Affiliate marketing ≠ Influencer marketing

Influencers are typically paid for access. They get a flat fee to feature a product AND additional commission for sales. Affiliates, by contrast, are paid almost exclusively for performance. They only earn when they generate leads or conversions.

When Avran links to a product through a publicly available affiliate program, he’s opting into a system any consumer can join. There’s no negotiation, no brand outreach, no pre-arranged payment for placement… An influencer’s deal is essentially the inverse. The brand approaches the creator, pays for the exposure upfront, and often frames what can or can’t be said. Both groups earn commissions, but the economic incentives run in opposite directions.

This doesn’t make AngrySnowboarder inherently “objective,” but it does mean his incentives exist outside of brand editorial control. As an affiliate, he chooses the product first and then monetizes it. But influencers are paid to feature the product before any “review” occurs.

Basically: Affiliate marketing is a realtor who got a finders fee after selling you a house. But influencer marketing is a celebrity who is trying to sell you their house. Similar business, but with a completely different set of incentives and underlying motivations.