Affiliate Growth Audit

See Exactly Where Your Affiliate Program Is Leaking Revenue — in a Founder-Led Written Audit

  • ✓9 areas, fully documented — network, partner mix, commissions, tracking, fraud, compliance, creative, competitor positioning, and a 90-day action plan.
  • ✓Written PDF in 14 days — an 18–25 page diagnostic you hand to your team, not a 30-minute meeting you forget.
  • ✓$1,000 flat — or start free with a 30-minute live review.

Trusted by SaaS, software, fintech, e-commerce and digital product brands since 2005. Network experience across Impact, CJ, Awin, ShareASale, Rakuten, Partnerize, PartnerStack and more.

Request Your Audit

Tell James about your program

✓No sales sequence. No drip emails. James personally reviews every submission.

✓Happy to sign your NDA before reviewing anything — just mention it in the form.

✓Money-back guarantee — The 3-Findings Guarantee. If the audit doesn’t surface at least three actionable recommendations you weren’t already executing, we refund the $1,000 in full — no questions asked, evaluated after you’ve read the report. In 20 years it hasn’t been invoked, because James only takes on audits where he can already see the opportunity from your form.

Free Review, Written Audit, or Ongoing Management — Which Fits?

Most brands start with the Review or go straight to the Audit. The Audit is also the natural on-ramp to ongoing management — but there's no obligation either way.

Free Program Review
Affiliate Growth Audit
Ongoing Management
Format
Live 30-min call
Written 18–25pp PDF
Monthly retainer
Depth
2–3 top opportunities
All 9 areas, documented
Continuous execution
Deliverable
Verbal, real-time
PDF + 90-day plan + walkthrough
We run the program
Price
$0
$1,000 one-time
Custom
Best for
"Do I even need this?"
"Show me what to fix"
"Fix it for me"
Turnaround
This week
14 business days
Ongoing

New to this? Start here →

20+YEARS IN AFFILIATE
9AREAS PER AUDIT
14BUSINESS DAYS
100%FOUNDER-DELIVERED

What You Receive

A Written, Prioritized Diagnostic — Not a Meeting Recap

A formatted PDF with findings, prioritized recommendations, and a 90-day action plan you can hand to your team and execute immediately.

Affiliate Growth Audit
Page 1 of 18

Executive Summary

Prepared for: [Your Brand] · Prepared by: James Nardell

The program is losing an estimated 30–40% of incremental revenue to three structural issues. The top three priorities (ranked by revenue impact and implementation effort) are listed below…

Priority 1Restructure commission tiers

HIGH IMPACT

Priority 2Recruit 12 content partners in [vertical]

HIGH IMPACT

Priority 3Tighten approval criteria + cleanup

QUICK WIN

Illustrative mockup. Your audit is built around your actual program.

  • Executive summary with top 3 priorities

    Findings ranked by revenue impact, not the order James reviewed them in. Hand it to your team and execute.

  • Section-by-section findings with screenshots

    Specific observations — not generic “best practices.” Documented with screenshots of your dashboard, network, and creative.

  • 90-day prioritized action plan

    Week-by-week roadmap. What to fix in week 1, what to recruit in weeks 2–6, what to optimize after.

  • 30-minute walkthrough call (optional)

    After you’ve read it, James walks through the report with your team and answers questions.

  • Full source data + benchmarks

    Reference appendix: vertical benchmarks, network comparison notes, partner research, and a glossary if your team is new to affiliate.

What the Audit Covers

Nine Areas Reviewed in Detail

Every area below is reviewed individually and documented with specific observations — not summarized into a one-page checklist.

Network Setup

Network choice, contract terms, integration depth, technical configuration, and whether the platform fits your business model.

Partner Mix

Active partner breakdown by type (content, coupon, cashback, loyalty, influencer), incrementality risk, and concentration issues.

Commission Structure

Rate competitiveness vs. category benchmarks, tier design, bonuses, exclusions, and where the structure is leaving money on the table.

Tracking & Attribution

Pixel fires, server-side configuration, attribution windows, cross-device behavior, and where revenue is going unattributed or double-counted.

Fraud & Reversal Risk

Suspicious traffic patterns, fraudulent partner behavior, cookie stuffing, reversal-rate analysis, and compliance gaps.

Compliance & Brand Protection

Trademark bidding, coupon-code leakage, PPC policy review, partner promotion violations, and brand-protection risk.

Creative & Landing Pages

Banner inventory, text links, deeplinking practice, landing-page conversion review, and where partners are hitting dead ends.

Competitor Positioning

What your top 3 competitors are doing in affiliate — networks, commissions, partner overlap, and where you’re being outbid.

90-Day Action Plan

A prioritized week-by-week roadmap so your team knows exactly what to fix first, what to recruit next, and what to measure.

Request My Growth Audit

Is the Audit Worth It For You?

Best Fit For Brands That…

  • Have an active program already

    With at least 30 days of data — even if revenue is low.

  • Are about to launch a program

    And want a pre-launch review so you build it right the first time.

  • Generate $1M+ in annual revenue

    At a scale where the recommendations will move the business.

  • Want a written diagnostic

    Not just a “give us a call to discuss” pitch.

  • Are willing to act on findings

    With internal resources or by engaging a manager — yours or AME.

Not the Right Fit For…

  • Pre-revenue companies still validating

    Affiliate scales an offer that already works. Fix product-market fit first.

  • Brands looking for a free template

    The audit is a written, custom diagnostic of your specific program — not a checklist PDF.

  • Companies expecting instant results

    The audit identifies levers. Pulling them takes 60–90 days minimum.

  • Brands who won’t share program data

    We need read access to your network dashboard. NDA is fine.

  • Unmanaged coupon-only programs

    If you only want a discount feed, an audit won’t change that.

The Cost of Not Auditing

15–30%

of paid sales are non-incremental.

Coupon, cashback, and toolbar partners can take credit for sales that would have happened anyway. Most programs have never quantified the actual incremental contribution by partner type.

3–8%

of orders are quietly reversed.

Reversal rates above 5% usually signal a tracking issue, a fraud issue, or a problem with the offer — not affiliate behavior. Most managers don’t track reversals by partner segment.

60–80%

of approved affiliates are dormant.

Most programs have hundreds or thousands of inactive partners. A handful could become top performers with the right outreach and activation cadence — but no one is doing it.

2–4 yrs

of commission structures go untouched.

Commissions that made sense at launch get stale. Competitors raise rates, AOVs shift, and your structure quietly stops attracting the partners you want.

Ranges represent typical findings across audits, not specific revenue claims for any individual program.

How It Works

From Submission to Action Plan in 14 Business Days

A clear four-step process. No mystery “discovery phase” that lasts six weeks.

1

Submit the form

Day 1

You complete the form. James personally reviews it within one business day and confirms next steps.

Outcome: scoped engagement.

2

Share read-only access

Days 2–3

You give James read access to your network dashboard, tracking platform, and any partner-side notes. NDA signed if requested.

Outcome: full data picture.

3

James audits 9 areas

Days 4–12

James personally reviews every area, documents findings with screenshots, and builds the prioritized 90-day plan.

Outcome: written diagnostic.

4

Delivery + walkthrough

Days 13–14

PDF delivered. Optional 30-minute call to walk your team through findings and answer questions.

Outcome: actionable roadmap.

What Happens After the Audit

The audit ends with a written 90-day plan — not a sales pitch. From there, brands go one of three ways, and James will tell you honestly which fits.

~40%

You run it yourself

Hand the plan to your internal team and execute. The report is written to be handed off — prioritized, specific, and team-ready.

~40%

James runs it for you

Engage James for ongoing management to execute the plan and keep the program optimized month over month. The audit becomes your first 90 days.

~20%

One-time project

Bring James in for a specific launch or cleanup, then take it back in-house.

No obligation either way. The audit is priced as a standalone deliverable — not a loss leader for a retainer.
See how ongoing management works →

Pricing

Two Ways to Get an Audit

The written in-depth audit is the recommended path — it’s what 90% of brands choose. The free live mini-audit exists for budget-constrained brands or pre-launch validation.

Recommended

Paid In-Depth Audit

Written PDF · 14-day delivery · Full data review

$1,000

One-time, flat. No surprises.

Included

  • ✓ Full 9-area written review
  • ✓ Section-by-section findings with screenshots
  • ✓ Prioritized 90-day action plan
  • ✓ Optional walkthrough call (30 min)
  • ✓ NDA signed on request
  • ✓ Money-back guarantee
Money-back guarantee: The 3-Findings Guarantee. If the audit doesn’t surface at least three actionable recommendations you weren’t already executing, we refund the $1,000 in full — no questions asked, evaluated after you’ve read the report. In 20 years it hasn’t been invoked, because James only takes on audits where he can already see the opportunity from your form.
Request the In-Depth Audit

Alternative

Free 30-Min Live Audit

Discovery call · No written deliverable · Real-time review

$0

No hard sell. No commitment.

Included

  • ✓ Live 30-minute review with James
  • ✓ 2–3 highest-impact opportunities identified
  • ✓ Working session, not a sales pitch
  • — No written deliverable
  • — No 9-area review
  • — No 90-day action plan
Best for: Brands that aren’t sure whether they need an audit yet, or pre-launch teams that want a quick sanity check.
Book the Free Live Audit

What Past Clients Say

Why Brands Trust James With Their Affiliate Diagnostic

“

James has been the perfect person to help manage our affiliate programs. Not only does he have a wealth of knowledge, but he goes the extra mile to make sure that all parties are satisfied with the results. His attention to detail combined with his personality makes every meeting and conversation a pleasure.

Jorge Caicedo

Client

“

James is the best affiliate manager I’ve ever worked with. He helped us launch our program and recruited several high-volume affiliates, which resulted in our highest online sales number ever. He is knowledgeable, driven, and very easy to work with.

Brian Meert

Client

“

I worked with James while at Rakuten Advertising, where he was an agency client of mine. He really knows his stuff. James is a unique blend of marketing savvy and diligent worker. He has the innate ability to see opportunities where many pass over them.

Aaron Weigum

Formerly Rakuten Advertising

Ready to See Exactly Where the Revenue Is Hiding?

14 business days from submission to written, prioritized action plan. Money-back guaranteed.

Request My Growth Audit

Common Questions

Questions Brands Ask Before Submitting

The $1,000 audit is a written, custom diagnostic — typically 18–25 pages — built around your specific program, network, and partner data. It takes James 15–20 hours of personal work over 14 business days. If you just need a quick opinion, book the free 30-minute live mini-audit instead. The paid version exists for brands that want a deliverable they can act on, share with their team, and reference for the next 90 days.

If the audit doesn’t surface at least three actionable recommendations you weren’t already executing, we refund the $1,000 in full. That guarantee applies after you’ve reviewed the report — no questions asked. It hasn’t been invoked yet, but it’s there for a reason: James only takes audits where there’s a real opportunity to find leverage. If during the form review it looks like the program is already well-optimized, he’ll tell you on the way in.

Yes — happy to sign yours or use ours. Mention it in the “Anything else?” field of the form and James will route the NDA before requesting access to your network. Read-only access is sufficient; we don’t need anything we could use to make changes inside your account.

Network audits are sales pitches dressed up as diagnostics — the recommended action is usually “spend more with this network.” James is network-agnostic and takes no referral fees, so the recommendations are based purely on what fits your business. You’ll often see the audit recommend moving partners, restructuring commissions, or recruiting outside the network — none of which a network rep would say.

No. About 40% of audit clients hand the action plan to their internal team and run with it themselves. About 40% engage James for ongoing management afterward. The remaining 20% engage James for a one-time launch or cleanup project. There’s no obligation either way, and the audit is priced as a standalone deliverable — not a loss leader for retainer work.

After you submit the form, James will reply with a short checklist — typically read-only access to your affiliate network dashboard, your tracking platform if separate, and any internal docs or prior reports you have. Most clients provide everything within 24–48 hours of being asked. Pre-launch brands provide their planned offer, network shortlist, and go-to-market plan instead.

The audit identifies the levers; pulling them takes 60–90 days minimum. Quick wins — tightening approval criteria, obvious tracking fixes — can move within weeks. Structural changes like commission redesign and partner recruitment compound over a quarter.

Yes. For pre-launch brands the audit reviews your planned offer, network shortlist, commission model, and go-to-market plan — so you build it right the first time instead of fixing it later. Same $1,000, same written deliverable.

James Nardell — Founder, Affiliate Manager Expert

Founder, Affiliate Manager Expert

Who Performs the Audit

Personally Reviewed by James Nardell

James founded Affiliate Manager Expert in 2021 and has spent more than two decades managing affiliate programs for SaaS, software, fintech, e-commerce, and digital product brands. Every audit is performed personally — no junior analyst layer, no agency template. The work is done by the person whose name is on the report.

Prefer to email? Reach James directly at [email protected].

Request My Growth Audit
Request My Growth Audit