The Partnership Journal: Explore Canva Partners

Visual content is crucial in capturing attention and conveying messages effectively, especially on social media. That’s why Canva, a leading graphic design platform hailing from Australia, has revolutionized how individuals and businesses create stunning visuals. 

Founded by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams in 2013, Canva currently has over 135 million users, and 30 million Canva Pro subscribers, in over 190 countries. Small businesses, startups, and big corporations like Microsoft can leverage the power of visual communication. 

But, thanks to its partnership strategy, Canva's reach and impact extend beyond its user-friendly and drag-and-drop design tools. While user experience and functionality are important (a good product is non-negotiable for true growth), Canva took the extra step to grow their revenue and acquire new users through partnerships. 

Let’s take a closer look into how Canva’s strategic partnerships contributed to the platform's worldwide success, empowering creators everywhere, in this case study.

Canva Partners

Canva's partnership programs are a testament to its commitment to providing users with a comprehensive design experience. To date, Canva has over 450 partners and 12,000 affiliates. By collaborating with industry-leading brands, Canva expands its offerings and provides users access to an extensive library of resources. 

From fonts to premium templates and integrations, Canva's partnerships enhance the creative possibilities for its users. Let’s dive in and explore Canva’s diverse partner ecosystem.

1. Canva Print Partnerships

Canva Print is an exciting addition to Canva's suite of creative tools, allowing users to bring their designs to life in physical form. There are two types of Canva Print partnerships.

Collection Partner 

Canva Print collaborates with trusted printing companies, such as Staples Canada, to ensure high-quality printing and timely delivery of products. Whether it’s business cards, flyers, posters, or custom merchandise, Canva Print enables users to transform digital designs into tangible, professional-grade materials seamlessly. Canva lists collection partners on their platform and drives Canva customers to pick up their prints at collection partners’ stores.

Print Service Providers (PSPs)

By partnering with Canva, Print Service Providers (PSPs) gain access to a vast user base of creative professionals, entrepreneurs, and individuals seeking top-notch printing services. This partnership opens up new avenues for PSPs to showcase their expertise, expand their customer reach, and establish themselves as trusted providers of high-quality printed materials in their business area. Canva Print's partnership with PSPs enhances the overall user experience, making it easier than ever to bring creative visions to life in physical form.

2. Canva Button Integration Partnerships

Canva's integration partnerships streamline workflows and enhance productivity. By integrating with popular platforms and management tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, Sprout Social, and HubSpot, Canva provides seamless access to files and data, removing the need for manual transfers. These integrations empower users to create, collaborate, and share their designs effortlessly.

3. Canva Enterprise Partnerships 

Canva's enterprise partnerships have brought professional-grade designs to users of all skill levels. Collaborations with brands like Hubspot, Avery, and FedEx Office provide users with pre-designed and localized templates for social media posts, business cards, flyers, and labels. These partnerships simplify the design process, allowing users to customize templates to suit their unique needs effortlessly.

4. Canva's Affiliate Program

Canva's global affiliate program presents an exciting opportunity for individuals and businesses to monetize their influence and creativity. Becoming a Canva affiliate, or Canvassador, can earn commissions by promoting Canva's paid subscriptions and encouraging others to join the platform. This program grew from zero to over 12,000 affiliates in six months. Here's how the affiliate program works:

• Easy Sign-Up Process: Joining the Canva affiliate program is simple. After signing up, you'll gain access to a unique affiliate link and a range of marketing materials to promote Canva effectively.

• Generous Commission Structure: Canva offers competitive commission rates for its affiliates. You'll earn a commission for each successful conversion when you refer users who upgrade to Canva's paid plans. The more users you refer, the more you can earn. Canvassadors earn 20-80% commission on all referred paid Canva plans.

• Customized Marketing Support and Resources: Canva provides affiliates with many marketing resources, including banners, ads, and promotional materials. These resources enable affiliates to promote Canva and maximize their earning potential effectively.

• Real-Time Tracking and Reporting: With Canva's affiliate dashboard, you can track your referrals, and earnings, and gain valuable insights into your performance. This real-time tracking allows you to optimize your promotional strategies and maximize your affiliate success.

5. ​​Canva Certified Creatives (CCC)

Canva Certified Creatives (CCC) are educators and another type of partnership. They are vital in spreading the word about Canva's new product launches and internal initiatives. They also provide valuable feedback and help improve the product. Through its affiliate program, Canva supports CCC members in generating income using the Canva platform to make this partnership mutually beneficial. 

Reflecting on Canva’s Partnership Journey

Before diving into partnerships, Canva was focused on SEO optimization. Today, Canva has a vast network of over 12,000 affiliates, including media publishers, bloggers, YouTubers, and other content creators. Their mission is to empower people worldwide to design and make their creations accessible to those who need them. While Canva offers a high-value free product, they also have Canva Pro, which provides additional features and capabilities.

In partnerships, Canva aims to empower its existing promoters to do more by establishing successful partnerships. Canva’s global affiliate program is their first partnership attempt, which went well. Canva understands that building successful partnerships requires ongoing communication and relationship-building efforts. 

The partnership ecosystem at Canva has also grown beyond just a global affiliate program. Canva has expanded and currently collaborates with partners worldwide, leveraging its presence in 190 countries.

Today, Canva seeks partners with whom they share a strong synergy. Their current partner network encompasses many collaborators, including content networks and individual educators who teach others how to use Canva and highlight its benefits. 

Canva has also experienced growth in brand-to-brand partnerships, exploring opportunities for cross-promotional campaigns and integrated collaborations such as their current integration with HubSpot, enabling users to create email templates seamlessly within the HubSpot platform using Canva.

Canva Print's Collection Partners and its collaboration with Print Service Providers (PSPs) also bring immense value to users and printing companies. Users can enjoy a seamless printing experience, transforming digital designs into professional-grade printed materials. On the other hand, PSPs can leverage Canva's vast user base to expand their reach and establish themselves as trusted providers of high-quality printing services. A win-win!

Along the way, Canva has also learned that best partnership practices can vary significantly from brand to brand and country to country. Since the launch of its strategic partnerships, Canva has expanded its focus to five different markets, and each market requires a unique approach. For instance, in Brazil, partnership discussions are more commonly held through phone calls, WhatsApp, or SMS. While in the US, Europe, and Australia, people prefer communication via email and are less likely to answer phone calls. 

These cultural differences impact the nature of discussions and the preferred communication channels. To successfully expand into new markets, Canva recognizes the importance of growing our team to include individuals who understand these cultural nuances and can navigate partnerships accordingly. A lesson anyone improving or launching their strategic partnerships for the first time can learn from.

As Canva Looks Forward…

Canva's partnerships are integral to its mission of empowering creators worldwide. By collaborating with industry leaders and offering an affiliate program, Canva expands its reach, enhances its offerings, and rewards individuals and businesses for their support. Whether you're a designer, marketer, or influencer, Canva's partnerships provide exciting opportunities to unleash your creativity, monetize your influence, and be part of a thriving creative community.

To date, Canva has generated over 5-10% of its total revenue through partnerships. With their diverse partner network, Canva has added more than 150 million users, and is seeing a steady 40% growth in partner payouts.

Launch Your Affiliate Program with Partnero

So, why wait? Now that we have explored Canva's partnerships and how Canva leveraged its affiliate program, it’s time to embark on a partnership journey of your own, with limitless creativity and earning potential.

Launch your affiliate program with Partnero. We’re here to help you along the way. Customize, track, and grow your revenue with Partnero’s world-class partnership management platform. ​​Sign up and test drive Partnero’s platform first-hand; it's free!