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RecruitAffiliates.ai vs doing it by hand
You can find affiliates yourself. Most founders start with Google and a spreadsheet. Here's what that takes, and what the tool does instead.
Facts about By hand checked 24 September 2026. Sources at the foot of the page.
The short answer
By hand, you search Google and YouTube, copy each site into a sheet, and hunt for an email. RecruitAffiliates.ai does the searching, finds the email, and sends a three-step email from your inbox. Hiring an affiliate manager in the US costs about $95,000 a year, by Indeed's figures.
Side by side
| Topic | By hand | RecruitAffiliates.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Finding who promotes tools like yours | Search Google and YouTube for your rivals' names plus "review" or "alternatives". Open each result. | Type your website. It searches your rivals' names for you. The first matches arrive in about five minutes. |
| Keeping track | A spreadsheet. One row a site, a column for status, updated by you. | A board. Each affiliate moves when they reply. |
| Getting the email | Contact pages, About pages, the YouTube About tab. Many hide it. | A verified email, with role inboxes like partnerships@ tried first. |
| Following up | A reminder to yourself, then a second email written from scratch. | Three emails, spaced out. They stop when someone replies. |
| Hiring someone | An affiliate manager in the US earns about $95,343 a year on average. [1] | Launch is $99 a month. You still write to them yourself. |
| Paying an agency | One affiliate platform sells recruiting from $2,500 a month, three months minimum. [2] | Grow is $249 a month, with 5 seats. |
7 days free. No card.
What happens after they reply?
By hand
- The reply sits in your inbox. You update the sheet and agree terms by email.
RecruitAffiliates.ai
- Replies land in one inbox, and the affiliate moves on the board by itself.
- You write the deal down: the commission and the offer. Each change keeps a version.
- Once terms are agreed, the app shows you how to track their sales and pay them.
What doing it by hand does well
- It costs nothing but your time.
- You read every site yourself, so you know each one well.
- A good manager brings contacts you'd never find in a search.
Moving on from a spreadsheet
- Keep your spreadsheet. Nothing here replaces it on day one.
- Start your trial and type your website. The first matches arrive in about five minutes.
- Paste the sites you already work with into your exclusions. An exclusion is someone the scan won't show you as new.
- Connect your inbox, so replies and old threads sit together.
Questions
Can I find affiliates without a tool?
Yes. Search your rivals' names with "review" or "alternatives" on Google and YouTube. Note who writes about them, then find an email. A tool does the same steps faster.
How much does an affiliate manager cost?
In the US, about $95,343 a year on average. That's Indeed's figure from 206 job ads, updated 18 September 2026.
Sources
- https://www.indeed.com/career/affiliate-manager/salaries, checked 24 September 2026
- https://getreditus.com/pricing, checked 24 September 2026
Find the affiliates who'd promote your SaaS
Type your website. Your first 20 affiliates free.
7 days free. No card.