The Affiliate Launch Mistake That Cost Us Big and How to Avoid It
Affiliate marketing can be one of the most exciting (and supportive) parts of launching a digital product. There's something really powerful about someone loving what you offer so much they want to share it with their audience. That kind of trust and community? It never gets old.
But as much as I love affiliate partnerships, I also have a launch story that still makes my stomach drop when I think about it — and I’m sharing it here so you don’t make the same mistake.
What Went Down
My client was preparing to launch one of her most successful courses. The launch included a live masterclass, a warm email list, and a handful of loyal affiliates ready to promote. We had prepped them with everything:
Their personalized affiliate links
Swipe copy for emails and social media
Promo graphics and reminders
Tips and deadlines
Everything looked solid. Until it didn’t.
The Tech Fail
Mid-launch, I checked in on the affiliate performance.
Zero clicks.
Not low clicks — zero.
Total panic moment. Especially because affiliates were actively promoting. We were seeing their emails. We were tagged in stories. We had people saying, “So-and-so told me to sign up!” But none of it was showing up in the tracking.
After digging through the backend, we found it.
The affiliate links were pointing to an old version of the landing page. It looked the same on the front end, but the backend setup had changed — and the tracking was broken.
One missed redirect setting. One checkbox unchecked. And just like that, we lost accurate data, missed potential revenue, and risked the trust we’d built with affiliate partners.
What This Taught Me
Tech isn’t just a background task.
It’s not optional. And it’s definitely not something you want to treat as an afterthought.
When a link breaks or a funnel step fails, it’s not just inconvenient — it directly impacts your credibility, your numbers, and your bottom line.
The truth is, when you’re launching, you’re doing a lot. You’re writing emails, showing up live, answering DMs, managing content, and holding the vision.
You don’t have time to obsess over whether the affiliate links are correctly redirecting or if the thank you page is still firing the pixel.
That’s Where I Come In
When I’m behind the scenes on a launch, I’m not multitasking 15 different things. I’m not half-focused or rushing through the setup.
I’m all in on making sure everything works — the tech, the automations, the integrations, the links, the pages, the triggers.
Every box gets checked.
Every path gets tested.
More than once.
Because you deserve to launch with confidence — and your affiliates do too.
Make Affiliate Marketing Work for You
You should be able to focus on what you do best: showing up, sharing your message, and serving your people.
Not worrying if your tech is holding up.
Not double-checking every link at midnight.
Not dealing with the regret of realizing something didn’t work when it was too late to fix it.
Want someone to catch the mistakes before they happen? I’m your person.
Let’s get your next launch set up the right way — from day one.