Quick answer: Winning affiliate creative bundles include on-brand banners, UTM-tagged links, short product video hooks, and a clean media kit with fast access in your portal.
Table of Contents
- Why affiliate creative assets matter
- Build a conversion-ready media kit
- Affiliate ad creatives that pull clicks
- Affiliate banner templates that perform
- UTMs and tracking for clear ROI
- Affiliate media kit delivery and access
- Measurement: what to watch weekly
- Launch / Optimise Checklist
- FAQ
- Takeaways
Why affiliate creative assets matter
Great partners can only sell what you give them. When you provide tested, ready-to-share assets, affiliates launch faster and convert more. Programs with strong, visible assets see higher share rates and downstream conversions across email, on-site and social touchpoints, which compounds revenue over time.
Build a conversion-ready media kit
An affiliate media kit is the starter pack that removes friction on day one. Include:
- Brand overview in 50 words. Problem you solve, top proof point, one key benefit.
- Logos and lockups. Dark, light, and mono variants; SVG and PNG.
- Product photography. 5–10 hero images on white and in-use lifestyle shots.
- Short video hooks. 3–5 vertical clips (6–12 seconds) showing the first wow moment.
- Offer one-sheet. Commission, cookie window, exclusions, and payout timing.
- Copy snippets. 3 headlines, 3 CTAs, and a 120-character caption for social.
- Link sheet. Each affiliate’s primary tracking link plus UTM variations for social, blog, and email.
- Compliance notes. Required disclosures, coupon rules, and brand do’s/don’ts.
If you need a program walkthrough before you package assets, follow the steps to launch your first affiliate program.
Affiliate ad creatives that pull clicks
Different channels need different creative. Ship multiple formats so affiliates can match their audience.
Short-form video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts)
- Lead with motion in the first second.
- Hook ideas: unboxing moment, before/after, side-by-side comparison, timer countdown.
- Keep captions simple and benefit-first.
- Include a friend-get-friend line if your offer supports it.
Static and carousel posts
- One product benefit per frame.
- Add subtle proof in the corner: rating stars, press logo, or “10k+ bought last month.”
- Keep text under 20 percent of the image to stay readable on mobile.
Email blocks for newsletters
- 600–700 px width, single clear CTA.
- Image + short proof line + offer.
- Provide HTML snippets with image alt text and a pre-tagged link.
When you promote through owned touchpoints too, share visibility lifts share and click rates across the board. See how multi-channel promotion boosts activity in our playbook on referral promotion tactics.
Affiliate banner templates that perform
Banners still matter for blogs, sidebars, and newsletters. Provide a small set, all under 150 KB if possible.
Recommended sizes
- 300×250, 336×280, 728×90, 300×600, 320×100, 468×60.
Design rules
- Use high contrast, simple background, one benefit, one CTA.
- Feature the product in use, not just a logo.
- Add the first-order incentive if you offer one.
- Keep copy under 8–10 words.
- Export PNG for crisp UI, JPG when photography dominates, and SVG for simple vector badges.
Copy starters
- “Better sleep starts tonight”
- “Cleaner skin in 7 days”
- “Save 15% on your first kit”
If you want a fast sanity check on performance targets, compare your funnel against referral program benchmarks to sense-check click-to-order rates coming from partner content.
UTMs and tracking for clear ROI
UTMs turn creative tests into real insights. Ship pre-tagged links by channel so affiliates do not need to guess.
Baseline pattern
?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium={channel}&utm_campaign={partner_handle}&utm_content={asset_code}
- Source: affiliate keeps reporting clean.
- Medium: youtube, tiktok, blog, newsletter, x, instagram.
- Campaign: partner handle or ID to group content from the same affiliate.
- Content: b01 for 300×250, v03 for the third video hook, etc.
Track beyond clicks and orders. You should also watch EPC, AOV, new-customer rate, refund rate, and discount dependency to know which creatives drive margin-positive customers. Our guide to tracking affiliate performance breaks down these KPIs and why they matter.
Affiliate media kit delivery and access
Speed wins. Creatives should live where partners already work.
- Affiliate portal library. Host logos, banners, and approved copy in folders that mirror channels.
- Auto-personalized links. Generate each affiliate’s main link and show it beside every asset.
Post-purchase activation. If you also invite customers to become affiliates after checkout, include a micro-kit right in the confirmation flow so fresh buyers can share instantly.
For Shopify brands, ReferralCandy gives affiliates a branded portal and lets you run referrals and affiliates together, with post-checkout activation that converts happy customers in one click.
Measurement: what to watch weekly
A tidy creative library is only half the job. Review performance on a weekly cadence.
- Clicks → Orders conversion. Low conversion with healthy clicks signals landing page or offer mismatch.
- Earnings per click (EPC). Rank creatives and partners by EPC to find high-quality traffic sources.
- AOV and refund rate. Weak AOV or high returns may mean the creative sets the wrong expectation.
- New customer share. Prioritize assets that bring fresh buyers if your commission is new-customer-only.
- Funnel visibility. Keep assets visible across email and on-site widgets to raise share and click volume.
To expand your toolkit or pick software that supports these workflows, scan our roundup of the best Shopify referral apps and make sure your stack covers post-purchase widgets, branded portals, and fraud checks.
Launch / Optimise Checklist
- Publish a media kit with logos, product shots, and three short video hooks inside your affiliate portal.
- Provide UTM-tagged links per channel and asset type, pre-generated for each partner.
- Upload five banner sizes with one benefit and one CTA each; keep files lightweight.
- Add on-site share widgets and post-purchase prompts to raise creative usage and shares.
Set a weekly dashboard review: EPC, AOV, new-customer rate, conversion rate. - If you want referrals and affiliates together, use ReferralCandy to manage assets, links, and payouts from one place.
- Send an onboarding email with a portal link, payout terms, and three ready-to-post assets. You can adapt this referral program template for affiliates too.
FAQ
What assets should every affiliate get on day one?
Give a compact media kit: brand blurb, logos, 5–10 product images, 3 short video hooks, two email blocks, and several banner sizes with simple benefit-first copy. Include a link sheet with pre-tagged UTMs for blog, social, and email. Host everything inside your affiliate portal so partners do not chase files. ReferralCandy’s portal makes this central hub simple to maintain and update.
Do banners still convert, or should we focus on video only?
Both matter. Video hooks often spark interest on social, but banners work in sidebars, newsletters, and comparison posts where readers want a quick path to click. Provide a tight set of sizes and test copy variations monthly. Watch EPC and conversion rate for each asset and retire low performers. Benchmarks and routine promotion across touchpoints support higher overall share and click volume.
How do I track creative performance without complex BI tools?
Start with UTMs and your affiliate platform’s reports. Group results by asset type and channel. Review EPC, AOV, conversion rate, and new-customer share weekly. If a creative drives clicks but weak orders, check landing page load time and offer clarity. Our tracking guide lists the core KPIs and the advanced signals that point to margin impact, not just volume.
Can ReferralCandy handle asset hosting and affiliate access?
Yes. ReferralCandy gives you a branded affiliate portal where partners can grab links, codes, and creatives, and it can activate new affiliates after checkout with a single click. You can track EPC, conversions, and payouts in one place, and run referrals and affiliates together if that suits your growth plan.
Takeaways
- Make assets easy: a clean media kit, pre-tagged UTMs, and a branded portal accelerate partner launches.
- Match format to channel: short video hooks for social, light banners and email blocks for blogs and newsletters.
- Measure like a pro: EPC, AOV, conversion rate, and new-customer share tell you which creatives bring quality revenue.
- Use ReferralCandy to run referrals and affiliates together, host creatives, and activate post-purchase shares.
