When Should You Bring on Affiliate Partners?

I got a question recently from a reader that I love to answer because the answer is so counterintuitive. When should you bring on affiliate partners to promote your product?

When should you bring on affiliate partners

A blog reader, Sue Dunlevie, recently asked a question that I get so often here:

When are you ready to take on affiliates? Should I wait for one or two more launches?

I LOVE this question because it shows that Sue gets it. She isn’t looking for a get-rich-quick answer. She knows that slow and steady wins the race here.

I shot a short video to answer her question and shed some light on the process we take with prospective clients launching new products.

Watch here:

In case you didn’t watch, or to recap if you did, here are the steps to follow before you bring in affiliates.

1. Do one internal-only launch. This launch is literally just to your list.
2. Repeat as needed.
3. Do one launch that is with cold, paid traffic only. Facebook ads, for instance.
4. Repeat as needed.
5. Small JV launches. Now you are ready, once optimized, to take on JV partners. Start with one at a time if possible. Do mini-launches with them for a few months. If this is NOT practical (i.e. your course really does need to launch and close), pick 5-10 people and do mini-launches with them.

WHO TO PICK: People who love you already and aren’t looking for a perfectly optimized process.

6. Repeat as needed.
7. GO BIG! Now you are ready for a big launch. Your optins and sales pages are fully optimized. Your process is tested and refined and you are ready to go big.

Thanks for the great question, Sue.

If you have a question for me, simply click here to ask.

What would you tell Sue? When is the right time to bring on affiliate partners?