Flat-fee beats affiliate below a 1.9% conversion floor

Flat-fee beats affiliate below a 1.9% conversion floor

Flat fee ░░░░░░ fixed cost | Affiliate ██░░░░ pay-per-sale

The crossover is mechanical. A $4,000 flat post needs the affiliate alternative (say 12% of a $90 AOV = $10.80 per sale) to clear ~370 sales before affiliate gets cheaper.

— Under 1.9% conversion on typical mid-tier traffic: flat wins
— Above it: affiliate wins, and scales with you

New creator, unproven audience? Flat transfers risk to them. Proven seller? Affiliate aligns incentives and caps your downside.

So what: don't default to affiliate because it 'feels safe' — model the breakeven sale count first.

Benchmark: n=88 hybrid deals — median breakeven 340-410 sales.