Campaign

Definition

An affiliate marketing campaign is a coordinated promotional effort designed to help affiliates promote a specific product, offer, event, or business goal during a defined period of time.

Campaigns give affiliates a clear reason to promote a brand and usually include specific messaging, links, creative assets, incentives, and deadlines.

In simple terms:

An affiliate program is the ongoing partnership, while an affiliate campaign is a focused promotion within that program.

For example, a clothing brand might run an affiliate program year-round but launch a special Black Friday campaign for two weeks. During that campaign, affiliates could receive new banners, discount codes, product recommendations, and a temporary commission bonus to encourage more promotion.

How do affiliate campaigns work?

Affiliate campaigns usually start with a specific objective.

A business might want to:

• Promote a new product
• Increase sales during a holiday
• Launch a seasonal collection
• Generate more leads
• Re-engage inactive affiliates
• Attract new customers
• Increase awareness of a particular offer

Once the goal is clear, the business creates a campaign that gives affiliates the information and resources they need to participate. For example, a campaign brief might include details about campaign duration, assets, approved messages, comission rates, etc.

Campaign brief example:

Product: New hydrating moisturizer

‍Campaign dates: September 1–14

‍Affiliate commission: 15% per sale

‍Bonus: Extra $100 for affiliates who generate 20 sales

‍Customer offer: 10% off with an affiliate code

‍Assets: Product photos, videos, talking points, and sample captions

Affiliates can then use those materials in their own content, such as social media posts, blog articles, emails, videos, or product reviews.