Seeing how itch.io was just in a scandal involving the resale of pirated games by unscrupulous users (literally this week), that rocked the site's reputation despite a prompt and complete resolution, are you sure that's such a great idea? :)
Well seeing there is not an affiliate setup for Itch.io nor a system for affiliate was really in place. In fact, affiliation make business boom with more sales. I don't see why it would not work for indie game industry. Yes, it is hard to say if this is a good idea or not. Especially if one choose to commit step 7.