Reaching out to publishers: guide and message templates
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To recruit a publisher, you find them in Match AI, you message them, and they then apply to your program. Here’s where to write, plus three message templates to adapt: the first message, the follow-up and the offer.
Messaging a publisher from Match AI
Match AI suggests publishers close to your program, and you message them from their profile:
- In the sidebar, click Match AI (the menu appears once your program has been analyzed), then open a suggested publisher’s profile.
- Read the Why this match? section, which gives you the hook for your message.
- Click Contact, then choose your program in Select a program.
- Write your text in Your message, then click Send.
Your message opens a conversation in Messaging, where you’ll follow the reply. If the publisher has no manager on Affilae, Contact opens their website: email them instead, with your program page link (your program’s Configuration, Program communication block).
Other situations
| SITUATION | WHERE TO WRITE |
|---|---|
| An applicant or a partner | Messaging > New message. To message several partners at once, filter them by Group, Status or Active, then check them. |
| A publisher who isn’t on Affilae | My affiliates > round + button > Invite an affiliate by email (Message field: 500 characters max). They get your text and an Apply button. Or email them from your own mailbox. |
A publisher spotted in the Marketplace can also be contacted from their profile.
There’s no “offer a partnership” button: the publisher applies from your program page (step 1).
What gets a publisher to reply
Five best practices from the field, for every template:
Template 1: the first message
Short version in Match AI, email version outside Affilae. Replace each [placeholder]. The character count shown includes the placeholders as written: after that, trust the counter.
Template 2: the follow-up
No reply? Follow up once, in the same conversation, with a new angle: a key moment, something new or a limited-time offer. Never blame them for the silence.
Template 3: the partnership offer
The publisher replied: make them a concrete offer, with numbers and dates. In Messaging, you have 5,000 characters and can attach images or a PDF.
Each line is an option. Once their application is accepted, you can give them a rate just for them, an increase for a key moment, a dedicated discount code, a bonus or visuals. Don’t promise any payment timeline, only how often you approve sales.
Adapting to each type of publisher
Keep the template’s structure and only adapt the sentence that carries your offer (see The different affiliate types).
| PUBLISHER TYPE | THE LINE TO ADAPT |
|---|---|
| Content creator | “I’ll send you [product], and you present it your way, with your code [CODE].” |
| Blog or media outlet | “Our [product] would fit right into your guide on [topic]: want the product sheet and photos?” |
| Coupon site | “We can set aside an exclusive [15%] off code for [key moment].” |
| Comparison site | “Our product feed covers [number] products, with up-to-date prices and stock.” |
| Email marketer | “We have a ready-to-send email kit and a [per-lead] commission for your [target] list.” |
After the yes
- Accept their application. It shows up in My affiliates, with the Pending status if you approve affiliates manually (the default setting). Click the pencil next to the status, choose Approve, select the Affiliate group, then confirm with Accept. Choose the group carefully: changing it later erases their custom rates.
- Give them their tools: their discount code, a tracked link made with Create a link, and your visuals (step 5).
- Track their first results with the Reporting icon on their row.
- Stay reachable: reply the same day, and give them a heads-up before your key moments.
Three outreach examples
Home & Garden and a gardening blog. Spotted in Match AI, the blog gets the short version of template 1, then a follow-up with a 15% off code. The blogger replies, gets template 3 and applies.
An organic skincare brand and creators. In Match AI, the brand picks three creators whose tone is close to its own, and sends each of them the casual version, mentioning one of their videos.
An online invoicing tool and a comparison site. The comparison site isn’t on Affilae: the brand writes to it with the email version of template 1, offers a per-lead commission, then invites it with Invite an affiliate by email.
4Next stepMake them want to promote youRelated articles
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- Match AI: find the best partners for your brand
- Understanding partnership statuses
- How to create and track vouchers
Frequently asked questions
Yes: from their profile in Match AI, click Contact (400 characters max, no attachments). If they aren’t on Affilae, invite them from My affiliates with Invite an affiliate by email, or write to them from your own mailbox.
No. They get an email titled “New message from” followed by your program name, and click View message to read it. They get at most one such email every 15 minutes per conversation; only the invitation sent from My affiliates includes your text.
Stay professional with a media outlet, a blog or a website. Many content creators talk to their community casually and expect the same from you: match the tone of their posts. When in doubt, start formal, and follow the publisher’s lead if they switch to a casual tone.
Yes, from Messaging > New message: choose your program, filter your partners by Group, Status or Active, then check them. The same message goes to each of them.
A flat fee pays for a service (an article, a dedicated email send), regardless of the number of sales. If you agree, add it from your program’s Conversions page: + button, Add a commission, then set Commission type to Fixed fees. We recommend pairing it with a commission on sales.
Not to the first message sent from Match AI: put your program page link in it instead. In Messaging, you can then attach images (JPEG or PNG) or a PDF, up to 10 MB each, such as your presentation.