Aligning commission structures with content publication strategies is paramount for maximizing affiliate programs and campaign performance. Below, Coady Demuri, Head of Affiliate and Partnerships Education at impact.com, shares insights on how to optimize your commission structure for content partners. 

One of the most effective strategies to ensure the success of an affiliate program and to support strong PR campaigns is strategic commissioning for content publications. By carefully designing and optimizing your commission structure for content partners, you can maximize their efforts and enhance the overall performance of your program and campaigns.

Strategic commissioning is a purposeful approach to incentivizing your partners. It answers questions beyond just "how much should I pay partners for conversions" like are certain partners' conversions more valuable to the business, and what should you do if multiple partners influenced a conversion? Ultimately, it is about aligning commission with value for the business, and finding how to overlap that with your partners' needs to ensure they are properly incentivized to promote your brand.

Historically, affiliate has been a last-click attribution channel. As tracking has improved, we’ve learned that not all partners operate within the same segments of the purchase funnel, and therefore should be commissioned accordingly. Content partners thrive in the upper funnel, driving awareness and new customer acquisition for brands. Multi-touch commission is a great way to incentivize all partners who participate in the conversion.

So what does this look like in practice? To ensure all parties are incentivized, you could give a percentage of commission to the content publication who was the introducer, or was the first step on the path of a purchase, and a smaller percentage to the partner who was the closer, or the last click in the conversion path. If that is not an option in your software, you can also implement monthly bonuses to reward the introducing behavior.

Keep in mind, depending on how this is implemented, you may need to communicate this change to your content publishers. Provide as many details as possible about the way partners will be compensated with this structure. From there, maintain open lines of communication with your partners. Regularly check in, offer feedback, and address any questions or concerns they might have. This collaborative approach helps build a stronger relationship between you and your partners, leading to better content production and a deeper commitment to the program's success.

Finally, always track the performance of the new commission structure. Monitor metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement levels. Use this data to identify what's working and what needs improvement. Adjust your strategy based on these insights, and share successful tactics with your affiliates to enhance the overall effectiveness of your program.

By understanding your partners, maintaining communication, and optimizing based on data, you can build relationships that benefit both your brand and your partners. A well-executed commission strategy not only drives conversions but also strengthens your brand's reputation and credibility in the eyes of your audience.

To learn more, check out these impact.com PXA courses:

Growing Your Business Through Digital Partnerships

Engage: Affiliate and Partnerships Industry Training - Associate 

Contract and Pay: Affiliate and Partnerships Industry Training - Expert