Why should you use affiliates to grow your subscription box business?

You launched your subscription box. That is so exciting and something you need to take time to celebrate! I know how much hard work went into planning your box, building your audience, and getting that box out into the world. But now that it’s out there - now that you have some subscribers, what’s next? 

Learn why working with affiliates can help you grow your subscription box business - and how to work with them effectively. 

* This post contains affiliate/referral links. I could make a commission at no charge to you if you purchase my recommended products.  Please read my disclosure and privacy policy HERE.

It’s time to grow your subscription box business. 

Growing your subscription box business means growing your audience. You need to get in front of more people - your people - and share your amazing, just-right-for-your-subscribers box with them.

So how do you find these people - and then get in front of them? You could pay for ads, drive traffic from those ads to your website, and hope they buy. 

 Or…

You could pay someone to get in front of THEIR traffic but only pay them when a member of their audience buys. That’s right - you only pay once someone becomes a subscriber. 

Y’all, how awesome does that sound? It almost seems too good to be true, right? 

I’m talking about affiliate marketing. This shifting trend in marketing has been getting more and more popular over the past few years.  

Why should you consider using affiliates to help you grow your subscription box business? 

1. Affiliates already have an audience. 
2. Affiliates can drive immediate sales to your sites. 
3. You’re paying for actual sales - not leads or impressions. 
4. An affiliate’s audience already knows, likes, and trusts them. 
5. You pay an affiliate for actual sales rather than paying for ads that “might” generate sales. 

If your subscription box is the right fit for an affiliate’s audience, they can instantly generate sales for you. And those sales continue month after month. And y’all, that means more recurring revenue!

Where can you find affiliates for your subscription box?   

Wondering where to find affiliates for your box?  The best affiliates can be your own subscribers! 

Anyone who is consistently active and posting on social media and loves your box could be a perfect fit. 

• Are any of your subscribers doing live unboxings on their own pages? 
• Do any of your subscribers have large followings of their own?
• Is their audience filled with your ideal customers?  

Reach out to any current subscribers who might be a good fit and see if they’re interested in making money for themselves by selling for you! 

If none of your subscribers meets these criteria, reach out to other influencers in your niche. Check YouTube and Instagram for people who might be a good fit. Ask them if they would like to be an affiliate for you. 

Don’t hesitate to ask influencers you think would be a good fit for your subscription box and your brand. Most YouTubers and IG influencers do this for a living. They know the power of their following and usually welcome another revenue stream.  

How much should you pay affiliates? 

When it comes to how - and how much - to pay affiliates, you have options. 

Subscription boxes can have a one time sign-up commission or a recurring affiliate commission. A recurring commission is paid to your affiliate each time that subscriber’s account gets charged. 

Whether you decide on a one-time or recurring payment, you need to think about a few things: 

• How much profit margin do you have? 
• What would make an affiliate WANT to sell your box?  
• How can you set this up to be a win/win - for you AND your affiliate? 

Affiliate payments range from 5%-30%. Remember - consider your profit margin in your subscription box business. You need to be profitable - make sure you’re not giving it all away!  

Consider what amount will incentivize your affiliate to share and drive more traffic to your site. You’re asking them to do some work for you - what will make it worth their while? 

When considering how much to pay an affiliate, think about how much you normally spend on marketing. Is there money there that could easily be shifted over to cover affiliate marketing commissions?  

Remember, you are paying affiliates for actual sales, not leads and clicks. Actual sales. 

How should you manage your subscription box affiliates?  

Managing affiliates can get tricky. Make this process seamless and easy by integrating an affiliate software with your site. In my business, we use and love Affiliatly. This link takes you to my affiliate account with them.  

Inside an affiliate software, subscribers or influencers can create their own accounts, generate links for your products, check sales, and track how much commission they’ll receive. 

Make it easy for your affiliates to work with you! Provide images for them to use on their social media. Give them email scripts to use to send to their lists. Surprise and delight them the same way you surprise and delight your subscribers.