How to get strangers to make you money

Do not index

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the numbers behind our affiliate programs.

A lot of you asked the same thing:

“Great, but how do I actually get people to promote my product in the first place?”

That’s fair. That edition assumed you already had affiliates. This one's more foundational.

Link to that edition if you missed it.

Here are a few ways you can get affiliates 👇🏼

1. Get found before you find people

The best thing you can do for yourself is build in public.

Post wins publicly. Revenue numbers. Product improvements.

This does two things at once:

1 - You get noticed by people in your space.

2 - You answer what every potential affiliate is asking:

“will this make me look good or make me look stupid?”

Nobody wants to promote something broken or scammy. They're putting their own reputation on the line. Visible proof removes that risk before they even ask. Inbound affiliates who find you this way tend to be your best ones, they already believe in the product before you pitch them.

2. Steal your competitor's affiliate list

Every competitor with an affiliate program has a public list of people already getting paid to promote something in your category. You just have to find it.

Pull their backlink profile in a tool like Ahrefs and filter for "refer" or similar.

That surfaces the actual affiliate links. Now you have a list of people who already write about your space and already want commissions.

Email them. Offer better terms than they're currently getting.

3. Search for the content that already exists

Search "how to [solve the problem your product solves]" on Google and YouTube.

You'll find people already making content in your space.

Reach out. Don't hard pitch.

Ask if they'd be open to a mention or a link in the description. Most creators are more receptive than you'd think, especially if you lead with the product instead of the commission.

4. Skip the affiliate marketplaces

Most "find your affiliates here" platforms aren't worth the time.

Too many products competing for the same attention.

5. Reduce the friction to say yes

Between "I want to promote this" and "I'm actually doing it" - you have to reduce the time as much as possible.

If your program requires a separate signup on a third-party tool, that's one more reason to abandon it halfway.

I've been testing Affonso on a newer product. No separate signup required. Not affiliated, it just works great.

6. The actual pitch

Everything I’m pitching my product to a potential affiliate, I send some version of this:

Hey [name], been following your [content/channel/newsletter], really liked [specific thing]. I run [product], and I think your audience would get value from it. I'd love to set you up as an affiliate, [X]% recurring on anything you send our way. No pressure to do anything formal. If it comes up naturally, here's your tracking link: [link]. Happy to send numbers or screenshots that make it easier to talk about honestly.

Short. Direct. Leads with the offer.

Honestly, going from 0 to 10 affiliates is the hardest part. After that, the ones who see it working start recruiting for you.

Once you have the affiliates, this is how you maximise your revenue from them: How I got strangers to make me $30,000 last month?

Reply and tell me 👇🏼

If the placement is genuine and helpful, would you mind if it’s an affiliate link or not?

I read every reply, and often write back!

Life of an Indie Maker - S02E02

Season 2 is here!

The first episode of my weekly animated series is now out! Check it out here:

Tweet of the week

If you are building a life in 2026, this is a must read for you:

Until next week,

Keep building

Tibo 💻

P.S. If you steal a competitor's affiliate and they end up making more from you than from your competitor, that's a very strong signal. Keep going!