Affiliate Marketing vs. Influencer Marketing: Which One Really Works?

Let’s be honest, marketing today feels like a never-ending game of “what’s trending now?” 

Depending on the day, you’ll find affiliate marketing; the next, brands are scrambling to work with social media influencers.

You might be wondering:

• Which one actually drives sales?
• Is influencer marketing just hype, or is there real ROI?
• If I have a limited budget, where should I put my money?

The truth? Both can work, but it depends on what you’re after. One is about paying for results; the other is about paying for reach. One is a long-term investment; the other gives you a quick boost.

If you’re debating affiliate marketing vs. affiliate and influencer marketing here, let’s break it down. No jargon, no fluff, just a straight-up comparison to help you make the right call for your business.

What Is Affiliate Marketing? (And How Does It Make You Money?)

Affiliate marketing is performance-based marketing. This means you only pay affiliates when they actually generate sales or leads. Instead of spending a ton of money on ads hoping for conversions, you only pay for results.

How Affiliate Marketing Works

1. You create an affiliate program (or join an affiliate network) to recruit affiliate partners.
2. These affiliates may promote products or your products using affiliate links in their socials, blogs, YouTube videos, or emails.
3. Every time someone clicks their affiliate link and buys something, the affiliate marketer gets a cut, and you get a sale.

Why Brands Love Affiliate Marketing

✅ You only pay for performance. No wasting money on ads that don’t convert.

✅ It’s scalable. The more affiliate partners you have, the more traffic and sales you generate.

✅ It’s great for SEO. Blogs, reviews, and articles with affiliate links help drive long-term website traffic.

✅ It can be a passive revenue driver. Once set up, an affiliate marketing program runs in the background while affiliates do the heavy lifting.

✅ Boosts average order value (AOV) – Affiliate partners often promote products in bundles or upsells, increasing your AOV and maximizing revenue per customer.

Why It’s Not for Everyone

❌ Takes time to build. Unlike influencer marketing campaigns, affiliate marketing work doesn’t deliver overnight results.

❌ You need good tracking. Without the right affiliate marketing platform, tracking affiliate sales can be messy.

❌ Affiliate relationships require management. You have to keep your whole affiliate network of partners engaged and motivated.

What Is Influencer Marketing? (And Is It Worth the Hype?)

Unlike affiliate marketing, influencer marketing is about paying for more brand exposure.

Brands collaborate with micro and macro-influencers to promote their products and reach a highly engaged audience on social media platforms.

How Influencer Marketing Works: Step-by-Step

1. You find an influencer who aligns with your brand partners and target audience.
2. You negotiate a deal. This could be a flat fee per post, a free product, or even a commission-based influencer marketing program.
3. The influencer creates content (videos, Reels, TikToks, stories, or social media posts) showcasing your product.
4. Their followers see the post, engage with it, and (hopefully) make a purchase.

Why Brands Love Influencer Marketing

✅ Fast results. One well-placed influencer marketing campaign can increase brand awareness overnight.

✅ Social proof sells. People trust recommendations from social media personalities more than traditional ads from online publishers.

✅ Great for brand storytelling. Unlike a static ad, influencers bring products to life with real-world use cases.

✅ Works well for product launches. Need an instant buzz? Influencer marketing campaigns can get people talking.

Why It’s Not for Everyone

❌ It can get expensive. Big-name social media influencers charge serious money where some demand five-figure fees per post.

❌ Results aren’t guaranteed. Just because an influencer has a huge following doesn’t mean their target audience will buy.

❌ Short-term impact. Unlike affiliate marketing strategies, which drive long-term website traffic, an influencer marketing strategy is often a one-and-done deal.

Affiliate Marketing vs. Influencer Marketing: The Side-by-Side Breakdown

Which One Should You Use?

If your goal is to increase brand awareness and get your product in front of a social media account’s engaged audience, an influencer marketing campaign works great for that.

If you want an easy, scalable, and built for long-term lead generation strategy, then an affiliate marketing program is a better bet.

Still not sure? Here’s when to use each:

Go with Affiliate Marketing if:

✔️ You want a performance-based strategy that only pays affiliate marketing pros for sales.

✔️ Your product has a long sales cycle (like SaaS, health & wellness, or health and fitness publishers).

✔️ You want to drive sales consistently without constantly creating new content.

Go with Influencer Marketing if:

✔️ You need a quick social media engagement to boost sales or a viral moment.

✔️ Your product is visually appealing and benefits from social proof (beauty, fashion, food, fitness).

✔️ You’re launching a new product and need an instant buzz.

The Smartest Move? Use Both.

Want to maximize results? Here’s how you can combine both influencer and affiliate and marketing efforts into a successful campaign:

1. Turn influencers into affiliates. Instead of a one-time brand promotion, give influencers an affiliate link so they get commissions on sales.
2. Use influencers for brand awareness and affiliates for conversions. Let influencers introduce your brand, and let affiliate partners seal the deal.
3. Track everything. Use Google Analytics to measure how social media engagement turns into web traffic and sales.

How to Combine Both Affiliate and Influencer Marketing (Step-by-Step Strategy)

Why choose one when you can use both? A clever hybrid approach lets you raise brand awareness with influencers and drive long-term sales through affiliate partnerships.

Here’s how to launch influencer campaigns that transition into an affiliate influencer program:

Step 1: Start with Influencer Marketing to Build Awareness

Influencers can give your product an initial boost by promoting it to a highly engaged audience. You might need to reach out to influencer marketing pros to get you started.

To make the most of this phase:

✅ Choose the right influencers – Look for micro-influencers or macro-influencers with an audience that aligns with your target audience.

✅ Use trackable links – Provide influencers with UTM links or discount codes so you can track performance.

✅ Make the content engaging – Work with other digital marketing content creators to produce social media posts, Instagram Reels, or YouTube videos that feel authentic.

✅ Measure engagement – Use Google Analytics to track social media engagement, clicks, and conversions.

Step 2: Identify High-Performing Influencers & Offer Them an Affiliate Deal

After running the initial influencer marketing campaign, look at the numbers:

• Who drove the most traffic?
• Who got the most engagement?
• Did any of them already drive sales?

Invite these high-performing influencers to join your affiliate program. Instead of a one-time brand promotion, they’ll earn a commission on every sale they generate.

Step 3: Build a Content Funnel That Keeps Driving Traffic

Don’t stop at social media marketing! Turn influencer content into evergreen traffic drivers:

• Have influencers write blog reviews about your product.
• Encourage them to add affiliate links in YouTube descriptions.
• Offer ongoing incentives like higher commission tiers for top-performing affiliate partners.

This hybrid approach leverages the reach of influencer marketing and the performance-based efficiency of your affiliate marketing campaigns, ensuring that your brand gets the best of both worlds.

To run successful campaigns, you need the right tools. Whether you’re managing an affiliate marketing program or launching an influencer marketing strategy, these platforms will help you track performance, automate payouts, and scale faster.

Affiliate Marketing Tools

Reditus – The Best Affiliate Marketing Platform for B2B SaaS

If you’re in B2B SaaS, Reditus is the go-to affiliate marketing platform that makes affiliate marketing easy by automating payouts, tracking performance, and simplifying partner management.

✅ Access to a pre-vetted affiliate network – Find high-quality affiliate partners who already work with B2B SaaS brands.

✅ Advanced tracking & analytics – Measure affiliate sales, conversion rates, and web traffic in real-time.

✅ Automated payouts – Easily pay affiliates without manual tracking headaches.

✅ Performance-based scalability – Start small and scale your affiliate marketing campaigns as results grow.

🎯 Influencer Marketing Tools

• Upfluence – A full-scale influencer marketing platform that helps brands find and manage influencers.
• GRIN – Best for eCommerce brands looking to streamline influencer campaigns.
• AspireIQ – Great for brands that want long-term influencer partnerships instead of one-off posts.

These tools will help you track your marketing efforts, optimize results, and ensure that your affiliate and influencer marketing strategies work together seamlessly.

Final Thoughts: Which Strategy Wins?

The truth is, neither is better than the other; it all depends on your digital marketing strategy and business goals. A traditional marketing strategy isn't going to help you here.

• Need a long-term, performance-based approach? → Affiliate marketing
• Need quick exposure and social buzz? → Influencer marketing
• Want the best of both worlds? → Use both influencer and affiliate marketing together

At the end of the day, smart marketing isn’t about picking just one strategy. It’s about stacking multiple effective marketing methods to get the best ROI.

Over to you

Are ready to stop leaving revenue on the table and take your SaaS to the next level? Unlock a powerful affiliate marketing platform designed to drive your sales, increase brand visibility, and scale effortlessly.

✅ Recruit high-quality affiliate partners

✅ Automate commissions and tracking

✅ Turn partnerships into predictable revenue

Sign up now with Reditus to build a high-performing affiliate program that works for you around the clock!

FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Influencer Marketing vs Affiliate Marketing

Still have questions? Here are some of the most common concerns brands have when deciding between affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing.

Meet the author

Joran Hofman

Back in 2020 I was an affiliate for 80+ SaaS tools and I was generating an average of 30k in organic visits each month with my site. Due to the issues I experienced with the current affiliate management software tools, it never resulted in the passive income I was hoping for. Many clunky affiliate management tools lost me probably more than $20,000+ in affiliate revenue. So I decided to build my own software with a high focus on the affiliates, as in the end, they generate more money for SaaS companies.