How Performance Partners Scaled LeadPages Affiliate Channel: From Recurring-Only to a Diversified, High-Performing Ecosystem

About the Client

Leadpages is a leading SaaS platform that enables businesses, from small startups to large enterprises, to create high-converting landing pages, pop-ups, and alert bars without coding knowledge. Founded in 2012, Leadpages helps thousands of entrepreneurs and marketers capture leads, drive conversions, and grow revenue. Despite its strong product-market fit and existing user base, Leadpages identified that its affiliate channel was underperforming and had room to scale.

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About Their Problem

Before engaging with Performance Partners, Leadpages faced significant challenges in leveraging affiliate marketing effectively:

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• Recurring-Only Commission Model
  The program operated exclusively under a recurring commission structure, limiting its appeal to many top-tier partners that preferred higher upfront payouts.
  
  
• Stagnant Signup Volume
  Affiliate-driven signups averaged around 70 new accounts per month, with minimal growth month over month.
  
  
• Limited Partner Diversity
  The partner mix was narrow, relying on small content sites. This created concentration risk and restricted traffic diversity.
  
  
• Minimal Custom Assets & Reporting Alignment
  Affiliates lacked exclusive landing pages or custom offers tailored to their audiences. Reporting was basic, with no structured cadence for optimization feedback.

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Leadpages needed an experienced affiliate marketing agency that could redesign their commission structure, diversify their partner mix, and build tailored assets to drive scalable growth.

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About Our Solution

Performance Partners collaborated with Leadpages to execute a targeted transformation along four key initiatives, strictly adhering to the data and actions provided:

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1. Commission Structure Redesign
   
   
   
   • One-Time Payout Introduction
     We introduced a one-time bounty option alongside the existing recurring commissions. This made the program more performance-friendly for affiliates who valued upfront rewards.
     
     
   • Legacy Partner Preservation
     To prevent any drop-off among affiliates previously reliant on recurring payouts, we maintained legacy commission terms for those partners while rolling out the new hybrid model.
     
     
2. Strategic Partner Recruitment & Diversification
   
   
   • High-Value Partner Onboarding
     We recruited high-value and niche partners, including Rakuten Rewards, SaaS Genius, Capital One, Natural Intelligence, Looka, and JoinSecret.
     
     
   • Vertical Expansion
     Beyond the original content sites, we diversified the program’s affiliate verticals to include:
     
     
     1. SaaS Marketplaces (e.g., SaaS Genius)
        
        
     2. Comparison & Review Partners (e.g., Natural Intelligence, Looka)
        
        
     3. Cash-Back & Rewards Platforms (e.g., Rakuten Rewards, JoinSecret)
        
        
     4. Additional Brands (maintaining any existing brand partnerships and adding new ones)
        
        
3. Collaborative Asset Creation & Offer Engineering
   
   
   • Exclusive Landing Pages
     We built partner-specific landing pages with Leadpages’ internal team to match each vertical’s audience.
     
     
   • Custom Promotional Offers
     We worked with Leadpages to develop tailored offers, such as unique coupon codes and limited-time trials, aligned to each partner’s audience profile.
     
     
4. Ongoing Partner Optimization & Reporting Alignment
   
   
   • Optimization Process
     An ongoing process was implemented to review affiliate performance, adjust commission structures as needed, and provide partner recommendations.
     
     
   • Reporting Alignment
     We aligned reporting formats and schedules so affiliates received timely, actionable data, enabling them to optimize campaigns and maintain transparency.
     
     

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About the Results (by April 2025)

• Monthly Signups Nearly Doubled
  • April 2025: ~95% increase in new affiliate-driven signups per month
  This increase reflects strong uptake from new partners and improved conversion via tailored assets.
  
  
• Broader Partner Base & Reduced Concentration Risk
  • The affiliate verticals expanded to include SaaS marketplaces, comparison partners, brands, and the largest cash-back platforms.
  • Reliance on any single traffic source decreased, creating a more resilient program.
  
  
• Stronger Affiliate Relationships
  • Legacy partners experienced no drop-off during the transition because their existing commission terms were preserved.
  • Affiliates benefited from dedicated landing pages, custom offers, and more transparent reporting, resulting in better alignment and satisfaction.
  
  

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Client Testimonial

Ryan Truax Vice President of Marketing of LeadPages shared his thoughts on the partnership:

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"Fred and his team at Performance Partners have delivered me that and much more during our time together. We’ve relaunched, rebuilt a program, found early successes, and now we’re continuing to scale those successes as we continue to identify new opportunities. A great sequence of communication ensures that I know everything that’s going on each and every day, each and every week. Their partnership has driven measurable program growth, enhanced transparency, and a scalable framework that continues to deliver revenue and strategic insights."

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Final Thoughts & Why This Matters

Leadpages’ experience highlights several important lessons for any SaaS brand looking to scale its affiliate channel without making assumptions or overpromising:

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1. Flexible Commission Structures Enable Growth
   Introducing a one-time payout option alongside recurring commissions makes the program more attractive to legacy and new high-performing affiliates.
   
   
2. Maintaining Existing Relationships During Transitions
   Preserving legacy commission terms for core affiliates prevents disruption and ensures that top performers remain engaged.
   
   
3. Diversifying Affiliate Verticals Reduces Risk
   Expanding beyond a single affiliate type, adding SaaS marketplaces, comparison partners, cash-back platforms, and additional brands, creates a healthier, more stable program.
   
   
4. Collaborative Asset Creation Drives Conversions
   Building exclusive landing pages and custom offers in partnership with the internal team ensures that messaging aligns directly with each affiliate’s audience.
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5. Structured Reporting & Optimization Fuels Ongoing Success
   Aligning on reporting formats and schedules, and providing continuous optimization guidelines, empowers affiliates to fine-tune their campaigns and deepens trust.