7 Ways to Find Affiliates for Your Brand (+Best Practices)
- 11 mins
Great affiliates are pure gold. They help your brand grow, bring in new customers, and keep the traffic and sales coming month after month. And the best part? You only pay them commission.
From a brand’s perspective, that’s a pretty sweet deal 🤝
There’s just one snag: like a pair of skinny jeans in a Gen Z closet, quality affiliates can be tough to find.
Tough… but far from impossible. Here are seven proven ways to track them down.
1. Loyal customers = great affiliates
Your loyal customers are your biggest fans — and your best potential promoters. Research shows that a small percentage of your customer base generates a large portion of your orders and revenue. They already:
• Love your product
• Understand its benefits
• Have stories that resonate with other potential buyers
Some are already recommending you for free. Imagine the results if you gave them a financial incentive.
How to find them:
Check social media for brand mentions
Not every customer will tag your brand, so use social listening tools or manually search your brand name. When you spot someone posting enthusiastically about you, offer them an affiliate link or discount code.
Promote your affiliate program in your emails and socials
Add an invitation in order confirmation emails and post on your social media channels. Link to a landing page explaining:
• Commission rate
• Perks like discounts or free products
• How to apply
Proactively reach out to repeat buyers
Scan your order history for customers with high lifetime value. If they also have an audience aligned with your target market, invite them directly.
2. Discover niche content creators and websites
Even if your product is in a super-specific niche, chances are there are bloggers, YouTubers, newsletter writers, and community site owners talking about it regularly.
By partnering with them, you borrow the trust they’ve already built with their audience.
How to find them:
• Google review sites in your niche — look for ones that accept product listings or partnerships.
• Search social media with relevant hashtags to spot micro-creators.
• Ask your customers where they hang out online or who they follow for recommendations. If you hear the same names repeatedly, reach out to those creators or sites.
For example, GoMarketish makes this faster by letting you search creators by niche, platform, and audience demographics in just a few clicks.
3. Recruit social media influencers as affiliates
Not all influencers demand an upfront fee – many smaller ones are open to performance-based pay, especially if they already like your product.
With GoMarketish, you can:
• Search public profiles on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Filter by follower range, engagement rate, growth, location, and more
• See audience demographics and content performance before reaching out
This saves you hours compared to manual searching and vetting.
4. Collaborate with industry experts (KOLs)
Key opinion leaders (KOLs) – respected voices in your industry – have built deep trust with their audience. That makes them powerful affiliates.
Find them by:
• Asking customers who they trust for recommendations
• Attending industry events and networking with speakers
• Subscribing to niche communities and newsletters to spot consistent thought leaders
Some KOLs may ask for upfront fees in addition to affiliate commission, but their credibility can make it worthwhile.
5. Build an affiliate landing page
Manually recruiting affiliates takes time. A dedicated landing page allows creators to come to you.
Best practices:
• Grab attention with a curiosity-driven hero section
• Keep copy simple, compelling, and brand-aligned
• Explain perks beyond commission (brand values, bonuses, free products)
• Add an FAQ to save your team from repetitive questions
Optimize for “[your niche] affiliate program” so people actively searching for opportunities find you.
6. Get into into affiliate networks
Joining an affiliate network gives you instant access to thousands of affiliates — plus built-in tools for tracking, payments, and contracts.
Quality networks include:
• CJ Affiliate
• Impact
• Rakuten
Just keep in mind: they can be pricey, competitive, and may attract affiliates with lower brand loyalty.
7. Join relevant communities
High-performing affiliates spend time in communities where they learn about trends and offers. Look for:
• Affiliate marketing groups (e.g., r/Affiliatemarketing on Reddit)
• Niche-specific communities (e.g., r/SkincareAddiction for beauty brands)
Always read the group’s posting rules before promoting your program.
Optimize your affiliate program with GoMarketish
Finding relevant affiliates is no guarantee of a successful affiliate program. If you’re serious about affiliate marketing, you need to monitor and track your affiliates’ content and performance.
Realistically, doing it all manually isn’t a viable solution – you need a tool like GoMarketish.
That way, you can easily see which campaigns and affiliates are delivering the best results 📈
And when you understand what’s working, you can do more of it.
See for yourself by signing up for your free trial of GoMarketish – no credit card details required!
We Make The Difference.
GoMarketish Team
