THE BRIEF
Could partners bring Snap advertisers who would start spending?
Creators could show a small business how to run its first Snapchat campaign. Publishers could reach people already comparing ad platforms. Agencies and consultants could introduce advertisers they advised directly. I built the business case for paying these partners against measurable advertiser outcomes.
I was the sole program lead responsible for turning that opportunity into Snap’s first scaled B2B affiliate and creator acquisition channel.
THE CHALLENGE
Make a referral measurable from sign-up to ad spend.
I worked with Product, Engineering, and Data Science to connect a referral to the advertiser’s account and first spend. Finance, Tax, and Legal helped define eligibility, payment rules, and market requirements. I modeled acquisition fees and revenue share by partner type so we could judge what we were paying for each outcome.
I developed the business case, modeled the economics, and worked with Finance, Tax, Legal, Product, Sales, Marketing, Data, and leadership.
The goal was to acquire valuable advertisers while managing financial, legal, and operational risk.
INVITE-ONLY PILOT
An invite-only advertiser acquisition pilot.
I compared sign-ups, first spend, and subsequent advertiser value by partner type. Creators gave us reach through tutorials. Reviewing advertiser spend and retention also led me to prioritize service partners who already advised businesses on advertising. The pilot informed eligibility, partner incentives, and the guidance we used for the broader rollout.
The invite-only pilot informed partner eligibility, incentives, enablement, attribution, and payment controls before the broader rollout.
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
An end-to-end operating system
I designed the program as an end-to-end operating system connecting PartnerStack with Snapchat Ads Manager and the broader advertiser funnel.
01 RECRUIT
I identified creators, publishers, and consultants with credible access to small-business advertiser audiences.
02 QUALIFY
I evaluated audience fit, content quality, traffic sources, and estimated commercial value.
03 ONBOARD
I put agreements, tracking, incentives, payouts, and program compliance in place.
04 ENABLE
I gave partners campaign examples, ad-credit creative, and product guides they could use to teach advertisers.
05 ACTIVATE
We counted an advertiser as activated when the advertiser began spending on Snapchat Ads.
06 OPTIMIZE
I reviewed acquisition cost, advertiser spend, retention, and 90-day ROI by partner cohort.
RESULTS
A new channel, scaled globally
The program delivered strong positive 90-day ROI.
1,900+
new ad accounts in the 2024 pilot
300+
advertisers activated in the same reporting period
600+
program partners at scale
40+
markets reached
WHAT I LEARNED
The strongest partner programs are always-on operating systems, not infrequent recruitment campaigns.
The program delivered strong positive 90-day ROI. Tutorials helped businesses discover Snapchat Ads. We also used partner creative in Snap’s paid campaigns on TikTok and Meta. I evaluated the acquisition program by the advertisers who started spending and the value they generated over time.