At Little Leaf, one of our most popular services clients sign up for is affiliate marketing. While we’ve explored how our affiliate marketing services can benefit brands, today, our experienced affiliate specialists are offering insight into what agencies like us look for in sexual wellness affiliates. Whether you’re a seasoned content creator or just beginning your journey, we’re always on the hunt for partners that align with our clients. So, if you’re curious about what it takes to team up with a sexual wellness PR agency like us, look no further.
First thing first: what is an affiliate program? It’s a performance-based marketing strategy that lets individuals (affiliates) earn money online through recommending products and services. Affiliates earn commissions (either fixed amounts or a certain percentage of a total order) when people click purchase on a product being promoted with the affiliate’s unique tracking link.
This form of performance-based marketing is based entirely on results like sales or conversations. Unlike pay-per-click strategies, which require brands to pay upfront, affiliate marketing is a lower-risk form of marketing for merchants but still highly rewarding for affiliates.
What are the benefits of joining an affiliate program?
For bloggers, influencers, and other creators, sexual wellness affiliate marketing can be a fantastic side hustle or a full-time job that can make you money while you sleep. Especially if you have an online presence and an existing audience on social media platforms. Relying solely on sponsorships and AdSense means you’re missing out on earning potential.
What are brands and agencies looking for in affiliates?
Established brands understand that customers can discover their products through various online platforms and marketing channels. A huge audience doesn’t necessarily make a sexual wellness affiliate more valuable. In fact, micro-influencers often have greater engagement, making them more appealing.
What agencies like Little Leaf and the brands we represent are seeking is an affiliate that properly aligns with the brand’s target market. We pay attention to criteria like niche relevance, engagement levels, content quality, and the ways that the affiliate promotes products. All of these aspects play a bigger role than just follower count, so if you don’t have hundreds of thousands of followers, that’s not a deal breaker!
Agencies are looking for quality over quantity – especially since followers can be bought. While an established audience does offer an advantage for creators, it’s not strictly necessary. With determination, authenticity, and passion, you can develop an engaged audience over time.
Red flags that we avoid in sexual wellness affiliates
Beyond avoiding creators that don’t align with our brands and their values, here are some red flags that we steer clear of when seeking out affiliate partnerships.
Incomplete or newly created affiliate profiles
If an affiliate profile on a network has just been created or is incomplete, this is a red flag. If key details are missing or the account looks like it was set up in a rush, it may indicate a lack of commitment or credibility on the part of the creator.
Lack of transparency
Transparency is a must for us. When affiliates don’t clearly outline traffic sources or promotional methods, it may be difficult to get approved. Brands want full transparency on how products will be marketed, so creators: avoid vague and evasive responses, as they can lead to rejection!
Quality and relevance
If the affiliate partner has a poorly maintained, unrelated, or inactive social media channel, website, or email list, they will struggle with approval. Additionally, if an affiliate’s content doesn’t connect to the brand’s target audience in the necessary way, a partnership might not make sense from a marketing perspective.
To avoid these red flags and make approval more likely, affiliates should always ensure that profiles are fully completed. They should provide clear details about traffic sources and maintain an active, high-quality platform that aligns with the brand’s niche. Reaching out directly to an affiliate manager can also improve the chances of getting accepted.
Looking to stand out even more? Send out a personalized introduction explaining why you’d be a strong affiliate partner and the different ways you’d add value to a brand. This can get you on a brand’s radar and boost the likelihood of getting accepted into an affiliate program.
Challenges of being an affiliate in sexual wellness (and how to deal with them)
Those who work in sexual wellness are well-versed in the art of finding loopholes and navigating censorship and shadowbanning. Unlike many mainstream niches, promoting products in the sexual wellness sector comes with limitations. Advertising and promoting these items on social media can come with restrictions and accessibility issues.
Although these factors can pose a frustrating challenge, there are ways you can adapt your marketing strategy. If you’re struggling to get backlinks, consider reaching out to similar site owners for a reciprocal link exchange. According to our affiliate specialists, most paid ad networks don’t allow remarketing for sexual wellness. An alternative would be to build your own email list, letting you re-engage visitors directly through their inboxes.
The bottom line
When sexual wellness PR agencies like Little Leaf and the brands we rep scout affiliates, we’re looking for authentic sexual wellness affiliates who are not only comfortable discussing intimacy but genuinely passionate about pleasure. Whether you’re a content creator, sex educator, blogger, or influencer, we’re seeking professional individuals with creativity and credibility who stand out. And remember that size doesn’t matter – it’s quality we’re looking for!
Get in touch to discuss joining our clients’ affiliate platforms.
