I had a sales call this week and ended it by telling the founder not to work with me.
Not yet, anyway.
His brand is young. Sales are slow, Meta isn't converting, and he wanted to know where to spend next.
Affiliate was on his list.
The pattern he described is one I see a lot:
Ads get clicks
The email popup collects signups
A handful of creators got a free product and a link
Almost nobody buys
People click. People sign up. Nobody buys.
That's not an affiliate problem. That's an offer problem.
The Proof-First Test
Before you spend a euro on affiliate, you need one channel where your offer already sells profitably.
It doesn't have to be big. It has to be proven.
Why? Because affiliates are small businesses. A creator, a content site, a media buyer: they all spend their own time and money before you pay them anything.
They'll only do that for an offer they believe will convert.
If you can't make it convert with your own ad account, you're asking them to take a risk you haven't taken yourself.
Two numbers most founders never hear
1. Media buyers want traffic first.
The ones I work with in the US usually want at least 10,000 visitors a month before they'll test a brand. Below that, they can't read the data.
2. Seeding needs a second wallet.
Send 500 samples to Instagram creators and see what sticks? Fine. But samples cost money every week. If no other channel is funding that cost, you'll pull the plug after about two months. Usually right before it would have started working.
Why "a box and a link" stalls
A few people with a product and a link isn't a programme. It's a hope.
The ambassador programmes that work start from your own customers. Someone buys, gets invited automatically, and an email flow follows up one on one until they make their first sale.
No customers, no flow.
Here's why this works
It protects your budget. You stop funding a channel that can only amplify what already works.
It gives you a pitch. "This converts at X on Meta" gets partners to say yes. "Please try us" doesn't.
It tells you when to start. Not a revenue number. The moment you notice you're too dependent on one paid channel.
This week, try this:
Pick the one channel you're betting on and write down your cost per purchase for the last 30 days.
Count your affiliates who posted in the last 60 days, not the ones who signed up.
If you're about to start seeding, set an end date and a budget before the first sample leaves the building.
Hope it's helpful.
Jani Gysels
Founder, JAYGER MEDIA
PS: Know a founder who's past this stage and leaning too hard on Meta? Introduce us. If they become a client, I pay you €2,500. Just introduce them through e-mail.