HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Run Affiliates Like A Managed Portfolio

Run Affiliates Like A Managed Portfolio is a partnerships & affiliates tactic for getting your first users: Treating affiliates as a segmented, data-driven program: sort partners by type, measure who drives real conversions, and arm everyone with assets that make promoting you easy.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS and Dev tools / technical teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, dev tools, any subscription product. As a partnerships & affiliates play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 4 linked primary sources.

Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effortSlow

Why does partnerships & affiliates work for this?

Affiliates deliver awareness, qualified leads, and sales, but only the right ones convert; measuring conversion lets you pour fuel on winners, and a swipe file removes the creative friction that keeps partners from posting.

The exact steps (4)

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.

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Sources

Works for
Any / universalB2B SaaSDev tools / technical

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Run Affiliates Like A Managed Portfolio" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS and Dev tools / technical — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Run Affiliates Like A Managed Portfolio" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 4 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Build a Referral Engine That Grows With Your Product and Unlocking B2B SaaS Growth: Partner-Led Strategy, is in the paid library.

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