How a Leading Nutritional Supplement Brand Scaled Affiliate Revenue 4X with Strategic Program Management

Outcomes

Executive Summary

A popular nutritional supplement brand made a strategic shift in 2021 – transitioning affiliate program management from a competing agency to Perform^[cb] – with a clear goal: unlock growth, improve efficiency, and fully leverage the affiliate channel. 

Over the following three years, this brand saw affiliate revenue climb to $270K+ per month, while improving ROAS to 7x and expanding its active partner base more than twofold.

About the Brand

This marketer is a mission-driven wellness brand rooted in time-tested ingredients like bone broth, collagen, and adaptogens. As a DTC leader in the supplements space, the brand has long recognized the potential of affiliate marketing but sought greater scale and accountability in program performance.

The Opportunity for Growth

By 2021, this brand’s affiliate program was steady but not performing to its full potential. With monthly revenue plateaued and a narrow mix of active publishers, the brand saw an opportunity to rethink its channel strategy. Key friction points included:

• – Stagnant Performance: Affiliate revenue averaged $60K – $80K per month.
• – Limited Reach: Program leaned heavily on a few coupon publishers.
• – Low Publisher Engagement: Only 21% of partners were revenue-active.
• – Limited Visibility & Control: Challenges around partner quality and compliance.

To turn the affiliate program into a true growth lever, this supplement brand partnered with Perform^[cb] Agency to bring strategic oversight, deeper publisher engagement, and better channel outcomes.

What Changed

The brand’s leadership embraced a full program transformation – prioritizing transparency, diversification, and scalable growth. With Perform^[cb] managing their affiliate program, they implemented a roadmap centered around:

• Smarter Partner Activation
  • – Reengaged dormant partners identified in the initial program audit – many of which became top 20 revenue contributors.

• Diversified Publisher Mix
  • – Shifted away from coupon-heavy dependency toward a more balanced mix including loyalty, card-linked offers (CLO), toolbar, and other strategic partnerships.
  • – Onboarded new high-performing partners like Quatch, Figg, Drop, Katalys, and Jellysmack.

• Program Hygiene & Compliance
  • – Refreshed and streamlined the publisher roster to focus on quality, relevance, and long-term value.
  • – Established clear performance benchmarks and ongoing compliance protocols.

• Performance-Driven Optimization
  • – Focused on increasing new customer acquisition, boosting AOV, and exceeding the brand’s initial ROAS goals.

The Results

The wellness brand’s renewed focus and partnership approach paid off with clear, compounding results:

• – 285% increase in average monthly affiliate revenue 
• – 4X → 7X ROAS
• – 26% increase in average order value (AOV)
• – 29% of new customers generated through their affiliate program – a 52% increase from previous management 
• – 50% of all publishers in program are revenue generating – a 138% increase from previous management 
• – Out of the top 20 publishers, 17 were introduced and onboarded by Perform^[cb]

All previously dormant reengagement targets now contribute top-tier revenue, and every KPI exceeded the program’s original growth targets.

Why It Worked for the Brand

By aligning their affiliate program strategy with broader business goals, this wellness brand unlocked the full potential of the channel. Instead of settling for maintenance-mode management, the brand leaned into a performance-first mindset—driving real business outcomes and positioning affiliate as a top revenue driver.

What’s Next

With a strong, high-performing foundation in place, the client is now expanding its publisher ecosystem even further, with a focus on content, influencer, and non-traditional affiliate partners. The program is no longer just operational—it’s a core part of their growth engine.

Inspired by this Brand’s Success?

If your affiliate program isn’t scaling – or if it’s relying too heavily on legacy partners – it might be time for a fresh approach. Perform^[cb]’s affiliate management team partners with innovative brands ready to drive real performance from their affiliate channel.