Affiliate offer vs Link request

Why ask for a link when you offer an affiliate program?

[ken_b]

This could go in either the Adv/Affiliate Forum or the Link Dev Forum. I'll put it here because the affiliate aspect is really what I want to comment on.

If you offer an affiliate program, why send requests for link exchanges?

I'm talking about sites that are related enough that a possible affiliate deal could make sense.

If you think a site is good enough for a link exchange then maybe it's good enough for you affiliate program.

Or do affiliate operators think that the people the ask for links won't look at their site enough to see that they offer an affiliate program.

I've gotten a few of these link requests lately. Not going to happen.

But if the email had suggested an affiliate deal I might well have delined and put up a link anyhow.

It just strikes me as trying to get a link on the cheap, instead of offering the affiliate deal, which would cost the merchant of course.

Instead the merchant site gets neither a link or an affiliate.

Maybe I'm off base on my thinking.

[rfung]

I think any merchant who asks for a link exchange really is a low end merchant, and probably someone I wouldn't want to be affiliated with.