If you sell your products or services online, then you probably already know that affiliate programs can help you drive sales. But did you know that affiliate marketing is also a great way to generate leads for your business?

In fact, capturing leads can sometimes deliver better results than direct sales.

The problem is that this strategy usually involves multiple parts: an affiliate program, a way to capture those leads, and maybe even an extra incentive for visitors to share their contact information.

Don’t let this complexity discourage you. We’ve created a complete roadmap to make the process simple, based on the things we’ve learned from running our own affiliate programs.

In this guide, we’ll explain why generating leads might be better than direct sales and show you how to find the perfect affiliate partners. Then, we’ll teach you how to set up your lead generation system in WordPress.

Keep reading to start generating high-converting leads through your affiliate program!

You can consider this your complete guide to lead-generating affiliate marketing. We’re covering a lot in this article, so feel free to jump directly to the topic you want to learn about first:

Why Generate Leads Over Sales?

When you think about doing affiliate marketing for your business, chances are you imagine someone clicking an affiliate link, arriving at your site, and making a purchase. However, sometimes it makes more sense to collect leads rather than sales. 

In short, a lead is someone who is interested in your business but hasn’t become a paying customer yet.

Here are some common situations where you may want to collect a lead over a sale:

• You sell big-ticket items. When the costs are high, a visitor is unlikely to click a link and buy a product right away.
• You sell B2B. With this type of business transaction, purchasing decisions are often driven by trust and long-term value. This means that visitors are unlikely to buy your product simply because an affiliate marketer recommended it.
• You sell specialist products. Do you sell very complex or technical products? Or items that have a huge impact on the customer’s life, such as medical equipment? When the stakes are high, customers will want to make sure they’re making the right purchasing decision.
• You sell ongoing services. Sometimes, services represent a long-term commitment, where the customer interacts with the service provider on a regular basis. Potential customers will want to get to know you before diving into a long-term relationship.

To sum things up, you’ll typically want to collect leads when it’s hard to make direct sales right away. By having affiliates send you leads, you can nurture these prospects over time and eventually make the sale yourself.

The Best Types of Affiliate Partners for Lead Generation

Just like any affiliate marketing program, finding the right partners is key. But since you want to generate leads rather than sales, you’ll need to think a little differently.

Let’s look at the best types of affiliate partners for lead generation. Wherever possible, we recommend building a diverse team of affiliate partners. This helps you reach and attract a broader audience and ultimately drive more leads.

Content Partners

These affiliate partners specialize in creating high-value materials around your brand, such as detailed blog posts, eBooks, comparison charts, and video tutorials.

If you sell very technical or niche products, then these resources are particularly useful as they start the education process. Meanwhile, content like price comparison charts and buying guides are invaluable if you sell big-ticket items.

The bottom line is that great content will catch the person’s interest and make them want to learn more about your products. Ultimately, they’ll be more likely to hand over their contact information when they arrive at your website.

Online Influencers

According to our influencer marketing statistics, 83% of business owners who use influencer marketing say it’s helped grow their company.

That’s already a good start, but influencer marketing works particularly well for generating leads because it taps into the power of personal referrals.

Think about it: when your friend loves something, you don’t just take their word for it. You might look at online reviews, watch some YouTube demos, and browse the product’s website to see if this item is right for you, too.

It’s exactly the same with trusted online influencers.

When a reputable influencer promotes your product, their audience is going to be curious. They’re going to dig deeper, read some reviews, visit your site – and hopefully sign up for your email newsletter.

This gives you a chance to start nurturing that lead, so they gradually realize the influencer was spot-on with their endorsement.

Email Partners

In our marketing report, we found that 88% of email users check their inbox daily, with some people checking up to 3-5 times per day. That’s a ton of chances to get your brand in front of potential new customers.

When you partner with someone who already has a massive, engaged mailing list, you can get your brand featured in their next newsletter or email blast. That way, you can bring in tons of new leads without lifting a finger.

Some companies even segment their lists so you can target people who are most likely to be interested in your stuff. Or, you can create super-targeted campaigns for different segments of your partner’s email list.

Bottom line? With email partners, you’re tapping into someone else’s established email audience to get your message seen and turn their subscribers into your leads.

Review and Comparison Sites

Typically, people who visit review and comparison sites are at the evaluation stage. This makes them a goldmine when it comes to generating leads.

Here’s how it works: The site publishes an in-depth review of your products or services, complete with affiliate links. These links send interested shoppers straight to your brand.

These affiliate partners might even create helpful side-by-side comparisons or ‘best of’ lists that highlight your brand as the best option in a sea of competitors.

This can fill your lead pipeline with people who have a clear interest in what you’re selling. You can then start the process of nurturing them and converting them into paying customers.

How to Create an Affiliate Program

The easiest way to create a referral program is by using AffiliateWP. Unlike some other affiliate tracking and management tools, AffiliateWP lets you host your referral program within WordPress, so it’s very easy to set up and manage.

Since everything happens on your site, you won’t need to worry about extra charges as your program grows. Plus, you can keep full ownership of your data. 

It also lets you create a branded affiliate dashboard, pay all your affiliates with a single click using Stripe or PayPal, and has a ton of built-in marketing tools so you can grow your new program fast.

Plus, it works perfectly with all the other WordPress tools we’ll be using in this post, so everything will connect together smoothly.

We’re huge fans of AffiliateWP. In fact, we use it to run affiliate programs for many of our top partner brands.

If you want to learn more about this plugin before continuing, then check out our in-depth AffiliateWP review.

Ready to get started with AffiliateWP? Just see our guide on how to create a referral program for a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough.

How to Generate Leads Through Affiliate Marketing in WordPress (2 Ways)

So, you’ve set up a referral program using AffiliateWP, and now you’re wondering: how do I actually use it to generate leads rather than sales? There are several ways, and the best method will vary depending on your website, audience, and needs.

Want a quick and easy way to start capturing email addresses right away? Or would you prefer to invest more time and effort into creating campaigns that will really drive those conversions?

In this section, we’re going to explore two popular and effective ways to generate leads using AffiliateWP.

Method 1. Collect Leads Using Contact Forms (Quick and Easy)

Sometimes, you just need a straightforward way to grab contact info from visitors landing on your site.

This is especially useful when your affiliate partners are sending you high-quality traffic. These people are already interested in your brand, so why waste time on complicated campaigns and tools?

You can simply add a lead-collection form to your site and get the same results. Here’s how!

Step 1. Install WPForms

To start, you’ll need a form that collects each visitor’s name, email address, and other important information.

We’ll be using WPForms to make our form because it’s our favorite online form builder.

Whether it’s a contact form, a website migration form, or forms to collect submissions for our Solution Center, if it helps us generate leads, then chances are it’s powered by WPForms.

But more importantly, WPForms is the perfect choice for generating leads via affiliate marketing because it automatically detects AffiliateWP. That means the tools work together in no time. It just takes two clicks, literally.

Want to learn more about WPForms? We’ve created a detailed WPForms review where we cover all its major features, what we love about the plugin, and how we use WPForms at WPBeginner.

For this tutorial, we’ll be using WPForms Lite since it has everything you need to create a high-converting lead capture form. 

To install and activate WPForms, just follow our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin. It’s as easy as that! 

Step 2. Activate the WPForms Integration

As we already mentioned, AffiliateWP plays nicely with WPForms, so let’s activate this integration.

In the WordPress dashboard, head over to AffiliateWP » Settings » Integrations. Then, check the box labeled ‘WPForms.’

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Step 3. Create a Lead Form

Now, it’s time to head over to WPForms and create your lead generation form. 

To start, go to WPForms » Add New in your WordPress dashboard.

At the top of the screen, you need to type in a title for your form. 

This will represent the lead generation form in your WordPress dashboard, so it’s a good idea to use something descriptive.

Now, you can choose the template you want to use.

WPForms Lite has over 2,000 free form templates, and they’re all fully customizable. You can add and remove fields and change elements such as field labels.

It even comes with an AI form builder that allows you to type in the type of form you want and instantly generates it.

You can also save time by choosing a pre-existing template that closely matches the form you want to create.

To help you make this decision, you can hover over any template and then click its ‘View Demo’ button to see a preview. 

There’s also a ‘Blank’ template if you’d rather start with a completely empty form. This is a good option if you have a very specific design in mind and none of the templates are a good match. 

When you find a template you like, hover over it and then click the ‘Use template’ button. 

We’ll be using the ‘Newsletter Signup Form’ template since it already has fields that collect the visitor’s name and email address, but you can use any template you want.

Step 4. Customize Your Lead Generation Form

Once you select your template, WPForms will open the design in its drag-and-drop editor. It’s now ready for you to customize!

To edit a built-in field, simply click to select it in the live preview.

The left-hand menu will then display all the settings you can use to edit that field, such as changing the label, adding a description, and marking the field as ‘required.’

Want to delete a field instead?

Then simply hover over it in the live preview and click the trashcan icon when it appears. 

When WPForms asks whether you want to permanently delete that field, go ahead and click on the ‘OK’ button.

You may have already noticed that the left-hand menu contains more fields that you can add to your form.

When you find a field you want to use, simply drag it from the left-hand menu and drop it onto the live preview.

You can then click to select this field in the live preview and configure it using the settings in the left-hand menu.

Simply keep repeating these steps until you’re happy with how the form is set up. 

Step 5. Enable WPForms Referral Tracking

The next step is to activate referral tracking so you can see where your new leads are coming from.

To do this, click ‘Settings’ in the left-hand menu and then select ‘AffiliateWP.’

Now, click the ‘Enable Referrals’ switch so it turns blue.

With that done, open the new ‘Referral type’ dropdown and select ‘Lead.’

That’s it! 

You can now click the ‘Save’ button in the toolbar to store your changes. 

Step 6. Publish Your Form

With that done, you’re ready to add the lead generation form to your WordPress website. You can either embed it in an existing page, create a new page, or embed your form using the WPForms block. 

Since it’s the first thing potential new leads will see, you may want to place the form on its own page. For example, you might create a dedicated landing page using a plugin like SeedProd. 

To add the form to an existing page, select the ‘Embed’ button in the toolbar and then click on ‘Select Existing Page.’

In the popup window that appears, open the dropdown menu and choose the page you want to use.

Then, click ‘Let’s Go!’

Do you want to create a new page instead? Once again, click on the ‘Embed’ button.

But this time, select ‘Create a New Page.’

In the popup that appears, type in a name for this new page and then click ‘Let’s Go!’

This will take you to the WordPress content editor with the form already embedded.

You can now add other content to this page, fine-tune the design, and make any other changes as normal. When you’re ready, either publish or update the page to make it live on your site. 

Another option is embedding the form using the WPForms block. This is a good option if you want to control exactly where the form appears on the page, such as midway through a blog post or directly beneath a nice header.

Simply open the page or post where you want to display the form. Then, click on the plus ‘+’ icon.

In the popup that appears, type ‘WPForms’ to find the right block. When it appears, click on the block to add it to your page.

Now, click the WPForms block to open the dropdown menu.

WPForms will now display all your forms. Simply select the lead generation form you just created.

WordPress will now show a preview of how the form will look. 

When you’re happy with how everything is set up, simply publish or update the page as normal. 

Step 7. Review Your Leads

That’s it! WPForms will now collect leads, and AffiliateWP will display all the referral information directly in your dashboard.

To see this in action, head over to AffiliateWP » Referrals to see the progress of all the leads generated by AffiliateWP and WPForms.

Method 2: Using Lead Magnets (Best For Maximizing Leads)

Want to get as many leads as possible? Then, you need to give visitors an extra reason to share their contact information.

This is where lead magnets shine. 

A lead magnet is a valuable freebie that your visitors get simply for sharing their email addresses. It might be a free eBook, a template, a resource guide, or anything else that appeals to your target audience.

Creating a lead magnet is just the first step. You’ll also need a reliable way to collect email addresses and distribute your free resource. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do just that using Easy Digital Downloads (EDD).

This popular eCommerce plugin has a Free Downloads add-on that lets visitors download your lead magnet for free simply by entering their email address.

Easy Digital Downloads also integrates seamlessly with AffiliateWP, so it will automatically create referral records every time a customer visits your site via an affiliate link.

Want to learn more about EDD before moving forward? Check out our complete Easy Digital Downloads review for more information.

Step 1. Set up Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads is fantastic for selling digital products, and the free version comes with many essential features. That said, in this guide, we’re using the pro version since it gives you access to the Free Downloads add-on. 

This add-on lets you create a custom call-to-action button and a popup that visitors can use to share their contact information and grab your lead magnet.

Even better, this popup completely skips the standard cart and checkout process. That means fewer steps for your visitors and a much smoother experience. By making it easy for visitors to get their freebie, you’ll be able to generate more leads.

To get started with Easy Digital Downloads, just see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once you’ve installed Easy Digital Downloads, you’ll want to configure it to fit your needs. You might even set up a store if you’re planning to sell digital products alongside your lead magnet.

For a detailed walkthrough, please see our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress. It covers all the essential settings to get you up and running with EDD.

Step 2. Set up the Integration 

Before you go any further, make sure you enable the AffiliateWP integration. Once activated, AffiliateWP will automatically create a referral record for every lead that arrives via an affiliate link.

To do this, head over to AffiliateWP » Settings » Integrations. Then, check the box labeled Easy Digital Downloads. 

Finally, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Step 3. Install the Free Downloads Add-on

Now, you’re ready to install the Free Downloads extension by heading to Downloads » Extensions.

Here, find the ‘Free Downloads’ add-on and click its ‘Install’ button.

Easy Digital Downloads will now go ahead and install the extension.

With that done, go to Downloads » Settings » Marketing.

Here, you need to click the ‘Free Downloads’ tab. 

You’ll now see all the settings for the Free Downloads add-on. 

We recommend exploring all these settings. But to start, you’ll want to type in a ‘Button Label.’

This is the call-to-action button that will appear on your WordPress website. When the visitor clicks this button, it will open the popup. 

After that, you can type in a ‘Modal Button Label.’ This is the button that will appear inside the popup window and trigger the download.

Since you’re generating leads, you’ll typically want to capture the person’s first and last name and not just their email address.

In that case, click to enable the ‘Collect Name’ slider.

When you’re generating leads via affiliate marketing, you need to make sure those leads are real. After all, you don’t want to pay commission for fake or spammy email addresses. 

The good news is that Easy Digital Downloads has a ‘Require Email Verification’ setting that can protect you against affiliate marketing fraud.

Simply click to enable this slider, and EDD will send an email to each new lead. They’ll need to follow this link in order to download their lead magnet. 

There are more settings to explore, but this is all you need to create a basic lead magnet popup. It’s that easy!

Step 4. Publish Your Lead Magnet

Now, it’s time to upload your lead magnet. Simply head over to ‘Downloads’ and then click the ‘Add New Download’ button.

You can do this the same way you would create any digital product in EDD. 

Just make sure you select the ‘Pricing’ tab and set the ‘Price field’ to 0.00.

With that done, click the ‘Files’ tab.

You can now go ahead and type in a name for your lead magnet.

Under ‘File URL’, give the ‘Upload a File’ button a click.

Then, go ahead and select the file you want to use as your lead magnet. 

When you’re happy with how everything is set up, click on the ‘Publish’ button. Your lead magnet is now live! 

Want to see how everything works from a potential lead’s perspective? Just click the ‘View Download’ button.

This shows a preview of the download page, although how it looks will vary depending on your WordPress theme.

Step 5. Monitor Your Leads

Every time a visitor downloads your lead magnet, Easy Digital Downloads will create a new customer record.

To see all these new leads, simply head over to Downloads » Customers.

AffiliateWP will also create a referral record every time a customer downloads your lead magnet. If you head over to AffiliateWP » Referrals, then the ‘Reference’ column will show the payment ID from Easy Digital Downloads.

This column provides a direct link between the affiliate referral and the actual order in Easy Digital Downloads.

Simply click the number in the ‘Reference’ column, and AffiliateWP will take you to the corresponding record in Easy Digital Downloads. 

This lets you easily track leads across Easy Digital Downloads and AffiliateWP. 

Tips for Generating Leads Through Affiliate Marketing

Congratulations, your lead capture system is all set up and ready to go!

But that’s only half the battle. Now, it’s time to make sure your affiliate partners send you a flood of quality leads who are eager to share their contact information.

Here are our top tips on how to make it happen:

• Prioritize content partners. These affiliates are your secret weapon for attracting informed leads. That’s why you should seek out people who can produce valuable, informative content like blog posts, eBooks, resource guides, and videos that educate your target audience. This means that people will arrive at your site with some background knowledge so you don’t have to explain everything from the start.
• Arrange influencer giveaways. If you’ve partnered with an online influencer, then it’s a good idea to run a giveaway or contest that requires email signups or other lead capture methods. Giveaways can generate a ton of leads, and they’re very easy to set up using a plugin like RafflePress.
• Offer free trials or demos. Similar to resources such as workbooks and downloadable checklists, free trials and demos give visitors another reason to share their contact details. It also gives them a chance to experience your product without paying, so it works well if you’re selling very technical or expensive items.
• Create lead-focused landing pages. Don’t just send people to your regular product page. You can make a better first impression on potential leads by creating a beautiful landing page using a plugin like SeedProd.
• Offer exclusive content or resources. If you haven’t already, then give potential leads a reason to share their contact information in the form of a lead magnet such as an eBook, checklist, or resource guide. For details, see our guide to the best lead magnet tools.
• Track and analyze lead generation performance. You need to keep an eye on how well your lead generation campaign is working. That’s why we recommend monitoring your clicks, leads, and conversions using a plugin like MonsterInsights. You can then use these insights to improve your campaigns and generate even more leads.

We hope this article helped you learn how to generate leads through affiliate marketing in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to increase leads by 50% or check out our top tips for using AI to skyrocket your lead generation campaigns.

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