Affiliate marketing is often misunderstood. Some ecommerce brands treat it as a side hustle for bloggers and coupon sites. Others see it as a threat to their paid media campaigns – a channel that “steals” last-click attribution without adding real value.

But here’s the truth in 2025:
Affiliate marketing, when done right, is a smart, scalable, and highly complementary channel to your paid media mix.

In this article, we’ll show you how affiliate programmes:

• Add incremental reach (without upfront spend)
• Enhance your brand’s credibility
• Support – not compete with – your performance marketing
• Deliver high-margin, low-risk customer acquisition

Let’s untangle the myths and get strategic about affiliate.

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What Is Affiliate Marketing (Really)?

Affiliate marketing is performance-based. You partner with third parties (publishers, influencers, price comparison sites, media buyers) who promote your products in exchange for a commission – usually on a sale.

But affiliate isn’t just one type of partner.

Common affiliate types include:

• Content creators (bloggers, niche reviewers)
• Influencers (often with trackable codes or links)
• Loyalty/reward sites (e.g. TopCashback)
• Voucher sites (e.g. Honey, VoucherCodes)
• Tech partners (e.g. cart abandonment tools)
• Price comparison platforms
• Media partners (paid placements via affiliate platforms)

With the right mix, affiliate becomes a multi-touch, full-funnel channel – not just a last-click grabber.

→ Our Affiliate Marketing Consultancy helps you design programmes that drive real revenue, not just discounting.

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How Affiliate and Paid Media Work Together

Let’s clear up the biggest misconception: Affiliate doesn’t cannibalise paid. It complements it.

Here’s how:

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1. Extending Your Reach

Paid media reaches users based on your targeting and budget.
Affiliates reach audiences you may never have thought of – or can’t access affordably through Meta/Google.

Examples:

• Niche blogs in your vertical
• Forums or review sites with high SEO equity
• Influencers in micro-communities
• Email list owners with 100k+ relevant subscribers

Affiliate lets you borrow trust and reach without paying per click or impression.

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2. Filling Gaps in the Funnel

While Meta and Google Ads are great for TOF and BOF traffic, affiliate shines in mid-funnel education and validation.

Think:

• Product comparisons
• “Best of” lists
• Honest reviews
• Seasonal gift guides
• “Where to buy” style articles

When affiliates publish content that ranks well organically, you’re gaining high-intent traffic without paying for it upfront.

This supports your SEO strategy too – especially when your own rankings are still growing.

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3. Offering Social Proof & Credibility

Anyone can run an ad.
But when a respected reviewer or influencer recommends your product – that’s earned trust.

This is especially useful for:

• New product launches
• Gifting seasons (Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc.)
• Building trust with first-time customers

Affiliate content helps drive up conversion rates, supporting your wider CRO strategy too.

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4. Providing Attribution Insight

Affiliate data can help you spot:

• Which partners bring in new vs returning customers
• How voucher/cashback sites affect AOV
• How top-of-funnel publishers assist in conversion
• Which product categories are gaining organic traction

Use this insight to inform your:

• Paid media targeting
• Landing page tests
• Influencer strategy
• Email follow-ups

→ Want to visualise this alongside your other channels? Our Analytics & Reporting services can help you connect the dots.

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Tools That Help Affiliate + Paid Work Better Together

Here’s a shortlist of platforms and tools we often use:

• Affiliate Networks: Webgains, Awin, CJ Affiliate
• Tracking & Attribution: Impact.com, Partnerize
• Coupon/Deal Audits: Clean.io (protect against promo abuse)
• Cross-channel dashboards: GA4, Looker Studio, or Triple Whale

We help brands choose the right platform and build strategies through our Affiliate Marketing Consultancy work.

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What Does a Healthy Affiliate Programme Look Like?

It’s not just about how many partners you have – it’s about the mix and contribution.

Partner Type	Role	Risk	Potential
Content Creators	TOF	Low	High LTV
Voucher Sites	BOF	Medium	High volume, low margin
Cashback/Loyalty	BOF	Medium	Retention driver
Influencers	MOF	Low	Awareness + trust
Paid Media Affiliates	TOF	High	Great for scale, needs vetting

You want a balanced mix of:

• New customer acquisition
• Assist contributors
• Margin-friendly partners
• Incremental sales drivers

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How to Know If It’s Working

Track these key metrics:

• % of revenue attributed to affiliate (aim for 10–30%)
• Average order value (vs other channels)
• New vs returning customer split
• Customer LTV from affiliate vs other channels
• Assisted conversions (via GA4 or affiliate dashboards)
• Publisher performance by category/product

And compare the cost-per-sale to your Paid Media performance. You may be surprised how efficient affiliates are when structured properly.

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Best Practices for Combining Affiliate + Paid

Do	Don’t
Vet affiliates properly	Accept every publisher who applies
Offer exclusive landing pages for affiliates	Use the same copy/promo sitewide
Combine affiliate & influencer into one strategy	Treat them as separate silos
Share top-performing content across channels	Ignore insights from your affiliate data
Track overlap and assisted conversions	Obsess over last-click attribution

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Final Thought on How Affiliate Marketing Supports (Not Competes With) Paid Media

Affiliate marketing isn’t about giving away margin – it’s about buying trust, expanding reach, and scaling smartly.

When paired with your paid media strategy, it gives you:

• New customer acquisition at better ROAS
• High-quality backlinks and SEO support
• A diverse, resilient marketing mix
• A measurable path to scale

So don’t treat affiliate like the awkward cousin at the ecommerce table.
Give it a proper seat – and watch what happens.

Explore our Affiliate Marketing Consultancy
Or book a discovery call to see how affiliate could complement your current growth plan