Selling the Lifestyle, Not Just Bars: How Influencers Drive 40% of Revenue for The Carnivore Bar

Summary

CHALLENGE.

Runs on tight margins from premium grass-fed ingredients, with no budget for traditional advertising.
Needed to reach the right audience: people who share its real-food mission.
Wanted advocates who genuinely use the product, not deal hunters.

SOLUTION.

Recruits aligned creators through targeted outreach on Instagram, TikTok, and X.
Sends free samples first, then invites fans to join the program.
Rewards performance with tiered commissions (10% rising to 15%).

RESULTS.

Grew affiliates from 50 to 500 in just over a year.
Affiliates now drive 40% of total revenue.
Targets 1,000 affiliates next.

LESSONS.

Recruit partners who already share your brand’s values and mission.
Sample your product first so affiliates promote from real experience.
Use tiered commissions to reward top performers without overspending.
Lean on performance-based pay when ad budgets are tight.

The Carnivore Bar is a modern take on pemmican, the traditional Native American food made of dehydrated beef, salt, and animal fat. Their protein bars use just three ingredients: grass-fed beef, salt, and tallow.

The bars suit specialized diets and busy lives, appealing to travelers, outdoor enthusiasts, and professionals who want a convenient, wholesome meal replacement.

Military personnel are a key audience. The founder, a veteran, created the bar with service members in mind and offers them a 20% discount, part of a mission to bring real, nutrient-dense food to those who serve.

Why did affiliate marketing fit The Carnivore Bar?

For The Carnivore Bar, affiliate marketing wasn’t just a sales channel. It matched both the brand’s mission and their budget.

Selling a lifestyle, not just bars

The brand’s mission runs deeper than protein bars. They want to bring real food back into people’s lives, which made values-aligned influencers a natural fit.

Partnering with creators who already shared those beliefs let the brand carry their message to exactly the right audience.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about selling the bar itself. It’s about selling the lifestyle around it – removing sugar from your diet and letting go of the taste for fake foods,” said Joshua Perrault, Marketing Director at The Carnivore Bar.

That shared purpose is the foundation everything else is built on.

A budget-friendly model on a platform that fit

Affiliate marketing was also practical. With tight margins from premium grass-fed ingredients, the small business couldn’t afford the upfront cost of traditional advertising.

Paying influencers on performance meant spending only on actual sales. The Carnivore Bar chose UpPromote for its simplicity and efficiency.

“Compared to other brands, yours is the most streamlined. I really like how easy it is – no need for excessive permissions. And your customer support is just amazing,” Joshua shared.

Low overhead and an easy tool let a lean team run the program without friction.

How does The Carnivore Bar find the right partners?

The brand treats recruitment as relationship-building, starting with outreach and a no-pressure taste test.

Reach out to aligned creators

Most outreach happens on Instagram, TikTok, and X, where the team targets people in the carnivore and animal-based communities who match their mission.

“We actually have an active campaign where I reach out to people who look like they would want to try us out,” Joshua explained.

That intentional targeting keeps the network full of genuine believers.

Sample first, sign up second

Rather than open sign-ups, which tend to attract coupon sites and deal hunters, The Carnivore Bar sends free samples and waits. The brand wants advocates who have actually tried the product and want to champion it.

The opening message is low-key, simply offering to send some bars to try.

“Hey, have you tried our product before? If not, we’d love to send you some to try,” reads the team’s typical note.

UpPromote also lets merchants automate sending gifts to new affiliates or send samples to standout partners. Only creators who love the bars are invited to join.

How does The Carnivore Bar reward their influencers?

Using UpPromote, the brand built several programs with different commission rates. Standard influencers start at 10%, rising to 15% once they consistently drive strong sales.

Tiering rewards top performers without stretching a small budget, and newcomers begin at a manageable rate and earn their way up. Joshua notes he will sometimes go higher to keep a key affiliate on board.

“As a small business, we don’t have a big budget… we usually raise the commission to 15% or 20% to keep the affiliate or influencer on board. That way… they can earn more just by shouting us out,” Joshua added.

That flexibility lets the brand stay competitive on payouts without upfront fees.

How does The Carnivore Bar support their influencers?

The brand keeps influencers informed and aligned with their mission. Each month, it shares detailed updates on ingredients, their health benefits, and how the bars fit an animal-based lifestyle.

Influencers are free to promote in their own authentic voice, through testimonials, videos, and social posts.

The Carnivore Bar even trades free products, like a box of bars, for content. Even without immediate sales, that content builds awareness in the niche.

What results has The Carnivore Bar achieved?

The program has grown fast. In just over a year, the affiliate base expanded from 50 to 500 members, with a goal of reaching 1,000 next.

Affiliates now drive 40% of the company’s total revenue.

Beyond the numbers, the brand has built a loyal community of advocates who believe in the product and their mission, a foundation for their continued growth.