7+ Best Cold Affiliate Outreach Email Templates & Examples

What is an Affiliate Outreach [Recruitment] Email?

An affiliate outreach email is sent to potential partners to recruit them for an affiliate program.

The email usually has info about the program, like commission rates, cookie duration, and products. It also mentions other benefits of joining. An affiliate outreach email aims to attract potential partners to join and promote products.

How do you Write an Affiliate Outreach Email?

Writing an effective affiliate outreach email can be a bit of a challenge, but by following these steps, you can increase your chances of success:

1. Pinpoint your ideal affiliate types.

Before crafting your outreach email, hone in on the specific types of affiliates best suited for your program.

Whether it's industry influencers, niche bloggers, or e-commerce mavens, targeting your message to resonate with their unique interests and strengths will make your proposition more compelling.

2. Personalize with impact.

I’m sure you can relate here with your personal inbox.

You’re sent at least 100 emails a day from brands trying to sell you something. Most of them, not very personalized. Therefore, the likelihood of you even opening those emails is slim to none.

Affiliate outreach thrives on personalization.

Here you’ll 100% want to use their name, reference their business (or following), and highlight synergies between their audience and your offerings. Showing genuine knowledge about their brand can set the tone right.

Pro tip:

• Go to their blog or social media profiles.
• Find a recent post they collaborated on with another brand.
• Make a reference to why you liked the influencer collaboration, and other content they continue to put out for their audience.
• Then, make a reference to how you might be able to run a similar collaboration with them based on the synergies with your brand.

3. Introduce yourself and your brand.

Start by laying out who you are and what your brand stands for.

Highlight why you believe there's a potential alignment between their endeavors and your affiliate program.

4. Provide details about the program.

Detail the nitty-gritty: commission structures, cookie durations, and promotable products. Sweeten the deal by emphasizing exclusive perks or bonuses they might access as partners.

5. Make a compelling offer.

Beyond just facts, present a compelling reason or incentive that makes joining your program irresistible.

If you can, and if they’re a super affiliate your targeting, present them with an even more compelling offer than your standard partnerships receive when joining the program.

Offer them things like:

• Increased commission rate
• Send them products to test out and see for themselves
• Paid placement to kick things off

6. Include a call-to-action.

Direct them with a straightforward CTA, whether it's a signup link or a dedicated contact for queries.

In my experience, I’ve found it’s a bit more personalized when you don’t just send them a link to your program. Try to open a dialogue with them to start if you can.

7. Follow-up.

If responses are delayed, send a courteous reminder. Reiterate your value proposition without being pushy.

6 Different Types of Affiliate Outreach Emails:

When it comes to affiliate outreach, I’ve seen a great fair share of different types of emails I’ve had to send.

Here are 6 I’ve had to set up and send to affiliates:

1. Cold outreach emails.

We send these emails to potential partners who haven't heard about the affiliate program.

These introductions are usually more general and aim to persuade people to join the program.

Converting prospects into affiliate partners through cold outreach email can be difficult. This is especially true when they are unfamiliar with your brand.

2. Warm outreach emails.

We send these emails to potential partners who have already shown interest in the program.

They might have visited the website's affiliate page or asked for more program information. These emails are more targeted and tailored to the specific interests of the potential partner.

3. Follow-up emails.

We send these emails to partners who haven't replied to our first email. They are used to remind the recipient of the offer and encourage them to join the program.

You can usually set up automated follow-up emails with your CRM, affiliate software, or even third party email follow-up tools.

4. Welcome emails.

These emails are sent to partners once they have joined the program. The program information includes how to access resources and a welcome message.

These emails are 100% to the success of your program!

It's when you have the affiliate partner's attention, and they're excited to begin promoting your brand.

Set them up for success, set expectations, provide resources, and reassure them how they'll make money working with your brand!

5. Re-engagement emails.

These emails are sent to partners who have not been active in the program for some time. They use reminders to encourage them to start promoting the products or services again.

I've found it really helpful to set up some form of CRM to keep track of all your outreach.

6. Upsell emails.

We send these emails to partners who have already joined the program. They might have an interest in promoting products or services that pay higher.

It is important to choose the right type of email depending on the stage of the relationship with the potential partner. Each type of email has a different goal.

How to Send an Affiliate Outreach Email: 5 Tactics

There’s a lot of ways to send an affiliate outreach email, but these are the 4 I’ve used the most in my experience.

1. Manual outreach: 

Manually curating each email can be labor-intensive but offers unmatched personalization.

By tailoring every message, you can appeal directly to a potential affiliate's interests and strengths. It’s especially important to do manual outreach for super affiliates.

2. Affiliate marketing software: 

Leverage tools designed for affiliate outreach.

Affiliate networks and affiliate software typically have in-platform outreach tools to send messages to prospective partnerships.

These systems automate email dispatch to potential partners, ensuring consistency and saving time. However, the challenge lies in retaining a personal touch.

3. Outreach platforms for affiliate marketing:

Tools such as Outreach, Respona, and similar platforms aren't exclusively for cold email campaigns or PR outreach.

They can be formidable assets in affiliate outreach as well.

These platforms provide features like advanced personalization, detailed performance analytics, automated follow-ups, and CRM integrations. Using them can help ensure that your affiliate proposals don't just land in the inbox but also capture attention and drive action.

4. CRM for affiliate outreach: 

Leveraging your CRM system isn't just for managing customer relationships.

If your CRM is equipped with email marketing capabilities, it can be an effective tool for affiliate outreach.

Not only can you send tailored affiliate proposals, but you can also monitor the performance of your outreach efforts, from open rates to responses.

When utilizing your CRM for email outreach, it's imperative to ensure compliance with regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act, ensuring that your communications are both effective and lawful.

7 Affiliate Outreach Email Templates & Examples:

Let's share some of the templates we've used in the past when reaching out to prospective partners. 

Many of our templates have gotten better over time. The ones below will help you understand what each template is for.

1. Partner with us.

2. Exclusive opportunity.

3. Boost your revenue.

4. Expand your reach.

5. Increase your income.

6. Join our exclusive affiliate program.

7. Blogger partnership opportunity.

Wrapping up Affiliate Outreach Email Templates.

There you have it.

When it comes to affiliate marketing outreach, we’ve only really covered the tip of the iceberg.

But, I hope this has been a helpful start to begin your outreach process and begin recruiting affiliate partners into your program!

Here's a quick summary of our recommendations:

‍

• Email Personalization: Ensure your message resonates personally with each affiliate, showcasing that you've done your homework.
• Clarity is Crucial: Give a clear snapshot of what your program entails and the benefits affiliates can expect.
• Make an Irresistible Offer: Your proposition should stand out and be compelling enough to capture attention.
• Know Your Audience: Fine-tune your email's tone and content based on the specific affiliate segment you're reaching out to.
• Choose the Optimal Emailing Method: Whether you're sending emails manually, leveraging automation tools, tapping into specialized marketing platforms, or using CRM systems, ensure your method aligns with your goals.
• Stay Compliant: Adhering to regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act isn't just about avoiding penalties; it's about building trust.
• Draw Inspiration: We've curated over 7 unique email templates to spark your creativity. Use them as blueprints and infuse them with your brand's unique voice.

‍

Remember, the art of successful affiliate outreach is a blend of strategy, personal touch, and compliance. Here's to your success!

‍