How to Recruit Affiliates for Your Ecommerce Brand: A Step-by-Step Guide

There are two sides to affiliate recruitment.

Network recruitment gives you access to publishers already using an affiliate platform. You can make your programme available, review applications and contact publishers through the network.

Proactive recruitment means identifying publishers yourself and approaching them directly.

I use both.

Networks are useful for scale and give you the infrastructure needed for tracking, payments and programme management. But the best-fit publisher for your brand may never find your programme through an application.

That is why proactive outreach matters.

For Durex, CommerceCentric handled affiliate recruitment as part of a wider programme launch across multiple European markets. More than 2,000 affiliates joined the programmes, while the affiliate channel went on to account for more than 20% of total sales. Read the Durex affiliate marketing case study.

The lesson is not that every brand needs thousands of affiliates. It is that recruitment needs to be active and commercially focused.

You do not need an expensive database to start building a publisher prospect list.

Start with Google.

Search for the terms your customers use when they are researching products:

• best [product category]

• [product] reviews

• [product] comparison

• [product] voucher

• [product] discount

• best [product] UK

• [competitor] alternatives

• [category] buying guide

Make a note of the websites appearing repeatedly.

Then look at your competitors.

If a publisher already promotes a competing brand, you have evidence that they understand the category and are willing to use affiliate links.

You can also look at:

• Affiliate network publisher directories

• Competitor affiliate activity

• Existing product reviews

• Brand mentions

• Newsletters

• YouTube channels

• Relevant creators

• Specialist communities

• Customers who already have an audience

Your existing customers can be particularly interesting. If someone already recommends your products publicly, there may be an opportunity to turn that relationship into a tracked affiliate partnership.

Do not send the same pitch to every publisher you find.

I would score prospects against a few simple questions:

Audience fit: Does the publisher reach the people you want to acquire?

Content fit: Do they actually produce content relevant to your products?

Commercial intent: Do they publish reviews, comparisons, buying guides, offers or other content that can drive a purchase?

Geography: Does their audience match the markets you sell into?

Recency: Are they actively publishing and promoting products now?

Quality: Would you be comfortable seeing your brand next to their content?

This also helps you prioritise.

Your first outreach should go to the publishers with the strongest combination of audience fit and commercial potential, not simply the biggest websites.

Once you have identified a publisher, find the person responsible for partnerships or commercial relationships.

Depending on the publisher, that could be:

• Affiliate Manager

• Partnerships Manager

• Commercial Manager

• Commerce Editor

• Ecommerce Editor

• Content Manager

• Influencer Manager

• Business Development Manager

• Founder

Do not assume that a generic contact form is your only option.

Look at the publisher's LinkedIn page, team page and existing commercial activity. If you can identify the person who manages partnerships, your outreach has a much better chance of reaching someone who can make a decision.

This is where generic affiliate recruitment emails usually fall down.

Saying you offer a "competitive commission" is not enough.

A publisher wants to know:

Why should I promote this brand rather than one of the other brands I already work with?

Your proposition could include:

• Competitive commission

• Exclusive discount codes

• Higher commission for selected campaigns

• New product access

• Product samples

• Exclusive bundles

• Early access to launches

• Seasonal promotions

• Strong creative assets

• A dedicated affiliate contact

The right offer depends on the publisher.

For an editorial website, product access and useful information may matter more than a small commission increase.

For a voucher publisher, the strength of the offer may be much more important.

For a creator, product experience, commission and audience fit may all matter.

There is no universal commission rate I would recommend to every ecommerce brand.

Start with your numbers.

Look at your gross margin, average order value, customer acquisition cost, customer lifetime value and the economics of each product category.

Then look at what competitors are offering.

Your commission needs to be commercially sustainable, but it also needs to give publishers a reason to prioritise your brand.

I would normally start with a clear base commission and then use additional incentives where they make commercial sense.

For example, you could offer:

• A higher rate for new customers

• A temporary increase around a major campaign

• A bonus after a publisher reaches a sales target

• Higher rates on selected products

• An exclusive promotion for one publisher

This gives you more control than simply increasing your standard commission for everyone.

Our affiliate marketing service includes commission optimisation alongside publisher identification, outreach, relationship management and promotional planning.

The best affiliate pitch is short and specific.

Start with something you know about the publisher. Mention a relevant article, product category or audience.

Then explain why you think the brand fits.

Finally, give them a clear commercial reason to respond.

Hi [Name],

I’ve been looking at [Publisher] and saw your recent [article/category/content].

I think [Brand] could be a strong fit for your audience, particularly around [specific product/category].

We’re currently looking to work with more relevant publishers and can offer [commission], along with [exclusive offer/product samples/early access].

Would you be open to discussing whether there could be a suitable opportunity for your audience?

Best,

[Name][Brand]

Do not turn the first email into a sales deck.

The objective is to get a response and start a conversation.

Getting a publisher to join is not the end of recruitment.

It is the point where activation starts.

Give new publishers what they need to make their first promotion easy:

• Affiliate links

• Product information

• Approved creative

• Key selling points

• Current promotions

• Exclusive codes where appropriate

• Product samples where relevant

• A clear contact for questions

This is something we put into practice with Air Wick. We integrated the programme with Tradedoubler, contacted and onboarded hundreds of affiliates and developed relationships with key publishers including The Independent, Latest Deals and Extreme Bargains. We also worked with an influencer affiliate that generated more than 56 pieces of content. See the Air Wick case study.

That is much more valuable than simply reporting that hundreds of affiliates joined.

Do not judge affiliate recruitment by the number of approvals.

Track the full recruitment funnel:

Prospects identified → contacted → responded → joined → activated → first sale → repeat sales

I would also monitor:

• Activation rate: percentage of recruited publishers that generate a sale within a defined period

• New-customer rate: how much of their revenue comes from new customers

• EPC or CPA: how efficiently each publisher type generates sales

• Revenue by publisher type: editorial, voucher, cashback, creator and other partners

• Revenue concentration: how dependent you are on your biggest publishers

• Incrementality: whether the publisher is genuinely adding sales rather than taking commission on customers who were already going to purchase

This gives you a much clearer picture of recruitment quality.

Our work with Finish is a good example. The brief was not simply to add affiliates. We were brought in to find and recruit relevant affiliates, then create promotional and activation plans. The programme subsequently delivered a 145% revenue increase, with affiliate revenue accounting for 46% of revenue during the case study period. See the Finish affiliate marketing case study.

The mistakes I see most often are surprisingly consistent:

• Recruiting for affiliate numbers rather than publisher fit

• Waiting for network applications instead of doing proactive outreach

• Sending generic "competitive commission" emails

• Choosing publishers based on audience size alone

• Treating voucher and cashback publishers as the entire affiliate strategy

• Approving publishers without checking their content and audience

• Giving new affiliates no clear reason to promote

• Increasing commission without considering margin and customer value

• Measuring sign-ups rather than activation and revenue

• Failing to follow up with publishers after they join

The biggest mistake is treating affiliate recruitment as a one-off task.

Good publishers have options. If you want them to prioritise your brand, you need to give them a commercial reason to do so and maintain the relationship once they join.

How do I recruit affiliates for my brand?

Start by reviewing your current publisher mix and identifying the types of affiliates you need. Then research relevant publishers through affiliate networks, Google, competitor activity, editorial sites, creators and existing brand relationships. Approach your highest-priority prospects with a personalised commercial proposition.

Where can I find affiliate publishers?

You can find affiliate publishers through affiliate networks, Google search results, competitor research, backlink analysis, editorial websites, voucher and cashback sites, creators, newsletters, specialist websites and your existing customer base.

Should I recruit affiliates through an affiliate network?

Use the network, but do not rely on it. Network recruitment gives you access to a large publisher base, while proactive recruitment lets you approach specific publishers that are a strong fit for your brand.

What is the best type of affiliate publisher?

There is no single best publisher type. Editorial publishers can help with product discovery and consideration, voucher and cashback publishers can be strong for conversion, while creators and specialist publishers can provide trusted recommendations. The right mix depends on your customers and commercial objectives.

What commission should I offer affiliates?

Base your commission on your margins, average order value, customer value and competitive rates. Start with a sustainable base rate and consider higher commissions or bonuses for strategic publishers, new customers or specific campaigns.

How do I approach an affiliate publisher?

Research the publisher first. Mention something relevant to their audience or content, explain why your brand is a fit and give them a clear commercial reason to respond. Keep the first email short and follow up if you do not receive a response.

How many affiliates should my brand recruit?

There is no ideal number. A smaller group of relevant, active publishers can be more valuable than thousands of inactive accounts. Focus on activation, new customers and incremental revenue rather than publisher headcount.

How do I get affiliates to promote my products?

Give them a reason to promote. Competitive commissions, exclusive offers, product samples, new product access, useful creative and regular promotional opportunities can all help. Most importantly, maintain the relationship and make it easy for publishers to create content or send customers to your site.