Purebred Marketing Insights · free guide
A revenue channel you only pay for after it works.
The Affiliate Field Guide is how we build programs for DTC brands: setting the goals, timing the launch around the dates that actually move volume, reading consumer behaviour, and recruiting every partner type instead of just the coupon sites. From the team that has built 31,789 partnerships for 125+ brands.
- Partners get paid only when they drive a sale
- The eight partner types a full-funnel program recruits
- Free, no sales call required
Free · PDF
Download the Affiliate Field Guide
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A field guide, not another blog post
How we set up, launch and scale an affiliate program for a DTC brand — the goals to agree before anything goes live, the dates worth building a calendar around, the consumer behaviour that decides which partners matter, and the full-funnel partner mix most programs never get to.
It is written the way we brief our own clients — plain language, no tool worship, and no tactic we would not run on a brand we are accountable for.
Purebred Marketing Insights
Free guideAffiliate
Field Guide
- 01Setting goals for the business and the program
- 02Key dates and industry events
- 03Consumer behaviour trends
- 04Running a full-funnel partner mix
PDF · For DTC & eCommerce brands
Inside the guide
Setting goals for your business and your program
What an affiliate program is actually being asked to do before a single partner is recruited: the revenue it has to add, the margin it has to hold, and the commission structure that makes both possible. Our own benchmark is first sales inside 30 days and profitability inside 90.
Key dates and industry events
Publishers plan their coverage weeks ahead of the moments that move volume, so a program that launches late misses the window entirely. How to build the calendar backwards from those dates, and what has to be in a partner’s hands before it closes.
Consumer behaviour trends
Where buyers research, who they trust, and what that means for which partner types deserve your commission budget — review sites and premium editorial for a category being researched, creators and registries for a category being discovered.
Running a full-funnel partner mix
Most programs are coupon sites and nothing else, which caps them at the buyers who were already converting. The full mix — premium publishers, niche review sites, creators, registries, loyalty and cashback, technology partners and referrals — is what turns affiliate into a channel that adds roughly 18% on average rather than re-cutting existing sales.
Every partner type a full-funnel program recruits
Premium publishers
High-authority editorial coverage that builds credibility and purchase intent in readers already researching your category.
ExamplesForbes, NYT Wirecutter, CNN Underscored, Business Insider Reviews
Niche blogs & review sites
Places your brand directly in front of high-intent buyers, driving trusted, ready-to-convert traffic.
ExamplesProduct review sites, special-interest content, vertical editorial
Influencers & creators
Authentic, relatable content that shows real-life use cases of your products.
ExamplesLTK, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest creators
Registries & gifting
Reaches buyers at life-cycle moments where a gift is expected — weddings, baby showers, birthdays.
ExamplesBabylist, Zola, The Knot, MyRegistry
Coupon & deal sites
High-volume conversion drivers, managed strategically to protect your margins.
ExamplesBrad’s Deals, Slickdeals, Offers.com
Loyalty & cashback
Captures high-intent buyers across the whole funnel — discovery, conversion rate and repeat purchase.
ExamplesRakuten, TopCashback, Capital One Shopping, Swagbucks
Technology partners
Recovers lost revenue and re-engages intent signals through cart recovery, retargeting and member groups.
ExamplesCart recovery tools, Upsellit, Student Beans, UNiDAYS, ID.me
Referral & ambassadors
Turns your best customers into partners — growth through the people who already believe in the brand.
ExamplesFriendbuy, Talkable, Yotpo Referrals
Most programs run a handful of these at launch and add the rest as the program compounds. The guide’s full-funnel chapter is about choosing the order.
Programs built for brands like yours
Driving growth for our pack
125+ brands scaled 31,789 partnerships built $300M+ client revenue
What an Optimized Program Gives You
Reach New Audiences
Reach highly engaged audiences within your target market who are actively looking for a brand like yours.
Control Profit Margins
Profit margins are controlled with affiliate programs because you pay a fixed commission on each sale.
Drive Immediate Sales
Affiliate publishers have so much existing traffic that you start to see traffic and sales driven immediately.
Is This Guide for You?
Worth your email
Read this if…
- You run a DTC or eCommerce brand and paid acquisition is getting more expensive every quarter.
- You have an affiliate program that is only coupon sites, and you suspect it is re-cutting sales you already had.
- You are about to launch and want the goals, the commission structure and the calendar decided before you recruit anyone.
- You are briefing an agency or a hire and want to judge the program plan you get back.
Not for everyone
Skip it if…
- You want a partner list to email once and never manage. Recruitment is the easy half.
- Your margin cannot carry a commission. Affiliate pays out of gross profit, not out of budget.
- You need the number to move this week. Programs compound; they do not rescue a month.
Before You Hand over Your Email
What exactly do I get, and when?
A download link to the Affiliate Field Guide, sent to the email address you enter. Nothing is gated behind a phone call, and you do not have to talk to anyone to read it.
Is it actually free?
Yes. No payment, no trial, no card. We write it because the brands that understand how affiliate actually works make better partners — and better briefs for their in-house teams.
Will you email me every week after this?
Only if you tick the consent box on the form, and you can unsubscribe from any email we send. Leave it unticked and you still get the guide.
Can I share it with my team?
Please do. It is written to be forwarded to whoever owns margin, merchandising and marketing — an affiliate program needs all three to agree on the commission before it launches.
Is this a pitch for your agency?
The guide is a guide: how a program is built and what makes it compound. If you would rather we ran it for you, the affiliate work we have published for other brands is on the case studies page — read that instead of taking a sales call.
Get Affiliate Marketing in 2026
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