram ads. 

PropellerAds review

PropellerAds add the Telegram ad format. This is a huge opportunity for anyone looking to buy traffic from Telegram Mini Apps, which are exploding in popularity right now. With PropellerAds, you can tap into a brand-new audience and reach up to 100 million impressions every day.

Also, Auto Creatives feature was launched. It is another PropellerAds feature powered by machine learning that makes your ad setup even more automated. It’s a great solution for advertisers who either aren’t experienced in creating effective Push ads or just don’t want to spend time designing them.

HilltopAds

Key Insight: HilltopAds continued to launch new features for advertisers and publishers.

HilltopAds review

In 2024, the HilltopAds network launched multiple features. For advertisers, they added CPA Goal, keyword and interest based targeting, new traffic sources from social networks, messengers and in-apps. New banner formats (300×250 and 300×100) were released, traffic quality filtering and attribution got a major overhaul. HilltopAds also expanded offer categories and opened up YouTube content promotion, including videos and channels, OnlyFans pages.

For publishers, this year brought a new social traffic monetization algorithm, stronger anti-adblock code and smoother Chrome integration. They added new ad zones like Banner MultiTag (300×250 and 300×210) and MultiTag Video, proxy traffic monetization for verified sites and postback conversion tracking. Direct Links were also shortened, making social monetization faster and more efficient.

Evadav

Key Insight: Evadav expanded its features with iOS 18 Targeting, Android 15 Targeting, GIF Creative Uploads, and Traffic Volume Chart.

Evadav review

In 2024, the team found growth potential and achieved the extraordinary. Evadav launched new features: iOS 18 Targeting, Android 15 Targeting, GIF Creative Uploads, and Traffic Volume Chart.

Also, you could meet Evadav in Budapest, Prague, and Dubai. The team was strengthened with professionals, they gained new partners and possibilities.

Affiliate marketing plans for 2024:

In 2025, Evedav is not going to stop. They are preparing even more cool features and tools for their partners. The team’s priority is new sources of quality traffic and increasing conversions for advertisers.

Growing Affiliate Marketing Trends in 2025

Affiliate marketing in 2025 is moving faster than ever. While simple approaches like catchy creatives and straightforward ad campaigns still work, the real winners are those who adapt quickly to new tools, formats, and consumer behavior. If you want to be a winner in the long term perspective, you need to stay abreast of the latest affiliate marketing trends.

1. AI Is the New Standard, Not Just a Buzzword

In 2024 AI was a nice affiliate trend. In 2025, it’s impossible to compete without it. Affiliates are using AI for everything from automating creatives and split testing to predicting which offers will convert best in different GEOs. Ad networks themselves have gone all in inventing fraud detection systems, auto-optimization features and AI powered targeting directly into their platforms.

2. Video Content Dominates Every Funnel

From short TikTok style clips to long form, affiliates are seeing higher engagement and trust when they add video to their funnels. Tutorials, product reviews, reaction style content and webinars convert better than static creatives especially with Gen Z and younger millennials driving a lot of consumer demand.

Ad networks are also leaning into video. Formats like in-feed video ads and rewarded video placements inside apps are expanding, giving affiliates more traffic sources where users actually pay attention.

One of the ad networks that benefit from quality content and the video ad format at the same time is RichAds. The platform ran its YouTube channel 5 years ago, starting with short educational videos. Today, they have transformed it into a popular platform where they share expertise, inviting media personas and industry experts. You can learn a lot from their videos. To wit, they just recently released a video about mastering technical SEO for affiliate websites.

3. Telegram Ads Enter the Mainstream

Telegram has grown from a niche messaging app into one of the hottest traffic sources of 2025. With Mini Apps, in-app ad placements, and sponsored posts in popular channels, affiliates now have access to highly engaged communities that behave more like social audiences than passive web visitors.

The format is attractive because it combines social-style targeting with messenger-level engagement. Users on Telegram are active, loyal, and more likely to interact with offers they see in their trusted channels. Ad networks, like RichAds and PropellerAds, are also starting to integrate Telegram inventory directly, making it easier than ever to tap into this booming channel.

Read our articles about Telegram ads:

• Types of Telegram Ads: Ultimate Guide to Ad Formats;
• Where to buy Telegram ads: A Complete Guide in 2025;
• Telegram Monetization: Channels, Bots, and Mini Apps in 2025.

4. Influencer Marketing Gets Smarter (and Smaller)

Gone are the days when only celebrity influencers moved the needle. In 2025 micro-influencers and even niche community leaders have more weight. Their audiences are smaller but far more engaged. It means higher conversion rates for affiliates who partner strategically. For affiliates, influencer inspired creatives are still popular, but be careful: many ad networks now have strict rules around using celebrity images without permission, so spy tools and compliance checks are more important than ever.

5. SEO Is An Intent-First Game

Search engines are smarter, rewarding pages that are fast, mobile-friendly, and helpful. AI generated content is flooding the web, but Google’s updates in 2024 and 2025 made it clear: depth, authority and trustworthiness are what keep you on page one.

For affiliates this means fewer “thin” offer pages and more holistic content strategies: reviews, guides, FAQs and interactive elements. Gone are the days when affiliates could rely on keyword-stuffed articles to rank well. Today, the emphasis is on quality content that genuinely helps the reader. 

Also, you need to pay attention to Google AI Overview. Discover how to optimize your article in our article:

6. Smarter Trackers Are Now Strategic Tools

Affiliate trackers are evolving beyond simple click and conversion logs. In 2025 top trackers will provide predictive analytics, anti-fraud detection, real-time optimization and even creative performance scoring. AI integrations will allow affiliates to see not just what happened but what’s likely to happen next.

Tools like Voluum and ThriveTracker are already leading the way but new platforms are racing to deliver full-suite solutions that combine attribution, automation and forecasting in one place.

7. Real Life Networking Makes A Bigger Impact

Conferences, masterminds and local meetups will continue to be key for affiliates looking to scale. Deals get made face-to-face, and affiliates who network in person consistently outperform those who only chat online.

Ad networks know this too. In 2025, you’ll see teams from major players at every big affiliate event across Europe, Asia, and the US, making offline presence as important as online reputation.