Affiliate Operations
Part of Improving an underperforming affiliate programme
Diagnosing inactive publishers after onboarding
Separate unpublished placements from weak referrals and unresolved orders, then give each newly accepted publisher a useful next step.
Start with the date a publisher was accepted, the placement it proposed and the activity visible since then. Separate a partner still preparing a placement from one whose planned date has passed, one with a live placement but no recorded clicks, and one sending clicks without approved orders. Each calls for a different follow-up. Enrolment alone does not show the publisher had a fair opportunity to launch.
Build the onboarding cohort
Choose a defined acceptance period. For each partner, record its proposed property and format, eligible products, accepted terms, date materials were supplied and any agreed publishing date. Keep partners within their stated production window separate from those whose date has passed. Note whether the product or offer changed while they were preparing content.
Do not rely on a performance export as the complete roster. Awin's publisher-performance API omits publishers with no clicks or transactions in the selected period. Join activity to the accepted-partner list so zero-activity accounts remain visible. Check the report definition used by the actual account before counting.
Find the first missing step
| Observed state | Ask the publisher | Check inside the business |
|---|---|---|
| No placement confirmed after the planned date | Is publication delayed, blocked or no longer planned? | Were facts, terms, product access and a usable destination supplied? |
| Placement appears live; no recorded clicks | Is the link present and is the placement reaching its intended readers? | Does the link reach the promised page? |
| Clicks but no approved orders | What customer question does the placement answer? | Are the offer, checkout, tracking and order reviews working? |
Inspect the placement before attributing a zero to lack of effort. A newsletter may have been sent without a public page; ask for the issue.
A delayed guide may need product evidence. A live page may point to a discontinued variant. Do not call a publisher inactive solely because it has made no sale when its placement is current and readers are using it.
Ask about the specific gap
Contact a small set of relevant publishers with the placement and date in question. Ask whether publication is still planned and identify any changed fact, asset or destination. Include the current commercial terms and a contact who can answer. If the placement is already live, ask about its audience or format only after checking the customer route yourself.
Awin says the Communication Center can be used to send tailored outreach to dormant partners; this functionality is available only on Awin Classic. Provide a usable reply route. Do not offer a commission uplift before establishing whether payment is the obstacle.
Give each case a next action
Record whether the placement is scheduled, needs material, needs a working link or offer, is live but under review, has been declined by the publisher, or remains unknown pending a reply. Assign an owner and follow-up date. If clicks appear without orders, investigate the purchase and tracking route before judging the publisher's audience.
At the cohort review, count verified live placements separately from recorded referrals and approved orders. State the period and denominator.
