The Complete Guide to Understanding Affiliate Marketing Clients: From Startups to Enterprises

In the complex ecosystem of affiliate marketing, understanding your clients is not just beneficial—it's essential for crafting strategies that drive real results. From tech startups burning through venture capital to established retail giants with strict ROI requirements, each client brings a unique set of challenges and opportunities to the table. Knowing where your clients are in their life cycle will help you develop relevant strategies to help them grow through that stage and engage with them on the things they care about.

Understanding Clients by Size and Funding

A client's size and funding stage dramatically influence their approach to affiliate marketing, from their willingness to experiment to their expectations for ROI.

Early-stage Startups (Series A and B)

Early-stage startups are often still refining their product-market fit or figuring out the business model around their newly discovered product-market fit. They view affiliate marketing as a cost-effective way to test different market segments and gather customer feedback.

Key characteristics include:

• Limited resources: Small budgets and teams, often without a dedicated affiliate manager
• Open to experimentation: Willing to try new affiliate strategies to find what works best
• Rapid changes: Quick to pivot based on early results, which can affect affiliate programs
• Product-market fit focus: May use affiliates to test different market segments and gather customer feedback

Companies like Beehiiv, FathomAI, and North One often fall into this category. Many early-stage startups launch their initial programs on low-cost platforms like Rewardful, FirstPromoter, or ShareASale as they begin exploring the channel.

“Working with early-stage startups requires a high degree of flexibility as well as a strong understanding of the brand and its goals for the affiliate channel. Newer brands are prone to experiencing shifts more often, so it is important to adapt with them.” 

Affiliate Management Insights

At this stage, if a brand is exploring an affiliate channel, they won't yet have extensive insights into customer lifetime value or acquisition patterns—the brand is still learning this about itself since they've just achieved product-market fit. They're looking for the affiliate channel to generally drive new users and create brand awareness. There may not be many existing users since the product is generally new.

Affiliate managers for these clients need to be nimble and pivot with their clients. Since we're dealing with stakeholders who wear many different hats, educating this type of client on what's possible and difficult through affiliate marketing is crucial to the success of the partnership.

Later-stage Startups (Series C and beyond, pre-IPO)

Later-stage startups have usually achieved product-market fit and are focused on growing market share. They often see affiliate marketing as a key channel for rapid growth and are willing to invest more resources into it.

Key characteristics include:

• Growth-oriented: Want to expand their customer base quickly through various channels, including affiliates
• Data-driven: Interested in detailed performance metrics to optimize their affiliate approach
• Brand-conscious: Starting to care more about brand image and choosing appropriate affiliates
• Scaling product-market fit: Use affiliates to replicate success in new, similar market segments

Companies like Notion, Instacart, and MasterClass typically fit this profile. Because these companies are built from the ground up in a data-heavy environment, they tend to be very data-oriented and tech-forward—a trait not always present in older, more mature companies. Depending on how much money they've raised and how ambitious their growth goals are, they may be very open to new growth opportunities given the mix of aggressive targets and substantial funding.

Affiliate Management Insights

Growth and scalability are the primary focus at this stage. Given that the brands have established some brand equity, the affiliate channel becomes a viable acquisition strategy because publishers in the space are familiar with the brand and can leverage this awareness to drive clicks from their audience.

The brand has likely matured in its other marketing efforts and is looking for another channel to either diversify its growth strategy or find a channel with lower, more efficient customer acquisition costs (CAC). Teams managing these programs can formulate strategies on where growth and optimization will come from.

The majority of growth will likely still come from recruiting new partners, including traditional affiliate partners like Rakuten and TopCashback, but since these brands are more data-driven, optimizing existing partnerships to drive more value becomes increasingly relevant.

Mature Enterprises (Profitable and Often Public)

Mature enterprises have established product-market fit and are often expanding into new markets or defending their position against competitors. They usually view affiliate marketing as one part of a larger, integrated marketing strategy.

Key characteristics include:

• ROI-focused: Have specific targets for affiliate marketing spend and expect clear returns
• Complex decision-making: Multiple stakeholders involved in affiliate program decisions, leading to longer approval times
• Brand protection: Very careful about brand image and how affiliates represent them
• Expanding market reach: May use affiliates to enter new markets or launch new products

Companies like Amazon, Nike, and Apple exemplify this category. Beyond just being ROI-focused, many of these brands may operate under strict budgets. For instance, a Fortune 500 brand might have a $6M budget for affiliate marketing or $500K per month, and if commissions exceed that amount, they may actually pause commissions temporarily. This is because public companies often have strict guardrails set from the top that all marketing teams must adhere to, even if these constraints don't align perfectly with how the affiliate channel operates.

“Mature enterprise clients typically have the most complex approval processes given their more established organizational structures; however, once opportunities are approved, they also have the most resources available in terms of providing budget, creative assets, and more. It is important to be mindful of all relevant stakeholders, the role affiliate plays in their broader business objectives, and the strict brand guidelines these clients need to enforce compliance for.”

Affiliate Management Insights

At this stage, you should expect that a brand has an established program and some insights from previous affiliate strategies. These programs may not always be mature (brands can be late adopters or have underinvested in the channel), but they'll have some data points about affiliate performance.

Since leadership relies on the affiliate channel for some portion of growth, traffic quality becomes paramount, making compliance a major aspect of program management. Optimizing publisher relationships is crucial to ensure that partnership economics align with business goals.

Recruiting new partners becomes more complex because most mature enterprises already work with top partners like BuzzFeed and CNN Coupons, so successful recruitment focuses on creating compelling business cases to drive additional value.

Understanding Clients by Business Model

A client's business model fundamentally shapes how they approach affiliate marketing, from commission structures to partner selection.

E-commerce and Retail

E-commerce clients sell products directly to consumers online. They typically see affiliate marketing as a key driver of sales and often have well-developed programs.

Key characteristics include:

• Sales-driven: Primary goal is increasing product sales through affiliate channels
• Product variety: Often have a wide range of products, which can complicate commission structures
• Seasonal trends: Many experience significant sales fluctuations during holidays or seasons, affecting affiliate promotions

Companies like Amazon, Wayfair, and Chewy fit this model. Many e-commerce brands also have a subscription component. For these product lines, they may be willing to pay higher commissions because they know customers will remain for the long term. Otherwise, they're likely focused on paying a percentage per sale.

For example, Amazon's affiliate program typically pays 1-10% of sales depending on the product category. They might offer up to 10% for luxury beauty products or Amazon devices while paying only 1-3% for electronics or grocery items. For their subscription service Amazon Prime, they may offer a fixed bounty of $3 per sign-up, recognizing the long-term value of Prime members.

Partners like Brad's Deals and Slickdeals often drive significant volume for these brands during key shopping periods, while content sites like The Penny Hoarder can introduce products to new audiences.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS clients offer software on a subscription basis. They often view affiliate marketing as a way to acquire long-term customers and may offer higher commissions due to the lifetime value of each customer.

Key characteristics include:

• Subscription focus: Want to acquire customers who will maintain long-term subscriptions
• Higher customer value: Each new customer represents significant potential lifetime value, affecting commission structures
• Longer decision process: Customers often take more time to commit, affecting affiliate attribution windows

Companies like Xero, Shopify, and Salesforce exemplify this model. For instance, accounting software company Xero might pay anywhere from $50 to $200 for a new customer that pays for their first month of service. The first month's cost might be as low as $5, but Xero knows these customers are extremely sticky as few businesses switch accounting software once it's set up. If a business's needs increase and they start paying $100 a month for 10 years, even a $200 acquisition cost represents strong ROI.

Content publishers like Money Crashers and Benzinga often perform well for SaaS clients by explaining complex product benefits to their audiences.

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Brands

D2C brands sell products directly to consumers, often through their own websites and marketing channels. They usually see affiliate marketing as a way to expand their reach while maintaining control over their brand image.

Key characteristics include:

• Brand-centric: Highly focused on maintaining a specific brand image and experience
• Influencer partnerships: Often work closely with social media influencers for affiliate promotions
• Limited product range: Usually have a more focused product line than general e-commerce

Brands like Warby Parker, Casper, and VEED fit this model. For example, D2C furniture brand Burrow might pay 8% of sales on average but could offer 15% to content partners while limiting coupon partners to 3%, reflecting their brand-focused strategy.

These brands often work well with content sites like Refinery29 and influencer networks like RewardStyle that can showcase their products in lifestyle contexts.

“Because D2C companies are highly focused on their branding, it is important to find balance between following their stringent brand guidelines and finding innovative ways to achieve high growth through the affiliate channel.”

Marketplaces

Online marketplaces connect buyers and sellers of products or services. They often view affiliate marketing as a way to drive both sides of their marketplace and may have separate affiliate strategies for attracting buyers and sellers.

Key characteristics include:

• Two-sided acquisition: Need affiliate strategies to attract both buyers and sellers
• Network effects: Value increases as more users join the platform
• Complex metrics: Often focus on total transaction value or user growth rather than direct revenue

Companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy exemplify this model. For marketplaces, each side often impacts the other. For instance, when Uber acquires riders, some percentage might become drivers, and vice versa.

Marketplaces can also have geographic considerations—Airbnb might have high demand in Austin but not enough hosts, while Chicago might have plenty of listings but insufficient demand. The demand side of marketplaces often resembles traditional affiliate programs, while the supply side requires more thoughtful partner recruitment strategies.

Partners like Capital One Shopping can drive demand-side users, while specialized content sites focused on entrepreneurship might help recruit supply-side participants.

Lead Generation

Lead generation businesses focus on acquiring potential customer information for future marketing or sales efforts. They typically see affiliate marketing as a key source of new leads.

Key characteristics include:

• Quality-focused: Emphasize getting high-quality leads through affiliate channels
• Regulatory considerations: Often operate in industries with strict marketing regulations
• Variable lead value: Different types of leads may have different values, impacting commission structures

Companies like LendingTree, Progressive Insurance, and ZipRecruiter fit this model. These clients often have strict criteria for what constitutes a qualified lead and may use tiered commission structures based on lead quality.

Financial content publishers like The College Investor and Clever Girl Finance can be particularly valuable for lead generation clients in the financial services space.

Understanding Clients by Industry

Different industries bring unique challenges and opportunities to affiliate marketing, requiring tailored approaches.

Retail and Fashion

Retail and fashion clients sell a wide range of products and need to keep up with changing trends. They often have extensive affiliate programs and work with diverse affiliates.

Key characteristics include:

• Visual focus: Rely heavily on high-quality product imagery for promotions
• Trend-sensitive: Need to frequently update promotions to align with current fashion trends
• Diverse affiliates: Work with various types of affiliates, each requiring different management approaches

Brands like Gap, Nordstrom, and ASOS exemplify this category. These companies often prefer working with higher-funnel partners like content sites and influencers. However, depending on their discount sensitivity, they may also engage with coupon and cashback partners like Honey and Mr. Rebates, or they may avoid these channels entirely.

Travel and Hospitality

Travel and hospitality clients offer services related to trips, accommodations, and experiences. They often view affiliate marketing as a way to reach potential travelers at various planning stages.

Key characteristics include:

• High-value transactions: Individual purchases can be quite expensive, justifying higher commissions
• Seasonal demand: Experience significant fluctuations based on seasons and events
• Content-heavy: Often require detailed content like travel guides and reviews

Companies like Expedia, Booking.com, and Uber fit this category. These brands often work well with travel content sites like Going Awesome Places and deal-focused publishers like Brad's Deals that can highlight limited-time offers.

Fintech

Fintech clients offer innovative financial technology products and services. They often approach affiliate marketing as a way to acquire users for their digital platforms.

Key characteristics include:

• Regulatory compliance: Must adhere to strict financial regulations
• Trust-critical: Reputation and credibility are crucial
• Complex products: Often require affiliates who can explain sophisticated financial products effectively

Companies like Robinhood, Stripe, and BILL exemplify this category. The fintech world encompasses many subsectors, from expense management to credit cards to business banking and personal loans.

Regulatory compliance is central to these programs, and partners tend to be fewer but larger. Fintech is generally a high-LTV space since users typically maintain these relationships longer, allowing brands to pay higher commissions and making this a lucrative vertical for affiliates like The Penny Hoarder and Money Crashers.

“Fintech clients will generally require their own unique set of partners, as publications specializing in this vertical will be the most equipped to handle these brands’ complex product offerings and strict regulations when it comes to financial language used. Furthermore, when looking into new financial products, users need to have a particularly high degree of trust in the recommendation, necessitating partnerships with reputable sites who can explain the products well.” 

Health and Wellness

Health and wellness clients offer products or services related to physical and mental well-being. They often see affiliate marketing as a way to reach health-conscious consumers through trusted voices.

Key characteristics include:

• Claim restrictions: Must be careful about health claims made in marketing materials
• Lifestyle focus: Products are often marketed as part of a broader healthy lifestyle
• Influencer partnerships: Frequently work with health and fitness influencers

Brands like Hims, Noom, and Peloton fit this category. Health and wellness can be challenging because fewer publishers may have high-quality content on specific medical topics. Furthermore, some content sites may have content restrictions preventing them from promoting supplements and certain other health products. These products still might sell well through influencers or cashback partners like TopCashback; however, a depression therapy program might face greater challenges in identifying and recruiting suitable partners.

Hardware and Wearables

Hardware clients manufacture and sell physical technology products. They often use affiliate marketing to leverage tech reviewers and comparison sites.

Key characteristics include:

• Spec-driven: Requires affiliates who can compare and explain technical details
• Review-centric: Often rely heavily on product review sites
• Rapid product cycles: Frequent product updates require agile management of promotions

Companies like Molekule, Oura Ring, and Philips exemplify this category. One challenge with physical hardware products, especially large or expensive items, is providing free products to creators for testing. This can be difficult due to the size or price of the products and applies to creators, long-tail affiliates, and tech review sites like Tom's Guide and Future PLC properties.

Software

Software clients offer a wide range of digital tools and applications, often on a subscription or one-time purchase basis. This broad category includes many types of software companies, both B2B and B2C.

Key characteristics include:

• Feature-focused: Require affiliates who can effectively communicate software capabilities
• Demo and trial emphasis: Often use affiliates to drive free trial sign-ups
• User segment targeting: May work with niche affiliates to reach specific professional groups

Companies like Animoto, Bubble, and InVideo fit this model. These clients typically value affiliates who can provide in-depth product reviews or tutorials, making content sites like Design Hub particularly valuable partners.

Understanding Client Goals

A client's primary objective fundamentally shapes how their affiliate program should be structured and measured.

Increase Sales

When the primary focus is driving more revenue through affiliate channels, clients typically have mature programs and are looking to optimize performance.

Key characteristics include:

• Conversion-focused: Want to see a direct increase in sales from affiliate efforts
• Revenue tracking: Require detailed reporting on affiliate-generated revenue
• Performance optimization: Regularly review and support top-performing affiliates
• SKU-focused sales: Leverage partnerships to drive sales toward specific products that meet business needs

Partners like Rakuten, Honey, and Slickdeals often excel at driving immediate sales for clients with this focus.

Grow Brand Awareness

When the goal is increasing visibility and recognition through affiliate partnerships, clients often work with content creators and influencers to reach new audiences.

Key characteristics include:

• Audience expansion: Aim to get the brand in front of new potential customers
• Content partnerships: Focus on working with affiliates who create quality branded content
• Engagement metrics: Track impressions, clicks, and social media engagement alongside sales

While the affiliate channel is primarily seen as a performance marketing and last-touch channel, it can be used in conjunction with other marketing efforts to raise brand awareness in certain niches. Content publishers like BuzzFeed and Future PLC can be valuable partners for awareness-focused campaigns.

“Brand awareness campaigns can be highly valuable for an affiliate channel; however, it is important to set expectations accordingly. These kinds of campaigns may not immediately meet performance or efficiency goals the same way a more traditional affiliate placement might but are still beneficial for channel growth, particularly in the long-term, due to their ability to influence the full customer journey and create additional brand discovery and consideration.

Enter New Markets

When clients want to use affiliates to help them expand into new geographic or demographic markets, this often involves recruiting and working with local affiliates in target regions.

Key characteristics include:

• Geographic focus: Look for affiliates with audiences in target markets
• Local adaptation: May need to adjust strategies and materials for different markets
• Market testing: Use affiliates to gauge interest and performance in new areas before larger investments

Partners like Red Flag Deals for Canadian expansion or iGraal for European markets can be particularly valuable for clients with market expansion goals.

Launch New Products

When the affiliate program aligns with new product launches or promotions, clients often offer special incentives to affiliates during launch periods.

Key characteristics include:

• Time-sensitive: Often have specific timeframes for promotion around product launches
• Special incentives: May offer increased commissions or exclusive deals during launch periods
• Launch metrics: Track specific goals related to the new product, like pre-orders or first-month sales

Review sites like Tom's Guide and The Wirecutter can be powerful partners for product launch campaigns, especially for technology and consumer products.

The Strategic Approach to Client Management

Understanding these various dimensions of client profiles allows affiliate managers to create truly customized strategies that align with their clients' unique characteristics and objectives. Remember that a single brand might shift between different goals throughout its affiliate program lifecycle, depending on business priorities in a given quarter or year.

The most successful affiliate programs recognize these nuances and adapt their strategies accordingly, rather than applying one-size-fits-all approaches. By deeply understanding where clients are in their journey, what business model they operate under, which industry-specific challenges they face, and what goals drive their decisions, affiliate managers can create programs that deliver meaningful results aligned with true business objectives.