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

f you’re wondering (though let’s be real, you probably weren’t) why there was no newsletter in December, I could give you a long list of excuses.

But honestly?

It came down to a mix of forced laziness, a nasty flu, and taking some time to reflect on what I want out of 2025. Sometimes you’ve just got to hit pause to figure out your next move.

With that said, I’m wishing you an amazing 2025—may your health stay strong and your affiliate revenue grow incrementally.

Alright, enough about me. Let’s talk affiliate marketing.

When I introduced role-playing to my team, the focus was on making negotiations second nature.

Our first exercise?

A mock negotiation between one team member as our affiliate marketing expert and another as a sales rep pitching a $20K package with activation fees and exposure.

The takeaways from this simple scenario were nothing short of transformative.

Here are a few things we discussed—and how you can apply it.

Counter Offers Are Your Friend: A well-crafted counteroffer keeps negotiations alive while ensuring your interests are met. For example:

“We’re willing to move forward, but let’s adjust the activation fee and add a performance bonus—something like a $X bonus for every Y orders generated.

This way, if your case study results are accurate, you’d actually walk away with a better deal than you initially proposed.”

This approach creates a win-win scenario: the salesperson can potentially earn more if their offer delivers on its promise, while you mitigate your risk by tying a portion of the deal to measurable results.

Sure, we might make a bit less, but we achieve the risk reduction we were aiming for—making it a balanced and thoughtful compromise.

Understand Their Why: Understanding what drives the salesperson changes the game.

For instance, if the rep needs to close a deal urgently to meet his quarterly sales target, you can tailor your proposal: “We can finalize this contract before the end of this quarter, but we’d need X and Y added to the package.”

Addressing their motivations while securing their potential bonus makes for a more productive negotiation.

Silence Can Speak Volumes: A pause can shift the dynamic in your favor. In our exercise, one participant responded to an offer by simply waiting.

Eager to fill the silence, the other person might give more details that you can use in your counter-proposal.

Defend Your Boundaries: It’s important to know where you won’t budge—and it’s okay to simply say no while standing firm. For example, one boundary we practiced was:

“We don’t sign 12-month contracts.”

There’s no need to justify it endlessly. Instead, make it clear and follow up with a positive incentive to maintain goodwill:

“That said, we’re happy to offer an additional bonus fee for results generated within the first six months as a gesture of good faith.

This ensures we’re aligned on performance while keeping things flexible for both sides.”

This approach communicates your boundary confidently without feeling combative, and the added incentive shows you’re still invested in finding a collaborative way forward. It’s a way to hold your ground without derailing the negotiation.

Role-playing helps teams sharpen their skills in a low-stakes environment. Whether it’s practicing negotiations or navigating tricky client conversations, this exercise builds confidence and fosters creative problem-solving.

Why not test it out with your team? You might be surprised at the innovative solutions and strategies they come up with. Let me know how it goes!

Imagine this: You’ve put in all the hard work to drive a customer to a purchase, only to have your commission swiped away at the last second by another affiliate who just happened to land the final click. Frustrating, right? That’s the painful reality of leapfrogging, a sneaky little maneuver in the affiliate world that most affiliate managers hate to see.

And speaking of sneaky tactics... did you catch the recent buzz about Honey? Turns out, this beloved browser extension (which many of us use to snag a quick discount) went viral for allegedly injecting its codes into transactions last minute to claim commissions. Whether you love it or hate it, the news sparked heated debates about affiliate ethics and incremental value. The takeaway? The leapfrogging problem is very real—and it’s happening more often than we like to admit.

But here’s the good news: As an affiliate manager, you’re not powerless in the face of these tactics. That’s where Impact’s Leapfrogging Report comes in, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at partners who might be pulling a Honey-style move on your program.

💡 Here’s how you can use this insight:

Here’s a thought: Imagine giving a little surprise commission boost to publishers who were leapfrogged, calling it your way of playing fair. That gesture of goodwill? It might inspire them to give your offers more love in the future. After all, who wouldn’t appreciate a program that stands by its partners, especially after the Honey news made trust a hot topic?

In a world full of leapfrogs, be the affiliate manager who plays by the rules. It’s a reputation worth building—and your publishers will thank you for it.

If you want to keep your affiliate program fair and transparent, tools like Impact’s Leapfrogging Report can make a huge difference. It helps you spot last-minute click stealers, adjust attribution windows, and ensure your best partners get the rewards they deserve.

💡 Curious about how it works?
If you don’t have a program yet—or if you’re thinking about switching networks—feel free to explore Impact. It’s a great way to get more control over your program and optimize for incremental growth.

And if you’ve got questions about getting started or how to handle leapfrogging, just hit reply to this email. I’m happy to help you figure out the best next steps for your affiliate program.

Measuring incrementality in affiliate marketing isn’t a straightforward process with a clear formula. It requires testing, analyzing, being a critic, and adjusting until you are happy (don’t forget the being a critic part).

For me, measuring incrementality is about balancing multiple parameters. No single metric will give you the full picture, but when you combine them, the insights become much clearer. Here’s my personal framework:

How long does it take from an affiliate click to a purchase?

If someone swoops in at the last second, are they really driving incremental value—or just grabbing credit?

Are your affiliates bringing in new customers or simply recycling the same folks who would’ve bought anyway?

You can adjust your payout structure to reward new customer acquisition more heavily if incrementality is a top priority.

Ah, coupon codes—the double-edged sword of affiliate marketing.
Look at how often affiliates rely on last-click discounts to claim credit. If most conversions involve a discount code, it’s worth questioning:

Tracking discount code usage can help you spot those leapfroggers who jump in at checkout without really influencing the purchase.

Breaking down affiliate behavior into three categories helps:

Understanding which partners are truly driving new demand (initiators) versus who’s just closing (solo) helps you better assess incremental value.

Some networks—like Impact—are making it easier to see a customer’s full purchase journey, including the influence of other channels like Meta and Google. This multi-touch attribution data is a game-changer because it shows you how your affiliate program fits into the bigger picture of your marketing funnel.

If a partner’s influence consistently overlaps with your paid search or social ads, it might be time to question whether you’re paying for the same conversion twice.

Ultimately, measuring incrementality isn’t about one magic number. It’s about combining insights from different angles to get a more complete view. The goal is to reward partners who are truly bringing new customers and revenue, not just grabbing credit where it’s easy.

Think of it as making your affiliate program healthier and more transparent. Sure, it takes a bit of work, but when you get it right, the payoff is real—and your CFO will love you for it. 😉

I do have a system to measure the monetary value of demand generating activities. I might share more about that later in a different edition of this newsletter.

There’s no perfect formula for the ideal affiliate partner mix, but here’s a structure that’s worked well for me: a reverse pyramid. You want a broad base of top-of-funnel (TOF) partners to build awareness and a narrow base of bottom-of-funnel (BOF) partners to handle conversions.

Why this approach?
Because if you lean too heavily on BOF partners—like loyalty and coupon sites—your affiliate revenue becomes dependent on existing brand demand rather than driving incremental growth. A healthy program is balanced across TOF, MOF (middle of funnel), and BOF partners, with TOF making up the largest chunk.

1️⃣ Top of Funnel (TOF) – Awareness Partners (Biggest Slice)
TOF partners introduce your brand to new audiences and drive traffic that wouldn’t otherwise exist. As a lesser-known brand, this is where you should focus to avoid being too reliant on conversions that would’ve happened anyway.

💡 Examples:

Struggling to secure blog or magazine coverage? Start smaller with niche influencers or content creators. They’re more approachable and often drive higher engagement than large media outlets.

2️⃣ Middle of Funnel (MOF) – Consideration Partners (Smaller Slice)
These partners educate customers who are researching products, helping to move them closer to purchase. They’re not as broad as TOF partners but play a crucial role in the customer journey.

💡 Examples:

3️⃣ Bottom of Funnel (BOF) – Conversion Partners (Smallest Slice)
Yes, BOF partners close sales, but don’t over-rely on them. They often grab last-click credit without driving true incremental value.

💡 Examples:

If your affiliate program is too BOF-heavy, you’re capturing purchases that might’ve happened anyway. Instead, test different TOF and MOF partners to expand your reach and build new demand.

Sure, getting blog reviews as a smaller brand is tough, but explore influencers, smaller sites, and comparison platforms. Your partner mix will evolve over time—just keep your pyramid balanced to avoid being too dependent on conversion-only partners. That’s the secret to a sustainable, scalable program.

It’s only the second edition of this newsletter, and I’m already loving the questions you’ve sent my way! Seriously, seeing your thoughts pop into my inbox has been the best part of this whole thing.

So, let’s keep it going.

If you’ve got questions about affiliate marketing—whether it’s about finding partners, scaling your program, or handling a tricky situation—just hit reply to this email. I’ll pick a few to answer in future editions.

It doesn’t have to be a big, complicated question. Even small things you’re wondering about (the ones you think, “Is this worth asking?”) are 100% worth it. Chances are, someone else is wondering the same thing.

Your questions help guide the content here, making sure it’s practical and relevant for you and others. Plus, I love having this back-and-forth—it makes the newsletter feel more useful, and honestly, more fun to write.

Looking forward to hearing more from you. Let’s make this a newsletter that actually solves real challenges.

Thank you for reading the second edition of this newsletter—it truly means a lot! I hope it sparked some ideas or gave you a new perspective on running your affiliate program.

I’d love to hear what you think—got feedback, suggestions, or questions? Just hit reply. I’m always happy to hear from you, and your input helps shape future editions.

If you found this useful and know a colleague or friend who might benefit too, feel free to pass it along. The more we grow this community, the more impactful it becomes for all of us.

And hey, if you’re running an e-commerce business and want to chat about how affiliate marketing could help you grow, just let me know! No pitches or hard sells—just a friendly conversation to see if I can help.

Thanks again for sticking with me—I’m excited to keep this going and share more next time! 🍪

Disclaimer: Yep, there are affiliate links in this post. That’s just how I roll.