Refunnel

Building a SAAS app to help ecommerce merchants collect "real" UGC from their customers on autopilot.

Founder

Flare

Flare is on a mission to build a video-first ecommerce marketplace for the developing world -- our platform offers short-form Tiktok-like videos with embedded products that can be shopped natively on the platform. For consumers, we'd help them find products through a discovery-first interface than search. For brands, our app would enable them to sell their products by using the powerful medium of creators, video and storytelling.

Microsoft

In my time at Microsoft, I led the following feature areas and cross-team efforts:

* Windows 10 & 10X - I worked on defining the key user experience pieces of the new Windows OS made for dual screens and web-first devices such as Search, Launcher, default apps etc

* I worked on improving the Office365 search by making it context aware of all your work data so it can offer personalized and highly relevant results. As a result of this project, we reduced 'time-to-search-completion' metric by 35% across Microsoft 365

* I led a cross-team effort to run weekly pitches for the team to get together and pitch new ideas that solve user problems and lead to tangible business outcomes

Product Manager

RIM | BlackBerry

Intern

Founder, Refunnel | Helping marketers automate UGC collection from their community at scale without spending thousands of dollars every month

Founder of Refunnel —  we automate UGC collection for DTC brands.

Before this, I founded Flare - a video-first ecommerce marketplace, and worked at Microsoft as a Product Manager for 6+ years.

I'll be posting about:
- My journey as an entrepreneur and product builder
- Tips, tactics, and strategies on all things UGC
- Outlooks on e-commerce, content, and DTC

Follow along for the ride and DM me if you ever have questions!

Refunnel is changing.

For the past year, we kept things simple building the foundation. Making sure the core product actually solved real problems for brands.

No fancy UI. No unnecessary features. Just relentless focus on what mattered: helping brands execute influencer and UGC marketing that actually drives revenue.

But something shifted.

We're now bringing on new clients at a rate we've never seen before. The demand is there. The product-market fit is undeniable.

So we're evolving.

Here's what's happening:

We're building out the team. Hiring people who are world-class at what they do. And for the first time, everyone can focus on their specific part of the vision.

We're reimagining the entire interface. The UX. The UI. Everything is getting a complete overhaul to match the scale we're operating at now.

The foundation we built over the past year? That was phase one. We proved the workflows work. We proved brands need what we're building.

Now we're scaling it.

This is what happens when you nail product-market fit and then pour fuel on the fire. The team grows. The product evolves. The pace accelerates.

If you've been watching Refunnel from the sidelines, now's the time to pay attention.

We're just getting started.

Atif Raza

Founder @ Refunnel | We automate UGC acquisition and collection for DTC brands.

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Brands need to stop chasing the top 1,000 affiliates by GMV. They don't want to work with you. (And even if they did, here's why it wouldn't matter...)

They're already flooded with offers. They have established brand partnerships. 

They're selective about what they promote. Your cold outreach is just noise in their inbox.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: Build a high-intent list of creators who already want to push your products.

Let me break down the process with a real example:

Say you're selling anti-bloating supplements.

Instead of mass outreach, you:

1. Find creators already comfortable with this content= They've posted about digestive health, wellness, similar products.
2. Their audience is already primed for this type of offer.
3. Personalize your outreach" Hey, I saw your content for [X, Y, Z brand]. We actually have a better product because of [A, B, C reasons]."

Suddenly, your sample request rate skyrockets

Start with free samples and build relationships= Let them test and create authentic content

Track which creators actually drive revenue

Go deeper with them

Offer recurring partnerships across your product line

Add guaranteed fixed payments on top of commission

The brands winning at affiliate marketing aren't the ones with the biggest creator lists. 

They're the ones with the most strategic relationships.

We just launched our blog! 🎉

First edition: Content Rights Management for UGC — A Brand's Guide to Getting Permission and Using Content Safely

If you're running UGC campaigns, you've probably asked yourself:

➡️  Can I legally use this content in my ads?
➡️  What happens if I don't get proper permission?
➡️  How do I track rights across hundreds of creators?

We broke down everything DTC brands need to know about content rights from the basics of usage permissions to avoiding costly legal headaches.

LINK IN COMMENTS!

If you are running TikTok Shop and wonder how some brands get 80%+ post rate while you struggle to get 60%, here's how to do it: 

Most brands send products to TikTok Shop creators and then... nothing. 

No follow-up. No creative brief. No check-ins.

Then they wonder why their post rates are trash.

Jon Snow does it differently and their post rate is over 80%

Here's the system:

The second a product gets delivered, the automation starts:

1. Creative brief goes out immediately
2. Scheduled follow-ups to check content progress
3. Timeline discussions to set clear expectations
4. Continuous communication from delivery to posting

And most importantly: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀. 

They build actual relationships with a structure that respects the creator's process while keeping things moving.

The difference between brands that win and brands that complain about influencer marketing comes down to this: 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

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