Top 5 Affiliate Recruiting Tools Every Affiliate Manager Should Know

Finding top affiliates who can drive real results is one of the biggest challenges in affiliate marketing. As someone who has managed over 200 programs with Experience Advertising , one of the highest-rated Outsourced Program Management (OPM) agencies, I’ve found that great affiliates are really hard to find—unless you have the best affiliate recruiting tools at your disposal. Below are my top picks for tools that can help you discover, recruit, and manage affiliates to take your program to the next level.

1. Publisher Finders – The Best for Niche Affiliate Discovery

PublisherFinders.com is an incredibly effective affiliate recruiting tool for brands that need to identify affiliates in specific niches. This tool’s automated email updates bring fresh affiliate recommendations directly to your inbox, making it easier than ever to find quality partners. With a free trial for a month and just $99/month after that, PublisherFinders offers incredible value for finding the right affiliates quickly.

Key Features:

• Automated email updates with relevant affiliates
• Niche search capabilities, including insights on Instagram and TikTok creators
• Ideal for e-commerce and D2C brands

If you’re searching for the best affiliate recruiting tools that streamline the process, PublisherFinders.com is a must-try.

2. Ahrefs – A Top Tool for Competitive Analysis in Affiliate Recruiting

Ahrefs is best known as an SEO tool, but it’s also a great affiliate recruiting tool if you know how to use it. By analyzing the backlinks to your competitors’ websites, you can identify potential affiliates who already work with similar brands. This data is incredibly useful for affiliate managers looking to find content-driven affiliates who have a natural alignment with their brand.

Key Features:

• Backlink analysis to identify affiliates linked to competitors
• Authority and relevance insights for recruiting the best affiliates
• Great for discovering content-focused affiliates interested in similar niches

With its competitive insights, Ahrefs stands out among the best affiliate recruiting tools for content and SEO-focused affiliates.

BONUS TIP: use Hunter.io to find their company contact info.

3. CJ Affiliate – One of the Best for Scaling Affiliate Recruitment

CJ Affiliate is one of the largest and best affiliate networks for brands looking to scale their affiliate programs. With over 15 years of experience managing programs on CJ Affiliate, I can confidently say that it’s one of the best affiliate recruiting tools for brands that need a large, diverse pool of affiliates. CJ’s platform includes recruiting tools, a detailed publisher database, and performance tracking, making it easy to connect with quality publishers across a wide range of industries.

Key Features:

• Access to a vast, diverse affiliate network
• Powerful recruiting and tracking tools
• Proven platform for scaling established affiliate programs

For affiliate managers seeking the best affiliate recruiting tools with a reliable network, CJ Affiliate is a strong choice.

4. PartnerStack – Perfect for B2B and SaaS Affiliate Recruiting

If you’re managing an affiliate program for a B2B or SaaS company, PartnerStack is one of the best affiliate recruiting tools you’ll find. It’s designed specifically for software and B2B brands, offering customizable options like recurring commissions, which are attractive to affiliates focused on B2B services. With access to a dedicated marketplace of affiliates, PartnerStack provides a platform to grow and nurture long-term affiliate partnerships.

Key Features:

• Recurring commission structures ideal for B2B and SaaS programs
• Marketplace access for finding B2B affiliates
• Great for building long-term affiliate relationships

PartnerStack is ideal for brands looking for specialized affiliate recruiting tools tailored to SaaS and B2B programs.

5. Impact – A Comprehensive Affiliate Recruiting Tool for Large Programs

Impact.com is one of the best affiliate recruiting tools for brands managing complex or large-scale affiliate programs. It offers multi-touch attribution, customizable dashboards, and advanced tracking, all of which are essential for high-growth affiliate programs. For affiliate managers who need a versatile tool capable of handling influencers, media partners, and affiliates all in one place, Impact.com is an excellent solution.

Key Features:

• Advanced tracking and multi-touch attribution
• Detailed dashboards for monitoring affiliate performance
• Ideal for managing large, multi-channel programs

Impact.com’s robust platform makes it one of the best affiliate recruiting tools for affiliate programs looking to scale with data-driven insights.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to growing a successful affiliate program, having the best affiliate recruiting tools in your arsenal can make all the difference. Start with PublisherFinders.com for niche-focused recommendations, use Ahrefs for competitor analysis, and consider CJ Affiliate, PartnerStack, or Impact depending on your specific recruiting needs. For expert management and strategy that maximizes affiliate program growth, Experience Advertising has you covered with years of expertise in recruiting and managing high-quality affiliates for brands both B2B and D2C.

Contact me with any questions!