Bowflex is one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of home gym equipment, selling everything from pulley machines to stationary bikes to classic Bowflex home gyms.
For fitness enthusiasts, the Bowflex brand also has another crucial benefit—the Bowflex affiliate program.
The Bowflex affiliate program starts at a 3% commission, somewhat low for an affiliate program despite the high price tag of Bowflex home gyms. It typically takes four months to receive your commission on sales, and you must have at least $100 in commission before seeing a deposit to your name.
The Bowflex affiliate program is unique, given how pricey the company’s gear is and how much take-home you could potentially accumulate.
To find out what the Bowflex referral program entails, the pros and cons of signing up, and what you absolutely need to know, read on!
Everything You Need to Know About Bowflex
Bowflex is a Washington-based company that makes an all-inclusive home gym a reality.
The first product from Bowflex was the Bowflex 2000X, first marketed by the fitness retailer in 1986.
This machine was first in its class in a fitness community loyally relying on pulley machines for strength training—the Bowflex 2000X used polymer rods to create consistent resistance without crowding a home gym with bulky weight plates and barbells.
Since 1986, Bowflex has maintained its position as a well-known industry leader. Bowflex now markets pricey, high-end, and multi-use home gym gear, like:
- Treadmills, Max trainers, & TreadClimbers
- Luxury adjustable dumbbell & barbell sets
- Stationary bikes (with Peloton and Zwift integration)
- Classic Bowflex home gyms (fit with the Bowflex polymer rods for a full-body workout)
- Typical gym gear, like kettlebells, benches, and pulley attachments
Bowflex is a high-end brand with price tags to reflect that feature.
Most Bowflex equipment—like the Bowflex Bike and TreadClimbers—will run fitness gurus between $1,000 and $2,000.
Bowflex is a brand that makes exercise convenient for those with the busiest of lifestyles. Rather than fighting the gym rush after a long day at work and investing in bulky gym equipment that isn’t easy to move, fitness lovers have a more convenient option.
Despite the convenience factor, it’s essential to draw attention to Bowflex’s rocky reputation in the early 2000s.
Just two decades ago, Bowflex was forced to recall several of its home gym systems, posings safety hazards like loose seats that caused severe head and neck injuries.
Bowflex has since rectified these issues and has had no glaring quality issues since.
The company behind the brand, Nautilus, Inc., currently boats a $300+ million revenue.
Though, it’s critical to point out that the business lost over $90 million in 2019 alone.
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Bowflex Affiliate Program Details
Before you decide to submit your affiliate program application through Bowflex, you want to ensure that it’s the real deal.
To help you make this decision, we’re going to review the Bowflex affiliate program from the inside out.
Note: This information is on the Bowflex website, but finding the nitty-gritty details is a little tricky.
You’ll have to click “Sign Up” on this page and then “Download Program Terms” in the bottom right corner of the application.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Like any good affiliate program, you’ll have to complete an application through the official Bowflex website and be approved.
The affiliate program is run through Impact Radius, known for being reputable in the world of affiliate marketing.
Exactly what the Impact Radius interface does to benefit Bowflex affiliates is unclear.
But hopefully, you’ll be approved within a few business days.
Once you get your approval, Bowflex will set you up with an affiliate link.
You can share your new link via social media, your website, or through advertisements and promotional material on either.
So long as you’re not violating Bowflex’s affiliate agreement (i.e., Not bidding on Bowflex-related keywords when running paid search ads on sites like Google).
When one of your followers or subscribers clicks your link, Bowflex will save a cookie onto the computer or smartphone of the user for a period of 30 days.
This cookie means that, if your follower ends up purchasing gym equipment through Bowflex within the next month, you’ll earn the commission.
The starting commission is 3% on all sales. But there is an SKU list that you’ll be able to see once you’re an affiliate that lists the gear and equipment that Bowflex limits commission on.
Two months after your followers or subscribers buy Bowflex machines through your link, the purchase will “lock” in your affiliate profile.
A month later, on the 3rd of the month, you’ll receive an invoice for the commission you’re owed from the previous 30 days.
A month after that (four months after the initial purchase), you’ll be paid via PayPal or a direct deposit.
There appears to be a $100 minimum for payouts via Bowflex.
The Pros of the Bowflex Affiliate Program
There’s no doubt that the Bowflex affiliate program has a decent amount of good qualities. The most crucial of which is likely the reason you’re here: The amount of money you can make.
The Money Factor
The key benefit is the luxury price tag that comes along with most Bowflex equipment.
For items like an adjustable dumbbell set (starting around $350) and a home gym (starting around $1,500), even making one referral per month will leave you with some extra cash in your pocket.
But just how much can you make?
Based on a 3% commission rate—which is simply the starting rate—take a look at what your monthly and annual take-home might be considering the spending of your referrals!
| What Your Referrals Spend Monthly | Your Monthly Take-Home (3% Com.) | Your Annual Take Home (Total) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $30 | $360 |
| $2,500 | $75 | $900 |
| $7,500 | $225 | $2,700 |
| $10,000 | $300 | $3,600 |
| $25,000 | $750 | $9,000 |
| $50,000 | $1,500 | $18,000 |
Now, this brings us to the question: How great of a marketer do you have to be to really cash in on the Bowflex affiliate program?
Considering the cost of the Bowflex luxury gyms and TreadClimbers (over $1,500), one referral a month on this type of fitness product will net you an extra $45 a month, or $540 a year.
And if you have a large following of users willing to throw their money away for a great physique, you could easily make thousands a year in commission.
So while the Bowflex program’s commission of 3% is shockingly lower than other affiliate marketing programs, a single purchase by your referrals will be much more significant than other programs may be.
Purchase Options
One of the deal-breakers for those considering Bowflex affiliation is the price of their products.
The average home gym costs $4,000. So the idea that people might be willing to spend more than twice as much on a treadmill or elliptical than they have to is a turn-off.
Several thousands of dollars on a single piece of equipment is unreasonable for the average person.
But there’s a catch: Bowflex makes purchases easy with special financing.
Your referrals can sign up for the Bowflex credit card and completely pay off their nifty gym gear without interest in 18 months.
Assuming your followers and subscribers have the credit history that enables them to be approved for this card, it widens the number of people you know who might be interested in this Bowflex gear.
On top of advertising the high-end gear offered by Bowflex, you can emphasize special financing to really drive your point home.
For example, it would be awesome to post a photo of the TreadClimber on Instagram paired with something like “Apply for the Bowflex credit card and pay for your new TreadClimber interest-free over 18 months!”
That way, your follower base doesn’t have to be strictly upper-class people.
Brand Reputation
Truth be told, you put your personal brand and reputation on the line when you partner with a major corporation through an affiliate program.
The last thing you want is to advertise programs or products on your social media profiles, only to have your followers be disappointed or feel your overzealous advertising duped them.
Fortunately, Bowflex is typically well-regarded in the fitness community.
The Bowflex brand is wildly popular for those looking to get fit from the comfort of their home, while also going a step beyond the average metal dumbbells and manual treadmill.
So this affiliate program makes logical sense if your follower base craves a healthy body, high-tech fitness equipment, trendsetting gear, convenience, and avoiding the gym rush.
Here’s a look at what Bowflex is known for (and some key characteristics worth emphasizing in your marketing material):
- Fully-adjustable dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells (turn the dial to change the weight)
- Home gyms (push, pull, and leg exercises all-in-one with adjustable resistance)
- Max Trainers (compact machine with virtual coaching)
- Stationary bikes (integrates with Peloton and steer the bike like a real one)
- Treadmills & TreadClimbers (get custom feedback and visualize your run)
The thing about this Bowflex gear is that it’s not like your average lifting or cardio gear.
For example, stationary bikes can also be un-stationary. You can follow along on the video screen as you tour a real bike trail, steering the bike as you take turns on the trail.
It’s safe to say that most (if not all) Bowflex gear has some unique feature like this that encourages many to take the plunge and spend the cash.
Here’s a look at a Bowflex VeloCore Bike ad, highlighting the features of the bike you’d want to emphasize to your followers:
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The Cons of the Bowflex Affiliate Program
We can tell that the Bowflex affiliate program could be a good option, especially if you have the right audience and want a little extra cash in your wallet.
But you also want to weigh in the cons before sending in your application and taking the risk.
So here’s what you need to know about the cons of this program.
Delayed Payments
You sign up for an affiliate program because you want to earn some passive income by doing nothing more than sharing a link or posting a few ads on your site or through your email list.
And this is completely possible with the Bowflex affiliate program.
However, it takes a long time to see the fruits of your labor.
Let’s say your referral purchases a $500 product from Bowflex through your link, netting you a commission of $15.
It’ll be two whole months until that purchase is “locked” within the Bowflex database, another month until you receive the invoice, and then another month before you finally get your payout.
But that’s not all—you won’t see that $15 commission show up in your bank account until you rack up a commission value of $100 or more.
So not only do you have to wait up to four months to see the commission check, but you might have to wait even longer if you’re still getting your feet wet in the program.
Until you’re making referrals left and right and encouraging your followers to make big Bowflex purchases, don’t expect to be impressed by your passive income.
This is definitely not a good referral program if your online following is quite small or if you just don’t have the right audience (i.e., People who prefer the old-fashioned gym, those who dislike exercise altogether, or people on a budget for at-home exercise gear).
Rules for Advertising
All affiliate programs have lengthy terms and conditions documents, as an affiliate is an extension of the brand or corporation.
The last thing a company wants is to have their brand represented poorly and a possible lawsuit as a result.
With that said, there are plenty of guidelines you must abide by when advertising Bowflex promotions and your affiliate link.
These include:
- You’re not allowed to bid on paid search keywords related to or “confusingly similar” to any of the Nautilus brands (Bowflex, Schwinn, and Octane Fitness).
- Your affiliation with Bowflex will likely be terminated if you willingly post inappropriate or offensive content on your website, so you walk a tightrope in some cases.
- You’ll have to abide by the CAN-SPAM Act (i.e., No unsolicited emails or buying email lists to market your link).
- You’re not permitted to haphazardly share your link to chatrooms, message boards, or online banner networks.
- You’re not allowed to pay for leads.
Are these rules and guidelines unusual? Absolutely not.
The major issue is that you might not even realize that you’re breaking the rules of your agreement until you discover that your affiliate partnership has ended.
So if you do join the Bowflex affiliate program, make sure you’re reading the terms and conditions closely and perhaps even getting a lawyer to look it over to be sure you follow the rules to a T.
Also, given the fact you’re very limited on how you can share your link to bring in sales, you’ll need to have a pretty good following to make good money from the Bowflex affiliate program.
That’s especially the case considering the idea you need to bring in $100 in commission to be able to cash out and see the money you earned.
Non-Commissioned Products
If the idea of pulling in a 3% commission on products listed at over $2,000 sounds “too good to be true,” it just might be.
The majority of Bowflex gear will earn you a 3% commission, but, of course, there’s an SKU list of items you won’t earn a commission from.
What are these items? That’s unclear.
You’ll likely receive a list or a database of these items upon registering for the Bowflex program and signing up for the affiliate network through Impact Radius.
But the fact that you don’t know what you’ll actually earn a commission on can be a bit concerning. If we know anything about affiliate marketing, these non-commission products will be the priciest.
Another issue with this is the fact you have to likely do your research for each product you market on your website to be sure that you’ll actually earn a commission on it.
Instead of marketing a TreadClimber of the high-tech treadmill from Bowflex, you’ll be marketing the gear that makes you money.
That can be an internal battle and a conflict of interest if you’re a personal trainer or a highly-regarded member of the fitness community looking to improve your followers’ health.
In essence, you’re caught between advertising for money or advertising because you truly think a product is worth the investment.
The Final Verdict
The Bowflex affiliate program has a good amount to offer if you’re looking for passive income, so long as you have the right audience.
Here are the basics of you need to know about the Bowflex referral program:
- Your commission starts at 3% (though there’s a list of non-commission items)
- It’ll take about four months to see a commission check for each sale
- Your ideal audience would be trendy, fit, upper-class, and health-oriented
- You won’t receive a payout until you have a commission of $100
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