Q: Recruit affiliates through open marketplace listings or direct outreach?

Q: Recruit affiliates through open marketplace listings or direct outreach?

Both, but they pull different partners.

— Marketplace listings (network directory, affiliate forums, a public 'become a partner' page) bring inbound volume — lots of small partners, easy to scale, low effort per signup. Most will never convert, but the tail adds up and a few surprise you.
— Direct outreach (you identify the sites already ranking for your keywords and pitch them) lands your highest-value partners. The review site ranking #2 for your category won't find your listing; you have to go get them.

For a new program, open listings fill the pipeline cheaply while you build. But your revenue will come from 10-20 partners you recruited by hand.

Caveat: don't pitch a top partner with your default terms. They know their worth — lead outreach with a custom rate or exclusive offer, or you'll get ignored.

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