Your Affiliate Program Is Live. Now What? How Agencies Can Move Beyond the Same 10 Publishers

Marcio Fasano
3 days ago
3 min read

Most agencies reach the same point with Awin, Impact or CJ:

Tracking is live
T&Cs are approved
The first 10–20 publishers are driving some volume

…and then things stall.

You’re not alone. The hardest part of affiliate isn’t launching the program – it’s scaling it with the right partners without filling it with discount sites that erode margin and add little incremental value.

From our vantage point at Ascendia Prime, here’s how the most effective agencies break out of the “same old publishers” trap.

1. Start with a clear partner blueprint, not an open door

“Everyone is welcome” is not a strategy.

High-performing programs start with a simple partner blueprint by vertical, for example:

Content & SEO publishers – reviews, comparisons, editorial
Influencers & creators – niche, product-led storytelling
Tech partners – retargeting, on-site overlays, basket recovery
Utility partners – loyalty, rewards, card-linked offers
Deal & voucher – controlled and purposeful, not default

Ask: what mix would your CMO be proud to show in a board deck?Then recruit to that mix, instead of approving any site with a login.

2. Recruit like you would for media – targeted, not passive

Most networks give you a directory. That’s useful, but not enough.

What works better:

Shortlist topical content sites and comparison partners already ranking for your category.
Use the network’s data to identify under-utilised publishers performing well in adjacent brands.
Approach influencers and creators with nominative codes, bundles or curated pages, not just a generic link and rate.

At Ascendia Prime, we often come in as the “second engine” – plugging in our vetted pool of content, influencer and tech partners to extend what agencies already have running on Awin/Impact/CJ.

3. Onboard like a campaign, not an admin task

Most underperforming partners have one thing in common: they were “approved”, but never truly onboarded.

At minimum, every new partner should receive:

A one-page playbook: key audiences, bestsellers, AOV drivers, dos & don’ts
Ready-to-use links, assets and angles (not just “here’s the logo”)
A clear success metric: “If you can do X clicks or Y sales in 30 days, we’ll… (increase CPA / give exclusivity / share extra data)”

Treat onboarding as a short campaign. The first 30–60 days decide whether that partner becomes a top producer or dead weight in the account.

4. Build a rhythm of activation, not one-off pushes

Good programs have a beat:

Monthly “what’s new” updates
Quarterly thematic pushes (seasonal, product launches, bundles)
Occasional exclusive placements for your top partners
Periodic 1:1 check-ins with your top 10–20 revenue drivers

This is where agencies often struggle with time. That’s exactly where a network partner can help: we live in those relationships every day, across thousands of publishers, so you don’t have to.

5. Measure your mix, not just your revenue

It’s easy to look at the top-line number and say “affiliate is growing”. The real question is:

What % of revenue is content / influencer / comparison vs pure discount?
Which partners are bringing new customers, not just last-click on loyal ones?
If you switched off your voucher partners tomorrow, what would be left?

If you can’t answer those, you don’t have a partner strategy – you have a list.

A question to leave with you

If your affiliate program disappeared tomorrow, which partners would your brand genuinely miss – and what does that say about the mix you’ve built?

If that question stings a little, it might be time to rethink how you recruit and activate partners.

At Ascendia Prime, we help agencies:

Design a healthier partner mix
Plug in high-quality content, influencer and tech partners
Run retargeting and incremental layers on pure performance – no network fees, no retainers, just results

If you’d like to see what that could look like for one of your accounts, drop me a message or connect here on LinkedIn – and let’s turn your “live” program into a truly performing one.