Starting Line
We’ve talked about partnerships on the podcast in the past, but one topic we really haven’t dug into is affiliate marketing. While we were at Outdoor Retailer, we had the opportunity to talk to one of the best in the business when it comes to understanding the opportunity and requirements to create a successful affiliate business - and we’re excited to share this conversation. This episode is a literal playbook for both brands and athletes to better understand what it takes to succeed in this space.
Wisdom From A Decade Of Affiliate Marketing
Angie Burnett has spent over a decade in affiliate marketing — starting with coupon sites at 1-800 Contacts, moving through fashion e-commerce, and now leading influencer and affiliate partnerships at Backcountry, a 30-year-old brand she's helped modernize for the creator economy. Recorded live at Outdoor Retailer, this conversation goes deep on what most people get wrong about affiliate marketing and what the best creators and brands are doing differently right now.
Angie breaks down why owning your audience matters more than ever, how she evaluates creators beyond follower counts (including a surprising use of Reddit and Meta's Creator tools), and her own experience growing a Facebook following from 900 to 88,000 in under a year. She also walks through what it actually takes to build an affiliate program from scratch, why newsletters are a much harder affiliate channel than people assume, and how YouTube's new shopping integration is changing the game for creators.
Partnership In Action
Today’s episode is a concrete example of exactly how partnerships come together on Popfly. We wanted to work with Backcountry for a long time, but never knew how to reach the right person at the right time, with the right pitch. When we got onto the Popfly platform, Backcountry was there waiting, and we made a connection that started with one project and quickly expanded to a longer-term partnership. Popfly is an incredible place for brands to connect with athletes and creators - so if you’re working at a brand, use this link to get a personalized demo. If you’re an athlete or creator, use the link to get set up on the platform.
Show Notes
Second Nature Is Supported By Halo
Halo is a hospitality platform built by trail runners specifically for sports and event travel. They work with brands, event organizers and professional leagues to simplify one of the most operationally painful parts of any event: lodging. If you’re a brand thinking about experiential marketing, managing travel for your team or professional athletes, or a league handling lodging for your athletes and fans, Halo’s platform gives your brand a custom hotel booking platform and locks in better rates so you’re not managing hotel logistics from scratch. They’re already working with names like Western States, Aravaipa, Rabbit and New Balance.
And if you’re just heading to a race or event yourself this year, it’s worth checking out, too. Same platform with great rates, community, perks from band partners and less hassle. If any of this sounds like you, reach out to their team and tell them you heard about Halo on Second Nature.
BPC - Brand, Product, Content
BPC is our closing segment where we share Brands we’ve discovered, Products we’re using and Content that we love.
🧼 Koala Eco Veggie Wash: This wash removes residual pesticides, oils, waxes and agricultural chemicals from fruit and vegetables, incredible stuff!
☕️ DryBrew: This might be the final piece of the puzzle to our travel kit. Edible coffee! It’s tasty (comes in three flavors - coffee, caramel, and espresso) and has the same amount of caffiene as a cup of coffee. Perfect for hitting the ground running on a big trip (or any other time you don’t have a proper coffee within arms reach). This has already saved the day more than once!
Thank You
Next week our friends from New Zealand are joining us on the podcast to talk about how they created a company together - and how being so far away from the rest of the world was actually a huge advantage for the brand. Stay tuned!