Partner types and the buying funnel
Understand which partners create new demand and which close existing demand — and how to pay each fairly.
Partners across the buying journey
Product review sites, niche blogs, magazines
Brings new customers who hadn't heard of you. Often asks for a placement fee.
YouTube, TikTok, podcasts, newsletters
Trust and demos. Track with links plus a personal coupon code.
Tap a funnel stage to see the partners who live there.
1. Top of funnel: creating demand
Editorial sites, bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters and newsletter writers introduce your brand to people who were not looking for it yet. They often need samples, longer cookie windows or a flat placement fee, but they bring genuinely new customers.
- Give creators personal coupon codes so offline mentions are credited.
- Expect a longer gap between click and sale.
- Judge them on new customers, not just last-click sales.
2. Middle of funnel: helping people choose
Review and comparison sites, communities and email lists reach shoppers who are actively deciding. Ranking position often follows commission rate, so tiered rates for these partners can pay off.
- High buying intent means strong conversion rates.
- Ask what placement your rate buys.
- Refresh product details so reviews stay accurate.
3. Bottom of funnel: closing — and the risk
Cashback portals, loyalty programs, coupon sites and browser extensions appear right before checkout. They can lift conversion, but they can also take credit for sales an earlier partner or your own ads created. Use lower rates, exclusive codes, new-customer rules and fraud checks to keep the mix fair.
- Very short click-to-sale times are a warning sign.
- Pay less for existing customers if your terms allow it.
- Protect top-of-funnel partners so they keep promoting you.
Manager checklist
- Tag each partner by funnel stage.
- Set different rates for new-demand and closing partners.
- Issue exclusive codes to creators.
- Review sales with very short click-to-sale times.
- Track the share of revenue from coupon and cashback partners.
Rebalancing a coupon-heavy program
A brand sees 70% of affiliate sales from coupon sites. It drops their rate from 10% to 4% for existing customers, raises creator rates to 15% for new customers, and holds sales closed within 60 seconds of a click for review. New-customer share rises within a quarter.
Rewarding whoever touched the sale last. Coupon extensions win the last click, creators stop promoting, and the program slowly loses its source of new customers.
Which partner type carries the highest risk of taking credit for sales you would have had anyway?
Put this into practice
AFFN builds your private affiliate platform for $0 setup and $0 monthly — you pay 1% of approved partner sales.