Outreach channel: cold DM vs email vs affiliate-network apply

Outreach channel: cold DM vs email vs affiliate-network apply

Three doors into a brand. Use them in order of leverage.

— Network application (Impact, PartnerStack, ShareASale): lowest friction, lowest rate. Use to get an instant link for a brand you'd promote anyway. No relationship, no negotiation.
— Email to the partnerships address: for custom deals above the standard network rate. Slower, but it reaches a human who can approve exceptions.
— Cold DM: only when you can show traction in the first line and the brand is small enough that the founder reads DMs. High response rate at small brands, near-zero at enterprises.

Decision rule:
— If the brand is on a network and you want the standard rate then just apply.
— If you want better-than-standard then email partnerships with a one-line proof of fit + a number.
— If founder-led brand under ~50 staff then DM works.

Outreach checklist: proof of audience fit, one specific ask, proposed structure, link to a past result.

Definition of done: channel chosen by deal size, not by what's easiest to send.