Once considered a nice-to-have element of any marketing or PR strategy, affiliate marketing is now a central tenet for a growing number of brands, with agencies like Darby Communications often taking on full-time management as a complement to our PR services.
In this installment of our Ask the Experts series, we’re diving deep into affiliate marketing.
AvantLink & Impact
We spoke with experts from two of the top affiliate platforms on the market, AvantLink and impact.com, about why it’s so important for brands in today’s media landscape, how AI impacts affiliate marketing, how to truly measure affiliate success, and so much more.
Ben Hitch | Agency Partnerships Manager | AvantLink
Courtney Vanpraag | Affiliate Coach | impact.com
How did you get started in affiliate marketing?
Ben Hitch: I guess you could say it fell into my lap. I started working with an online publication named CYTIES, which was 95% affiliate-based in terms of revenue, to keep the lights on. I hadn’t had much affiliate experience beforehand, but I quickly had to learn how to navigate through the landscape and use just about every affiliate platform to ensure the partnerships and products we were promoting were linked up correctly. From CYTIES and a few other freelance positions, I landed a job with ECHOS Communications and eventually oversaw the entire affiliate client portfolio.
Courtney Vanpraag: Like many in affiliate marketing, I fell into it. My career actually started in aerospace engineering, where I developed skills in data, systems, and problem-solving that have proven invaluable in affiliate. After having my son, long hours were no longer sustainable, so I transitioned into digital marketing for a running shoe company (a natural fit since I was also a running coach). That is where I first discovered affiliate marketing and quickly became hooked. What began as an analyst role at an agency grew into years of managing and scaling programs, and eventually leading teams as a department head.
Why do you think affiliate marketing is important for brands in today’s media landscape?
BH: It’s the latest and greatest version of pay-to-play. It’s almost a must for a brand to have an affiliate program at this point…very least, it certainly benefits them to have one. Instead of paying for placement without knowing the return, it offers brands performance-based accountability and extended reach through trusted partners.
Unlike paid search or social ads, which charge for clicks or impressions regardless of outcomes, affiliates’s cost-per-purchase model shifts risk from the brand to the publisher. It is relationship-driven rather than auction-driven, integrates naturally into content that builds trust with consumers, and delivers long-term value since affiliate content can generate sales well beyond the initial campaign. This makes it a highly efficient, authentic, and scalable addition to traditional digital advertising.
CV: Affiliate marketing is performance-based and partnership-driven, which makes it very different from paid search or social. Instead of paying upfront for impressions or clicks, brands pay partners when outcomes like sales, leads, or subscriptions are achieved. This model is cost-effective and low-risk, and it builds trust, expands reach, and unlocks valuable PR opportunities. Many top media outlets now even require affiliate links for product coverage, making the channel essential for visibility.
Just as important, affiliate reflects how people shop today. Consumers trust recommendations from publishers, creators, communities, and even friends and family more than traditional ads. With platforms like impact.com, brands gain transparency into the consumer journey, tracking every touchpoint and seeing how partners interact with each other as well as other marketing channels. These insights help brands maximize budgets and drive sustainable growth.
“Affiliate and influencer convergence is accelerating as the lines between performance PR, influencer, and affiliate blur.”
-Courtney Vanpraag, impact.com
For brands new to affiliate marketing, what should they know before launching a program?
BH: Before launching an affiliate program, brands should understand that success requires time, strategy, and active management—it’s not an instant sales channel. A strong program depends on competitive commission rates and a diverse mix of publisher partners, supported by ongoing recruitment and relationship-building.
The biggest mistakes to avoid include setting uncompetitive rates, over-relying on coupon or cashback sites, treating all affiliates the same, and expecting immediate ROI. Ultimately, affiliate marketing works best when brands view it as a long-term partnership channel rather than a quick, set-and-forget ad tactic.
CV: Affiliate marketing success begins with clear goals, whether that means driving revenue, building brand awareness, or entering new markets. Defining success upfront allows you to design a program that supports those objectives. The right technology is also essential, providing accurate tracking, flexible contracting, partner discovery and recruitment, and transparent reporting to identify real value.
Affiliate marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Long-term success requires ongoing management, consistent communication, and strong relationships with the right partners. The brands that perform best are those that stay engaged, support their partners, and align incentives with their goals to create partnerships that last.
What key metrics should brands focus on to measure the true success of their affiliate programs?
BH: Naturally, sales is the easy answer, but because we have no control over the purchase button, measuring clicks is also vital. Clicks can be viewed as brand awareness and help determine the success of a placement with partners. Brands should go beyond topline revenue and track efficiency (ROAS and CPA), customer quality (new vs. returning buyers and average order value).
Ultimately, success isn’t just about sales volume, as much as any merchant and management would hope—it’s about ensuring the program delivers profitable, incremental growth with high-quality customers and a balanced mix of affiliates.
CV: Revenue and growth matter, but the real story for brands comes from deeper metrics such as incrementality, asking whether a sale would have happened without the partner, and customer lifetime value, measuring whether new customers are repurchasing over time.
With impact.com, brands can go beyond surface-level performance and see how much revenue a partner introduced, influenced, closed, or drove independently of other channels. This is especially valuable for partners who play a role early in the customer journey, such as media outlets or creators. These insights allow brands to identify true value, adjust commissioning accordingly, and scale programs more effectively.
From the affiliate’s point of view, what do they look for in a brand’s program before deciding to partner?
BH: Commission rates, cool factor of the brand, and recent or forthcoming product launches. Affiliates and publications should decide whether to partner with a brand based on the program’s overall attractiveness and reliability.
They should be looking for competitive commission rates, strong conversion, and products that will resonate with their audience. Ultimately, they want and need the assurance that promoting the brand will deliver both commissions and a positive experience for their audience…a product sample for review certainly doesn’t hurt either.
CV: Affiliates evaluate programs based on attractive commission rates, fair attribution policies, and reliable tracking. They also want flexibility in contracting and a transparent relationship with the brand.
Just as importantly, they look for support and unique incentives such as exclusive offers, promo codes, or branded content opportunities. Affiliates want programs that let them tell genuine stories, not just run ads.
“Agencies like Darby Communications act as a bridge between outdoor brands and their marketing partners. The agency provides the relationship management, and the network delivers the infrastructure, tracking that help brands scale effectively.”
-Ben Hitch, AvantLink
What emerging trends in affiliate marketing should brands be paying attention?
BH: Over the next few years, affiliate marketing should continue to shift to a more creator- and content-led ecosystem. Influencers, micro-creators, and brand ambassadors are increasingly moving to commission-based models, while major publishers expand gear reviews (including YouTube-assisted videos) and SEO-driven commerce content. At the same time, brands are integrating affiliate structures into ambassador and community programs to reward authentic supporters and champions of the brand.
CV: Affiliate and influencer convergence is accelerating as the lines between performance PR, influencer, and affiliate blur. We’re also seeing publishers double down on content commerce and shoppable experiences, while micro influencers and advocates are proving to be incredibly powerful. Automation will also play a central role, allowing brands to scale faster while still tailoring engagement.