Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup

Affiliate is getting a lot more attention in DTC right now, and for good reason. In this episode, Yash Chavan, Founder and CEO of SATHI & SARAL, breaks down why the channel looks so attractive on paper, where it falls apart in practice, and what brands can do to make it perform like a real growth engine.

Claim your free trial and 20% across all pricing plans at mysathi.io. Don’t forget to use the code DTC! Request your free trial: http://www.mysathi.io/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=dtc&utm_campaign=dtc-podcast

We get into:

• Why affiliate is attractive to operators and finance teams
• How last-click attribution distorts performance data
• What affiliate fraud actually looks like inside a real program
• How to think about multi-touch attribution by product category
• Why gamification matters if you want creators to stay active
• How affiliate fits alongside Meta, TikTok, and retargeting

What to steal:

• Run a fraud scan on your current affiliate program and check for leaked codes
• Build commission tiers and milestone bonuses to keep strong creators engaged
• Choose an attribution model based on how your product actually gets bought

If you’re a DTC marketer, founder, or growth lead trying to lower CAC, improve measurement, and build a more durable acquisition program, this episode is essential listening.

Timestamps

00:00 Affiliate marketing explained

02:00 Why affiliate is hard to scale

04:00 The problem with last-click attribution

06:00 Affiliate fraud examples and risks

09:00 Influencers shifting to affiliate models

11:00 Why reels + links change everything

13:00 How modern affiliate tracking works

16:00 Multi-touch attribution strategies

19:00 Retargeting affiliate traffic

21:00 Gamifying affiliate programs

24:00 How to start and scale affiliates

27:00 Program hygiene and key metrics

30:00 Where affiliate fits in your funnel

33:00 The future of affiliate marketing

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup

Advertise on DTC – https://dtcnews.link/advertise

Work with Pilothouse – https://dtcnews.link/pilothouse

Follow us on Instagram & Twitter – @dtcnewsletter

Watch this interview on YouTube – https://dtcnews.link/video