# How to start an affiliate program Start an affiliate program for your SaaS or store: set a commission you can afford, give each affiliate their own link and code for free, send 100 personal messages a day to customers, creators and list writers, help each new affiliate post within 14 days, and count posts and sales every Sunday. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program Published: 2026-10-08 Last checked: 2026-10-08 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). How to start an affiliate program. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your affiliate program checklist for the next 4 weeks”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What do you sell, what does it cost, and can buyers pay online without talking to you?" - "What profit do you keep from one customer, over the time they usually stay?" - "Do you sell on Shopify, take payments with Stripe, or use something else?" - "Who already talks to your buyers: customers, reviewers, list writers, newsletters, creators or freelancers?" - "How many hours a day can you give to this, and can you send email from a second, warmed-up domain?" **Decisions along the way** - 1.1: affiliate program or not. Yes if buyers pay online without a call; if deals close on a call, the referral partnerships guide instead. - 1.2: the commission. 25% of the first 12 months for a SaaS, 15% of the first order for a store; it must be under half the profit from one customer. - 2.1: the tool. UpPromote's free plan or Shopify codes for a store, Stripe promotion codes for a SaaS; software after 10 affiliates with a sale. Shopify Collabs only for creators already on it. - 5.1: how to split the 100 messages across email, LinkedIn and social messages, inside each one's limits; the reader chooses. - 7.2, after 2,800 messages: replies per 100, then share who posted, then sales per 100 visits; fix the first one below its line. - 7.3, 60 days after each affiliate joined: keep, new angle, or one last message and stop at 90 days. **Get from the reader as they go** - Every day: messages sent by channel, replies, and each new affiliate's join date. - 6.1: each affiliate's first post date and link. - 6.2, once a month: commission owed to each affiliate. - 7.1, every Sunday: the week's row. --- Your product is live, you have a handful of customers, and you have heard that an affiliate program is marketing you only pay for when someone buys. To start an affiliate program that sells, set a commission you can afford, give each affiliate their own link and code, and spend most of your time asking the right people to join and helping them post. Most founders buy affiliate software, wait for people to sign up, and find that the few who join never post. ## Do these three things About 4 hours a day, every day. Judge your messages after 2,800 (4 weeks), and judge each affiliate 60 days after they join. - **Today:** set your [commission](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program#1-decide-if-an-affiliate-program-fits-and-set-your-commission): 25% of each customer's first 12 months for a SaaS, or 15% of the first order for a store. Give each affiliate their own link and discount code, for free, with UpPromote's free plan or Stripe promotion codes. - **Every day:** send 100 [personal messages](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email) to customers, creators and [list writers](https://scout7.ai/academy/ai-search/how-to-get-on-the-best-of-lists-ai-tools-cite) who already talk to [your buyers](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile). Offer your commission, a free account or product, and a ready-made kit. [Follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email) 3 times. - **Every Sunday:** count messages, affiliates who joined, affiliates who posted, sales and commission. After 2,800 messages, fix the first number below its line. ## 1. Decide if an affiliate program fits, and set your commission An affiliate program pays people outside your company a share of each sale they send you with their own link or code. It fits when a stranger can buy without talking to you: a self-serve SaaS or an online store. Decide that first, then write down your commission, how long a click counts, and when you pay. **The rule.** If buyers pay online without a call, start an affiliate program. If your deals close on a call, as in most [B2B companies](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients) and agencies, set up [referral partnerships](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-set-up-referral-partnerships) instead: other businesses introduce buyers to you by email. If you want your own customers to bring friends, that is a [referral program](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-a-referral-program). Many businesses run both later. Start with one. **Check your page before you pay anyone to send people to it.** If fewer than [1 in 100 visitors](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/conversion-rate) buy or start a trial, affiliates will send people who leave. Fix your store or SaaS site first, in the same weeks you recruit. **The commission.** Most SaaS programs pay 20% to 30% of what the customer pays, every month, for a set time. Pay 25% of each customer's first 12 months. For stores, beauty and personal care programs pay about 10% to 18% of a new customer's first order, and fashion 8% to 15%. Pay 15% of the first order. Then check it against what one customer is worth to you: your [price](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-saas-product) minus your costs, over the time they stay, which is their [lifetime value](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/lifetime-value). The commission on one customer must be less than half of the profit you keep from them. **The rest of the terms.** - **What counts as a sale:** a first payment after the trial for a SaaS, and a first order for a store. - **How long a click counts:** 60 days. This is the "cookie window", the time after someone clicks an affiliate's link in which a purchase still counts for that affiliate. Under 14 days looks unfair to affiliates. - **When you pay:** once a month, on a fixed date, for sales older than 30 days, so refunds come out first. > **If you run a D2C store:** add up the commission, the discount on the affiliate's code, the product cost, shipping and payment fees. They must stay below the order price, the same check as your break-even ROAS. If the first order loses money, [raise your price](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product), pay less, or count the customer's second order in your repeat purchase numbers before you decide. > **If you run a SaaS:** paying for 12 months rather than forever keeps the cost known. If many customers leave in month one, fix churn first, or pay only after the second payment. If you also sell a [lifetime deal](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/should-you-do-an-appsumo-lifetime-deal), pay one fixed commission on it, not a monthly one. - **Tool:** Google Sheets. - **Time:** 45 minutes. - **You will have:** a yes or no on the program, and one short set of terms with the numbers. - **It worked if:** the commission on one customer is less than half of the profit you keep from them, and you can say each term in one sentence. - **Common mistake:** copying a 40% or 50% rate from a course seller, whose costs are near zero, or offering 5% because it feels safe. 5% is below what most programs pay, so few people will bother. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's affiliate terms** > > Bugmoth is a made-up bug-reporting tool for small web teams. It costs $19 a month per team, with a 14-day trial. > > | Term | What Bugmoth wrote | > | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | > | What counts as a sale | A team's first payment after the trial | > | Commission | 25% of what the team pays in its first 12 months: $4.75 a month, up to $57 | > | Profit check | A team pays $228 in its first year; $57 is well under half of what Bugmoth keeps | > | What the buyer gets | The affiliate's code gives 20% off the first 3 months | > | Cookie window | 60 days | > | When it is paid | The 1st of each month, for payments older than 30 days, by PayPal | > > *Why it works: An affiliate can work out what one team is worth in a few seconds, and Bugmoth still keeps most of each team's first year.* ## 2. Give every affiliate their own link and discount code for free Every affiliate needs their own link and their own discount code, so you know who sent each sale. You can start for free. Pay for affiliate software only once 10 affiliates have made a sale, or once tracking by hand takes more than an hour a week. You need both. A link counts people who click, but many people hear about you in a [short video](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-make-short-form-videos-for-your-business) or a [podcast](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-get-booked-as-a-podcast-guest) and type a code at checkout instead. Tracking only links misses those sales. **If you sell on Shopify.** Install UpPromote from the Shopify App Store. Its free plan has unlimited affiliates, tracks by link or code, and covers up to $3,000 of affiliate sales a month. You pay affiliates yourself. Its Growth plan is $29.99 a month plus 2% of affiliate sales. If you would rather use no app, make one code per affiliate in your Shopify admin: **Discounts**, then **Create discount**, then **Amount off orders**, method **Discount code**, and under **Maximum discount uses** tick **Limit to one per customer**. Shopify's own Collabs app is free to install, with a 2.9% fee on automatic payouts. But Shopify's help page says "Collabs isn't accepting new creator signups at this time", so most creators you find cannot join it. Use it only for creators who already have a Collabs account. **If you take payments with Stripe.** In the Stripe Dashboard, open **Products**, then **Coupons**, and create one coupon. Turn on **Use customer-facing promotion codes**, make one code for each affiliate, and tick **Eligible for first-time order only**. Give each affiliate a link to your site with UTM parameters, such as `?utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=maya`, and add a "Who sent you?" box to your signup form, which is [self-reported attribution](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/self-reported-attribution). Log every signup with a code, link or answer in your sheet. Once you need software, Rewardful's Starter plan is $49 a month for up to $7,500 of affiliate revenue a month, with no fee on sales and a 14-day free trial. It connects to Stripe and tracks both links and coupon codes, and each affiliate gets their own dashboard. **The sign-up form.** Make a Google Form with: name, email, where they post, a link to their best post, their audience size, and a tick box for your terms. Put it on a page called "Affiliates" in your website's footer. Approve people by hand. Then test it. Click a test link, buy with a test code, and check the sale shows under the test affiliate. Set up conversion tracking too, so you can see affiliate visits next to your other traffic. - **Tool:** UpPromote's free plan or Shopify discount codes, or Stripe promotion codes; Google Forms; Google Sheets. - **Time:** 1 hour. - **You will have:** a sign-up form, a page that links to it, and one test link and code that record a test sale. - **It worked if:** the test sale shows up under the test affiliate, by both link and code. - **Common mistake:** paying for software, then waiting for affiliates to find you. Software counts sales. It does not bring affiliates. ## 3. Write your affiliate terms and a one-page kit Write two short pages: the terms, so affiliates know the rules, and a kit, so they can post in 10 minutes. Affiliates who are handed something ready to post are the ones who post. **The terms.** Ask ChatGPT or Claude to fill the template below with your numbers, then read every line yourself. Two rules matter most: - **Affiliates must say they are paid.** In the US, the FTC says the disclosure must be clear and close to the link, like "I get a commission if you buy through this link". "Affiliate link" alone may not be clear enough, and short tags like "sp" or "spon" are not. In the UK, the ASA expects "#ad". The FTC also says the brand must train and check its affiliates, so you check their posts every Sunday (step 6). - **Some ways of getting sales are banned.** Coupon sites and browser extensions often take credit for sales you would have had anyway. In March 2025, Google changed the Chrome Web Store rules so extensions may only add affiliate links after the user acts. Ban coupon sites and extensions, ads on your brand name, spam, fake reviews, and buying with your own code. Ban posting links where [community rules](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/self-promotion-rules) do not allow it, as in many [subreddits](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-promote-on-reddit-without-getting-banned). **Your affiliate terms (one page)** ```text [Your company] affiliate program What you earn: [25% of what each customer pays in their first 12 months / 15% of each new customer's first order]. What counts: a [first payment after the trial / first order] from someone who used your link or code. Your own purchases do not count. Cookie window: 60 days from the click. When you are paid: on the [1st] of each month, for sales older than 30 days, by [PayPal / Wise]. Refunded sales are taken off. US affiliates send a W-9 before the first payment; others send a W-8BEN. You must: say you are paid, near the link, in plain words, like "I get a commission if you buy through this link" or "#ad". You must not: run ads on [your brand name], list our codes on coupon sites or in browser extensions, send spam, write fake reviews, buy with your own code, or post links where a community's rules do not allow it. What you can say: [2 true claims about your product]. Do not promise results we do not promise. We can end this at any time and remove commission earned by breaking these rules. Contact: [name], [email] ``` This is a starting point, not legal advice. > **If you are in the US:** collect a W-9 from each affiliate before you pay them. If you pay one person $2,000 or more in a year, send them a Form 1099-NEC by 31 January. That limit was $600 until the end of 2025. Outside the US, ask your accountant how to record commission payments. **The kit.** One page or one shared folder. Build it from your [value proposition](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-write-a-value-proposition) and the words your customers used in [interviews](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews). AI drafts the five posts in a few minutes. You fix each one so it sounds like a person. **Your affiliate kit** ```text Who it is for: [kind of person or team], when [the moment the problem hurts]. What it does, in one line: [your value proposition]. 3 angles that work: 1. [the problem it fixes] 2. [a before and after] 3. [how it compares with doing it by hand, or with a named alternative] 5 ready posts: [one short video script, one Instagram or LinkedIn post, one email to a newsletter, one paragraph for a "best tools" list, one reply for a question in a community] Images: [3 product screenshots or photos, a short demo clip, your logo] Your link: [link] Your code: [CODE] gives your audience [offer]. Say you are paid: "I get a commission if you buy through this link." or "#ad" ``` - **Tool:** Google Docs or a Google Drive folder, and ChatGPT or Claude. - **Time:** 1 hour 30 minutes, once. - **You will have:** a terms page linked from your sign-up form, and a kit link you can send in every welcome. - **It worked if:** a friend can pick one ready post from the kit and post it in 10 minutes. - **Common mistake:** a kit of logos and banners with nothing to say. Affiliates need words and angles more than graphics. ## 4. Find affiliates: add 100 names a day Find affiliates by listing 100 people a day who already talk to your buyers: your own customers first, then people who write about your kind of product. To send 100 messages a day you need about 3,000 names a month in your [lead list](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/lead-list). **Where to find them, best first:** - **Your customers and trial users.** They already like the product. Ask every one, including the people behind your [first reviews](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-get-your-first-product-reviews) and [testimonials](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-collect-testimonials). - **People who review you or your rivals.** Search Google and YouTube for "\[competitor] review", "\[competitor] alternative" and "\[competitor] vs". The rivals from your [competitor analysis](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-a-competitor-analysis) give you the names to search. People who review one tool will review another. - **Writers of "best \[category]" lists.** Search "best \[your category] for \[your buyer]". These lists matter twice. In a December 2025 Ahrefs study of 750 ChatGPT prompts, "best X" lists were 43.8% of the pages ChatGPT cited as sources. A list writer who adds you can put you in [AI answers](https://scout7.ai/academy/ai-search/how-to-get-your-brand-mentioned-by-chatgpt) too. - **[Newsletters](https://scout7.ai/academy/email-marketing/how-to-grow-a-newsletter-from-scratch) your buyers read.** Search "\[your buyer's topic] newsletter". Small newsletters count: every reader chose to hear from that writer. - **Creators with 1,000 to 50,000 followers** who teach or entertain your buyer on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or LinkedIn. These are [micro-influencers](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/micro-influencer). Small accounts answer their own messages. - **People who answer questions** in the [communities where your buyers talk](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-find-online-communities-where-your-buyers-talk). > **If you run a SaaS:** add freelancers, consultants and small agencies who set up tools like yours for clients. Look for them in the partner lists of the tools your product connects to, the same places you would use for [integration marketplaces](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-get-listed-in-integration-marketplaces). > **If you run a D2C store:** add creators who post routines, hauls and reviews in your category, and people who already tagged your product. Some creators want free product first; send it, then offer the code. If you sell on TikTok Shop, use its own system for TikTok Shop affiliates there, and this program for your own store. **Let AI do the reading.** Paste 10 profiles, channels or list pages at a time into ChatGPT or Claude. Ask, for each: who their audience is, how big it is, whether they already earn affiliate commission, and one recent post. Open each one and check the fact before the row goes in. That is about 30 seconds a row. Keep it like any [free lead list](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-create-a-b2b-lead-list-for-free): one row per person, and no one twice. **Affiliate list columns** ```text Name | Where they post (link) | Kind (customer / reviewer / list / newsletter / creator / freelancer) | Audience size | Email or how to reach them | One true line | Try 1 | Try 2 | Try 3 | Joined (date) | First post (date) | Visits | Sales | Commission owed ``` - **Tool:** Google Sheets, Google, YouTube, the social apps, and ChatGPT or Claude. - **Time:** about 1 hour 30 minutes a day. - **You will have:** 100 new rows a day, about 3,000 a month. - **It worked if:** 9 in 10 rows have a name, a way to reach them, and one true line about something they made. - **Common mistake:** listing only famous accounts. They get dozens of offers a week and rarely answer. Small creators and customers do. ## 5. Message 100 possible affiliates a day Every day, send 100 personal messages to people on your list. Open with something true about their work, offer a free account or product so they can try it, then give the commission and the kit. [Follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/follow-up) 3 times. **How 100 a day is possible.** Paste 20 rows at a time into ChatGPT or Claude with the template below. It drafts each message from the row's true line. You check the fact and fix the first line: about 30 seconds a message. Send each one by hand. **Spread the 100 over channels, inside each one's limits.** Many creators put a business email in their bio, so email first. Send [cold email](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/cold-email) from a second domain you have [warmed up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-warm-up-an-email-domain-for-cold-email), at most 30 emails a day from each mailbox, follow-ups included. [LinkedIn](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-do-linkedin-outreach) allows about 100 connection requests a week, so message people you are already connected to there. Send Instagram, TikTok and X messages by hand, one at a time. Customers get a short [warm note](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/warm-outreach) from the founder. **First message to a possible affiliate** ```text Subject: your [post / list / video] on [topic] Hi [first name], I [read / watched] your [one true line: the post, list or video, and one thing in it]. I make [product]. It helps [your buyer] [what it does]. I'd like you to try it free: [free account / I'll send you one]. If you like it and tell your [readers / followers], you get [25% of what each customer pays for 12 months / 15% of each first order], and your code gives them [offer]. I'll send a short kit so a post takes 10 minutes. Want me to set up your account? [Your name] ``` **Follow-up (3–4 days later, same thread)** ```text Hi [first name], one more line on this. [New true thing: "Your readers asked about [problem] in the comments last week, which is exactly what it fixes."] Happy to set up a free account today if you want to try it. ``` **Note to a customer** ```text Hi [first name], thank you for using [product] for [time]. If you ever recommend it, I can give you your own code: your friends get [offer] and you get [commission]. Want one? ``` Answer every reply the same day. If few people answer, [fix the message](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-get-replies-to-cold-emails) before you send more. A common estimate for messages to creators is 5 to 15 replies per 100, a [reply rate](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/reply-rate) of 5% to 15%. - **Tool:** Gmail or Google Workspace on a second domain, LinkedIn, the social apps, and ChatGPT or Claude. - **Time:** about 2 hours a day. - **You will have:** 100 messages sent a day, each logged, and new affiliates joining through your form. - **It worked if:** after 2,800 messages you have at least 5 replies for every 100 messages. - **Common mistake:** one mass email saying "Join our affiliate program!" with a link. It reads as spam, and nobody knows why you picked them. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth's message to a list writer** > > ```text > Subject: your list of bug tracking tools for small teams > To: Dev, a freelance web developer who writes a blog for small web studios > > Hi Dev, > > I read your "best bug tracking tools for small teams" list. Your point that clients will never fill in a long bug form is why we built Bugmoth. > > Bugmoth lets your clients click on the broken part of the page and send a screenshot with the browser details. I'd like you to try it free on your next client project. > > If you add it to your list, you get 25% of what each team pays for 12 months, up to $57 a team, and your code gives your readers 20% off their first 3 months. I'll send a short kit with screenshots and a paragraph you can edit. > > Want me to set up your account? > > Sam, Bugmoth > ``` > > *Why it works: The first line proves they read the list, the free account comes before the money, and the commission is in real dollars.* ## 6. Get every new affiliate to post within 14 days Many people who join an affiliate program never post. Write to every new affiliate within 24 hours with their link, code, kit and free account or product, and ask when and where they will post. Check again on day 7 and day 14. **Welcome (within 24 hours of joining)** ```text Hi [first name], you're in. Thank you. Your link: [link] Your code: [CODE] (gives your audience [offer]) Your kit: [link], with 5 ready posts you can edit Your free [account / product]: [how to get it] Please say you're paid, near the link: "I get a commission if you buy through this link" or "#ad". When and where do you think you'll post first? If you tell me, I'll send an angle that fits your audience. ``` **Day 7:** send one idea made for them: "Your followers ask about \[X]. A 30-second video of \[the product doing X] would answer it." **Day 14:** if they have posted, thank them and share what it brought: "Your post sent 40 visits and 2 trials." If not, ask one question: "Is anything stopping you? I can send a different angle or set up a 10-minute call." > **If you run a D2C store:** ship the free product the day they join, and count the 14 days from delivery. Gifted creators need the same disclosure as paid ones. Ask in writing before you use their videos as UGC in your own posts or ads. **Every day:** answer every affiliate within 24 hours. **Once a month:** pay every commission due on the same date, with a short note on their sales. Affiliates who are paid late stop posting. **Every Sunday:** open the newest posts from your affiliates. If one has no disclosure or makes a claim you do not make, ask them to fix it that day. Ask your best affiliates what their audience asked, and turn the answers into new kit posts. One with real results can become a [case study](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-write-a-case-study). - **Tool:** email, your sheet, and PayPal or Wise for payouts. - **Time:** about 30 minutes a day. - **You will have:** a welcome sent to every affiliate within 24 hours, and a first post date for each one. - **It worked if:** at least 3 in 10 affiliates who joined have posted within 14 days. Under 1 in 10 means the welcome or the kit is not working. - **Common mistake:** approving people and never writing to them again. An affiliate who hears nothing assumes you do not care whether they post. ## 7. Count affiliates, posts and sales every Sunday Every Sunday, fill in one row: messages sent, replies, affiliates who joined, affiliates who posted, affiliate visits tracked with UTM parameters, sales and commission. After 2,800 messages, about 4 weeks, check three numbers in order and fix the first one that is low. Judge each affiliate 60 days after they join. **The Sunday sheet** ```text Week | Messages | Replies | Joined | Posted | Affiliate visits | Trials or orders | Paying customers | Commission owed | Best affiliate this week ``` **After 2,800 messages, check three numbers in this order:** 1. **Replies per 100 messages.** Under 5: change the first line or the list. Test the new version on the next 500 messages. If it stays under 5, move more of the 100 to the source that replied most. 2. **Affiliates who posted, out of those who joined.** Under 3 in 10: the welcome or the kit is the problem. Ask 5 affiliates who did not post what stopped them, and fix what they name. 3. **Sales (trials for a SaaS, orders for a store) per 100 affiliate visits.** Under 1: affiliates are sending people, and your landing page is losing them. Fix the page before you recruit more. **For each affiliate, 60 days after they joined:** posted and sold, thank them and ask what would help them post again. Posted with no sale, send a new angle. Never posted, send one last message, and at 90 days stop writing to them. Be honest about results. Under 20 affiliates is too few to judge the program; 30 is better. Finding your first 10 good affiliates usually takes about 3 months. Compare what each affiliate customer costs you, commission and discount together, with your other [marketing channels](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/marketing-channel): that is your cost to win a customer. Look at it again in your monthly review. Once you have 10 affiliates with a sale, move from the sheet to software. - **Tool:** Google Sheets, plus your UpPromote, Shopify or Stripe reports. - **Time:** 20 minutes each Sunday. - **You will have:** one row a week, and a clear answer on which number to fix and which affiliates sell. - **It worked if:** you can name the number to fix next and your 3 best affiliates. - **Common mistake:** counting sign-ups. Forty affiliates who never post are worth nothing; three who post every month can be a steady source of customers. > **Example (made-up business: Bugmoth): Bugmoth after 2,800 messages** > > | Week | Messages | Replies | Joined | Posted | Affiliate visits | Trials | Paying teams | > | ---- | -------- | ------- | ------ | ------ | ---------------- | ------ | ------------ | > | 1 | 700 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 0 | > | 2 | 700 | 38 | 10 | 3 | 120 | 2 | 0 | > | 3 | 700 | 41 | 12 | 5 | 190 | 5 | 1 | > | 4 | 700 | 42 | 12 | 6 | 260 | 6 | 1 | > > **The decision:** 154 replies from 2,800 messages is 5.5 per 100. 15 of 41 affiliates posted, 37%. 14 trials from 610 visits is 2.3 per 100. Most trials came from 4 list writers, so Sam moves 30 of the 100 daily messages to list writers. > > *Why it works: All three numbers are above their lines, so Bugmoth changes nothing in the message and moves more of the 100 to the source that sends trials.* ## Your affiliate program checklist for the next 4 weeks > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Decide if it fits and set your commission - [ ] **1.1** Decide whether an affiliate program fits how your buyers pay. *Done when:* The reader has said whether buyers pay online without a call, and has chosen an affiliate program or referral partnerships. - [ ] **1.2** Write your commission, cookie window and payout terms. *Done when:* The commission, what counts as a sale, the 60-day window and the monthly payout date are written down, and the commission on one customer is under half the profit from them. ### Step 2 · Give every affiliate a link and code - [ ] **2.1** Set up a link and code for each affiliate, test them, and publish your sign-up form. *Done when:* A test link and a test code each recorded a test sale under a test affiliate, and an Affiliates page in the footer links to a sign-up form that asks for name, email, where they post, best post, audience size and agreement to the terms. ### Step 3 · Write your terms and kit - [ ] **3.1** Write your one-page affiliate terms and your one-page kit. *Done when:* The terms page has the commission, window, payout date, disclosure rule and banned methods; the kit has who it is for, 3 angles, 5 ready posts, images and the disclosure line; a friend could post from it in 10 minutes. ### Step 4 · Add 100 names a day - [ ] **4.1** Every day: add 100 possible affiliates to your list. *Done when:* 100 new rows are in the sheet, 9 in 10 with a name, a way to reach them and one true line. ### Step 5 · Message 100 possible affiliates a day - [ ] **5.1** Every day: send 100 personal messages to possible affiliates. *Done when:* 100 personal messages are sent and logged, each with a true first line and a free account or product offer, inside each channel's limits. - [ ] **5.2** Every day: send today's follow-ups, up to 3 per person. *Done when:* Everyone due a follow-up today has one, and anyone with 3 follow-ups is marked done. ### Step 6 · Get new affiliates to post within 14 days - [ ] **6.1** Every day: welcome new affiliates and send the day 7 and day 14 notes. *Done when:* Every affiliate who joined in the last 24 hours has a welcome, every affiliate at day 7 or day 14 has their note, and every affiliate message is answered. - [ ] **6.2** Once a month: pay every commission that is due. *Done when:* Every commission due is paid on the fixed date, with a note on each affiliate's sales. - [ ] **6.3** Every Sunday: check your affiliates' new posts for a clear disclosure. *Done when:* This week's affiliate posts are checked, and anyone missing a disclosure has been asked to add it. ### Step 7 · Count every Sunday - [ ] **7.1** Every Sunday: fill in one row of your Sunday sheet. *Done when:* This week's row is filled in: messages, replies, joined, posted, visits, trials or orders, paying customers and commission owed. - [ ] **7.2** After 2,800 messages: check the three numbers in order and fix the first one below its line. *Done when:* Replies per 100, share who posted and sales per 100 visits are checked in order, and the one change is written down. - [ ] **7.3** After 60 days: review each affiliate 60 days after they joined. *Done when:* Each affiliate who joined 60 days ago is marked keep, new angle, or last message. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between an affiliate program and a referral program? A referral program rewards your own customers for bringing friends, usually with a discount or credit. An affiliate program pays people with an audience, such as creators, list writers and newsletter writers, a share of each sale they send with their own link or code. Start a [referral program](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-a-referral-program) when you have happy customers, and affiliates when others already talk to your buyers. ### How much commission should I give affiliates? Most SaaS programs pay 20% to 30% of what each customer pays, for a set time; 25% of the first 12 months is a fair start. Stores in beauty and personal care pay about 10% to 18% of a new customer's first order, and fashion 8% to 15%. Whatever you pick, the commission on one customer should be under half the profit you keep from them over their [lifetime](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/lifetime-value). ### Do I need affiliate software to start? No. On Shopify, UpPromote's free plan or one discount code per affiliate is enough. With Stripe, use one promotion code per affiliate, a link with UTM parameters and a "Who sent you?" box, logged in a sheet. Pay for software, such as Rewardful at $49 a month, once 10 affiliates have made a sale. ### Do affiliates have to say they are paid? Yes. In the US, the FTC says affiliates must disclose clearly and close to the link, for example "I get a commission if you buy through this link". In the UK, the ASA expects "#ad". Short tags like "sp", "spon" or "#aff" are not enough. The brand must also tell affiliates the rule and check their posts, so put it in your terms and check every Sunday. ### How long does an affiliate program take to bring sales? Finding your first 10 good affiliates usually takes about 3 months. You need at least 20 affiliates before you can judge the program, 30 is better, and many who join never post. That is why you send 100 [personal messages](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email) a day and help each new affiliate post within 14 days. ## Sources - [Affiliate commission explained](https://www.rewardful.com/articles/affiliate-commission-explained). Rewardful, updated 16 December 2025, checked 8 October 2026. - [Affiliate Commission Rates by Industry in 2026](https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/affiliate-commission-rates). ReferralCandy, 6 January 2026, checked 8 October 2026. - [How to start an affiliate program](https://www.referly.so/guides/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program). Referly, reviewed 10 August 2026, checked 8 October 2026. - [Why your Shopify affiliate program isn't getting sales](https://uppromote.com/blog/why-shopify-affiliate-program-isnt-getting-sales/). UpPromote, updated 3 August 2026, checked 8 October 2026. - [UpPromote Affiliate Marketing](https://apps.shopify.com/affliate-by-secomapp). Shopify App Store, checked 8 October 2026. - [Shopify Collabs](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/collabs). Shopify Help Center, checked 8 October 2026. - [Shopify Collabs](https://apps.shopify.com/collabs). Shopify App Store, checked 8 October 2026. - [Amount off discounts](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-types/percentage-fixed-amount). Shopify Help Center, checked 8 October 2026. - [Coupons and promotion codes](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/coupons). Stripe, checked 8 October 2026. - [Pricing](https://www.rewardful.com/pricing). Rewardful, checked 8 October 2026. - [How long are referral cookies valid?](https://help.rewardful.com/en/articles/2155812-how-long-are-referral-cookies-valid). Rewardful, checked 8 October 2026. - [FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking). Federal Trade Commission, checked 8 October 2026. - [Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers). Federal Trade Commission, checked 8 October 2026. - [Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads (third edition)](https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/influencers-guide.html). ASA and CAP, 23 March 2023, checked 8 October 2026. - [Chrome Web Store policy updates: Strengthening our policies on affiliate programs in Chrome Extensions](https://developer.chrome.com/blog/cws-policy-update-affiliate-ads-2025). Chrome for Developers, 11 March 2025, checked 8 October 2026. - [Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099mec). IRS, checked 8 October 2026. - [Do Self-Promotional 'Best' Lists Boost ChatGPT Visibility? Study of 26,283 Source URLs](https://ahrefs.com/blog/best-lists-research/). Ahrefs, 4 December 2025, checked 8 October 2026. - [LinkedIn Connection Request Limits in 2026](https://phantombuster.com/blog/social-selling/linkedin-connection-request-limit/). PhantomBuster, 8 July 2026, checked 8 October 2026.