Webflow aims to bring "development superpowers to everyone" by being a powerful no-code development platform. The software is used by more than 3,500,000 designers and teams to create, collaborate on, and grow beautiful websites in a visual canvas.
Background
I felt a sense of homecoming when I joined Webflow as part of the growth marketing team in December 2020. I’d been a freelance web designer who relied heavily on Webflow to deliver responsive, high-quality websites for clients. That personal connection shaped my approach to marketing at Webflow—I wasn’t just an employee but also part of the Webflow community.
Outperforming Traditional Agencies
At the time, Webflow was partnered with a marketing agency, and it was my job to manage the company's paid acquisition channels, with the goal of making the customer acquisition costs more efficient than the agency's.
Starting with Facebook and Instagram campaigns, I continuously A/B tested different ads and audiences—freelancers, agencies, and in-house teams—and I decreased acquisition costs by 30% compared to what our agency partners had achieved before.
As I transferred more paid channels, such as Google Search, Google Display, and YouTube, under my purview, the efficiency gains remained steady. With each win, I strengthened my confidence that a hands-on, data-driven approach could outperform one-size-fits-all agency tactics.
“I began to be recognized as someone who could scale performance marketing efficiently while maximizing new business growth.”
A New Mission: Scaling the Affiliate Program
Seeing this momentum, our Director of Growth Marketing, Bruno Estrella, asked if I could apply the same principles to the affiliate program. He knew I approached growth with empathy and resourcefulness and believed these qualities could help us turn our affiliate channel into an engine for sustained growth.
The Affiliate Opportunity
Webflow’s affiliate offer is simple: when an affiliate refers a new user who upgrades to a paid workspace or site plan within a 90-day cookie window, that affiliate earns 50% of the referred customer’s subscription payments for the first 12 months. If the customer eventually cancels, the affiliate’s commission ends.
This structure seemed fair and rewarding—yet I knew there was so much more potential. The question was how to scale this program into one of Webflow’s most impactful growth channels.
Challenges with the Old Affiliate Platform
Initially, I managed affiliates through Refersion, a platform that got the job done quickly but introduced some tough limitations. I couldn’t easily segment affiliates, track the source of referrals, or offer flexible payment methods. I also couldn’t tailor offers or run targeted challenges that would motivate affiliates to grow with us.
Without a clear view into which affiliate activities drove sales, I was missing out on opportunities to empower affiliates with insights and strategies proven to win.
Understanding the Ideal Affiliate Profile
To make smarter decisions, I surveyed our most active affiliates. By studying what made them successful, a pattern emerged. Our ideal affiliates:
- Managed their own websites and email lists
- Reached at least 1,000 people across their channels
- Were active Webflow users themselves
- Created visually rich content (like YouTube videos)
- Served audiences that matched Webflow’s ideal customer profile
To scale our program, I needed a more sophisticated tool that could serve both traditional affiliates and the newly formed Webflow Certified Partner Program. After evaluating several platforms, we chose Partnerstack.
Migrating to PartnerStack for Greater Flexibility
After three months of preparation and open communication with affiliates, I moved everyone to PartnerStack. This new platform unlocked the potential that had been missing:
- Automated application reviews let us focus on the right affiliates
- Better tracking exposed which content, traffic sources, and products drove the most sales
- There was a fraud prevention suite
- Run affiliate challenges
- Handle customer service seamlessly from one hub
From this point on, I gained greater control and clarity. I could finally share data-driven best practices with affiliates, empowering them to create content that resonated with their audiences and drove real conversions for Webflow.
Inspiring Growth with Data-Driven Insights
One of the most effective growth tactics emerged from highlighting Webflow’s cloneable feature. Affiliates who created and shared cloneable templates generated a viral loop:
- Affiliate builds a template and makes it cloneable.
- They share the cloneable link embedded with their affiliate referral link.
- New users sign up for Webflow to use the template.
- Those new users often upgrade to a paid plan to publish their custom domains.
- The new Webflow customer becomes an affiliate.
Seeing this loop in action, I shared these insights broadly, guiding all affiliates toward high-conversion content strategies.
Designing Meaningful Affiliate Challenges
PartnerStack’s tools for challenges were a game-changer, but I pushed even further. Beyond the built-in features, I developed my own challenges, using third-party analytics to incentivize specific behaviors that led to net new customers.
Through multiple challenges as experiments, I discovered that the most effective challenges are those that create a referral growth loop and reward affiliates for taking actions that lead to net new customers. This is a win-win for both the affiliate and the company.
For Top Affiliates (Revenue-Based Challenges):
High-performing affiliates were already skilled at driving referrals. Offering tailored revenue-based challenges—like surpassing their previous quarter’s referral revenue—unlocked fresh motivation and financial rewards for them. Each affiliate had a personalized goal, making these challenges feel both achievable and exciting.
For Emerging Affiliates (Content-Based Challenges):
Smaller affiliates benefited from content challenges inspired by our top performers’ winning tactics. For instance, I ran a YouTube content challenge that encouraged them to create a 5-minute or longer YouTube video comparing Webflow to other site builders. Meeting these criteria earned them a one-time cash bonus and gave them a proven formula for driving new referrals. This inclusivity ensured that all affiliates, regardless of their starting point, could grow alongside Webflow.
“Most affiliate programs make the mistake of offering bonuses only to their top 10% of affiliates and forgetting the other 90%.”
Celebrating Outstanding Results
Within a year, I recorded incredible growth milestones:
- 400% Increase in Affiliates Added
- $4M+ in Affiliate-Driven Revenue
- 15% of All New Business Attributed to Affiliates
I built a thriving, data-informed community of affiliates who understood how to succeed with Webflow. My work did not go unrecognized. Partnerstack was impressed by the affiliate program's meteoric rise in just a single year and awarded me the SaaS Partnerships Award for Top Use of Technology.
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Looking Ahead: Continuous Empowerment
Scaling the affiliate program was not a “set it and forget it” endeavor. It demanded thoughtful coaching, open data sharing, and innovative challenges. As I refined our strategies, our affiliates remained at the center of everything I did.
By empowering them with the tools, insights, and guidance they needed, I was not only helping them grow their businesses—I was ensuring that Webflow itself remains a platform where everyone can create and thrive.