16 Ways to Find Affiliates Who Will Explode your Profit

In my last post, I discussed why you need to utilize affiliate marketing to promote your business. Now that you know you want an affiliate program, you need to find affiliates.

Finding affiliates involves simply asking people and letting interested parties know about your program.

You can also encourage people to become affiliates by offering excellent products, top-notch customer service, and a generous commission.

16 Popular Ways to Find Affiliates

1. Direct Contact – Find competitors and others who market to your audience but don’t offer the exact products or services as you and approach them directly. Work first to build relationships with these people in online groups, via joint ventures, events, and more and you’ll be certain to get a percentage of them to sign up for your affiliate program and promote your products and services.
2. Customers – Your best affiliates can come from people who have purchased from you. Definitely, run an email series for your customers to encourage them to earn money by recommending your products to their friends and family. This is a great way to end up with a true fan as an affiliate.
3. Colleagues – Even if you work from home, you are likely part of a group of like-minded individuals online or offline. Ensure that you let these people know that you have an affiliate program so that they can choose to join if they want to. You can also give special commission percentages to people you know.
4. Movers & Shakers – You’ve seen them on Twitter, Facebook groups, and probably on numerous webinars, etc. These big earners shake things up. Work toward building a relationship with them, then make it super simple for them to promote your products. Offer to set it all up for them so that all they have to do is collect the money when they make sales.
5. Conferences – You can also meet potential affiliates at live events and conferences. Whether you’re a speaker or an attendee, you can meet people who want to offer your products to their audience. Make it worth their while to promote you, by also promoting them.
6. Print Publications – You can place ads in relevant print publicans such as work at home magazines and other magazines devoted to people who are interested in this type of income opportunity.
7. Social Media – If you join groups and friend people online, ensure that you also connect with potential affiliates. Take the time to get to know them. When it’s appropriate, let them know about your affiliate program. You can use social media also to talk about how excited you are about your affiliate program. The more enthusiastic you are about the program, the more they will want to join to earn money.
8. Blogging – Use your blog part of the time, to speak to potential affiliates. Your blog provides your audience with solutions to their problems. But, once you have an affiliate program, you can also mention how you want to help as many people as possible and your readers can help by becoming an affiliate.
9. Forums/Groups – Any groups you’re part of, online or off, can be great places to find affiliates. The best thing to do is to build relationships with people you think would like and promote your products. Offer to do things for them, make your program so inviting that they can’t resist.
10. Online Ads – Another way to attract affiliates is to advertise the program and its benefits. You can use Facebook, Twitter, or even Ad Words to market the program. This works very well, if you have a good product funnel, offer excellent commissions, and a wide range of products for your niche.
11. Your Website – Don’t forget that your website is the hub of your business. Keep reminder info and an affiliate program link in a prominent place on your site. This should be short and link to further information about the program details.
12. Word-of-Mouth – People like to talk, so if you do a good job taking care of your affiliates and offer really great products, then super affiliates will notice you and talk about you. Plus, when they start promoting your products, other people in their circle will notice and join too.
13. Cold Calls – If you already know people that promote other people’s products and you’re sure that your product fits in with their niche, go ahead and drop them an email, or even get them on the phone. Be ready to explain what is so great about your product and how it benefits their audience. Plus, explain how you’re going to make it super easy for them to be part of your program.
14. Hire an Affiliate Manager – Even if you’re just starting your program, hiring an affiliate manager can help you grow your affiliate program faster. Hire someone who is familiar with your niche, who has connections to promote to super affiliates and who understands the software you use.
15. Directories – There are directories where you can list your affiliate program. They do require a link back, but it’s free. More than likely, you won’t find as many affiliates this way since building relationships is very important. However, it does help direct potential candidates to your opportunity.
16. Affiliate Networks – Another great way to find affiliates is to list your products in affiliate networks such as Clickbank.com or JVZOO.com. Marketers who are looking for a product to promote often go there to search for them. Make sure you offer a great program and a lucrative commission. Include tools to make promoting easy. These could include articles, graphics, emails, etc.

Finding and recruiting affiliates is only part of starting an affiliate program. Now you need to make your affiliate offer worthy, appealing and timely. Plus, the more unique your offer is, the more affiliates you recruit.

Affiliate Program Management Best Practices

Managing an affiliate program effectively requires a strategic approach to build trust, maintain communication, and encourage performance. Here are some essential best practices for running a successful affiliate program:

1. Establish Clear Goals and KPIs: Define the objectives of your affiliate program, such as increased brand awareness or boosted sales. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) to track affiliates’ success, like conversion rates, click-through rates, or average order value, to ensure everyone is aligned with the program’s goals.
2. Regular Communication: Keep affiliates informed of new products, promotions, and any changes in program terms. Regular updates and open channels for communication help affiliates feel valued and motivated to promote your brand effectively. Consider sending out monthly newsletters to keep affiliates engaged.
3. Provide High-Quality Marketing Materials: Make it easy for affiliates to succeed by providing them with high-quality resources. Supply banners, product images, pre-written emails, and social media content so affiliates have a professional toolkit at their disposal.
4. Offer Competitive and Transparent Commission Structures: Your commission structure should be clear, competitive, and rewarding. Regularly review commission rates to ensure they remain enticing, and consider additional bonuses for high-performers or seasonal promotions to keep affiliates motivated.
5. Implement a Performance Tracking System: Use affiliate management software or an affiliate network with reliable tracking capabilities to monitor affiliates’ performance. This data helps identify top performers, areas for improvement, and overall program success, allowing you to make data-driven adjustments.
6. Acknowledge and Reward Top Affiliates: Recognize your top affiliates with special incentives, bonuses, or public acknowledgment. Offering exclusive perks, such as higher commissions or early access to products, motivates them to maintain their high performance.
7. Regularly Review and Improve the Program: Continuously assess your affiliate program’s performance and solicit feedback from affiliates to understand their experiences. Be open to making adjustments that could enhance the program’s effectiveness and attractiveness.

Tools and Resources for Affiliate Recruitment

The right tools can streamline the process of recruiting, managing, and motivating affiliates. Here are some popular resources that can help:

1. Affiliate Networks: Platforms like ClickBank, JVZoo, and ShareASale connect you with a pool of potential affiliates. These networks also handle the backend tasks, such as tracking and payments, making it easier to scale your program.
2. Affiliate Management Software: Tools like Refersion, LeadDyno, and Tapfiliate allow you to manage your affiliate program in-house. These platforms offer features for tracking affiliate performance, handling payouts, and communicating with your affiliates.
3. Email Marketing and CRM Systems: Tools like Mailchimp and HubSpot help keep affiliates informed and engaged. Use these systems to send regular updates, provide resources, and segment affiliates based on their performance or engagement level.
4. Social Media & Forum Tools: Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook Groups, and industry-specific forums (e.g., Warrior Forum) can be valuable for connecting with potential affiliates. Social listening tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social allow you to monitor conversations and engage with influencers who could become affiliates.
5. Content Management Systems (CMS) for Resource Hubs: Build a dedicated affiliate resource page on your website using a CMS like WordPress or Wix. This page can host guidelines, downloadable graphics, and tracking links, making it a one-stop-shop for affiliates to access what they need.
6. Analytics and Performance Tracking: Tools like Google Analytics and Ubersuggest can help you analyze traffic and conversion data. This information can also be shared with affiliates to showcase their contributions and impact on your business.
7. Affiliate Recruitment Platforms: Sites like UpPromote and PartnerStack specialize in helping businesses recruit and manage affiliates. They provide tools for finding affiliates, tracking performance, and managing payouts, which can simplify recruitment efforts.
8. SEO Tools: Platforms like SEMrush and Ahrefs can help identify relevant influencers and affiliates in your niche. By analyzing competitor backlinks and industry keywords, you can find bloggers and influencers who might be interested in joining your affiliate program.

Conclusion

Recruiting affiliates is more than a numbers game; it’s about cultivating lasting partnerships that align with your brand’s values and audience.

You can build a robust affiliate network that drives traffic, sales, and brand awareness by combining targeted outreach, relationship-building, and strategic incentives. Affiliates are not just partners—they’re extensions of your brand’s message and goals.

With the right approach, your affiliate program can become a powerful growth channel, amplifying your brand reach through a network of advocates.

Read More:

• Best Affiliate Marketing Programs