After working with brands like Onnit, Goli, and dozens of others, I’ve seen patterns most teams miss. 

These are the real drivers behind strong, predictable affiliate revenue. 

And most agencies never talk about them because they have never managed programs at scale.

Here are the three trends your competitors are quietly using to grow faster:

Top brands do not wait for affiliates to apply. They search, shortlist, and recruit publishers like Forbes, Healthline, Shape, and high-authority niche sites. 

These partners already influence buyer decisions and already rank for the keywords that matter. When they promote your products, customer quality increases and acquisition costs drop.

This is one of the fastest ways to scale. Affiliate media buyers run paid ads for you using their own budget. They only earn when they deliver results. No retainer and no wasted money. 

Brands that unlock this channel get access to multiple skilled media buyers without adding any overhead.

Across the programs I have audited, 73% had hidden leaks costing between ten thousand and fifty thousand dollars a year. Broken tracking, outdated commissions, missing pixel events, or misaligned coupon flows quietly drain revenue. 

Fixing these leaks brings an immediate lift in partner performance.

Here are the three biggest lessons to remember:

1. High-quality partners do not come to you. You must recruit them.

2. Performance-based media buyers give you scale without financial risk.

3. Most programs lose revenue silently until someone audits and fixes the leaks.

I can share exactly how we recruit affiliates to scale a DTC brand. Book a free strategy call here and let’s talk.

Now, let me quickly introduce a brand that’s crushing its affiliate marketing campaign.

Who They Are & Why It Works

Leadpages is a leading SaaS platform that helps businesses create high-converting landing pages, pop-ups, and alert bars without writing code. With strong product-market fit and thousands of active users, Leadpages appeals to marketers, founders, creators, and teams that need fast, reliable conversion tools.

Performance & Best Fit

It performs strongly with SaaS reviewers, comparison sites, rewards platforms, marketplaces, and niche partners who focus on tools that improve marketing efficiency.

Top-performing angles include “build landing pages without a developer,” “higher conversions with ready-to-use templates,” and “fast setup for growing businesses.” These hooks resonate across content placements, SaaS roundups, email campaigns, and rewards-driven traffic. 

How to Partner

Leadpages runs its affiliate program on a hybrid commission model that includes both recurring commissions and a one-time payout option, making it attractive for performance-focused affiliates as well as long-term partners.

Affiliates receive dedicated landing pages, custom promotional offers, and optimized creative assets built in collaboration with the Leadpages team. 

If you want to explore partner opportunities, access custom offers, or review top-converting audience segments, reply to this email and the Leadpages team will connect with you.

Let me share a couple of my favourite content pieces to improve your affiliate marketing strategy and overall business.

Why I Go to Affiliate Marketing Conferences (And Why You Should Too)

Here are 3 ways we make our affiliate programs a 'no-brainer' for Affiliates

Who They Are & Why It Works

USA TODAY is one of the largest media networks in the country, reaching 55 percent of Americans through national and local publications. The network combines award-winning storytelling with high-performing shopping content across digital, print, video, and social channels. With over 200 local properties and deep category coverage, USA TODAY delivers scale, trust, and purchase-ready audiences for retail and D2C brands.

Performance & Best Fit

Best suited for ecommerce, retail, consumer electronics, home goods, lifestyle, beauty, pets, streaming, tools, seasonal sales, and brands that perform well during major shopping moments. 

USA TODAY offers a wide mix of affiliate formats, including single-product features, multi-product gift guides, launch announcements, deal coverage, homepage placements, and “Deal of the Day” inclusion. Content appears across national and local sites within the USA TODAY Network.

How to Partner

Affordable entry packages begin at $5,000 with customizable options such as featured deals, evergreen articles, multi-product guides, and homepage visibility. Partners can also activate larger media buys with 100 percent share-of-voice placements and display support.

To explore placement opportunities or secure Q1–Q4 shopping coverage, reply to this email, and the USA TODAY team will connect with you.

A: You diversify your affiliate mix across SaaS marketplaces, comparison sites, cash-back platforms, and additional partner types. This spreads traffic sources, reduces dependency, and creates a healthier, more resilient program.

That’s it for this issue. If you want intros to any of our partners, reply today and I’ll connect you personally.

And if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask. 

I read all of the emails. (Even the spammy ones!:)

Thank you for reading till the end. 

Talk soon,

Fred