01
Can partners help us hit our revenue target?
Short answer: yes, if the economics work. So start from your target and work backwards to how many partners you actually need.
Your partner marketing, finally in good hands.
I'm Paulo, founder of Ref=Partner. I build affiliate, creator and partnership programs for B2B SaaS that win paying customers for a fraction of paid-media costs and get your brand cited in AI answers.
Expect an honest talk with no fluff and no strings attached.
10 years
building and growing partner programs in SaaS
Trusted by leading brands
What I do
Your whole partner channel, from first plan to paid commission.
Start with one piece or hand me all of it. Each engagement is scoped to where your program is today.
01
Partner strategy
Which partners to bet on, how to pay them and what revenue to expect, mapped to your revenue target.
02
Program audit
A deep look at an existing program: who is active, what converts, where commissions leak and what to fix first.
03
Partner recruitment
Finding and signing affiliates, agencies, resellers and tech partners whose audience already matches your buyers.
04
Creator campaigns
Sourcing YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok creators, negotiating deals, briefing and activating content that converts.
05
Program management
Onboarding, enablement, payouts and day-to-day partner relationships, run for you from launch onwards.
06
Attribution & reporting
Tracking every partner and creator to sign-ups, trials, revenue and AI citations, allowing you to justify the ROI.
The problem
Partners are on your roadmap. The business case isn't clear yet.
Before you hire anyone, you need to know whether partners will move your numbers, how soon, and what they'll cost. Here's the proof from real campaigns first, then straight answers to the four questions I hear on almost every first call.
90 paying customers from three creators.
Every sign-up and customer tracked. Paid media cost €800+ per customer as a benchmark.
Flat fee
Cost per paying customer
~$154
~5× cheaper than ads
5 videos28
paying customers
500+
sign-ups
$4.3k
spend
A
5 sponsored videos
YouTuber A
Flat fee
Cost per paying customer
~$58
10×+ cheaper than ads
1 video13
paying customers
171
sign-ups
$750
spend
1 sponsored video
YouTuber B
100% commission
Upfront cost
$0
creator paid only on revenue
6 videos50
paying customers
446
sign-ups
$0
upfront
C
6 videos, no flat fee
YouTuber C
Creators vs Paid Ads, side by side
| Paid ads | Creators Highest ROI | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per paying customer | €800+ | ~$58 to ~$154, or commission only |
| How you pay | Per click or impression, win or lose | Flat fee, commission on results, or a mix |
| When the budget stops | Traffic stops the same day | Videos and posts keep bringing sign-ups for months |
| AI visibility | No effect on what AI assistants cite | Partner content winning AI citations every month |
| Trust | Buyers know it's an ad | A recommendation from a voice they already follow |
| Speed to launch | Live in days | First campaigns live in 4 to 8 weeks |
Win AI visibility
AI assistants don't quote your homepage. They cite what others write about you: listicles, comparisons, reviews and videos. That's exactly what affiliates and creators produce.
ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
PerplexityRecent client · AI citations by source · Timeframe: 2 months
~250k
AI citations of the brand
16%
from creator & affiliate content
- 16%Creators & affiliates
- 36%Competitors
- 36%Long tail, independent small sites
- 8%Brand's own website
- 4%Reddit, earned PR and other
2× the brand's own content.
Partners got cited twice as often as everything the brand published itself.
How I work
A senior expert, without adding new headcount.
- 01
Intro call: your numbers, my honesty.
We go through your targets, sales motion and budget. Free, and you'll leave with a clearer picture either way. No fluff.
- 02
Proposal and kickoff.
You get a concrete proposal with the scope narrowed down: what I'll do, when, and what it costs. Once you say yes, we build the plan together. You set the direction, I do the heavy lifting.
- 03
I run it. You see the numbers.
One single point of contact for strategy, partners, creators and attribution, with regular reporting against your target.
Pricing
Starting at
€2,150
Every project is priced on its scope, from a one-off audit to running your whole program. You get a clear quote after a free intro call.
Contact me →Need a quick second opinion? Book a 1-hour strategy session for €250.
Bring one specific problem, leave with answers and a short written follow-up. Credited in full if we start a project within 30 days.
Book a session →Hear it from clients and partners
The people I've worked with say it best.
“He single-handedly owned the full cycle of our Affiliate & Creators program. It is rare to find someone who can seamlessly bridge strategic partner management with hands-on operational problem-solving. Paulo delivers results without needing hand-holding.”
“Working with Paulo has been a real pleasure. He has great taste, and vision, for marketing campaigns. I've learned that Paulo is honest, responsive, and clear with the objectives of his company and clients.”
“I've worked with Paulo for over two years building and scaling Usercentrics' affiliate and influencer programs. What impresses me most is the ownership he takes. Give him goals and direction, and he immediately knows what needs to happen to deliver results. Paulo built our affiliate program from zero to over 1,000 partners and 25% YoY revenue growth, and built influencer content that has us showing up in AI citations.”
“I have been working with Paulo for two years now. He coordinates my creator partnership with Usercentrics and every single interaction has been a pleasure. Paulo is very reliable and fast in acting. That makes a partnership easy, and it lets me focus on creating content instead of managing communication and logistics.”
Straight answers
The four questions every marketing leader asks.
02
How fast can we grow?
Short answer: you'll see leading signals within weeks and partner revenue within months. Your sales cycle sets the pace, and partners compound over time.
03
How much budget do we need for influencers?
Short answer: less than you think to test, and you decide how much is fixed and how much is paid only on results. Start small, measure, then scale what converts.
04
Which partners should we work with first?
Short answer: the ones your buyers already trust at the moment they decide to buy. That depends on how you sell.
FAQ
Good to know before you book a call.
Bring your target.
I'll show you what partners can do for it.
Tell me your goals, how you sell and your budget. You'll get honest answers, whether you hire me or not.