Sort by affiliate sales, not by followers. That single change separates brands with affiliate programmes that work from brands with long lists of creators who have never sold anything.
Follower count measures audience size. It does not measure whether that audience buys, whether the creator knows how to sell on camera, or whether they will produce content consistently. All three matter more, and all three are visible in the data if you look in the right place.
Where to look
Your own affiliate reporting is the best source you have and the most underused. It shows which creators are producing sales in your category, at what volume, and how consistently.
Work that list by sales rather than reach. A creator with 20,000 followers producing steady orders in your niche is a better prospect than one with 200,000 whose audience does not buy. In Malaysia particularly, mid-sized creators with a defined niche routinely outperform larger generalist accounts on conversion.
Beyond your own data, look at who is selling comparable products successfully. A creator already converting in your category has demonstrated the two things that matter: an audience that buys, and the ability to sell to them.
What to screen for
Do they sell, or do they post? Content volume without sales means an audience that watches and does not buy.
Is the niche adjacent to yours? A beauty creator can sell skincare. They will struggle with power tools. This sounds obvious and gets ignored when follower counts are attractive.
Are they consistent? One video and silence is common. Consistency is what turns a creator into a supply line.
How many brands are they carrying? A creator running twenty products dilutes all of them, and if you intend to fund livestreams it creates a direct problem – you can end up paying to fill a room where a competitor is also selling.
Making contact
Platform messaging works poorly. The practical route most Malaysian shops running this well use is direct contact – many creators list a WhatsApp number, and those who do respond faster and engage more seriously than through in-app messages.
Where you have a base of active affiliates, a group chat keeps the programme alive. It is where product launches get announced, samples get offered, and creators see what other creators are producing – which raises the standard without you having to manage each one individually.
Not every creator lists a contact. Work the ones who do first; the return on chasing the rest is poor.
Take everyone, or be selective?
Take broadly at the start. You cannot tell in advance who will produce, and the cost of an additional affiliate is a sample. Breadth is how you find the few who matter.
Become selective later, and about your investment rather than your acceptance. Once you can see who produces consistently, concentrate samples, briefing time and any paid work on them. The tail stays in the programme at no cost.
How many samples to send and over what period is a question of its own – see sending samples.
What puts creators off
No commission clarity. Creators compare rates across the shops approaching them. An uncompetitive rate in a competitive category is why nobody takes your product.
Poor product ratings. Creators check. A product with weak reviews is a waste of their time and they know it.
Vague briefs. “Make a video about our product” produces content you cannot use.
Slow responses. A creator who has to wait days for an answer has moved on.
Common questions
Should I pay a fee to secure a good creator?
Sometimes, and it becomes an influencer engagement rather than an affiliate one. See what creators charge.
How do I stop them promoting competitors?
For ordinary affiliate work, you do not. For funded livestreams, you agree exclusivity for the session.
What conversion should I expect?
Most affiliates produce very little. A small number produce most of the result. Plan for that distribution rather than treating it as failure.
We run influencer and affiliate campaigns for Malaysian brands, including recruitment and creator management. Tell us the brand and the goal.