“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
— Helen Keller
Some brands seem to have all the momentum.
They scale fast, recruit top partners, and find themselves in every conversation.
Others? They stall out, spinning their wheels, wondering why the same playbook doesn’t work for them.
Spoiler: It’s not luck. It’s partnerships.
The brands that grow the fastest are the ones who build the right ecosystems of partners — affiliates, creators, publishers, platforms, and agencies — all rowing in the same direction.
That’s what we’re diving into this week.
What You’ll Get in Chaos to Grow
• Why partnerships, not luck, drive breakout growth
• Practical steps to align your brand, agency, and partners
• The role of affiliate and creator ecosystems in compounding ROI
• How to avoid the stall-out trap most brands fall into
• A personal invite to join me and Impact’s Todd Crawford for a live session on this exact topic
From the Trenches: Why Partnerships Make or Break Growth
1. Agencies Can’t Do It Alone
Even the best agency can’t deliver results if the brand isn’t aligned internally.
Action Steps:
- Build a Q4 offer calendar with your agency now, not in November.
- Share real margin thresholds so placements and commissions are negotiated with guardrails.
- Commit to a weekly sync where agency and brand share updates on recruitment, placements, and performance metrics.
2. Brands Can’t Do It Alone
Brands that try to manage affiliate or creator growth without external expertise get stuck.
Action Steps:
- Benchmark your in-house affiliate headcount against workload (1 manager can realistically run ~50 partners well — anything beyond needs support).
- Audit your last 90 days: how many new partners were recruited and activated? If it’s under 10, you’re stagnant.
- Bring in specialized agencies or operators for seasonal sprints (Q4, back-to-school, Prime Day) so momentum doesn’t die.
3. Partners Want to Win, Too
Affiliates, creators, and publishers thrive when they know they’re part of a bigger plan.
Action Steps:
- Publish a partner playbook with your brand’s story, offers, and content ideas.
- Send a monthly partner newsletter with updates, promos, and leaderboards.
- Run contests and bonuses (e.g., “Top 10 partners in October get an extra 3% CPA”). Small incentives drive big activation.
4. Ecosystems Beat Silos
Stop thinking in isolation. Affiliate, influencer, loyalty, media, and onsite tech all work better together.
Action Steps:
- Map your partner ecosystem: content, coupon, loyalty, creators, card-linked, media outlets, review sites, onsite tech, paid search affiliates.
- Identify holes in the mix (e.g., do you have CTV partners? Card-linked offers?).
- Implement dynamic commissioning (on Impact.com) so partner incentives match their role in the funnel.
Your Weekly Chaos Challenge
Ask yourself:
Do my brand, my agency, and my partners know the same growth story?
Or are they all pulling in slightly different directions?
If the answer is fuzzy, that’s why growth feels stalled.
Special Invite: Live Webinar with Panasonic Well and Impact’s Todd Crawford
Ever wondered why some brands seem to hit the growth jackpot while others stumble?
Spoiler alert: it’s all about partnerships.
I’m hosting a live webinar with Todd Crawford, Co-Founder of Impact.com, and one of our incredible clients, Panasonic Well.
We’ll dive deep into:
• Why partnerships drive exponential growth
• How brands and agencies can actually win bigger together
• Real stories of what works (and what doesn’t) in affiliate and partnership marketing
When: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Time: 9–10 AM PT (45-minute talk + 15-minute Live Q&A)
Sign Up Here: https://luma.com/romb0shv
Don’t just take my word for it. Join us and see for yourself.
Final Thought
Growth isn’t magic. It’s partnerships.
The sooner your brand, your agency, and your partners are aligned around a single growth system, the faster you’ll scale.
And if you want to see what that looks like in action ….. join us Wednesday, Nov 24th 2025.
—Matt Frary
Chief of Chaos
