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Services / Affiliate program management
Service — Affiliate program management

Affiliate program management, end to end.

For early-stage founders who want an affiliate channel, but not a second full-time job. We handle recruitment, media kits, program design, tracking, payouts — the whole operational stack.

The problem

Most affiliate programs never get off the ground.

Setting up software isn't the hard part. Running an affiliate program that actually drives revenue is operational work — the kind founders don't have time for and don't want to learn.

01

Programs that launch and stall

You set up the software, send a launch email, and then... nothing. No affiliates apply. The few who do never drive traffic. The program sits dormant.

02

Recruitment that goes nowhere

You DM ten creators in your niche. Two reply. One ghosts. The other says "send me a media kit." You don't have one. You build one badly. Nothing happens.

03

Tracking that no one trusts

Cookie attribution, refund clawbacks, subscription edge cases. When affiliates can't see how their commissions are calculated, they stop promoting and find a brand that has its act together.

04

Payouts that become a part-time job

Every month: pull the report, calculate commissions, handle disputes, run mass-pay, reconcile refunds. By month three you're spending more time on payouts than building product.

What we do
01

The whole operational stack.

This is what running an affiliate program actually looks like. You hand us the product and the goals. We handle everything below.

01
Program design
Commission structures (flat, percentage, recurring), cookie windows, refund policies, terms and conditions. We design the program around your unit economics so you're never paying out more than the channel is worth.
02
Creator recruitment
Identifying affiliates in your niche, cold outreach, application review, onboarding. We bring our own network and build out a new one specific to your product. Outreach is personal, not blast.
03
Media kit production
Branded one-pagers, swipe copy, banner assets, email templates, screenshots, talking points. Everything an affiliate needs to actually promote you — written and designed so they don't have to start from scratch.
04
Technical setup
Platform setup, payment processor integration (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), tracking links and promo codes, attribution rules, webhook configuration. Done right the first time so commissions are accurate from day one.
05
Creator relationships
Ongoing communication, performance reviews with top affiliates, exclusive offers, custom commission tiers, onboarding new affiliates as they come in. We're the affiliates' point of contact — not you.
06
Performance optimization
Weekly performance monitoring, identifying top channels and top creators, testing commission structures, A/B testing landing pages affiliates drive traffic to. The program gets sharper every month.
07
Payout management
Monthly commission approval, refund reconciliation, dispute handling, mass-pay execution, 1099 preparation for US affiliates. You sign off; we handle the rest.
08
Reporting & strategy
Monthly performance reports, quarterly strategy reviews, channel attribution analysis, roadmap recommendations. You always know where the channel stands and what's working.
Who we work with

Built for early-stage online products.

Affiliate marketing works best for products with clear value, repeat customers, and creators who'd actually want to recommend them. Here's where we focus.

SaaS

Subscription products

Recurring commissions are what makes affiliate programs work for SaaS. We design programs around your LTV, set up subscription-aware tracking, and recruit creators who promote tools their audience would actually use.

Courses

Online courses and cohorts

High-ticket sales and launch windows reward affiliate channels that can drive concentrated traffic. We design commission structures for both evergreen and launch-cycle programs.

Digital products

Templates, ebooks, downloads

Volume products work well with affiliate programs when the operational cost per sale stays low. We design lightweight programs that scale across many small sales without becoming admin-heavy.

Newsletters

Paid newsletters and memberships

Audience-first products are a natural fit for affiliate channels — other creators with engaged lists can drive paid subscribers efficiently. We recruit from inside your niche.

Engagement timeline
02

What the first ninety days look like.

Most engagements follow a similar arc. Discovery and design in the first weeks, recruitment ramping in month one, optimization from month two onward.

WEEK 1

Discovery and program design

We learn your product, audience, and unit economics. Together we agree on commission structure, refund policy, target creator profiles, and program goals. Output: a written program design doc.

WEEK 2

Technical setup and assets

Platform configuration, payment integration, tracking links, attribution testing. In parallel, we build the media kit — landing pages, swipe copy, banners, talking points. By end of week, everything's ready to launch.

WEEK 3–4

Soft launch and first recruits

We onboard your existing creator relationships (BYOI — bring your own influencers) and start active recruitment in your niche. First commissions usually land within the first three weeks after launch.

MONTH 2

Recruitment scale-up

The bulk of new creator onboarding happens here. We're typically running 10–30 outreach conversations per week, with weekly performance reports flowing back to you. First proper payout cycle runs at end of month.

MONTH 3+

Optimization and compounding

Top creators identified and given dedicated attention. Commission structures tested and refined. Landing pages optimized for affiliate traffic. By month three, the program should be generating revenue you can plan around.

One we're currently working on.

Cybersecurity SaaS B2B subscription 2026 — ongoing

From zero affiliates to a working channel in six months.

A founder running a cybersecurity SaaS came to us with a working product, paying customers, and zero affiliate channel. We designed the commission structure, built the media kit, and ran hand-curated recruitment in security communities, podcasts, and creator networks. Six months in, the program is generating consistent monthly affiliate revenue and the founder hasn't touched program operations since week three.

~4x
Increase in affiliate revenue
28
Active affiliates recruited
0 hrs
Founder spends on program weekly

Single-client case study. Results vary based on niche, product, and audience. We're happy to discuss whether your situation is comparable on a call.

How we charge
03

Two engagement models. No surprises.

Most affiliate engagements work as either a one-time launch project or an ongoing retainer. We'll recommend what fits your stage on the discovery call.

Engagement type 01

Launch project

Fixed-scope, fixed-fee engagement to design, build, and launch your affiliate program from scratch. Includes program design, media kit, technical setup, initial recruitment push, and a thirty-day handoff period.

Best fit: You want to run the program yourself eventually but need it built right the first time.
Engagement type 02

Monthly retainer

Ongoing management of every operational layer — recruitment, creator relationships, payouts, reporting, optimization. Usually starts with a launch project, then transitions to a retainer once the program is live.

Best fit: You want affiliate revenue as a real channel but not as your job. Most clients.
Pricing depends on scope. A solo founder selling a $40/month SaaS has different needs than a course creator running quarterly launches. We'll walk through pricing on the discovery call once we understand what you're building and what success looks like.
Common questions

Things founders ask first.

How long until we see real revenue from the program?

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First commissions usually land within three weeks of launch from existing relationships you bring in. Meaningful monthly revenue takes two to three months once recruitment scales and top affiliates start consistently driving traffic. Programs in well-defined niches ramp faster.

What if we already have an affiliate program running?

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We audit what you have, identify what's working and what isn't, and either optimize the existing program or rebuild it. Most of the time the program structure is fine but recruitment has stalled and operations have piled up — both fixable.

What if we have our own creators already?

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Even better. Bringing your own creators (we call this BYOI — bring your own influencers) gives the program an immediate head start. We onboard them, handle their experience going forward, and recruit additional creators alongside them.

Do we have to use a specific tracking platform?

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No. We work with whatever platform fits your stack and budget. We'll recommend options on the discovery call based on your payment processor, audience size, and program complexity.

How do you find affiliates in our specific niche?

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A mix of our existing network, deep research into your niche (newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, communities), and direct outreach. We don't do mass DMs or blast emails. Every outreach is personal and targeted.

What if a campaign or relationship doesn't work out?

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Some affiliates won't perform. Some campaigns won't land. We monitor performance weekly and prune what isn't working — both creators who aren't driving traffic and program structures that aren't converting. Affiliate marketing is iterative; we treat it that way.

Can we start with just a strategy engagement?

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Yes. If you want a written program design and recruitment plan to execute yourself, we can do that as a standalone project. Most founders end up wanting us to handle execution too once they see what the operational work looks like.

Let's talk about your program.

Tell us about your product and what you're trying to grow. We'll walk you through what an engagement would look like — no pitch decks, no pressure.