The real difference in earnings between short-duration and long-duration affiliate cookies comes down to how much time you have to get credit for a sale after someone clicks your link. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Short-Duration Cookies (24 Hours – 7 Days)

• Common with Amazon Associates (24-hour cookie) and some digital products.
• If the user doesn’t purchase within the set window, you don’t get credit.
• Higher risk of lost commissions because people might take longer to decide.
• Works best for impulse buys or high-traffic, quick-conversion niches (tech gadgets, small purchases, trending products).
• Potentially lower earnings per user, but works well with high traffic.

2. Long-Duration Cookies (30-90+ Days)

• Common with software subscriptions, trading platforms, and high-ticket items (e.g., Leeloo Trading, Bulenox, Apex Trader Funding).
• Gives users more time to purchase while still crediting you.
• Better for high-ticket or B2B sales, where users need time to research.
• Less traffic needed to earn well, since commissions often pay out on larger purchases or recurring payments.

Real Earning Impact

• Short cookies → Volume game (you need more clicks and conversions).
• Long cookies → Quality game (fewer clicks, but higher-value purchases).
• If your audience is casual browsers, short cookies might work best.
• If your audience is serious buyers researching options, long cookies win.

Best Strategy?

• Diversify—use short-duration cookies for quick-win products and long-duration cookies for high-ticket sales and subscriptions.
• Push urgency-driven offers for short cookies (e.g., flash sales).
• Use email capture to follow up and extend engagement beyond the cookie window.

Want to maximize your affiliate earnings? Look for lifetime or recurring commission programs, like those found in SaaS, finance, or subscription services. Those can snowball into long-term passive income.