I have used PM’s in the past to contact people on the forum but I think I only did it after a period of time when people got to know who I was and who I worked for.
Failing that I related the PM to a thread I had read that involved that affiliate so that the offer that you are trying to communicate relates and is less spammy.
Did I just give away my secret to appearing less spammy? D’oh!
It is a tough call and one that is finely balanced, you could make a lot of new contacts or you could become the devil?
I know from my side when the boss keeps pushing you for more signup’s and you say you have contacted them, and they say contact them again it can put the affiliate manager in a tricky situation. Both affiliates and affiliate managers need to understand the view from either side of the fence.
Remember also that almost every program has managers doing the same thing all day every day and I am sure it can get very annoying! Kinda like those guys that knock at your door and read a section out of the bible to you without even knowing your faith!