Most affiliate programs struggle to scale efficiently. They waste time on low-value affiliates, depend too much on inbound applications, and lack a proactive growth strategy.
If you’re running an affiliate program and not seeing the results you expected, you’re probably facing one of these challenges:
1. Affiliates don’t even know your program exists.
2. You’re getting inbound applications, but they’re low-quality.
3. You’re not reaching enough high-performing affiliates.
In this article, we’ll walk through the #1 strategy for scaling your affiliate program to 7-8 figures—a method that has helped our clients generate millions in revenue and acquire thousands of new customers in just a few months.
Let’s dive in.
Why Most Affiliate Programs Struggle to Grow
Most brands believe that setting up an affiliate program is enough to start seeing results.
They launch on a platform like Impact, ShareASale, or Refersion, set up tracking links, and wait for affiliates to apply.
What happens next?
1️. Either no one applies—or…
2. The wrong affiliates apply, leading to wasted time and no revenue growth.
Here’s why:
Problem #1: Affiliates Don’t Know You Exist
The affiliate industry is massive—there are millions of brands worldwide competing for affiliate attention.
Even if you’re running an established business, most high-value affiliates don’t know about your program.
If they don’t know you exist, they won’t promote your products.
Problem #2: Relying on Inbound Applications = Low-Quality Affiliates
Most brands take a “if you build it, they will come” approach to affiliate marketing.
They expect top affiliates to find their program and sign up on their own—but that rarely happens.
Instead, they get:
1. Random, low-quality affiliates who drive minimal sales.
2. Coupon and deal sites that add little value beyond discounts.
3. Influencers with small, disengaged audiences.
Inbound sign-ups aren’t enough to build a high-growth affiliate program.
Problem #3: Not Reaching Enough High-Value Affiliates
Scaling an affiliate program is just like sales—you need to fill your pipeline with high-quality leads.
If you’re only talking to a few new affiliates per month, you’re limiting your growth.
1. Big affiliates get bombarded with opportunities daily.
2. If you’re not actively reaching out, you’re missing out.
The #1 Strategy: Proactive Affiliate Recruitment
The biggest difference between a successful affiliate program and one that stalls out is outbound recruitment.
Instead of waiting for affiliates to come to you, you need to go out and find them.
1. Affiliate marketing isn’t just a marketing channel—it’s a relationship-based sales process.
2. You need to sell affiliates on why they should promote your products.
3. The best affiliates don’t apply randomly—they partner with brands that actively pitch them.
How to Scale Your Affiliate Program with Outbound Recruitment
Step 1: Identify High-Value Affiliate Partners
Start by researching the best types of affiliates for your brand.
How to find them:
1. Google Search: Look up competitors and review who’s writing about them.
2. Affiliate Networks: Check publisher lists on platforms like Impact or ShareASale.
3. Social Media & YouTube: Look for influencers actively promoting similar products.
4. Spy Tools: Use tools like SEMrush or SimilarWeb to analyze where competitors get traffic.
Pro Tip: Build a list of potential partners and categorize them based on relevance and audience fit.
Step 2: Start Direct Outreach
Once you have a list of ideal affiliates, reach out directly.
Wrong way: Sending long, generic emails about your program.
Right way: Keeping it short, personalized, and value-driven.
Example Outreach Message:
Subject: Partnership Opportunity 🚀
Hey [Affiliate’s Name],
I came across your content on [mention relevant platform] and loved your work. We run an [industry] brand called [Your Brand] and believe there’s a great opportunity to collaborate.
Our top affiliates are seeing [specific earnings/success results], and I’d love to see if we can do something similar together.
Would love to discuss—let me know if you’re interested!
Best,
[Your Name]
Pro Tip: The goal isn’t to sell the program upfront—it’s to start a conversation.
Step 3: Get on a Call & Sell the Partnership
For high-value affiliates, get them on a quick call to:
1. Learn about their audience and traffic strategy.
2. Explain why they should promote your brand.
3. Offer exclusive commissions, bonuses, or custom landing pages.
Top affiliates are like VIP customers—they need special incentives to get excited about working with you.
Step 4: Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up
Just like sales, the money is in the follow-up.
Affiliates are busy—many won’t reply to your first message.
Best follow-up strategy:
1. Follow up within 3-5 days if no response.
2. Send a second follow-up a week later with a value add (e.g., “Here’s how one of our affiliates scaled to $X in commissions.”).
3. Keep following up until you get a clear yes/no.
Affiliate success is a long-term game. The more touchpoints, the higher your success rate.
The Benefits of Proactive Affiliate Recruitment
1. More Control: You hand-pick affiliates that match your ideal customer profile.
2. Consistent Growth: By always adding new affiliates, your program scales predictably.
3. Higher-Quality Partners: Instead of random sign-ups, you work with revenue-driving affiliates.
Final Thoughts: Want to Scale Your Affiliate Program? Take Action.
If you’re serious about scaling your affiliate program, you need to move beyond inbound applications.
Affiliate marketing is a sales process—and the brands that actively recruit affiliates see the biggest success.
.webp)
Frederic Jean-Bart is a performance-based affiliate marketing expert with over 15 years of experience scaling multi-million dollar programs for some of the world’s top DTC brands. As the founder of Performance Partners, he has built a reputation as the go-to strategist for high-stakes affiliate deal-making—securing partnerships with the industry’s top-performing affiliates to drive explosive revenue growth.
Achieve profitable growth with a performance-based partner program
