The six types you will meet
Content sites and blogs build demand with reviews and guides. Comparison sites capture purchase intent. Cashback and coupon platforms convert hesitant buyers. Influencers and communities build awareness. Email and loyalty partners activate existing audiences.
Each type sits at a different point in the customer journey. A healthy programme runs several, weighted towards the types that bring new customers.
Differentiate commission by type
Pay more for incremental revenue and less for closing a sale that was already happening: a higher new-customer rate for content and comparison, a base rate for cashback and coupon.
Set out per type what is allowed: brand bidding, publishing discount codes, or mailing their own lists.
Partnership models beyond commission
Fixed placements, seasonal campaigns, exclusive codes and product samples work well with partners that have reach. Agree what you get: position, period and measurable goals.
Treat paid placements as a test with a clear payback threshold, not as a permanent budget line.
The mix shifts per industry
In fashion and lifestyle, content and influencers carry the weight. In electronics, comparison and review sites dominate. In beauty it is content and communities; in food and home, subscription and loyalty partners.
So choose your publisher mix per industry and per market, not once for the whole programme.