Hi, I’m Jani Gysels 👋, and welcome to my newsletter on all things affiliate marketing!

My journey started back in 2013 when I was 18, diving into digital marketing with a simple goal: helping small businesses grow online.

A few friends and I launched a small agency, taking on projects in SEO, social media marketing, and even photography and videography.

It was scrappy, but it taught me a lot about how people connect with brands—and what actually works (in all honesty, mostly what didn’t, but that’s part of the journey right?).

A few years later, I found myself working in performance marketing, running SEO projects, marketing automation, and paid social ads.

At that same time, I was running dropshipping stores on the side, trying to figure out what it took to build a profitable e-com business.

While Meta ads worked for some niches I worked in, fashion was a tough one. With no brand recognition, low trust, and a small ad budget, me and my bank account realized ads alone weren’t going to cut it.

That’s why in 2019, I decided to give affiliate marketing a shot. It was new territory, but I saw potential in using partnerships to reach more targeted audiences.

At that time I also didn’t have any other option. It was teaching myself affiliate marketing, or taking my losses and shut down my store.

Luckily, It worked—the affiliates brought credibility and reached customers that would never buy from my meta ads.

That experience showed me how much affiliate marketing could do when it comes to bringing traffic that is more likely to convert than meta ads.

And from that moment, my passion for affiliate marketing was born. ❤️

(No worries Mark, I still love you)

In 2022, I brought these lessons to Loop Earplugs, where I worked to build and scale their affiliate program. I also got to manage a team for the first time and grow an affiliate program at scale.

Outside of Loop Earplugs, I work with other e-commerce brands to help them navigate the often-confusing world of affiliate marketing, simplifying things to make it work for their businesses.

This newsletter is where I share what I’ve learned along the way—the successes, the mistakes, and the ideas I’ve seen make an impact.

🎯 What You’ll Find in This Newsletter:

But that’s enough about me—what about you?

How did you get into affiliate marketing, and what are you working on now?

Happy to read more about your story!

One of the things I’ve always loved—both in affiliate marketing and in life—is finding ways to make things run more smoothly.

Efficiency isn’t just about saving time; it’s about freeing up space for creativity, strategy, and meaningful connections.

Right now, one of my favorite projects is working on automating affiliate management for my team.

We’re using HubSpot, a tool I’ve leaned on many times for various clients, and integrating it with Impact (via API) and a data manipulation tool of choice.

The result?

Streamlined workflows that let us focus on growing partnerships instead of getting bogged down in admin tasks.

Let me walk you through my top 3 favorite setups within HubSpot: