referrals · affiliate-programs

Affiliate Program Design

Detailed guidance for building and managing affiliate programs.

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?

Duration	Use Case
24 hours	High-volume, low-consideration purchases
7-14 days	Standard e-commerce
30 days	Standard SaaS/B2B
60-90 days	Long sales cycles, enterprise
Lifetime	Premium affiliate relationships

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)