Most supplement brands obsess over how to get more affiliates. But few stop to ask: “Are these the right affiliates?”
Because the wrong affiliate doesn’t just waste your time — they can tank your metrics, hurt your brand, and trigger compliance issues that stop scale dead in its tracks.
This isn’t fearmongering. It’s reality.
Let’s break down what a bad affiliate really costs you — and how to spot them before they do damage.
1. Refund Rates That Kill Your EPC
A bad affiliate may drive volume — but it’s the kind of traffic that bounces, refunds, or charges back.
The result?
- Plummeting EPC
- Crushed affiliate morale
- Wasted ad spend
If refund rate spikes after someone joins, dig in fast.
2. Compliance Nightmares From Rogue Creatives
Affiliates who go off-script can trigger:
- FTC attention
- Payment processor flags
- Network suspensions
And guess who’s liable? You.
Always require pre-approval for creatives. Monitor what’s being used.
3. Brand Reputation Damage
Low-quality affiliates often:
- Use spammy or misleading headlines
- Overpromise what the product does
- Send confused, angry customers to your support inbox
One week of shady traffic can undo months of trust-building.
4. Conversion Rate Drop From Mismatched Traffic
Not all verticals blend.
If an affiliate promotes your gut health offer to a list of crypto traders, don’t be surprised when your CVR tanks.
It’s not just bad targeting — it pollutes your pixel and ruins optimization signals.
5. Internal Burnout From Fixing Their Mess
Every bad affiliate creates:
- More support tickets
- More refund processing
- More cleanup for your compliance and creative team
It’s not just bad traffic. It’s operational chaos.
6. Legal Liability You Didn’t Ask For
If an affiliate lies in a VSL, fakes a testimonial, or uses illegal health claims — and your logo’s on it — you’re on the hook.
You must:
- Have clear affiliate terms
- Enforce them
- Cut off partners who break them — fast
Final Word: Protect Your Brand Like It’s Your Product
A supplement offer is only as strong as the traffic it gets.
Bad affiliates don’t just underperform — they destroy brand equity, data, trust, and cash flow.
Protect your offer. Curate your affiliate relationships like they’re employees.
Buy Naturals helps brands recruit, monitor, and manage top-tier affiliates — so you get scale without the fallout.
