Tim Keen

Structured

We:
- Plan campaigns 
- Source creators
- Get & edit content (with world-class creative strategists)
- Build top-performing landing pages
- Run all that as ads.

It gets results.

If you're ready to stop managing flaky freelancers or incompetent agencies, and are ready to put growth on autopilot so you can sleep at night again, then we should talk.

Our clients include Hooked On Phonics, Unilever, Road Runner Sports, Bullymake, and more.

Book your free strategy call above. 

(One major DTC brand unlocked $175,000 in incremental revenue on that free 30-minute call. How's that for ROI?)

PS. I guarantee we won't waste your time.

VP of Marketing

Loop Club

📈 WHO WE ARE:

We drive 512% growth for purpose-driven Shopify brands.


Clients range from $5 to $100M in annual revenue, including The Comfy, Grass Roots Co-Op, and Honest Paws. 

80% of our clients grow at least 100% year-on-year.

We leverage:
- Facebook Ads
- Google Ads
- Klaviyo Email Marketing & SMS
- Performance Creative
- Shopify apps 

To drive massive ROI and growth for your store.

If you're looking to grow quickly, schedule some time with me here: https://calendly.com/timkeenloop/30m

**ACQUIRED** Co-Founder / CEO

Roland Corporation U.S.

Global Paid Search Marketing Manager

MuteSix

Manage paid search activation & strategy for clients across a range of verticals, including food & beverage, fashion, and entertainment.

In this role I've had particular success scaling tough accounts, using novel targeting on YouTube & Display, and adding value through landing pages and CRO optimization. 

MuteSix was recently acquired by Dentsu/iProspect.

My clients typically spend between $20k and $200k+ monthly, with 100% of that spend going to specific ROAS/revenue goals. I'm a ROAS-focused and data-savvy manager, but also understand the role of creative in the sales process.

Paid Search Campaign Manager

Tim Keen Digital

I create e-commerce and affiliate websites based around keyword research, and then promote them using social media marketing, PPC, and SEO.

I found that my analytical training and customer service experience served me well in digital marketing, and my business has grown from an initial $300 investment to over $40k in revenue in the first year.

Along the way I've:
- Become Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certified,
- Cracked 500% ROAS on Google Shopping,
- Signed up over 10,000 MailChimp subscribers using interactive quizzes,
- Done SEO, getting my sites in the top 10 for a bunch of high-volume keywords,
- Developed and maintained complex Wordpress installations,
- Managed a team of ~300 affiliates and 3-5 freelancers,
- Written copy for promotional materials and blog posts,
- Managed Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns, influencer campaigns, and giveaways,
- Kept customers happy.

Business Owner

Gold Diggers

I worked as part of a small team to run a brand new 9-room commercial recording facility in Hollywood.

Our clients are often high-profile artists and songwriters, and expect a commensurate standard of engineering and hospitality.

Some of my recent engineering and assisting credits are: Goo Goo Dolls, Flea, dvsn, Nate Ruess (fun.), Yellow Days, and Lauren Sanderson. 

I have also managed hospitality for corporate film shoots and events. Our clients have included Spotify, Apple, Guitar Center, and Splice.

Recording Engineer

Kaplan Test Prep

After graduating from the University of Melbourne, I used my biomedical science training to prepare thousands of students for the MCAT, PCAT, DAT, and OAT, both in a traditional classroom setting and, more often, in an Adobe-based digital learning environment (Live OnLine, or "LOL" (no, really)).

My role requires teaching everything from reading comprehension to physics, essay writing to statistics, philosophy to biochemistry, and "how to rotate objects in your head, for future dentists". All Kaplan teachers have scored at or above the 90th percentile on each section of every test that we teach.

We work remotely and, frequently, synchronously: teams of 2-5 teach and provide live and email assistance to classes of between 20 and 200 students.

I have also presented and assisted at Kaplan sales events, providing students with an authority resource to answer their questions and guide them to the right test prep option for them.

Teacher

My band, "Ought," released our first record in April 2014 on Montreal's Constellation Records. 

Following unexpected critical success we made two more records - one more on Constellation and one on Merge Records - and played almost 400 shows over four years in the US and Europe, including performances at Primavera Sound, Pitchfork Festival (Chicago and Paris), and Roskilde.

I also co-ran a small record label, Misery Loves Company, which recorded and released limited-run cassettes by local underground musicians and similarly-minded weirdos.

Musician

I help 7 and 8-figure brands find agencies they love | 1x exit | $100M revenue from TikTok & FB Ads

I'm a musician who fell into marketing.

I went to music school for classical violin.

Then I toured the world playing drums in a rock band for 5 years.

Eventually, I needed some money. 

So I dipped my toe in the world of marketing.

Cut to five years later. I've:

• built and sold a 7-figure agency, 
• trained 200+ agency owners on how to get dream clients on LinkedIn

But my goal was always to make music.

I'm now doing that - while helping B2B business owners get dream clients on LinkedIn.

Building the best DTC agency in the country with some ecom legends.

This sales process has closed over $5,000,000 in B2B deals for me (including True Classic and many other enterprise clients)
​
I'm giving you the entire framework for free.
​
Because here’s the deal…
​
A LOT of founders are struggling to charge the prices they used to a few years ago. 
​
Everyone and their grandma has an offer nowadays with case studies that claimed to have ‘10x’d revenue in 30 days’. 
​
Prospects are numb to it. 
​
That said…
​
Now more than ever, you absolutely MUST find a way to stand out in the sales process.
​
So…
​
I put everything I know about closing high ticket deals into 1 doc. 
​
Something you can turn into a repeatable framework that builds trust with prospects, and allows you to actually charge what you’re worth. 
​
Inside this playbook, you'll get:
​
(1) Pre-call qualification to filter out tire-kickers in the DMs
(2) Discovery call framework that makes prospects sell themselves
(3) My 5-part audit system that positions you as the only logical choice
(4) How to present pricing without sounding needy or justifying rates
(5) The "W" question method for extracting hidden objections
(6) 4-step closing call structure that removes pressure and gets decisions fast
​
(BONUS) My complete LinkedIn DM playbook (the system that feeds these calls)
​
This is the same framework I used to charge $5k-10k retainers (and not feeling hesitant about it) back when I was scaling my agency.
​
Want in? 
​
Comment "SALES"
​
And I'll personally DM it to you.
​
(MUST BE CONNECTED)

I help 7-figure agencies get more ideal clients | 1x exit | GTM strategy & coaching

HIRING: I am looking for a GTM coach to be a teaching assistant for my group cohort program.

You need to:
- Understand Clay, Heyreach, Smartlead
- Understand scraping via Apify, Bright Data, various other fun/sketchy means
- Be CREATIVE and able to find interesting new solutions
- Be able to help with the actual marketing (copy + offer), not just the infrastructure
- Be up to date on the cool data providers (Kitt, Icypeas, Findymail)
- Be quick at coming up with new ideas and helping people
- Be able to respond to questions with clear Loom breakdowns 

This would be a part-time role and would suit someone who is a clear speaker and writer of English, is up-and-coming in GTM and wants to see a lot of different situations, and is good at customer service and always wants to win for people.

Nathan Lippi 🥾 if you have any recs for me feel free to tag them :)

I trained a GPT on 1,000+ LinkedIn DMs that closed millions in revenue. 
​
Now it writes your DM replies for you.
​
Here's the deal…
​
Everyone KNOWS the LinkedIn DMs are the biggest untapped opportunity right now. But most people have no clue how to actually structure conversations that book calls.
​
They either sound too salesy... or too passive.
​
And they wonder why they aren’t booking in sales calls (even if their initial DMs get replies)
​
So I built something to fix this.
​
I trained a custom GPT on thousands of real DM conversations that booked high-ticket calls at the highest level.
​
Now all you do is:
​
- Copy/paste your LinkedIn conversation
- Let the GPT analyze where you are in the sales process
- Get the perfect reply that moves the conversation forward
​
It's like having a 7-figure DM setter in your back pocket.
​
Our team has tested this on 100s of conversations, and the results were too good not to share.
​
So for the next 48 hours, I'm giving it away for free.
​
Want access?
​
Comment "DM"
​
And I'll send you the link ASAP.
​
(MUST BE CONNECTED)

i help you build an ideal client/customer machine | 1x exit | GTM strategy for agencies & SaaS

I made this landing page in 10 minutes with one Gemini 3.0 prompt!

It includes:
- Stylish form popup
- Responsive design
- Dates that automatically update each month

I made a resource showing you how I did it:

- Exactly what my prompts are
- How to avoid the most common traps
- How to quickly host it (that's the most tricky part)

You can save so much time prototyping or testing offers this way.

Want in?

Comment GEM and I'll send it to you.

Fortune 500 companies begged to work with my agency.
​
(and they reached out to me on LinkedIn first)
​
Now I’m giving away the swipe file of posts I used to hit $5M. 
​
What you’ll get inside: 
​
200+ post templates organized by objective…
​
1/ Lead magnets that generate 1000s of opt-ins monthly
2/ Authority-building listicles that position you as the expert
3/ “Steal my workflow” posts that get prospects reaching out asap
4/ Social proof carousels that showcase your results
5/ Industry commentary to start conversations
6/ Brand story posts to build authentic connections
​
And for every post, I’ve included…
​
→ The ONE psychological trigger that makes it perform
→ Hook templates you can plug your expertise into
→ Specific improvements to make each post even better
→ Engagement strategies to maximize reach
→ Follow-up sequences for the DMs that come flooding in
​
This swipe file has helped 100s of agency owners I’ve personally coached generate millions of impressions and book 1,000s sales calls just from simple, plain text LinkedIn posts.
​
Want access? 
​
Comment “SWIPE” and I’ll send it your way <10 minutes.
​
(Must be connected)

If I comment on your post and you send me a BAD lead magnet, I will delete your connection and never buy from you.

If I comment on your post and you send me a great, detailed, thoughtful breakdown of your service, I probably will.

A bad lead magnet 
- Has no specifics and talks in generalities
- Looks like it was just whipped up by AI
- Is short and doesn't go into detail
- Obviously wants me to buy something from you

A good lead magnet
- Reveals a process or resource that would be difficult for me to get otherwise
- Demonstrates genuine and unique thought
- Helps me understand how you do something that I might want to do

Most people think lead magnets are just "free PDFs."
​
I’ve seen this mindset kill more agencies than it’s helped.
​
For context - 
​
Lead magnets to generate well over 7-figures just on 1 platform (LinkedIn).
​
The only reason why…
​
I did them the RIGHT way. 
​
Lead magnets are not something you half ass. 
​
When done lazily, this is what happens: 
​
1) You use Claude to slam together 1-2 lead magnets/week in 30 minutes

2) Prospects request it because it LOOKS valuable
​
3) Instead of wanting to work with you, they scratch you off your list because the resource was low quality. 
​
AKA: 
​
You just communicated to 100s of people that your services are low quality, all because you shipped out a shitty lead magnet ‘just to check a box’. 
​
Horrendous mindset. 
​
What you need to do is build strategic, HIGH quality lead magnets that pre-qualified prospects and position you as the obvious choice.
​
This is the secret. 
​
And inside this playbook, I’ll show you exactly how I did it:
​
1/ How I closed $5M+ in revenue from LinkedIn (the complete system)
2/ My process for generating endless viral lead magnet ideas
3/ How to turn lead magnets into actual revenue (not just downloads)
4/ Backend conversion system that turns leads into paying clients
5/ The distribution formula I use to flood my funnel on repeat
6/ How to build a web of lead magnets that scale with you
7/ 5 mistakes that destroy lead magnet performance
8/ Everything you need to do right now to get started
​
This will work for any high-ticket offer IF you follow it step-by-step. 
​
Want it?
​
Comment "MAGNET”
​
And connect with me if we're not already (so I can DM you)
​
I'll send it over ASAP.

I am looking for a great closer for coaching programs. Tag who you know :)

Creators who get 100+ likes per post are (usually) not making as much $ as you think.
​
It’s the EASIEST trap to fall into…
​
Once you taste the feeling of good engagement, it’s addicting.
​
- Quick dopamine shots.
- Tons of (unqualified) inbound leads.
- Getting noticed and praised by everyone (who isn’t going to pay you)
​
Everyone loves this small feeling of importance, and you want to keep it.
​
So naturally you get stuck in the cycle…
​
But the reason you go viral is because it’s mass-appealing. 
​
It doesn’t solve specific problems that specific people (your ICP) are struggling with.
​
And 6 months go by…
​
You end up spinning your wheels posting David Goggin’s quotes thinking it’s working, while you make zero money. 
​
Stop chasing high-engagement and focus on your ICP’s problems.
​
This is how win on here.

I used LinkedIn to build a $3,000,000 agency in a couple of years.
​
Right now, your strategy is only missing 1 thing: 
​
SYSTEMS.
​
Without good systems, your agency will never grow.
​
It happens to most agency owners who…
​
→ Rely too heavily on referrals.
→ Struggle to close $10K+ deals.
→ Can’t break through to $50K months.
​
If this is you…
​
I’m giving away my exact blueprint that took us to $300K+ months…
​
And ultimately a $3,000,000 valuation.
​
Inside this Growth Bible, you’ll learn how to: 
​
1/ Ditch outdated LinkedIn tricks.
2/ Turn lead magnets into a growth hack.
3/ Use AI without losing your human touch.
4/ Build a scalable pipeline that feels personal.
5/ Run a simple funnel that beats complex strategies.
​
It’s worked for me and 100s of my personal students.
​
Want access? 
​
- Connect with me
- Comment “SCALE”
​
And I’ll send it to you right away. 
​
P.S. 
​
Repost this and I’ll prioritize your DM

Most founders screw themselves trying to do everything at once.
​
Met someone last week (perfect example of this…)
​
- Launched a YT channel.
- Started posting on LinkedIn. 
- Tried figuring out cold email.
- Bought a course to learn Clay.
​
ALL AT ONCE.
​
And all mediocre... 
​
What he didn’t realize was…
​
YES, you do need multiple channels. 
​
Paid ads are expensive as hell.
​
LinkedIn impressions are tanking.
​
Cold email deliverability is getting harder.
​
But still…
​
You have to do these 1 at a time UNTIL you get a signal.
​
Signal = “Hey, this thing is working.” 
​
The game really hasn’t changed all that much even with all the fancy new tech. Founders who are actually making 7+ figures didn’t start doing 6 things well.
​
They started doing 1 thing violently and scaling that to the moon. 
​
Find your channel → Make it print → Add the next.

In the last 3 years, I’ve tested ALL the different DM strategies on LinkedIn.
​
Every booked call came from this one thing…
​
Letting the conversation NATURALLY lead into a call.
​
Most creators…
​
→ Automate DMs (poorly)
→ Try the newest @Ty Frankel scripts (they miss the point)
→ Copy-paste templates they’ve seen.
​
But does all that extra work really feel like a human interaction to you? 
​
(Your answer should be no)
​
Here’s how you should do it… 
​
(it’s earned me over 7-figures in the DMs)
​
1. Start by showing you actually know them.
2. Always add value and ask thoughtful questions.
3. Only offer a call if it fits the flow of the conversation.
​
This isn’t a strategy to overthink…
​
It’s not rocket science.
​
It’s just a matter of putting people first, NOT your pitch.

I FIRED my $400,000 Ferrari and replaced it with this $2.75 bus pass.

I still get to the EXACT same destination, but for 0.00075% of the price.

How come more people don't know about this?!

all respect for the game and a hook is a hook just making jokes

Performance Partners

Performance Partners is a strategic affiliate consulting agency for DTC Brands. We help grow your affiliate channel by connecting you with the right partners that can generate high-volume sales.

Our Mission:
Our mission is to forge dynamic partnerships that drive growth for DTC brands by connecting them with the world's leading affiliates. We're dedicated to fostering relationships that propel businesses to new heights, ensuring mutual success and excellence in the affiliate marketing landscape.

Specialties:

Affiliate Program Strategy, Systems and Process: We will teach you the strategy we used to build 8-figure affiliate programs for Goli and Onnit.

Super Affiliate Introductions: With over 15 years in affiliate marketing we have built a portfolio of the top affiliates in the world and can make direct introductions.

Affiliate Recruitment Strategy: We will teach you the process we use to recruit super affiliates to join your program.

Affiliate Management Strategy: Learn how to manage affiliate who specialize in paid media

Affiliate Program Optimization: Discover ways to make your program more attractive to super affiliates

Affiliate Network and Preferred Vendor Recommendations: Get access to our network of trusted vendors for content and funnel development.

Chief Executive Officer

iLife Technologies

iLife's mission is to make selling and buying life insurance faster, easier, and more enjoyable for agents, brokers, and customers. 

With iLife Technology, agents and brokers can sell more policies from anywhere in a fraction of the time. Consumers can easily compare plans from over 670,000 policy options, submit preliminary information to apply online in just a few clicks. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Affiliate Partnerships @ iLife Technologies

Carousel

Headquartered in Toronto, Carousel is a comprehensive digital and performance marketing platform that helps D2C brands across multiple industries acquire customers at scale.

I interface directly with senior client executives at global media agencies and e-commerce brands to build and/or revamp strategies across search, social, mobile and display channels. Integrating both strategy and implementation capabilities, we serve as extensions of in-house media teams to effectively allocate marketing spend, and develop the requisite infrastructure for long-term marketing success. Some of my other business development-focused responsibilities include:

♦ Lead and planned performance marketing campaigns strategy to efficiently scale growth across both paid and organic channels for some of the most inventive D2C ecom brands 
♦ Worked with media buying teams to evaluated existing digital marketing plans and infrastructure of clients to identify gaps, and propose data-driven recommendations on search, social, mobile, and display campaign optimization
♦ Provided insights internally on new developments and trends in performance marketing and user acquisition, and helped key stakeholders to think in the context of LTV and ROI

Agency Partner - Team Lead

Senior Agency Partner

Jumbleberry

As a Senior Affiliate Manager, I was responsible for developing and growing a multi-million dollar performance marketing portfolio in the Direct-To-Consumer vertical. I worked closely with the business development team to negotiate deals and acquire customers online for my clients.

Affiliate Manager - Team Lead

Office Ink

Office Ink was an office supply e-commerce venture that eventually scaled to 8+ employees across Canada servicing 600+ customers.

Taking ownership of a nationwide customer base and pipeline, I put together a sales and service team, and we collectively built the client book from the ground-up through a structured approach to prospecting and lead generation. I also led the development of commercial and go-to-market strategies, making key decisions in marketing, pricing, and promotions to win market share from incumbents in competitive markets. 

As a company, we leveraged our dedicated coverage and customer service capabilities to carve out a competitive advantage, and retain the confidence of SMBs and institutions.

Co-Founder & President

Mogenio

Spearheaded sales of a multi-million dollar affiliate portfolio with leadership of a team of 5. Played a central role in the establishment and growth of the satellite office in Luxembourg.

Director of Distribution

Mundo Media

As the Senior Affiliate Manager at Mundo Media, I worked closely with affiliate media buyers (web & mobile media buyers, websites, application owners, search marketers, etc.) to help facilitate promotional efforts for our advertising clients on a CPA/CPL/CPI basis. I analyzed publisher statistics on a daily basis to maximize revenue, identify opportunities, optimize campaigns and troubleshoot issues.

Director Affiliate Sales

As the Bilingual Online Marketing Coordinator at AIG, I developed several regional marketing plans for online quoting software. Tasks included: conducting primary market research, identifying regional client needs, communicating new sales and marketing strategies, implementing marketing plan through client presentations, promotional materials and an online presence.

Bilingual Online Marketing Coordinator

You've built a 7-8 figure health & beauty DTC brand. I will connect you with the top affiliates in the world

Hi - I’m Fred!

For over 16 years, I have been managing and scaling profitable affiliate programs that help DTC brands grow revenue.

Some of the questions I get asked are:

▪️ How do I recruit the top direct-response affiliates who specialize in paid media? 
(Email, Display, Tik Tok, Snap, FB, Google, Push)

▪️ How can I increase revenue with lower acquisition costs?

▪️ How can I reduce risk exposure and reliance on a small number of channels?

▪️ How do I structure commission payouts to ensure my brand's and affiliates' profitability?

▪️ How do I build direct response content to get customers to buy now?

▪️ How do I maintain brand, content, and messaging integrity?

In my experience of building/managing affiliate programs for networks and brands, and as an affiliate myself, I’ve worked in all facets of affiliate marketing, and I consider it my domain of expertise. 

I’ve also helped recruit affiliates for some of the biggest global DTC brands, including Goli, Onnit and FluffCo.

My job is to maximize your investment in affiliate marketing, educate you on the technical strategies, and deliver results that surpass your marketing goals.

👉 WHAT I DO:
- Affiliate Program Strategy, Systems and Process
- Super Affiliate Introductions
- Affiliate Recruitment Strategy
- Affiliate Management Strategy
- Affiliate Program Optimization
- Affiliate Network and Preferred Vendor Recommendations

CORE VALUES FOR SUCCESS: 🙏
1. Prioritize the needs and goals of the client 
2. Strive to be the best version of myself (Mamba Mentality)
3. Never shy away from difficult conversations
5. Be organized
5. Always take accountability for both the wins and losses

When I'm not working away, I love spending time with my wife & 2 kids, training for long-distance races and "attempting" to win my NBA fantasy league. 

If you're interested in learning more about how I can help solve some of your acquisition/affiliate challenges, drop me a message, and let's schedule a free call.

Frederic Jean-Bart

Just got back from Miami with 10 friends I've known for 22 years.

Most of us are married. Most have kids. Most of us run our own business. Few work as C-suite executives. Endless professional commitments. 

Taking time out for a trip every year is not easy. 

But here's what I've learned: Carving out time for friendships like these isn't optional.

We make it happen every quarter for dinner. Every year, for a bigger trip together. And every single time, I come back more motivated and inspired.

More than that, when we get together, it's nonstop laughs, stories, and memories. The inside jokes. The kind of connection that's only possible after two decades of showing up for each other.

Success means nothing without people to share it with. Social media may glorify the ‘build alone’ idea. But I’ve realized that in the long term, it makes zero sense.

You can pursue what you want, build exceptional companies, and get higher promotions. But don't forget to protect the relationships that make the journey worthwhile. 

And I’m sure people in their 30s and 40s will agree to this.

Affiliate Partnerships for 8-9 Figure DTC Brands | CEO @ Performance Partners | 17-Year Expert In Affiliate Recruitment

Performance Partners turns 3 today!

What started as a small vision for an affiliate marketing agency has grown into a fast-moving, premium partner for some incredible DTC brands.

Here’s what the journey has looked like so far…
from year-one experiments to scaling real, profitable programs.

To everyone who played a part in this: 
Thank you.
You helped build this.

P.S. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter. Link is in the comments.

Journey of building Performance Partners

I’m 41, running a 7-figure affiliate marketing agency remotely and have generated $250M for my clients in the last 17 years.

2009: I started as a jr. affiliate manager.
2025: Building & scaling Performance Partners 

It's been almost a 17-year journey in affiliate marketing. Here’s why I think affiliate marketing could replace paid media as the #1 growth channel for DTC brands in the next 5 years.

1. Paid ads are underperforming.

CRMs are up. ROAS is down. Meta and Google aren’t what they used to be.

2. Affiliate marketing builds trust.

People trust people, not ads. Creators, experts, and reviewers have more influence than banners. Affiliate marketing is relationship-driven, not algorithm-driven

3. Smart brands are shifting budgets.

Brands are already partnering with:

- Niche publishers
- Content creators
- Performance-driven media buyers

4. Tech platforms are enabling scale.

Platforms like TikTok Shop are leading the way. They make it easy for brands to partner with creators, track performance, and scale successful campaigns. It is turning creators into high-performance affiliates

It’s a sign that traditional ad platforms are going creator-first.
The future is performance-based and trust-led partnerships.

And that’s why I’m so bullish on the potential of affiliate marketing for 8 & 9-fig DTC brands.

We just activated one of the biggest listicle affiliates in the industry for two of our clients. A media buyer who consistently spends up to six figures a day during Q4.

When you're dealing with affiliates at this level, activation is the hardest part. 

They're getting hit up by everyone: networks, agencies, brands. Everyone knows they're big, so the competition for their attention is intense.

And we got them on board. Revenue is already flowing. 
And the growth looks incredible.

They're going to be a major driver of our Black Friday and Cyber Monday numbers for both clients; exactly what these brands wanted when they came to us looking for real affiliate media buyer partnerships.

And we're not stopping here. We have more high-performing listicle affiliates in the pipeline.

Big wins in the affiliate space are always strategic. 

They happen when you've built the relationships, proven the value, and can cut through the noise to get top-tier partners activated.

P.S. In the next issue of my newsletter, I am sharing my 5-step framework to scale any program to 5-figures a month in the first month. Subscribe here: www.freddysfastfive.com

When I was leading the affiliate growth strategy for a portfolio of $50M+ D2C brands, our client launches were a mess. Broken pixels. Messy tracking. Last-minute “Can you fix this today?” DMs on Slack.

Every new brand took forever to get live. And clients got annoyed (quite understandably) because results were slow.

One day an affiliate media buyer said:
“We need a simple launch system.”

So we rebuilt the whole thing from scratch using a very basic 3-step setup:

1. Foundation check: We verified pixels, events, audiences, and product feeds in 20 minutes. 

2. Starter campaign pack: We launched one search, one social, and one display affiliate with proven templates that always worked for other D2C brands.

3. First 7-day scorecard
Track only four numbers: EPC, CVR, CAC, and revenue. Ignore everything else until week two.

That’s it. No 50-slide audit. Almost zero friction. 

And within two months:

• Launch times dropped from 10 days to 3.
• CAC improved because campaigns went live cleaner.
• Clients and affiliates were satisfied because they saw results early.

That is a lesson every brand and affiliate manager needs to understand (and put into action):

Most ‘complex’ growth problems get solved by simple systems and smaller steps. Making your system less ‘overwhelming’ for your partners and clients should be your #1 priority.

P.S. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter 'Freddy's Fast Five': www.freddysfastfive.com

I’ve taken 47 programs past $100K/month using this exact blueprint. Most of them were struggling to make $20K consistently. Because they all were making a common mistake. A mistake that most brands make now too.

Most programs take a passive approach to affiliate recruitment.

They set up the affiliate program…
Publish a sign-up page…
And wait for inbound applications to roll in.

On paper, this sounds efficient.
In reality, it caps your revenue.

Passive recruitment attracts bottom-tier affiliates:

- Coupon sites looking for new programs
- Deal hunters browsing affiliate directories
- Affiliates who compete only on discounting

These partners don’t grow your revenue, they leech off conversions you would have gotten anyway.

Here’s the bigger issue most brands never see coming:

Your top-producing affiliates will never apply to you. 

Premium partners operate differently. The only way to get their attention is by strategic outreach.

Media buyers don’t look for programs; they get pitched by brands that want scale High-value influencers choose brands that take initiative.

These are the affiliates who drive 80–90% of revenue in scaled programs.

And when you rely on passive applications, you’re not just missing potential partners,  you’re handing them directly to your competitors who are actively recruiting them. That’s the actual cost.

You can’t scale to $100K+/month by sitting back and hoping the right affiliates find you.

Programs that grow aggressively do one thing consistently:
They treat affiliate recruitment like sales.

I recently sat down with Sean Lang for his podcast to talk about building and scaling agencies.

We discussed many things during our conversation, and it was one of those discussions that reminded me why putting yourself out there and having real conversations with other founders matters.

Here's what we discussed:

1. Scaling teams effectively: How to build and grow a team that can handle growth without breaking your operations
2. Sticking to your ICP: Why staying focused on your ideal client profile is critical, and the costly mistakes that happen when you don't
3. Lessons learned building an agency: The hard-earned insights from years of trial and error that I wish I knew earlier

These conversations always push me to think differently about how I'm running my business. 

Sean asked great questions that made me reflect on decisions I've made and where I'm headed next.

If you're an agency owner or thinking about starting one, I think you'll get a lot of value from this episode.: https://lnkd.in/gzxius95

In the last 45 days, we brought 2 major changes to the way we operate at Performance Partners. Here’s what I changed in the back end.

1. We launched a 30-day sprint package for brands that aren’t our ICP.

The reason was simple: 
- To onboard brands faster.
- To build trust quickly through quick wins.
- To create a low-friction entry point for new clients.

Many brands don’t want to commit to long-term retainers immediately. This offer makes it easier for them to experience the value without a big commitment.

It also protects our interests because not every brand is a brand we want to work with long-term. So it helps us to get an idea about the future collaboration scope.

This has resulted in:

- Improved cash-flow consistency because payments are upfront.
- Better client-fit filtering (only the right clients convert to retainers)
- Prevents long-term situations with poor-fit clients.

We built a complete SOP with the operations team that maps every step required to complete the sprint engagement.

2. We opened up affiliate recruitment across the entire team (not just affiliate managers) and tied it to performance bonuses.

Affiliate managers were splitting time between recruitment and client management, creating a bottleneck.

But with this operational change, if anyone recruits specific types of affiliates and gets them activated, they earn a bonus.

As a result, recruitment velocity increased (more affiliates pitched and activated weekly). And affiliate managers are freed up to focus on optimization and strategy.

Operations are about removing friction, creating incentives, and enabling your team to move faster. And that was the core idea behind these 2 changes.

P.S. Another intense discussion in our weekly call. I can guarantee that it was not about scaling programs, lol!

What you think top affiliates want:

Higher commissions
Longer cookie windows
Better payouts
A pitch like “We’re a great product, please consider us”

What top affiliates ACTUALLY need:

Test budgets ($500–$2,500) to offset risk when trying your brand
Flat-fee + commission deals so they can forecast returns
Exclusive placement windows (30–60 days) to make your offer worth prioritizing
Access to proven content, creatives, and funnels 

An elite affiliate, who sends millions in traffic every month, will never be fascinated by a few % more ONLY. 

Show them that you care about their predictability.
Show them that you are trying to minimize their risks.
Show them that there is a huge upside potential of the deal.

P.S. The next issue of my weekly newsletter goes live in 24 hours. Subscribe here: www.freddysfastfive.com

Open article: Freddy's Fast Five by freddysfastfive.com

I have scaled my company to 7-figures in 2.5 years. 
One mistake I wish I hadn’t made:
Saying ‘Yes’ to every single client.

Initially, we wanted to grow fast. So we worked with every client that came our way.
(Most early-stage founders can relate to this.)

We didn’t care about the niche.
We didn’t care about their budget.
We didn’t care about the market fit.

That means we had to create different offers, proposals, and plans for every client.

But it took me 18 months to realize: 
(after some tough experience)

- Some brands had unrealistic expectations.
- Some brands weren’t ready for affiliate marketing at all.
- Some clients were far outside their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

The lack of results wasn’t due to a lack of effort or skill on their side.
It was simply a misalignment in fit.

As a result, some clients were unhappy, my team felt discouraged, and the internal team morale suffered.

Now we prioritize onboarding the right clients.

It shows we’ve:

Refined their ICP.
Improved their screening process.
Built confidence in long-term success.

Result:
Better results for the clients
Long-term partnership
Predictable revenue

So, if you’re in the B2B space, looking for sustainable and scalable growth, nail down your ICP and STICK to it. (You can thank me later!)

BFCM 2025 is officially wrapped. This year, our team at Performance Partners supported over 30 DTC brands. Worked with 2,400+ affiliates. Activated 900 new affiliates in Nov. Here are my top 3 predictions for the next 12 months.

1. Media buyer partnerships will become the foundation of every high-performing affiliate program.

Brands that saw their biggest spikes during BFCM will realize those wins came from media buyers who could scale fast with the right CPA and the right funnel. More brands will shift budget toward media-buyer-friendly offers and treat these partners like a core acquisition channel rather than a side experiment.

By next BFCM, media buyers will be the top revenue driver for most mature affiliate programs. Mark my words.

2. Editorial and listicle partners will start locking Q4 placements even earlier.

This year, the best publishers filled their BFCM calendars before October. Next year, it will happen in September. Early outreach will no longer be an advantage; it will be a requirement.

Brands that aren't pitching listicles and deal pages by late summer will miss out entirely. The window is closing faster than most people realize.

3. Affiliates will demand stronger economics and better conversion paths.

CPCs, CPMs, and competition are rising across every platform. Affiliates are tired of testing offers that don't convert or that lack strong AOV and upsell paths.

Brands that don't raise CPAs, improve checkout flows, and increase average order value will struggle to attract quality partners. The bar for what counts as a "good offer" is about to rise dramatically. If your offer isn't compelling enough to make an affiliate money in a high-traffic-cost environment, they'll move on to the next brand in 48 hours.

Do you agree? 

I have written a detailed article reflecting on this year's BFCM; breaking down all my internal strategies, wins and losses. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/d9GYh2tU

AI is changing the affiliate marketing industry silently. 
Here's something I've been thinking about lately: 

B2B affiliate marketing is messy. Way messier than B2C. You've got these incredibly long sales cycles, complex buyer journeys with multiple stakeholders, and transactions that can make or break quarterly numbers. 

Traditional affiliate strategies just don't cut it anymore.

The partner selection problem is a real challenge for any affiliate marketer. 

I've seen too many B2B teams waste months chasing high-traffic affiliates who look impressive on paper but deliver garbage leads. Because they're optimizing for the wrong metrics.

AI flips this by looking beyond vanity metrics. Instead of just traffic volume, it analyzes content relevance, historical lead quality, and industry alignment.

"Will this partner actually move the needle for our specific business?" thinks every CMO. And AI solves this exact problem.

I came across a case recently where AI identified a relatively small tech blog that consistently delivered qualified SaaS leads, even though it had a fraction of the traffic compared to larger sites. That's the kind of insight that changes everything.

Let’s look at it objectively. AI doesn't replace relationship-building or strategic thinking. But it does give you a much smarter starting point for where to invest your time and budget.

In B2B, where every partnership decision has a significant downstream impact, that intelligence matters more than most people realize.

I just had a consulting call with a supplement brand that started its affiliate program 7 months back. Hitting $7K-$11K/ month. This conversation made me realize what separates a program making $100K+ months from the ones stuck at $10K.

1. They review EPC + AOV every single week.

Top programs don’t wait for monthly reports or quarterly check-ins. They look at their numbers every week because weekly data shows real patterns. 

By reviewing EPC and AOV consistently, they always know which funnels are converting, which pages are dragging performance down, and which partners are sending the highest-intent traffic. These small, frequent adjustments compound into major revenue gains over time.

2. They build landing pages specifically for affiliate traffic.

Affiliate visitors don’t behave like paid ads or email leads. They come in warmer, with more intent, and with different expectations. That’s why the best programs build pages tailored to them. 

Faster load times, simpler layouts, cleaner messaging, and offers aligned to affiliate audiences all make a measurable difference. When the landing experience matches the intent of the traffic, conversions jump almost immediately.

3. They double down on winners.

Instead of constantly trying to sign new affiliates, high-performing programs study what’s working right now. They identify the creatives with the highest EPC, the partners sending the best traffic, and the categories consistently outperforming others. Then they shift more resources, attention, and support toward those winners. 

Scaling what already works always beats spreading thin across everything.

4. They use incentives strategically.

Incentives aren’t random. Bonuses and performance milestones are intentionally designed to guide affiliate behavior. 

High performers get rewarded so they keep pushing. Dormant affiliates get activated through targeted incentives. The entire program moves with alignment and momentum because incentives push partners toward the outcomes the brand wants most.

You don’t always need more affiliates. If you don't analyze your performance deeply enough, you are relying on pure vibe and luck.

That’s what the fastest-growing programs understand. They treat affiliate marketing like a performance channel.

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: www.freddysfastfive.com

Just wrapped up the book “The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son”, and it was an amazing read.

Most importantly, the lessons still hold true in 2025 and beyond.

And my fav part of the book: In a world filled with opportunities, patience is crucial. Cultivate emotional intelligence and decision-making based on rational needs rather than fleeting emotions. 

Have you read this book? If not, it’s a 10/10 recommendation from me.

Black Friday season is here. It’s the biggest growth period for any brand. We’ve helped clients generate $100M+ during BFCM.

Irrespective of the niche.
Irrespective of the product.
By following a proven framework.

And I’m unveiling the 7-step framework I use to scale brands: ‘Affiliate Marketing Black Friday Guide’: https://lnkd.in/gJY4im9h

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