It’s not a secret that the commission rate is what usually motivates salespeople and affiliates to promote your products or services properly and effectively. The more competitive commission fees your affiliate program offers, the more attractive it is for potential publishers. High commission rates can help you recruit the most hardworking and successful affiliates and make it easier for you to retain them.
However, over time, a commission rate that you perceive to be high may become too low for some affiliates. If they decide that they deserve to be paid better for their work, they will start looking for a new affiliate program to join or ask you to increase the commission rate. The latter is the better outcome for you because it leaves you some room for negotiation and setting your own conditions.
In some situations you might not be able to increase the commission fees you offer. In this case, you can still negotiate with an affiliate who asks for a raise or, if you can’t provide them with an alternative, politely decline their request and explain why you are doing so. We have prepared a few email templates that you can use to deny a commission increase request in both cases.
Before we present these templates, let’s discuss incentives other than an increased commission rate that you can offer your affiliates.
Affiliate incentives besides commission
As already said, commission rates usually motivate affiliates the most, but you can also win their engagement by offering things like gifts, merchandise, discounts, or coupons for them to use. Sending them your products or giving access to your services for free can really work wonders. As they spend lots of time promoting your offerings, they probably like them already and would be happy to try them out.
Discounts and coupons work in the same way – affiliates can use them to buy goods you offer, choosing the items they are the most interested in. This is also a great way to build brand loyalty among your publishers, showing them that they are a valued part of your business, not just a source of conversions.
You can also incentivize affiliates by offering them exclusive coupons and deals for their target audience. The fact that their followers will be getting an exclusive deal will work as recognition and motivation too.
Subject lines of an email declining a commission increase request
- Answer to your commission increase request
- Thank you for your commission increase request
- We have reviewed your commission increase request
- The result of your commission increase request
- We can’t increase your commission just now, but we have something else for you
Emails declining a commission increase request 1
Hello [name],
I’m [email sender’s name and position], and I’m responsible for managing [affiliate program name].
I want to let you know that we received your commission increase request, but unfortunately for now we have to decline it. At the same time, we want to stress that we recognize your contribution to developing [affiliate program name]. Please be sure that if we plan any commission increases in the future, you will be among those affiliates whose fees will be raised.
Best,
[email sender’s name and position]
Email declining a commission increase request 2
Hey [name],
We received your question about a commission raise.
Unfortunately, we can’t increase your commission rate right now. However, to recognize your contribution to the growth of [company name], we want to offer exclusive discounts for your followers.
Please select the three most popular items that your audience loves and we will send you promo codes that you can share with them.
We’re waiting to hear from you!
Cheers,
The [affiliate program name] Team
Email declining a commission increase request 3
Hey [name]!
We got your message asking for a commission increase. You should know that we increase commissions for our affiliates periodically, typically every six months, and so we can’t make any exceptions here.
However, to show that we recognize your work for [affiliate program name], we would like to send you a package full of our branded goodies. How does that sound?
Please let us know – if you like the idea, we can post a package to you as early as later today!
Best,
The [affiliate program name] Team
Email declining a commission increase request 4
Hello [name],
My name is [sender’s name], and I’m a [affiliate program name] manager.
One of our team members forwarded me your email with a commission increase request.
I want to stress that we really appreciate your work for us, but at this moment we can’t increase your commission rate.
We review our commission every six months, and this is when we decide whether or not to increase the rates.
The next review will be happening in [X] months, and you can be sure that your commission rate will be thoroughly assessed according to your performance during that process.
Best,
[email sender’s name and position]
Email declining a commission increase request 5
Dear [name],
We want to inform you that your commission increase request was declined.
At [affiliate program name], we have a policy and a dedicated process of commission rates and performance reviews that we perform [monthly/quarterly/bi-annually/annually].
This time your results didn’t qualify to earn a commission raise.
Please check a detailed description of the review process below and see what aspects we consider when reviewing commission rates. [link to the description]
If you are wondering how you can improve your performance to meet a commission increase criteria next time, don’t hesitate to contact your mentor at [affiliate program name].
Best,
[email sender’s name and position]
