HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Establish an Affiliate Program

Establish an Affiliate Program is a partnerships & affiliates tactic for getting your first users: An affiliate program that incentivizes referrals

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for Small business owners and marketers. As a partnerships & affiliates play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effortMedium

Why does partnerships & affiliates work for this?

Encourages word-of-mouth marketing and increases revenue

The exact steps (3)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

Unlock the steps · $29 oncePlus all 3,000+ tactics and the new ones we add weekly.

Sources

Works for
B2B SaaSAny / universal

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Establish an Affiliate Program" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Establish an Affiliate Program" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be medium.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Bannerbear Affiliate Program, is in the paid library.

Related tactics

Partnerships & affiliatesHigh effort· Slow

Affiliate Partners

Partnering with affiliates to promote the platform

Read the steps →
Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effort· Slow

Find Partners by Mining Competitors' Backlinks and Social Feeds

Source ready-made affiliate prospects by reverse-engineering who already promotes your competitors and who creates content in your niche.

Read the steps →
Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effort· Fast

Trade Equity for Someone Else's Distribution

Instead of spending years building your own audience, you give a partner who already owns your exact target market a stake (equity or revenue share) in exchange for instant access to their customers.

Read the steps →
Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effort· Medium

Recruit Niche Influencers and Agencies as Channel Partners

Partner with the specific influencers and agencies in your exact niche who already own your target audience, and get them to activate that audience for you.

Read the steps →
Partnerships & affiliatesLow effort· Fast

Turn the Customers Who Already Recommend You Into Tracked Affiliates

Build the affiliate program around your existing happy users, who are usually your highest-converting partners, so their informal recommendations become trackable and rewarded.

Read the steps →
Partnerships & affiliatesHigh effort· Slow

Partner with Agencies and Influencers

Partnering with agencies and influencers to expand reach and credibility

Read the steps →

Get all 3,000+ tactics in one place

Filter by your product and channel, follow the exact steps, and get the new tactics we add every week. One payment, yours for good.

Unlock for $29 onceBrowse by channel