7 Tips to Attract All-Star Affiliates For Your Launch
Everything’s better with friends.
For example, When was the last time you went to a movie by yourself?
Okay, that’s not a fair question. Few of us have been to the movie theater in a while. I need to start changing my analogies to match with the times.
Take outdoor, socially distanced, masked-up minigolf. Would you rather play by yourself, or with 3 of your best friends in the whole wide world? Especially if the loser pays for dinner.
The same principle is true for launches. In business, lone rangers don’t last. Even the biggest personalities in the world of entrepreneurship have large teams behind them, making the dream work. We thrive when we work with friends, partners, and affiliates.
This post is about scoring affiliates for your launches. It helps the launch itself, and unlocks additional opportunities for you.
Launches are a pivotal part of my business “quick-start” guide, the M.I.L.K. It Method. Download this free resource today to get the cash flowing!
Why You Need To Gather Affiliates For Your Very Next Launch
- It Will Boost Your Sales… And Theirs
First and foremost, affiliates on your next launch increases your sales. A slew of amazing partners brings legitimacy to your product, and gets your offer in front of several audiences, as opposed to just one (yours).
Your partners get a kickback for promoting you… and when you return the favor, you get a kickback for promoting them. Everybody grows together!
- Affiliates Provide Networking Opportunities
This can open up a whole new world of opportunities previously unavailable to you. Expanding your network means you can share clientele. New customers become available to you. You learn and grow with each other.
This pays off financially, and gives you knowledge you didn’t previously have. Who knows? Perhaps you might even end up in a mastermind group together!
- Affiliates Form Strategic Partnerships
When you embark on joint ventures like this, you create strategic partnerships that pay off in the short and long term. An affiliate relationship is an easy way to open the door to collaboration later on. You can put your heads together and create stuff both of your markets will eat up!
You can also find people on their team who have skills that you lack. They can help you where you’re weak, and you can do the same for them.
How To Meet Your New Best Friends
By now, you should be foaming at the mouth to get your hands on some affiliates. Here’s a few tips on how to attract them.
- Create a Dedicated Joint Venture Page
You already have a sales page to attract buyers. Now, you need a sales page to attract partners. Next to your product page, make a page labelled “For Joint Ventures” or “For Partners.”
Flex all of your writing muscles to make your offer irresistible for affiliates to come and join you.
On the page, place a form to collect their email addresses, so that you can send them updates as the launch progresses.
- Make It “Stupid Easy” For Them To Promote Your Offer
You want to do all the work for them, so that promoting your offer becomes plug-and-play. This means developing resources for them to use, instead of crossing your fingers and hoping they do it of their own volition.
Give them prewritten emails to send to their community (also known as email “swipes”). Give them graphics for running ads. Give them bonuses they can use to sweeten the pot when people buy from them.
Most affiliates want an “easy money” promotion… so give it to them! Even if it requires work on your end, it will pay off when more people know about your launch.
- Run a Contest
Few things motivate people like friendly competition. Take the mini golf example from earlier… when dinner is on the line, everyone brings their A-game. Use the same principle, but inspire your partners through gain instead of pain.
When you give an affiliate a unique code their audience can use for a discount, you can also track which affiliate brings in the most customers. Give a huge cash prize to the winner. If you’re thinking a $50 gift card will cut it … you need to think a little bigger.
This might sound scary. What happens if you lose money? Take the risk. Affiliates are worth the investment on the front end.
You can also do fun prizes. Since we’re in Hawaii, we’ve done high-end sunglasses, flip flops, and other things affiliates loved.
- Get Affiliates Excited About the Upcoming Launch
In Hawaii, we call it getting “stoked.”
You need to become the #1 cheerleader, and hyping your upcoming launch. Nobody on Earth should be more excited than you for this launch. This will influence the people around you to get excited as well.
You have the email addresses for your affiliates. Send them consistent reminders and updates. Schedule countdowns for 24 hours before, 2 hours before, and right when you go live.
- Send Regular Updates
This accomplishes two things. First, updating your affiliates about the launch keeps it top-of-mind for them. Second, you can use update emails to tell people who’s winning the contest day-by-day.
Affiliates tend to be competitive by nature. Take advantage, and fire them up to compete for your launch. Bonus points for exciting copy, and links to giveaways in your update emails.
- Be Willing to Return the Favor
If you haven’t realized it by now, let me spell it out in plain writing: the name of this game is reciprocity. When your launch goes well, your partners will invite you to become an affiliate on their next launch. Don’t think twice; participate with full enthusiasm.
In my business, there are people I refuse to work with because they have a reputation of not reciprocating. This means they benefited from something I did once and never returned the favor. That’s a great way to fail, long term. Build your business on reciprocity in order to thrive.
- Be Professional, Honest, and Stick to Your Word
When you promise something, follow through on it, even if it hurts. This is the very definition of integrity. Try not to promise anything you cannot deliver. But if somehow you do, go ahead and bite the bullet.
The first time you get affiliates for a launch, all of the contests, giveaways, and kickbacks may actually cause you to lose money. That’s alright. You’re playing the long game, and trust me, it will pay off big. Everything’s an investment, after all.
In no time, you’ll be part of a network of affiliates, all partnering up and making money together.
If you found this helpful, check out my “What’s The Secret?” Podcast for more battle-tested insights the so-called “gurus” won’t tell you!
