The Hidden Pitfalls of Affiliate Marketing for Brands (Hint: Your Offer Doesn’t Have Sex Appeal)

In the last several weeks, I’ve spoken to several brands who are attempting to build an influencer-based affiliate model for their brand.

The result?

1. Very few influencers say “yes”

1. The few that do agree to become affiliates never post or promote the brand

In this article, we'll delve into the underlying reasons behind these challenges and explore seamless solutions for brands to overcome them.

Your Offer Doesn’t Have Sex Appeal

If you’re reaching out to influencers and getting ghosted by the vast majority of them, your offer probably isn’t sexy enough.

Only 17% of influencers are willing to work with brands on an affiliate/commission-only basis, which means that your pool of influencers just got a whole lot smaller (AdAge).

However, this pool only exists if

a) you're an unknown brand with a weak exchange offer

b) you're an unknown brand with a strong exchange offer but your product doesn’t appeal to influencers

Both of these will run you into trouble. But for the sake of this article, let’s resolve problem A, since a poor product can only be resolved by your internal team.

Classic Mistakes

This is the typical e-mail structure I see brands send (in mass) to influencers:

“Hey FIRST NAME

I wanted to see if you’d like to try a pack of X on us?

We’re looking to build our affiliate program and would love to have you join our team for a 10% commission on any sales you make to your audience.

Interested?”

And if you’re reading this feeling ‘guilty as charged’, you’ll probably also be familiar with the typical response (IF you get a response):

“Hi there!

I’m X person’s agent, X person doesn’t do affiliate deals.

However, here’s his/her media kit if you’d like to do a paid collab?”

OR

“Hi there!

Is there any budget for a flat rate or paid partnership? I’d love to work with your team if we can work out a paid deal!”

If this sounds somewhat familiar, keep reading.

There are some easy resolves that will garner both incredible content and organic affiliates who genuinely want to promote your product/service.

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

Put yourself in the influencer's shoes for a second:

1. “I have multiple offers to create content for $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, so why would I promote something without any guaranteed base?”

1. “X affiliate program will only get me Y commission, even if I sell Z number of units. That’s not with it”

1. “I don’t even know this product/service. Why go through the trouble of getting to know them without much reward?”

I know, it sucks.

But after working with and interviewing thousands of influencers, I can tell you that this thought process is very typical.

So let's resolve this problem by adding sex appeal.

Seduction at its Finest

If you want influencers to join your affiliate program on a commission-only basis, you have to learn to ‘seduce’ them with a sexy offer.

Here is an example:

Event Invitation

“Hey First Name,

We’re throwing an event at X cool place and would love to invite you and a +1 for a private tasting of Y brand.

This includes:

VIP access to a private tasting room for you and your +1

A behind-the-scenes tour of our production facility

Free indoor skydiving after the event

A 24-pack of X brand to take home with you

Let me know if you’re game to join us and I’ll send more details?”

Now....

you can add whatever value propositions that you want/see fit. It doesn’t need to be expensive and you don’t need to ‘go overboard’.

But put yourself in the influencer's shoes and create the offer from that place.

The Result

One sexy offer does three things:

a) dramatically decrease the number of ‘mass outbound’ needed to successfully onboard new influencers

b) creates massive excitement and buzz about your product

c) allows influencers to create content from a place of enthusiasm, authentic connection with the brand, and a great experience (which will inevitably lead to organic affiliates and higher conversions)

Wrapping up

Influencer programs work, but they require creativity and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking.

Offering a sought-after influencer a commission model, to them, is like offering a Ferrari car owner $20,000 for their brand new 2024 ride.?

It doesn’t work because they don’t see the value.

Find different ways, like providing experiences, to build value for the influencer, and you’ll see a massive rise in influencers coming to you to be a part of your creator team.

Ready To Run Your Next Campaign?

Schedule a call with InfluencerNexus and let us walk you through exactly how to build a campaign from trigger to conversion.