Partner types overview

This article explains what a partner is and the various types of partners you can work with on your affiliate program.

What is a partner?

A partner is the owner or manager of a website who promotes an advertiser’s products or services. You may also hear partners referred to as affiliates or publishers.

Partners earn commission when a customer clicks through an affiliate link, such as a banner, logo, or text link, and completes a desired action on the advertiser’s website. Most commonly, this is a sale. In some cases, partners can also earn commission for generating leads, such as when a customer completes an online form or submits their email address.

What types of partners are there?

Partners can fall into the following five main promotional types: Content, Display, Email, Search, and Other. The following outlines the different partners within these types and how they operate within the affiliate industry.

Content

• Content creators and influencers - They are active in driving traffic through personally opinionated content blogs and/or social media platforms.

• Media content - These partners produce video, music, and pictures with partner links included where appropriate.

• Communities and user generated content (UGC) - Community partners host online environments where groups of people interact together with partner links included where appropriate.

• Cashback - Cashback partners have a member base that earn monetary rebates from online purchases.

• Loyalty - Loyalty partners have a member base that earn non-monetary rebates such as points, miles, and tokens from online purchases.

• Discount code - Discount code websites list discounts, coupon codes, and other deals which may be redeemed at advertiser’s websites or stores.

• Lead generation (content) - Lead-based partners generate prospective consumer interest for advertiser’s products or services via websites.

• Virtual incentives - These partners encourage their audience to take up advertiser’s offers in return for in-game rewards such as virtual currency, bonuses, and power-ups.

Display

• Ad networks - Partners who buy ad space on numerous websites (creating a network) with the intention of serving advertiser’s creative across this network of sites.

• Contextual targeting - Partners who display advertising relevant to the content of the web page the user is browsing.

• Direct traffic - Partners who display creative to their audience in the form of banners, pop-ups, and exit traffic adverts.

• Media brokers - Partners who buy exit traffic and opportunities from website owners.

• Mobile traffic - These partners purchase display inventory across mobile-enabled platforms including apps, games, and websites.

• Retargeting (display) - Behavioral retargeting displays personalized advertising on third-party websites to customers who have previously visited the advertiser’s site, specifically displaying products in which they have shown recent interest.

• Social traffic - These partners purchase display inventory on social networks.

• Sub networks - A collection of partners owned by numerous third parties brought together and being seen to operate as one single partner.

Email

• Newsletters - These partners produce a content-rich email distributed to an owned, shared, or rented database.

• Lead generation (email) - Lead-based email partners generate prospective consumer interest or enquiries into products or services for advertisers via email.

• Retargeting (email) - Email retargeting generates a personalized email for customers who have exited the advertiser’s site during the checkout process. The email will only make reference to the product(s) that were abandoned.

Search

• Direct linking - Partners who navigate the user from search engine results to the advertiser’s website with no other interim stages.

• Linking via landing pages - Partners that navigate the user from search engine results to the advertiser’s website with at least one interim stage (usually a landing page).

• Social search - Partners who run search advertising campaigns which navigate the user from social media websites to the advertiser’s website.

• Mobile search - Partners who run search advertising campaigns that navigate the user from search engine results on a mobile device (such as a smartphone) to the advertiser’s website.

• Domain parking - This is the registration of an Internet domain name with a distinct absence of content. Partners who own these domains often populate the associated landing pages with paid search adverts.

• Comparison shopping service (CSS) - CSS partners will collect products via product feeds and serve ads on Google search results on behalf of an advertiser.

Other

• Offline marketing - Partners who promote advertiser’s products or services through offline channels.

• Print media - Partners who feature advertiser’s products or services in printed publications.

• Radio/TV - Partners who promote advertiser’s offerings through radio or television broadcasts.

• Events and trade shows - Partners who represent or promote advertisers at live events and trade shows.

• Brand partnership - Partners who collaborate with advertisers on co-branded campaigns and joint marketing activities.