The right rate gives creators a reason to promote your products while leaving enough margin for your business. Here’s how to decide on your offer and start reaching out through SARAL.
Before choosing a rate, account for your product costs, shipping, fulfillment, creator commission, and customer discount. That last one is easy to overlook.
Say your product sells for $100. You offer customers 15% off and creators 20% commission on the discounted amount:
Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Original price | $100 |
Customer discount | −$15 |
Creator commission: 20% of $85 | −$17 |
Product, shipping, and fulfillment | −$30 |
Remaining before other expenses | $38 |
The discount and commission cost you $32 here, not $35. Check which amount your commission applies to when running your numbers.
If customers regularly buy again, you may have room to earn less on the first order. Just make sure your repeat-purchase data supports that decision. Otherwise, aim to make the first sale profitable.
Check a few brands already working with the creators you want to recruit. Look at their commissions, customer discounts, and other perks.
They don’t have to sell the same products. A fitness creator might promote supplements and workout clothing. Both brands are asking for their time.
Percentages only tell part of the story. A 15% commission on a $100 order earns more than 25% on a $40 order. Consider what creators could actually earn and how well your product fits their audience.
You don’t need to beat every offer. You need an appealing one you can afford.
If 25% is your maximum affordable rate, you don’t have to offer it to everyone from day one.
You could start with a structure like this:
Tier | Example commission |
|---|---|
Ambassador | 10% |
Established partner | 20% |
Top partner | 25% |
These are examples, so check each rate against your margins.
Set clear requirements for moving up, such as reaching a sales milestone within a defined period. A useful tip is to make the first upgrade meaningful: going from 10% to 20% doubles what a creator earns on the same sale.
If you run Meta or Google ads, check what you spend to acquire a new customer.
Then compare that with your ambassador program, including commissions, gifted products, shipping, and creator fees. Compare new customers across both channels and account for discounts consistently, without counting them twice.
This gives you a useful reference point. Your margins still decide what you can afford.
Once the numbers work, build a creator list in SARAL and add it to an Email Drip with your initial email and follow-ups. You can reach out to the list through one drip instead of emailing each creator individually.
Keep the first email focused on three things:
Why you think the creator is a good fit.
What you’re offering them and their followers.
A simple next step, such as replying if they’re interested.
Be specific. “You’ll earn 15% commission, and your followers get 10% off” gives creators more to work with than “Join our ambassador program.” If gifting is included, mention that too.
Use follow-ups to give them another reason to reply. Share a relevant product benefit, a creator example, or more detail about the partnership. Save the full tier breakdown for interested creators.
Before raising your commission, look at where the outreach is falling short. Few replies may point to your creator selection or pitch. Interested creators repeatedly saying the offer is too low is a better reason to revisit your incentives.
Start with an offer you can sustain, make it clear in your outreach, and adjust as you learn what gets creators interested and drives profitable sales.
Want to learn more? Watch this video from Yash, Founder & CEO at SARAL.
