AI has become a working tool for media buyers: ad copy, banners, video, voice-over, pre-landers and stats analysis now take minutes instead of days. This guide lays out the full AI stack for affiliate marketing by task — with prices, a ready creative pipeline, a prompt formula and platform rules, so AI creatives don't get your ad accounts banned.
Why affiliates need AI tools
In affiliate marketing, whoever tests faster wins. Creatives burn out, offers and GEOs change, and every new setup needs a batch of test variants. AI covers three main pain points:
- Speed. Dozens of hooks, banners and videos a day instead of a week of a designer's work.
- Localisation. One creative quickly adapts to several GEOs: translation, voice-over in the local language, local context.
- Budget. A solo buyer can cover tasks that used to need a designer, an editor and a copywriter.
But AI doesn't replace understanding the numbers. Testing decides, not generation: a creative is judged by CTR, CR and ROI, not by how pretty it looks. How to test: Creatives for affiliate marketing: where to get them and how to test.
The full AI stack by task
Copy, ideas and scripts: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
Language models are the core of the stack. Buyers use them for hooks, ad copy, video scripts, pre-lander copy, translations and competitor analysis. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have free plans; Claude Pro, for example, is $20 a month on monthly billing.
What to give an LLM:
- 20–30 hooks of 6–8 words for one setup;
- a 15–30 second video script in 3 versions: problem, benefit, story;
- adapting copy to a GEO: language, currency, local holidays;
- breaking down competitors' creatives from spy tools: which hooks and offers repeat.
Images and banners: Midjourney, ChatGPT, Gemini, Ideogram
Midjourney is the image-quality standard, with plans from $10 a month (Basic) and no free plan. ChatGPT and Gemini also generate images — handy when you need to quickly tweak an existing picture with text. Ideogram is good when you need text right on the image.
For affiliate work, three things matter: the right format for the platform (1:1, 4:5, 9:16), readability on a small screen and no third-party brands or real people's faces.
Video: Kling, Runway, Veo
Video models animate images, make B-roll and short clips for TikTok, Reels and Shorts. According to the eesel review, Kling has free daily credits and paid plans from $10 a month (Standard). Runway has a free start with 125 credits, Standard at $15 a month and Pro at $35. Google Veo is available through Google's products.
Tip: generate short 5-second clips and assemble the video in an editor. It's cheaper and easier to control than generating a long video in one go.
Voice-over: ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs provides voices for videos in many languages. The free plan gives 10k credits a month; a commercial licence and instant voice cloning start from the Starter plan. Clone only your own voice or the voice of someone who has agreed to it.
Avatars and video localisation: HeyGen
HeyGen creates a "talking head" and translates existing videos with lip-sync. The free plan gives 3 videos a month up to 1 minute; Creator is $29 a month. It suits explainer videos and localising one creative for several GEOs.
Editing: CapCut
CapCut handles the final assembly: captions, cuts, music, 9:16 resizing. The free version covers most of a buyer's needs.
Landing pages and pre-landers: Lovable, v0, Bolt
AI builders create a page from a text description: you describe the structure and blocks, the AI writes the code. Lovable, v0 and Bolt all have free plans. Check the finished page for load speed and the mobile version, and the copy for platform compliance. Why you need a pre-lander at all: Pre-landers in affiliate marketing. If you need a PWA: PWA apps in affiliate marketing.
Analytics and automation
Export stats from your tracker or ad account as CSV and ask an LLM to find losing placements, the best setups and anomalies. It doesn't replace a tracker, but it saves hours of manual analysis. How to connect an AI agent directly to a Facebook ad account: Meta Ads MCP and CLI. Trackers: Trackers for affiliate marketing.
The creative pipeline: from idea to video
The tools work together as a pipeline. An example for a short video:
- Idea. Check competitors in a spy tool and ask an LLM for 20 hooks for your audience.
- Script. The LLM writes 3 versions of a 15–30 second script.
- Frames. Midjourney or Gemini generates key frames in 9:16.
- Video. Kling or Runway animates the frames as 5-second clips.
- Voice. ElevenLabs voices the script in the GEO's language.
- Edit. CapCut: captions, music, final resize.
- Test. Launch 5–10 variants and keep the ones that deliver CTR and conversions.
A step-by-step pipeline with prompts for the gambling vertical is in a separate article — AI creatives for gambling.
A prompt formula for media buyers
A weak prompt gives generic copy. A good prompt has six parts:
- Role — "you are a media buyer and copywriter in the … vertical".
- Product — the offer, main benefit, restrictions.
- Audience — GEO, language, age, pains and motives.
- Format — platform, length, aspect ratio, number of variants.
- Rules — no false promises, in line with platform policy.
- Example — 1–2 creatives that already worked.
Example: "You are a media buyer and copywriter. Product: an English-learning app with a 7-day free trial. Audience: Brazil, Portuguese, 25–40, want to change jobs. Write 10 hooks of 6–8 words for TikTok, with no promises of guaranteed results. Here's a hook that already worked: …".
Platform rules for AI creatives
AI is a tool, not a way around moderation. Platforms and regulators already have rules for synthetic content:
- Meta adds AI labels to ads — when its own generative tools are used and when third-party tools leave metadata (ContentGrip).
- TikTok requires labelling realistic synthetic content and bans AI likenesses of public figures in ads and endorsements, as well as likenesses of private people (Community Guidelines). Ads Manager has a separate "this ad contains AI-generated content" toggle (Cinerads).
- YouTube requires disclosing realistic altered or synthetic content — swapped faces, synthetic voices, realistic events (YouTube Blog).
- The FTC (US) has banned fake and AI-generated reviews and fake celebrity endorsements since 21 October 2024 (Sidley).
Never do this: deepfakes of celebrities, doctors or influencers, "reviews" from people who don't exist, cloning someone else's voice. It's a fast way to a banned account and, in some countries, legal liability. How not to lose an account: Facebook ad account trust and Facebook ad account banned.
What an affiliate's AI stack costs
- $0 to start. Free plans of ChatGPT or Claude, Gemini, Kling (daily credits), ElevenLabs (10k credits), HeyGen (3 videos), CapCut and Lovable.
- About $40–50 a month for a solo buyer. Claude Pro $20 + Midjourney Basic $10 + Kling Standard $10 + ElevenLabs Starter.
- From $150 a month for a team. Midjourney Standard $30 + Kling Pro $37 + Runway Pro $35 + HeyGen Creator $29 + an LLM seat for each person.
Pay only for what hits a limit. Video credits usually run out first. For starting with almost no money, see Affiliate marketing without investment.
Common mistakes
- Generating instead of testing. A hundred creatives that never launch give you zero conclusions.
- One prompt for everything. Without GEO, audience and an example, an LLM gives generic copy.
- Unlabelled "AI faces". A realistic synthetic person without disclosure risks ad rejection.
- Not doing the math. A beautiful video with a low CR loses to a simple banner. Use the formulas in Affiliate math.
FAQ
Which AI tool is best for affiliate marketing?
There's no single best one — you need a stack. ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for copy; Midjourney or ChatGPT and Gemini image generation for pictures; Kling or Runway for video; ElevenLabs for voice; CapCut for editing.
Can you make creatives with AI for free?
Yes, free plans are enough to start: LLMs, Kling, ElevenLabs, HeyGen and CapCut. Paying makes sense once you hit limits — usually on video.
Do AI creatives get banned?
Not for using AI as such. Bans come from violations: deepfakes of real people, fake reviews, false promises, and not disclosing realistic synthetic content where the platform requires it.
Do you need to label AI content in ads?
On TikTok and YouTube, realistic synthetic content must be disclosed, and TikTok Ads Manager has a dedicated toggle. Meta labels automatically based on its tools and metadata. Rules change — check the platform policy before launch.
Can you use a celebrity's voice or face?
No. It breaks platform rules and the person's rights, and in the US such endorsements are explicitly banned by the FTC rule. Use your own voice, stock avatars or people who have given consent.
Will AI replace media buyers?
No — it replaces routine. Choosing the offer, GEO and budget and making decisions from the numbers stays with the buyer. More on the job: Media buyer: who it is and what they earn.
Share prompts and setups in the Design and creative forum section, and follow new AI tools in our Telegram channel.
Sources: Claude — pricing, Midjourney — comparing plans, eesel — Kling AI pricing, Runway — pricing, ElevenLabs — pricing, HeyGen — pricing, ContentGrip — Meta AI ad labels, TikTok Community Guidelines, Cinerads — TikTok AI policy, YouTube — disclosing synthetic content, Sidley — FTC rule on fake reviews. Prices checked in October.
