A partner with no recorded sales might be waiting for a product to return to stock, sending clicks that aren't converting or publishing in a different category altogether. Those situations need different responses. Before offering everyone a commission increase, work out what your report actually says and what you still need to learn.
Define inactivity before counting dormant partners
Choose a review period and distinguish no recorded clicks, clicks without recorded actions and a decline from previously recorded activity. Check whether the reporting and integration cover the placements being reviewed. impact.com's Performance by Partner Group documentation includes metrics such as clicks, actions, revenue and costs, with date filters. Those columns can help describe activity; they do not reveal a partner's motivation or certify why a number is zero.
Look for the obstacle a partner could actually fix
Imagine a fictional garden-tool brand reviewing a once-active publisher. Its seasonal guide still sends readers to a discontinued product, while a current article covers a relevant gardening task. The useful preparation is to verify an appropriate replacement destination, stock information and accurate product details. This is an illustrative review, not an observed publisher problem or proof that a new link will generate a sale. Confirm what changed before deciding what help to offer.
A different partner might have joined but never published a placement. That record calls for a check of onboarding and fit, not an accusation that they abandoned the brand. Review what guidance and assets were available, and whether the proposed audience still matches the product. If a partner no longer covers the category or has asked not to be contacted, a larger bonus doesn't solve the mismatch.
Prepare something more useful than a generic nudge
For the fictional garden publisher, a relevant re-engagement plan could identify the updated destination, the product facts to check and the specific guide that may need attention. Let the publisher decide whether it still serves readers. Avoid inventing a reason they went quiet or promising that another partner's results will repeat for them. Any actual contact should follow the program's permitted communication process and the recipient's preferences.
Offer an incentive only when there is a commercial reason for it. Define the work or qualifying outcome, period, exclusions and approval process, then check the cost against your economics. A blanket 20% or 30% increase can pay more for activity that would have resumed anyway. It can also fail to address an unavailable product, a poor landing page or an unanswered support question. Diagnose the issue before pricing a remedy.
Keep the recovery denominator visible
Consider a fictional review of 25 quiet partner records. After checking current fit and communication eligibility, the team has 20 suitable records for a permitted campaign. If four later publish a relevant placement, that is four out of 20 in the campaign group, or 20%. It is four out of 25 in the original review, or 16%. Neither percentage is an industry recovery rate. Replies, placements, clicks, approved sales and profit are different outcomes and should be reported separately.
Even when activity resumes after a campaign, timing alone does not prove the campaign caused it. Seasonality, restocking or another promotion may contribute. Record what changed, what it cost and what evidence supports the result. The earlier article's inactivity, churn and recovery percentages, universal subject-line claim and fixed July-era cutoff were unsupported or stale and have been removed. The useful goal is a relevant relationship with an observable next step, not a flattering recovery statistic.