You built a great product. You set up an affiliate program. Now you are staring at an empty dashboard wondering where all the affiliates are.
The truth is, affiliates do not just appear. You have to go find them, or create the conditions for them to find you. Here are the strategies that actually work.
1. Steal from your competitors
The fastest way to find affiliates who will convert? Find people already promoting products like yours.
Think about it: your competitors spent years building relationships with creators. Those creators already understand your market, already have the right audience, and already know how to sell products in your space. They have proven they can drive sales.
All you need to do is reach out with a better offer. Maybe a higher commission rate. Maybe better marketing materials. Maybe faster payouts. Whatever your competitive advantage is, lead with it.
How to find them
Search YouTube for "[competitor name] review" or check TikTok for people using competitor hashtags. Look at who is posting affiliate links on Twitter/X. Check LinkedIn for creators mentioning the competitor in their content. This takes time manually, but it works.
Speed this up with AI
Tools can scan every major platform in minutes and surface exactly who is promoting your competitors.
2. Let affiliates find you
Not everyone wants to do cold outreach. The alternative? Make yourself discoverable.
List your program in affiliate marketplaces where creators actively browse for programs to join. These are motivated partners who already understand affiliate marketing and are looking for their next opportunity.
The dynamic is completely different. You are not convincing skeptics - you are choosing from motivated applicants. They have read your offer, they like your commission structure, and they want to work with you.
Pro Tip
Write a compelling program description. Be specific about commission rates, cookie duration, and what kind of affiliates you are looking for. The more detail you provide, the better applicants you attract.
Get discovered in a marketplace
List your program where affiliates actively search for partnerships to join.
3. Turn customers into affiliates
Your best affiliates might already be using your product.
Happy customers make authentic promoters because they actually believe in what they are selling. They have experienced the value firsthand. When they recommend your product, it comes from a genuine place - and people can tell.
The conversion rates from customer-affiliates are often 2-3x higher than cold recruits. They know the product inside and out, they can answer questions, and they have real stories to share.
Where to ask
Add an affiliate signup link in your product dashboard. Mention it in onboarding emails. Ask happy customers directly after they leave a positive review. The key is making it easy to say yes.
4. Make affiliates want to promote you
Finding affiliates is only half the battle. The best programs attract partners because they are easy to promote.
Think about what top affiliates look for: competitive commission rates, professional marketing assets, a portal that actually works, fast payouts, responsive support. These are not nice-to-haves. They are why affiliates choose one program over another.
Build something worth promoting, and word spreads. Good affiliates talk to each other. They share which programs treat them well and which ones are a pain to work with.
Quick wins
Prepare banners, email templates, and social media copy before you start recruiting. Affiliates are more likely to promote you if the assets are ready to use.
5. Stack strategies for best results
The most successful affiliate programs do not rely on one channel.
They poach competitor affiliates proactively. They maintain a marketplace presence for inbound leads. They convert happy customers into partners. They build a program so good that affiliates refer other affiliates.
Stack these strategies and your pipeline never runs dry. Some weeks you will have more applications than you can review. That is when you know the flywheel is working.
Start small
You do not need to do everything at once. Pick one strategy that fits your style - outbound if you like being proactive, inbound if you prefer letting people come to you. Add more channels as you scale.
Need tools to execute these strategies?
See the complete toolkit for finding and managing affiliates.
