Playbook · Partnerships
Plan to launch an affiliate programme
An affiliate programme that just exists doesn't generate sales. One that's actively recruited and equipped does.
- 9 ranked moves
- 4-week sequence
- Works for ecommerce and SaaS
Plan to launch an affiliate programme: what should you actually do?
Launching an affiliate programme means picking a platform (Rewardful, PartnerStack or a native Shopify app), setting a commission that's genuinely competitive for your category, recruiting an initial 10-20 affiliates directly rather than waiting for applications, and giving them ready-made assets. Expect the first meaningful revenue from affiliates around month 2-3, not week one.
Last updated 3 August 2026
| Play | Effort | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Choose a tracking platform that matches your sales model | 3-4 hours to evaluate and set up | $29–150/month depending on platform |
| Set a commission rate benchmarked against your category, not a round number | 1 hour | $0 |
| Recruit an initial 10-20 affiliates directly, don't wait for applications | 3-4 hours | $0 |
| Build a simple asset kit before recruiting anyone | 3-4 hours | $0 |
| Offer a higher introductory rate or bonus for the first 90 days | 30 minutes | Difference between standard and boosted commission |
| Write clear, simple programme terms and a fast approval process | 1-2 hours | $0 |
| Set a realistic cookie duration for your sales cycle | 10 minutes | $0 |
| Check in with the first cohort at 30 days, not just at payout time | 1-2 hours | $0 |
| Track revenue per affiliate monthly and double down on the top 20% | 1 hour monthly | Variable, tied to any increased rate offered |
Setting up affiliate software and publishing a sign-up page is the easy part. Most affiliate programmes fail not because the tracking doesn't work, but because nobody actively recruited affiliates or gave them anything useful to promote — the programme just sits there waiting for people to find it.
This plan is for a business with an established product (ecommerce or SaaS) and existing customers who could plausibly refer others, or a niche with visible content creators, reviewers or micro-influencers already talking about competitor products.
Budget for the first 60-90 days to be mostly recruitment and setup, with revenue from affiliates ramping from month 2 onward as the first cohort's content and links start actually driving traffic.
- — An established product with a clear commission economics (enough margin to pay 15-30% and still profit)
- — Existing happy customers or visible content creators/reviewers in your niche to recruit as a first cohort
- — Someone who can personally reach out to 20-30 potential affiliates rather than only relying on inbound applications
- — A tracking platform integrated with your checkout or billing system
If your margins are thin (under 25-30%) or your average order value is very low, a standard percentage commission may not be worth an affiliate's time to promote — consider a flat bounty per sale instead, or reconsider whether affiliates are the right channel yet.
The moves
Ranked, highest return first.
Work down the list. Each one names the first step so there's nothing to plan.
- 01
Choose a tracking platform that matches your sales model
Ecommerce and subscription SaaS have different tracking needs — one-time purchase tracking versus recurring commission over a customer's lifetime — and the wrong platform creates payout headaches later.
First step: For Shopify stores, evaluate Refersion or the native Shopify Collabs app. For SaaS, evaluate Rewardful or PartnerStack, which handle recurring commission natively.
- Tools
- Refersion, Rewardful, PartnerStack, Shopify Collabs
- Effort
- 3-4 hours to evaluate and set up
- Cost
- $29–150/month depending on platform
- 02
Set a commission rate benchmarked against your category, not a round number
A commission set without checking what competitors or comparable programmes pay either overpays unnecessarily or fails to attract serious affiliates who have other options.
First step: Search '[your product category] affiliate programme commission' and check 3-5 comparable programmes' public rates before setting yours.
- Tools
- Google search, affiliate programme directories
- Effort
- 1 hour
- Cost
- $0
- 03
Recruit an initial 10-20 affiliates directly, don't wait for applications
A newly launched programme with no visible affiliates or reviews attracts almost no organic sign-ups. Direct outreach to people already positioned to promote you gets the flywheel started.
First step: List 20-30 existing customers who've given positive feedback, plus content creators or reviewers already covering competitor products, and email each personally about the programme.
- Tools
- Email, LinkedIn, your CRM's customer feedback records
- Effort
- 3-4 hours
- Cost
- $0
- 04
Build a simple asset kit before recruiting anyone
Affiliates who have to create their own graphics, find their own product screenshots or write their own descriptions from scratch often just don't bother. Ready-made assets remove the biggest blocker to a first post.
First step: Prepare a one-page kit: product screenshots or photos, 2-3 pre-written descriptions of different lengths, your logo, and 2 suggested content angles.
- Tools
- Google Drive or Dropbox folder, Canva
- Effort
- 3-4 hours
- Cost
- $0
- 05
Offer a higher introductory rate or bonus for the first 90 days
A time-limited bonus (e.g. 35% for the first 3 months, then 20% ongoing) gives new affiliates extra incentive to prioritise your programme over others while they're building content and traffic for it.
First step: Set a boosted rate in the platform for a defined introductory window, and mention it explicitly in outreach as a limited-time reason to start now.
- Tools
- Your affiliate platform's tiered commission settings
- Effort
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Difference between standard and boosted commission
- 06
Write clear, simple programme terms and a fast approval process
Long or unclear terms, or a slow manual approval queue, cause interested affiliates to lose momentum and move on to a competitor's programme instead.
First step: Set applications to auto-approve unless flagged, and write terms in plain language covering cookie duration, payout schedule and prohibited promotion methods (like bidding on your brand name in search ads).
- Tools
- Your affiliate platform's application settings
- Effort
- 1-2 hours
- Cost
- $0
- 07
Set a realistic cookie duration for your sales cycle
A 7-day cookie window unfairly denies credit to an affiliate whose reader takes 3 weeks to decide, especially for higher-consideration purchases — which discourages affiliates from investing effort.
First step: Set cookie duration to at least 30 days for most products, or 60-90 days for higher-price or longer-consideration purchases.
- Tools
- Your affiliate platform's tracking settings
- Effort
- 10 minutes
- Cost
- $0
- 08
Check in with the first cohort at 30 days, not just at payout time
Early affiliates who haven't generated a sale yet often have a fixable blocker — the wrong asset, an unclear discount code, or simple uncertainty about what content to make — that a quick check-in surfaces.
First step: Send a short personal email or message to each of the first cohort at day 30 asking what's working and what's blocking them.
- Tools
- Email or your affiliate platform's messaging feature
- Effort
- 1-2 hours
- Cost
- $0
- 09
Track revenue per affiliate monthly and double down on the top 20%
In most affiliate programmes, a small share of affiliates drive the large majority of revenue. Identifying and supporting them further (custom codes, early access, higher rates) compounds returns faster than spreading effort evenly.
First step: Export monthly revenue by affiliate, rank them, and reach out to the top 3-5 performers with an offer of a custom discount code or an increased rate.
- Tools
- Your affiliate platform's reporting
- Effort
- 1 hour monthly
- Cost
- Variable, tied to any increased rate offered
Sequence
What to do first, week by week.
Platform setup and commission research
Choose and configure the tracking platform, benchmark and set the commission rate and cookie duration, and write clear programme terms with fast approval.
Build assets and recruit the first cohort
Build the affiliate asset kit, list 20-30 target recruits from customers and niche content creators, and send personal outreach with the introductory bonus rate.
Onboard and activate
Approve and onboard the affiliates who respond, send them the asset kit and their unique links/codes, and confirm each one has actually published something.
First check-in and early optimisation
Check in with the first cohort on blockers, review any early sales data, and identify the top-performing affiliate to potentially feature as a case study for future recruitment.
Avoid
Where this usually goes wrong.
Launching the programme and waiting for applications
A brand-new affiliate programme has no visible proof it works, so organic applications are rare at first. Direct outreach to a hand-picked initial cohort gets real activity started.
Setting a commission rate without checking the category norm
A rate set without any competitive research either overpays needlessly against thin margins, or sits too low to attract affiliates who have other, better-paying programmes to choose from.
Giving affiliates no assets and expecting them to create everything
Most affiliates, even enthusiastic ones, won't get around to creating graphics or writing product descriptions from scratch. A ready-made kit removes the single biggest barrier to a first post.
Setting a cookie window too short for the actual sales cycle
A 7-day cookie unfairly denies credit for slower-considering purchases, which discourages affiliates from investing real content effort since they can't trust they'll get paid for the eventual sale.
Questions
Common questions.
What commission rate should I offer to start?
It depends heavily on category and margin, but 15-30% for one-time purchase products and 20-30% recurring (often for a limited number of months) for SaaS are common starting ranges. Check 3-5 comparable public programmes before finalising yours.
How many affiliates should I aim to recruit initially?
10-20 active, engaged affiliates in the first month is a realistic and achievable goal through direct outreach, and enough to start generating meaningful data on what content and offers convert.
How long until an affiliate programme generates real revenue?
Most programmes see meaningful revenue starting around month 2-3, once the first cohort has actually published content and their links have had time to be indexed or discovered by readers.
Should I use a percentage commission or a flat bounty?
A percentage works well for products with a range of price points or subscription tiers. A flat bounty per sale can work better for low-priced, high-margin products where a percentage would be too small to motivate an affiliate.
What's a fair cookie duration?
30 days is a reasonable default for most products. Higher-consideration purchases (over roughly $200, or B2B software) often warrant 60-90 days to properly credit affiliates for their role in a longer decision process.
How do I stop affiliates from just bidding on my own brand name in Google Ads?
State this explicitly as a prohibited practice in your programme terms, and monitor Google Ads Auction Insights periodically for your brand term to catch anyone doing it despite the rule.
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