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How to find podcasters and review sites to become affiliates

Jimi Barkway · 20 October 2026 · 7 min read

Search "best [your category] tools" to find review sites, and search your category's keywords in Listen Notes to find podcasts. Then keep only the ones that already promote your competitors, because they've shown they'll take a commission or a sponsor read.

An affiliate is someone with an audience who sends buyers to your product and earns a cut of each sale. Review sites and podcasts are two of the best places to find them. They work very differently, so this guide covers each half on its own.

What is a review site, and why do they make good affiliates?

A review site is a website that ranks or compares products. You'll know the formats: "Best invoicing tools for freelancers", "Tool A vs Tool B", and roundup posts that list ten options.

They make good affiliates for one reason. Their readers are already comparing tools and ready to buy. A visitor who lands on "best CRM for small teams" isn't browsing. They're choosing.

Most of these sites earn money from affiliate links. The writer adds a link for each tool. When a reader buys through it, the site gets the commission.

How do you search for review sites in your category?

Use plain Google searches. Swap in your own category and your competitors' names.

Open every result that isn't a vendor's own blog. Write down the site, the author and the date.

Skip the first-page results from big brands if you can't tell who runs them. Small, specialist sites are far easier to reach and more likely to say yes.

How can you tell if a review site is still active?

Check four things before you spend time on a pitch.

1. A recent date. A post updated in the last six months beats one from 2021. Many sites show "last updated" near the title.
2. An affiliate disclosure. Look for a line such as "we may earn a commission". The US Federal Trade Commission says a material connection, such as a financial relationship, should be disclosed next to the endorsement itself (checked 20 October 2026). So an honest affiliate site will say so on the page.
3. Other tools listed. If the list names five of your competitors, the author is open to adding a sixth.
4. Recent posts elsewhere on the site. An abandoned blog sends no one.

Drop any site that fails the first and last checks.

How do review sites get paid?

Most earn a commission when a reader clicks a tracked link and buys. Some take a flat fee instead. A flat fee is one fixed payment for the listing, whether anyone buys or not. Some do both.

You can tell which by looking at the links. If the "Try it" button goes through a long address with a tag such as ?ref= or ?via=, it's a commission link. If it goes straight to the home page, the site may be unpaid, or paid some other way.

A commission link is good news. It means the site already knows how an affiliate deal works.

How do you pitch a review site for a spot in an existing list?

Don't ask them to "review your product". Offer a small change to a page they already own.

1. Find the exact post and name it in your first line.
2. Say what's missing. For example: "Your list covers five tools but not ours, which does X for Y."
3. Say what they'd earn, as a number. For example: "30% of every payment, for 12 months."
4. Offer a free account so they can test it.
5. Ask one question: "Want me to send a login?"

The full email structure is in our affiliate recruitment email guide. What to put in the offer is in what to offer affiliates.

Send it to the author if you can find their name. Otherwise use a role address such as partnerships@ or hello@.

How do you find podcasts that could promote you?

Podcasts are a different kind of audience. The listener trusts the host, and the host reads your offer out loud. That trust is the whole value.

Start by searching your category and your buyer's job in the apps. Type words like "SaaS founders", "ecommerce" or "freelance design" into Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Look at shows that interview founders or review tools.

Then go one step deeper with Listen Notes, a podcast search engine. It says it holds 3,825,434 podcasts and 195,918,212 episodes, and lets you search show notes and transcripts for people, places and topics (site figures, checked 20 October 2026). Search your competitor's name there. Every episode that mentions them shows up.

Guest directories help too. Many podcasts list guest requests in public directories. Founders who've been guests often name their favourite shows on their own sites.

How do you spot a podcast that already runs sponsor reads and promo codes?

Listen to the first and last two minutes of three recent episodes. Sponsor reads sit there most often.

Also read the show notes. Hosts put the links and codes there, under headings such as "Sponsors" or "Offers".

Here's what to look for:

• A promo code such as "use code SHOW20". That's a trackable deal.
• A vanity link such as brand.com/showname. That's a unique link for one show.
• A named sponsor in the notes. If the show lists your competitor, the host takes sponsors.

Write down the competitor, the episode and the date. That's your proof for the first email.

What's the difference between a host-read ad and an affiliate code?

A host-read ad is when the host speaks your pitch in their own words. It's usually paid up front, either as a flat fee or per thousand listeners. An affiliate code pays the host only when a listener buys. Many shows mix both.

For a new program, an affiliate code is the lower-risk start. You pay only for sales. Many hosts will still want a guaranteed fee, so be ready to say no or to test one episode.

Hosts must disclose a paid relationship, too. The FTC advises using simple words like "ad" or "sponsored" next to the endorsement itself (checked 20 October 2026, same page as above).

How do you reach the host?

Check the show's own website first. Most have a "work with us" or "sponsor" page. After that, look in the show notes and the RSS feed description for a booking address. Then try a partnerships@ or hello@ address on the show's domain.

Keep the email short. Name the episode where they read a rival's ad. Say what you'd pay. Offer a free account. Ask one question.

Review sites or podcasts: which should you start with?

For most small SaaS teams, start with review sites. They cost nothing until someone buys. Add podcasts once you have an offer that's converting.

How does RecruitAffiliates.ai find both?

It reads your website and suggests your competitors. Then it finds the websites, blogs, review sites, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, and Instagram and TikTok creators already promoting them. Each one comes with the page that shows it, such as the roundup where your rival is listed or the episode that mentions them.

It ranks them so the best fits sit at the top. It also spots which affiliate networks a site already uses, from its tracking links. You get their email and the page it came from. The method matches the free one in how to find affiliates for your SaaS, done for you.

In short

Where do I find review sites that would become affiliates?

Search "best [category] tools" and "[competitor] alternatives" in Google. Keep sites with a recent date, an affiliate disclosure and rivals already listed.

How do I find podcasts in my niche?

Search your category in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, then in Listen Notes. Listen Notes searches show notes and transcripts, so a competitor's name pulls up every episode that mentions it.

How do I know a podcast takes sponsors?

Listen to the start and end of recent episodes, then read the show notes. Promo codes, vanity links and a "Sponsors" heading all point to a host who takes deals.

Should I pay a flat fee or a commission?

Start with commission, because you pay only when someone buys. Agree a flat fee only for a test episode you can measure.

We find your first 20 emails free. It's 14 days free, no card.

Sources

• FTC, Disclosures 101 for social media influencers: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers (checked 20 October 2026)
• Listen Notes home page, database figures and transcript search: https://www.listennotes.com/ (checked 20 October 2026)