This post was originally published in [2022] and has been fully updated for 2026 with new data and tools.
The digital landscape is changing, but one thing remains constant: businesses need customers on the phone.
Mastering how to start a pay-per-call affiliate business in 2026 allows you to stay ahead of AI-driven search changes by providing the one thing robots can’t replicate—human conversation.
You earn money with pay-per-call affiliate marketing when you get someone to call a phone number. That person also has to stay on the call for a certain amount of time.
Keep reading, and I’ll share the top 5 marketplaces for this, how the process works, 4 ways to market these phone numbers, and 4 things to look for in an offer.
The Pay-Per-Call Profit Model: How Fast Do These Campaigns Scale?
The first step is to join a marketplace. Below is a list of some popular networks for this type of marketing.
Every marketplace has its own requirements, but for example, at Marketcall, you have to answer some questions and explain your experience.
In all honesty, 1 CPA network is much larger than the rest. It might be easier just to deal with 1 marketplace that has all the offers. The bad news is that it can be hard to get accepted. Lucky for you, I tell you exactly how to get accepted into the network in this post HERE.
In Marketcall, you also have to apply for each affiliate offer, and you get assigned a phone number that is attached to your account (this way, you get the credit).
I know what you’re thinking…
“Heck I can get your best friend to call the number.” Easy money right? Wrong!
Every call that is made has to be a qualified call. This means there are some requirements, and every program is going to have different requirements.
PPCall Profit Calculator
The good news is that some of these programs pay "a lot" of money. I've seen one pay $1,600 for a 120-second phone call. Of course, there were a lot of requirements. It had to do with a lawsuit involving a landscaping product.
Also, most of these offers are U.S.-based, because that is where the money is. If you live outside the U.S., you can still do this, but you're probably targeting the U.S.
Marketcall, for example, would payout every week to PayPal, Wire Transfer, Echeck, or Payoneer.
The bad news is that some of the marketplaces have a minimum amount that is needed before you get paid (this prevents fraud).
With Marketcall, the minimum amount is $300 and 10 approved calls. With further payments, the minimum drops to $100.
How to Find and Join the Best Pay-Per-Call Networks for Beginners
When it comes to marketing anything, I recommend choosing something you "really, really" like first, and then think about how it benefits you second.
Of course, using the product does help a lot, but if not, maybe it's something you feel "really" good about.
When it comes to money, you could look for offers that have a high EPC (earnings per click/phone calls). The EPC could be more important than the money because some people who call don't qualify.
It doesn't matter if you can earn $10,000 for a 2-minute call if the only person who qualifies is Barack Obama (Mr. Obama would probably be hard to reach).
Another thing to think about is the requirements. If you're primarily doing content marketing, then choose offers that allow you to do content marketing.
The shorter the duration of the call, the MORE likely you will earn money.
A fourth thing to think about is the call itself. You could call the number that is assigned to you and see how much you like it. If the call turns you off, then you can choose another offer to market.
Some offers automatically know the zip code of where someone is calling from, and these are good.
Offers when someone has to manually enter lots of information to a machine voice are not good!
Is Pay-Per-Call Worth It? The Benefits and Risks for New Affiliates
Pros.
- Some programs can pay $1,000's of dollars.
- Putting a phone number in a social media post can be easier than a link.
- Could be less competition due to more marketers doing pay-per-sale.
- You get paid when someone calls a number (not have to buy something).
Cons.
- There can be strict requirements on who can call the number.
- There is usually an application process to be accepted.
- Some numbers can turn away visitors because of computer-generated questions.
- Some programs you need to bring a lot of business before they pay you.
4 Proven Traffic Sources for Pay-Per-Call Affiliate Marketing in 2026
There is a "wide" range of possibilities to market a phone number. One way you may not have thought about is a street sign.
Yeah, get some cardboard, write on it with the requirements, and put the phone number on it. Then just put the sign on a popular street where you live.
A second place is Facebook or LinkedIn groups. Links are generally bad in groups. They look spammy, and you're getting someone off their platform (these companies don't want that). Posting a phone number might make it easier to get under the radar.
Plus, you can find targeted groups for a certain niche.
A third place, which is MY favorite, is blogging. There are so many great things about a blog, I can go on forever. For starters, you own the blog (think about that)!
More importantly, it's a jumping-off platform for many things. You can take your blog and repurpose it in other places, such as Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, Quora, Reddit, even YouTube or short videos.
I share 20 benefits of starting a blog, how AI can help, plus how to start one step by step in this post HERE.
Oh, and content creation doesn't cost anything (except hosting and a domain) plus it works for you 24/7.
The fourth place is Twitter. I've killed it SO badly on Twitter that I have to mention it. You can follow people in your target audience, and some will follow you back. Then, in your tweets, you could mention the phone number and get paid this way.
The bad news is that you do need some type of tool to automatically send out tweets. The cheapest tool I've seen is this one HERE.
There is a way to manually do this with the advanced search function. You could find people in your target audience, then ask the qualifying questions and give them the phone number.
Of course, there is paid advertising, like with pay-per-click. I've experimented with pay-per-click, but it's more advanced. I also think it's a good idea to put yourself in profit as cheaply as possible, then reinvest back into your business.
Conclusion to How to Start a Pay Per Call Affiliate Business in 2026
I hope this post opened my mind to what is possible with earning money online. Usually, I've been talking about crypto, but I think it's important NOT to have all your eggs in 1 basket.
It's the same with traffic sources; if 100% of your traffic comes from YouTube, then you're at the mercy of them.
By spreading out the risk, when something does fail (it probably will), it will be like a spitball connecting with your battleship.
I wish you the best, bye for now.