We are so proud of the people we work with and the content they create. However, we’ve found that many of you have had questions about how our program works, and how you can get involved, so we’ve taken the time to create a post that will hopefully answer your questions. We want to let you know, that we never ask for our partners to push products, or create specific content. Our affiliates create their own unique content without our influence, and we want to keep it that way. Your followers follow you because of YOU, not because of the people you partner with. So, with that in mind, let’s dig in! 

We love content!

We love seeing the original, unique and daring content that the Trading Card community creates. The social platforms available to us have very much become a creative outlet for the millions of people around the world. This thrills us. Content creators help this exciting industry thrive and keep it alive, interactive and fresh.

We see creators fine tuning their styles and building their brands, one follower at a time, and we applaud those who are dedicated to doing so. The team at Zephyr understands the time and diligence required to grow an organic following. We continue to do this every day across all of our platforms. It’s no easy feat. Building an audience is hard and laborious, but oh-so-rewarding. When you start to realize that you are cultivating a community within a larger community – it makes any negative comment or criticism seem small in comparison.

So, if you take nothing else from this article, please understand that we are proud of the people who are dedicated to their channels.

How our program works

At Zephyr, we work on an affiliate model, which uses link sharing to track website referrals. Reimbursement is based onconversions (sales resulting from your unique referral link). When someone clicks the link from your site and buys something from Zephyr Epic you get a percentage of the sale in the form of store credit/coupon codes. Conversions are monitored by our team, and any attempts to mislead conversion values result in immediate expulsion from the program.

The referral model is simple and easy to use, and is a great introduction to new partners and the Zephyr Brand.

What we don’t do

Our most commonly asked question is “can you send me some free stuff”.

We’ll get in to why this tactic should be avoided altogether later, but it also brings up a great point, and common misconception about how our program works.

We do not send free product to content creators we do not have an agreement with.

Anyone expressing interest in partnering with us must do so using our affiliate model.

The exception? Our partners who we have worked with for an extended period of time, sometimes receive benefits like products etc. as a bonus. They are not mandatory, but we love to reward people who are working hard and doing an awesome job.  

As such, we do not offer product in exchange for promotion, but rather share product as an additional perk for our long-term partners.

Who we work with

As a general guideline, we work with social influencers who have a minimum of two thousand followers/subscribers on their primary social channel.

We do this because, by that point you will have developed clear branding for your channel, and attracted a unique audience that understands and enjoys your specific content. At Zephyr we look for brand alignment first – as opposed to revenue potential – as our partners are one’s that we hope to grow with in the long-term.

What we look for

Everyone has a unique style of creating content, and it is your personality and branding that makes your channel attractive to your followers.

However, some channels just don’t match with our brand. Zephyr is a positive, inclusive and fun brand. We want the best for our customers and we go above and beyond to deliver great experiences every single time. We fight for our community by delivering high quality content, great products and kick-ass customer service.

As such, we want to partner with like minded individuals. Positivity and inclusiveness are highly covetable qualities. We want to work with people who are excited about collecting and supportive of the brands we carry.

We get this is not everyone’s style, and that’s totally fine! It just means we may not be the best fit for you.

Advice to content creators

Your content is your work, so you should present it to any brand with a sense of professionalism.

If you are serious about working with a brand, create a proposal that a brand will take seriously. You may be sending a DM over instagram, but you’re reaching out to a real-life human whose job it is to screen said proposals.

To make things easy, we’ve made a list of our top 6 pieces of advice to aspiring Affiliates.

1. Apply to the Affiliate program using the method specified by the brand

For us, you can apply using the affiliate link here: https://zephyrepic.refersion.com/. DMs on Facebook and Instagram show us that you haven’t done your research in to how our Affiliate program works.

2. Don’t ask for freebies

Most companies have a marketing budget which accounts for things like giveaways, contests etc. There is also usually a budget for influencer marketing. If you come on as an affiliate, and you show us that you are a great partner, odds are you will eventually benefit from that budget. However, you have to give it time and show your partner that you are committed to building that relationship.

3. Include as much pertinent information about yourself as possible, but keep the personal details to a minimum

Use links that take us directly to your channel. This way the reader doesn’t waste their time trying to find you. Your account name may not appear in the search results, so make sure to include it.

It may sound harsh, but try to keep the gushing to a minimum. Be factual, and show your brand. We appreciate that everyone has a story, but at this point it’s more important to learn about your brand and if you are a fit.

4. Be Patient

Zephyr receives dozens of requests a week, which is so exciting and we can’t believe how many awesome people want to support us! However, because of the sheer volume of requests, it can take a bit of time to sift through the applications.

Give us 1-2 weeks to get back to you, and if you haven’t heard from us at that point, follow-up with a reminder email.

We’ve had people follow-up with very rude emails asking why we haven’t responded after a day or two, so please be aware that this results in an immediate dismissal of your application. We don’t want to work with people who think it’s okay to be rude to other people.

5. Show us why we want to work with you

You and your followers think your content is awesome – and we want to know why! What makes you unique? Tell or show us! Got a video you’re especially proud of? Some follower feedback you think is pretty cool? Show us!

6. Keep in contact

A lot of the time, our affiliate requests come from creators who are still new and growing. At that point, they may not be a fit, but it doesn’t mean that is the case forever.

We want you to circle back with us in the coming years and share updates on your channel. We genuinely want to support you, and if it takes a few years to get that point, great! Let’s talk then!

Are you ready to become an affiliate? If you are, head over here to apply: https://zephyrepic.com/pages/affiliate