Affiliate Program Design

Detailed guidance for building and managing affiliate programs.

Contents

• Commission Structures
• Cookie Duration
• Affiliate Recruitment
• Affiliate Enablement
• Tools & Platforms (Referral Program Tools, Affiliate Program Tools, Choosing a Tool)
• Fraud Prevention (Common Referral Fraud, Prevention Measures)

Commission Structures

Percentage of sale:

• Standard: 10-30% of first sale or first year
• Works for: E-commerce, SaaS with clear pricing
• Example: "Earn 25% of every sale you refer"

Flat fee per action:

• Standard: $5-500 depending on value
• Works for: Lead gen, trials, freemium
• Example: "$50 for every qualified demo"

Recurring commission:

• Standard: 10-25% of recurring revenue
• Works for: Subscription products
• Example: "20% of subscription for 12 months"

Tiered commission:

• Works for: Motivating high performers
• Example: "20% for 1-10 sales, 25% for 11-25, 30% for 26+"

Cookie Duration

How long after click does affiliate get credit?

Affiliate Recruitment

Where to find affiliates:

• Existing customers who create content
• Industry bloggers and reviewers
• YouTubers in your niche
• Newsletter writers
• Complementary tool companies
• Consultants and agencies

Outreach template:

Subject: Partnership opportunity — [Your Product]

Hi [Name],

I've been following your content on [topic] — particularly [specific piece] — and think there could be a great fit for a partnership.

[Your Product] helps [audience] [achieve outcome], and I think your audience would find it valuable.

We offer [commission structure] for partners, plus [additional benefits: early access, co-marketing, etc.].

Would you be open to learning more?

[Your name]

Affiliate Enablement

Provide affiliates with:

• Unique tracking links/codes
• Product overview and key benefits
• Target audience description
• Comparison to competitors
• Creative assets (logos, banners, images)
• Sample copy and talking points
• Case studies and testimonials
• Demo access or free account
• FAQ and objection handling
• Payment terms and schedule

Tools & Platforms

Referral Program Tools

Full-featured platforms:

• ReferralCandy — E-commerce focused
• Ambassador — Enterprise referral programs
• Friendbuy — E-commerce and subscription
• GrowSurf — SaaS and tech companies
• Mention Me — AI-powered referral marketing
• Viral Loops — Template-based campaigns

Built-in options:

• Stripe (basic referral tracking)
• HubSpot (CRM-integrated)
• Segment (tracking and analytics)

Affiliate Program Tools

Affiliate networks:

• ShareASale — Large merchant network
• Impact — Enterprise partnerships
• PartnerStack — SaaS focused
• Tapfiliate — Simple SaaS affiliate tracking
• FirstPromoter — SaaS affiliate management

Partner Relationship Management (PRM):

• Introw — Full PRM with deal registration, commissions, tiers, QBRs, and partner engagement tracking (integration guide)

Self-hosted:

• Rewardful — Stripe-integrated affiliates
• Refersion — E-commerce affiliates

Choosing a Tool

Consider:

• Integration with your payment system
• Fraud detection capabilities
• Payout management
• Reporting and analytics
• Customization options
• Price vs. program scale

Fraud Prevention

Common Referral Fraud

• Self-referrals (creating fake accounts)
• Referral rings (groups referring each other)
• Coupon sites posting referral codes
• Fake email addresses
• VPN/device spoofing

Prevention Measures

Technical:

• Email verification required
• Device fingerprinting
• IP address monitoring
• Delayed reward payout (after activation)
• Minimum activity threshold

Policy:

• Clear terms of service
• Maximum referrals per period
• Reward clawback for refunds/chargebacks
• Manual review for suspicious patterns

Structural:

• Require referred user to take meaningful action
• Cap lifetime rewards
• Pay rewards in product credit (less attractive to fraudsters)