When you work with Sovrn Commerce, one of the benefits is access to one of the largest merchant networks in the industry. In fact, our extensive network includes more than 50,000 top retail brands across every imaginable category.
Browsing our easy-to-use Approved Merchants dashboard provides detailed information about thousands of merchants — including commission rates, payment methods, affiliation status, and more — to help you choose the best affiliate partners.
But as your program matures, you may have the opportunity to partner with brands that aren’t available to everyone. Sovrn has relationships with thousands of premium merchants outside of our standard Approved Merchants list — and the Sovrn Commerce Demand team can be your key to unlocking those exclusive affiliate programs.
Understanding merchant program types
Before we go any further, it’s important to understand that merchants typically offer one of three different types of affiliate programs:
- Open programs are available to any Sovrn publisher without restrictions. Top merchants around the globe trust Sovrn as a leading affiliate partner and they recognize the value of Sovrn’s pre-approval process. As a result, they value the high-quality traffic Sovrn delivers and are open to working with any Sovrn customer, regardless of publisher type, location, etc.
- Limited programs are open to a majority of Sovrn publishers, but these brands have a few broad restrictions in place. Program restrictions are typically based on either publisher type or geographic location. For example, a merchant may choose not to work with coupon publishers because they don’t offer coupons, or they may only partner with publishers located in a specific country. As long as you fall within the merchant’s specified parameters, the program is open to you as a Sovrn publisher.
- Exclusive programs have strict guidelines for affiliation, and they typically only work with a handful of publisher partners. Their restrictions are usually designed to protect the company’s brand image, so they want to be sure that any publisher in their affiliate program aligns with their marketing strategy, messaging, and target audience. Publishers are individually selected for these closed affiliate programs — so you won’t see them listed on any platform or dashboard. Closed programs tend to be highly desirable for publishers, as they’re often premium brands with highly competitive commission rates.
Here’s the key to unlocking closed programs
Every exclusive program has its own unique set of eligibility requirements for its affiliate partners. Some brands only want to work with high-end editorial outlets, others have a very specific target audience, and still others may partner exclusively with loyalty sites. There’s no simple way to learn what those requirements are — or navigate the approval process on your own — but Sovrn is here to help!
The Sovrn Commerce Demand team is responsible for managing our merchant relationships, so they work directly with brands on a daily basis. This gives them a deep understanding of each brand’s affiliate goals and approval criteria — so they can be instrumental in connecting publishers with their desired brand partners.
Keep in mind, not every publisher is a good fit for exclusive affiliate programs. But if you’d like to explore your options — or if there’s a specific merchant you want to work with — the Demand team has the expertise to evaluate your performance and determine your qualifications. They can also help you navigate these programs’ unique approval criteria, which may include specific requirements around audience quality and demographics, unique site traffic, messaging, content placement/location, conversion rate, and more.
Just contact the Commerce Demand team to get started, and we’ll do the heavy lifting to open the doors to invite-only affiliate programs.
Put our Demand Team to work for you
Working with Sovrn’s Demand Team is a great way to boost your affiliate revenue, and there’s no additional cost to take advantage of their unique optimization programs — including closed program approvals, sponsored content, and more.
If you’re a current Sovrn Commerce customer, reach out to learn more about how the Demand team can help boost your affiliate earnings.
If you’re not already earning with Sovrn Commerce, sign up for a free account! It only takes a few minutes, and once you’re approved you can start earning right away.
