Ryan Hilliard, CEO of Refersion, and Jerome Mahilum, Influencer Marketing Manager at INTO THE AM, detailed how long-form YouTube content drives sustainable affiliate growth in a post for the Refersion Blog. While many direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands prioritize short-term content on TikTok or Instagram, Mahilum argues that YouTube’s searchability provides an advantage for performance-based partnerships.
INTO THE AM specializes in men’s basics and graphic tees. The brand spent six years refining a pipeline that moves creators from initial product seeding to long-term affiliate contracts. The strategy uses first-party data to identify niche communities that traditional marketing might overlook.
The Success of Niche Data
INTO THE AM avoids blind outreach by auditing customer surveys and internal data to find cross-sections between buyers and specific hobbies. A recent campaign targeted the miniature painting community. After realizing their customers shared an interest in this artistic niche, the brand initiated affiliate testing with small YouTube creators in that space.
The test proved lucrative. The high-detail nature of miniature painting aligned with the brand’s artistic graphic tees. By using this data, the brand enters markets with high engagement and low competition from other advertisers.
A Three-Stage Scaling Pipeline
The brand utilizes a multi-tier stage for onboarding creators to manage financial risk and performance. This process begins with product seeding to verify aesthetic fit. Once established, creators move to a commission-only affiliate stage. INTO THE AM monitors click volume and conversion rates via Refersion during this phase.
Long-form video offers the real estate necessary to convey deep authenticity and capture a highly engaged audience
For top performers, the partnership transitions into a formal arrangement. This tiered system ensures the brand only invests flat fees into creators who have demonstrated a high Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) through the affiliate model.
Long-Form Content as an Asset
Unlike 15-second clips, long-form YouTube videos provide creators with time to build a narrative. Mahilum notes that this format allows for a structure where the creator remains authentic while the brand benefits from the video’s searchability over years.
INTO THE AM prioritizes creators who produce high-quality storytelling rather than those with the highest follower counts. This shift from transactional influencer marketing to a performance-based affiliate ecosystem allows the brand to scale its creator network.
Affilitizer Editorial Team
This article was created with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
