Swipe This Recurring Affiliate Program

Let's face it for anyone creating stuff.

Mm-hmm.

Putting their heart into it.

The real win is seeing
it connect and well.

Actually making a living from it.

Absolutely.

We all wanna get better at bringing
people in, finding our audience, and

making it all sustainable.

Yeah, right.

Improving acquisition and monetization.

Exactly.

So today we're digging into something
that can really help with both what makes

a truly top recurring affiliate program.

Yeah.

What does that even mean?

I. We're talking about programs
that aren't just good for the

company, running them, but

but are genuinely valuable for you.

The person recommending them.

Yeah, the affiliate.

Right.

And to get a real handle on
this, we're looking at the

experience of, uh, Ambreen and Sam.

They run Reply Two.

That's the email agency just for creators.

Yeah, that's

the one.

Ambreen's background is pretty cool.

Design, print, digital, even Marvel.

Wow.

Okay.

And Sam brings the business side
consulting Big Five firm experience.

Worked with some huge tech names.

Their whole thing is helping
newsletter creators succeed

and their own affiliate program.

Oh,

it didn't start on day one, did it?

It grew outta something else.

Yeah, exactly.

As Reply Two was growing, they just
noticed their clients were happy.

Like really happy.

The

best kind of marketing.

Totally.

And these happy clients were
telling other creators about them.

Just organically,

no incentive.

Just pure word of mouth.

None at all.

Which, you know, says a lot about
the service they were providing.

Definitely.

But Ambreen and Sam saw that.

They thought, okay, this is great, but
how can we, uh, sort of formalize it?

How can we thank these people properly

and maybe encourage it a bit more?

Smartly

precisely give that word of
mouth a structured boost.

So that's when they decided, okay,
let's build our own affiliate program.

Okay, let's unpack that moment.

So referrals are just happening.

People are loving the service.

What was the trigger, the aha

uhhuh

moment to build a system?

Well, apparently it was like the fourth
time someone messaged them saying,

Hey, told my friend about you guys.

Right?

That got on brain thinking
and she asked Sam point blank.

Shouldn't we be paying people for this?

Makes sense.

And Sam agreed, but he
had one big condition.

He was like, okay, but I am not
getting buried in spreadsheets,

trying to track all this.

Huh?

Been there.

Spreadsheets can kill any good idea.

So rule number one, no spreadsheet.

Hell, what else?

What were their guiding
principles for this thing?

They landed on?

Three main ideas, generosity,
sustainability, and simplicity.

Okay.

Generous, sustainable.

Simple.

Makes sense.

Yeah.

They wanted the reward to actually
feel like a reward, you know?

Worthwhile

motivating.

Exactly.

But it also had to work with their
business long-term sustainable.

And crucially, it needed to be easy
for everyone to understand and manage.

No hoops to jump through.

Especially since they're clients,
newsletter creators tend to stick

around if the service is good, right?

They focus on reader experience.

That's a huge part of it.

Good retention means those clients are
likely happy to recommend them anyway.

The program just gives that a
formal channel and a thank you.

Okay, so they got the principles
now, the nets and bolts, putting

it together, tools, tech.

Mm-hmm.

What was that conversation like?

Right, the classic
implementation question.

Ambreen with her design background,
perhaps initially leaned towards

building a totally custom system.

Ah, the perfectionist vision.

You know, it, she knew exactly how she
wanted it to work, but Sam bringing

that business consultant perspective

said, hold on a sec.

Pretty much he suggested
a more pragmatic route.

Let's use tools that
are already out there,

the build versus buy debate.

So what one,

buy or rather use what you have.

They decided to leverage a tool
they were already using for client

management, service provider Pro SPP.

Oh, convenient.

Super convenient.

Turns out SPP had affiliate tracking
features built right in unique

links for affiliates, automatic
commission tracking, even dashboards

for affiliates to see their stats.

So it was already part of their workflow.

Exactly.

SPP was their client hub anyway, and it
just had this affiliate layer ready to go.

Smart.

Use what you've got.

Get moving faster, less friction.

Absolutely.

Sam's thinking was why invest loads
of time building something custom

before we even know if people want an
affiliate program, let's test it first.

Validate the idea,

right?

He even used something called
Vercel's v0, like a rapid UI builder.

Just to quickly customize
the affiliate welcome page.

Nice, quick and dirty.

Get it launched.

Their big takeaway for
anyone listening is.

Start fast with what's available.

Don't wait for the perfect bespoke
solution that might never come.

So are they still using
SPP any manual parts?

They are still using SPP for the tracking.

Payouts are still manual for now.

Just to keep it simple initially,
but Sam definitely has plans

to automate that down the line.

The priority was getting it live.

Okay, makes total sense.

Now let's get to the juicy part.

The money highest paying
affiliate program.

That phrase gets tossed around a lot.

What did Ambreen and
Sam find out about that?

Yeah, this is where it gets
really, uh, insightful.

They figured out pretty quickly
that just looking for the absolute

highest percentage commission
can be really misleading.

How so?

Well, Ambreen actually admitted, her
first question to Sam was basically,

what's the highest payout you've seen?

Let's just do that.

Uhhuh.

Understandable impulse.

Totally.

But Sam pointed out that those
programs shouting about like

50% commissions or even higher.

Yeah.

Often they're for one-time sales.

I. Or worse,

the customers don't stick around.

Exactly.

Poor customer retention.

So that massive commission
happens once and then nothing.

The customer turns

right.

A big slice of a very
small, short-lived pie.

Isn't that great?

Precisely.

So reply to went a different route.

They decided on 20% lifetime commission

lifetime.

That's the key word there.

It really is.

And they added a little kicker.

It bumps up to 25% once an affiliate
brings in more than 10 customers.

Okay.

Rewarding loyalty and volume.

So how does that 20% stack up
against, say, a 50% one-time deal?

They did a great comparison.

Imagine you sell a $500 course
maybe with a 50% commission.

That's $250 in your pocket once

nice payout.

But yeah, just once

now, take reply tos.

Uh, enough.

Plan, it's $299 a month.

A 20% recurring commission on that is.

Let's see, about $59 and 80 cents.

Okay.

It's a smaller upfront,

but it's $59 and 80 cents every
single month for as long as

that client stays with reply to.

Ah, and if retention is good.

Exactly.

They estimate clients stick around
for at least 15 months on average.

So do the math.

That $59 and 80 cents a month surpasses
the one time $250 after just a few months.

About, uh, three, uh,
three months actually.

Wow.

Okay.

Seeing it laid out like that.

Recurring changes everything.

It's not just the percentage,

it's really not.

It's about the long game, the total
value over the customer's lifetime.

So if someone's looking at joining
an affiliate program, what are

the real factors they should weigh
beyond that headline percentage?

Sam and Ambreen really broke this down.

Number one, customer longevity.

How long do people actually stay that
directly impacts your recurring earnings.

Makes sense?

Then the actual monthly price, a high
percentage of a tiny amount is still tiny.

What's the dollar value that that's true?

Is commission one time or
recurring lifetime makes a

huge difference as we saw.

Crucial.

And finally, conversion rate.

How likely are the people you send over
to actually sign up A great commission?

Doesn't matter if nobody converts.

So retention, price, duration, conversion.

That paints a much fuller picture.

Good advice for creators choosing programs
or thinking about setting up their own?

Definitely.

It applies both ways.

Understand the true potential.

Okay.

Speaking of setting up your own, for
creators listening who are thinking,

Hmm,

maybe I should reward
people for referring me.

Hmm.

Any advice from Ambreen
and Sam on starting Simple?

Yeah.

They really emphasize you don't need some
complex, expensive system right away.

The main thing is making it easy
and worthwhile for people to share.

Lower the friction.

Exactly.

They mention platforms like, uh, beehive
often have built-in referral features.

May be rewarding shares with.

Points or exclusive content or
even some cool merchandise some of

you might already be able to do,

right?

If you want something a bit more
robust for tracking, especially

across different platforms.

They suggested tools like
Spark, loop or Reward Full.

They integrate easily,
no coding needed, usually

Gotcha, and the rewards themselves.

Keep it simple to start.

If you sell a course or a digital
product, a one-time commission for

a referral makes a lot of sense.

Easy to track, easy to understand.

And for ongoing things

like memberships, retainers,
services like Reply Two, that's

perfect for recurring commissions.

It matches the value the
customer gets over time.

So align the reward structure
with the product type.

Exactly.

The big message is.

Just make it easy, make it feel
valuable, and don't feel like you

need a massive audience before
you can even start something.

Just begin.

That's really empowering.

Okay, let's slip it for creators
acting as affiliates, promoting

other products or services.

What are the ethical
considerations, the best practices?

This is super important.

Ethics and effectiveness
are totally linked here.

They're absolute number one rule.

Disclose, disclose, disclose.

Always let people know
it's an affiliate link.

Always transparency builds trust.

Lose that and you've lost everything.

True.

What else?

They also mentioned
avoiding double dipping.

Like if a brand is already sponsoring
you to talk about their product,

don't just sneak an affiliate
link in on top of that payment,

right?

Unless that's explicitly part of
your agreement with the sponsor.

Be upfront about it.

Good point.

And for making the
recommendations actually work.

Be natural.

Don't force it.

Mention things when they
genuinely fit your content and

critically explain the why.

Why you're recommending them.

Exactly.

Focus on the benefit to your audience,
not just your potential commission.

How does this help them

serve the audience first,

always, and finally, do the quick math.

Understand the potential payout recurring
versus one time to see if promoting

something is actually worth your
effort and your audience's attention.

Solid advice.

Be transparent, be relevant, explain
the value and check the numbers.

Mm.

Now thinking bigger picture.

These high value recurring programs,
what kinds of things usually offer them?

They see them mostly in a few buckets.

Software platforms are a big one.

Email service providers, membership
tools, that kind of thing.

Makes sense.

Sauce often has recurring billing.

Yep.

Then there are services like
reply to itself, agencies

coaching with ongoing access.

Right.

Sometimes courses, especially if
they have a strong ongoing community

component that keeps people subscribed.

Interesting.

Do they see one category
as generally better?

They kind of lean towards
services, potentially offering

more stable long-term commission.

Why I.

Client retention for a good service
can often be higher than for software.

Less likely to switch if you're
happy with a service provider.

Generally, yeah, there's often
more friction involved in

switching a service you rely on.

Okay.

And for Reply Two's own program,
any specific choices they made

for their high ticket service?

Yeah, a couple things.

They use a 60 day tracking cookie

longer than usual.

A bit.

Yeah.

The figure choosing an agency
partner is a bigger decision.

Might take people longer
to research and commit.

Gives the affiliate more time
for the referral to count

smart and the commission rate

to keep it simple.

Back to that principle, it's the same
percentage across all their plans.

Whether someone signs up for
the $299 plan or the $999 one,

the affiliate gets the same cut.

Nah, avoids complexity.

I like that.

Simplicity keeps popping up.

It really seems core to their approach.

So beyond the commission details,
what are the absolute must haves

for any affiliate program to be
considered good or even great?

The foundational pillars,

they boiled it down to three essentials.

First, clear, reliable tracking
affiliates need to see their

referrals and earnings accurately.

Trust is key.

That SVP dashboard helps there

hugely real-time stats.

Build that trust.

Second, reliable, timely payments.

No one wants to chase their money.

Definitely not.

Rock Light two has that 45 day initial
hold just to ensure the client is

settled and happy, which seems fair.

But after that, payouts are
monthly, like clockwork,

predictability.

Good.

Yeah.

And the third

helpful resources for the affiliates.

Don't just give them a
link and say, good luck.

Right.

Set them up for success.

Exactly.

Ambreen and Sam created a
starter pack guidelines.

Banners, brand assets, even
some prompts or ideas on how to

talk about reply to effectively.

That's really thinking about the
affiliates experience supporting them.

It makes a huge difference.

Okay, so for someone totally new to this,

yeah.

Just dipping their toes into affiliate
marketing, what's the core advice?

Start with what you know and love.

Promote things you actually
use and genuinely believe in.

Your authenticity will come through.

Makes the recommendation
easier and more credible.

Absolutely.

Look for programs with simple commission
structures, especially at first,

avoid overly complex rules or tiers.

Keep it manageable.

Yeah,

yeah.

And prioritize programs that offer
that support we just talked about.

Resources, maybe a contact person and
check their reputation for paying on time

due diligence,

for sure.

They frame their own program as
pretty beginner friendly, especially

if you're in the newsletter space.

You don't need to be a marketing whiz,

just know creators who might need help.

Pretty much if you know people
struggling with their email, it's a

natural fit, and again, they suggest
just being conversational about it.

No hard selling.

Share it naturally.

Like recommending something to a friend.

That's the vibe.

So Reply Two has built
this thoughtful program.

How are they actually
getting the word out?

How do they promote their
own affiliate program?

I.

They're using a few different channels.

One is their existing clients,
but interestingly, they don't

hit them with it right away.

Oh, when do they introduce it?

A bit later in the onboarding process.

Once the client has already experienced
the value of Reply Two, then it's

like, Hey, if you know others who could
benefit, here's how you can get rewarded.

Smart timing.

Let the results speak first.

Exactly.

Their SPP system makes it easy
for clients to grab their unique

link right from their dashboard.

Nice integration.

What else?

They've experimented a bit with
affiliate directories, like

one called tap referred.com.

Cautiously though they want affiliates who
really get the creator newsletter space

quality over quantity for

sure.

They also make a discoverable
a link in their website footer.

Simple but effective.

Yeah,

and they use social media sharing
info where creators hang out.

Makes sense.

Where have they seen the best results?

Unsurprisingly, their best affiliates
are often their own happy clients,

the ones who are referring
organically anyway.

Those are often the
most powerful advocates.

Yeah, they've lived the transformation.

That really underscores the
importance of just having a great

product or a service to begin with

fundamentally.

Yes.

Okay.

Last big question.

Looking ahead, how do you future proof.

An affiliate strategy for Reply
Two, running their program and

for affiliates participating.

What's the long term thinking?

It really comes back to that
principle of sustainability.

Yeah.

Thinking long term, not just quick wins.

Right.

For Reply Two, they mentioned plans
for a new platform, uh, context, I

think to give them more flexibility
and integrating with a tool called

dub.co for better link management.

So always improving the tech side,

refining the system.

Yeah.

But the core pillars won't change.

Good payouts based on real value,
sustainable economics for them.

Clear tracking, reliable
payments, and good resources.

That's fundamentals.

Exactly.

And for people joining programs,
the advice is consistent.

Look beyond that initial percentage.

Dig into retention, real dollar
value, payout duration, understand

the total earning potential over time.

Don't get distracted by shiny objects.

Pretty much the best programs, the truly
top ones create that win-win, win, good

for the company, good for the affiliate,
and ultimately good for the customer

who finds something genuinely helpful

that win-win win feels
like the perfect summary.

So wrapping this up for anyone thinking
about affiliate programs, building one,

joining one, what's the main takeaway for
making progress for improving how they

acquire customers or monetize their work?

I think the core message from Ambreen
and Sam's experience is that long-term

value and mutual benefit are everything.

Forget the quick hacks.

Focus on building or joining
something sustainable where everyone

involved gets real ongoing value.

That's a powerful way to think about it.

So for everyone listening, maybe take
a second look at the affiliate programs

you're in or the potential for starting
your own ask, is this sustainable?

Is there a genuine value exchange?

How does this help me make the
progress I wanna make in my own work?

It really is about building
something that lasts.

We'll definitely keep exploring ways to
foster that kind of sustainable growth.