Why Finding the Right Partners is the Real Challenge in Growing Your Ecommerce Affiliate Program

If there's one recurring theme I see when working with ecommerce brands launching a partner program, it's this: when time is dedicated to affiliate marketing (this isn’t a plug and play growth tactic like the eCoMmeRcE GuRuS would have you believe) way too much time is spent chasing the wrong partners.

Everyone wants the influencers with blue ticks and follower counts in the hundreds of thousands. But often those people don’t convert. They post once. You’re forgotten within 24 hours. And your team is left wondering why your shiny new affiliate program isn’t generating results.

I’ve been building affiliate programs for ecommerce brands for over 25 years. Back in 1999 I was probably the first person in the UK to have the job title “Affiliate Manager.” In 2001 I was on stage presenting at conferences on how to find and attract the right affiliates. I’ve seen affiliate marketing evolve from text links and coupon directories to multi-million-pound UGC-fuelled campaigns. And the fundamentals still haven’t changed. It’s about building relationships.

Affiliate growth starts with partner discovery.
Not just any partners, but the right ones.

There are a few big hurdles most ecommerce teams face:

The moment someone gets a bit of reach on TikTok or Instagram, they’re swamped with offers. Unless you’ve got a huge budget, you’re unlikely to stand out.

Influencers and creators are wise to the pitch. Most ignore DMs. Email open rates are falling. And unless your offer is genuinely compelling, you’ll struggle to get replies.

The rise of micro and nano influencers has unlocked huge potential… but it’s also made vetting harder. Many don’t show follower breakdowns or niche alignment clearly, so you’re left guessing.

Here’s what I tell ecommerce clients: YouTube is a goldmine for affiliates.

It’s searchable.
It’s evergreen.
And most importantly…it converts.

When someone makes a product review, a comparison video, or a “top 5” guide, that content can drive affiliate sales for months or years. But YouTube creators don’t always hang out in the same circles as your Instagram-first influencer list. You need a different toolset to find them.

One tool I recommend often is Channel Crawler. It’s a free to trial tool that lets you search YouTube creators based on criteria like:

You can filter by niche and then export a list of potential creators who align with your brand values, customer base, and product category. It’s what I recommend to time-starved marketers as well as dedicated affiliate managers.

Let’s say you’re selling high-end pet travel gear. You search for dog product channels, filter by 5k–50k subscribers, and set language to English.

You’ll get a list of relevant channels with stats, links, and basic data. This lets you spot creators who produce consistent content but haven’t yet been saturated by brand deals.

Now you can begin outreach with context. Reference a recent video, talk about affiliate commissions or product gifting, and build the relationship over time. It’s less spray-and-pray, more long-term partner building.

Every affiliate program should start with a framework:

Partner discovery is the start of that framework. And tools like Channel Crawler make it possible to do it with intent and direction not just guesswork.

After 25 years working in affiliate marketing, one thing’s clear: your program success is only as good as the partners you attract. You don’t need hundreds. You need the right ones.

Skip the influencers chasing vanity metrics. Instead, go where your ideal customers are already searching for advice—YouTube. Use tools like Channel Crawler to identify high-potential creators and start building relationships that deliver long-term value for both sides.

Is affiliate marketing a growth channel for your brand? Do you have the capability of launching and scaling a market-leading partnership program in your industry? Get in touch. I’m here to provide advice.