Q: I'm launching my first affiliate program next month. What do I do in the first 30 days?
Resist the urge to mass-recruit on day one. Here's the sequence that prevents a messy launch:
— Week 1: Lock your terms. Commission rate, cookie window, payout threshold, what counts as a valid sale, and your reversal policy for refunds. Write it down before anyone signs.
— Week 1: Set up tracking and run three test conversions yourself end to end. Confirm the postback fires and the sale attributes correctly.
— Week 2: Hand-pick 5 to 10 partners you already trust. A small, high-quality cohort surfaces tracking bugs without exposing you to fraud.
— Week 3: Watch their first results. Fix attribution gaps, clarify confusing terms.
— Week 4: Open wider recruiting only after the core works.
The caveat: don't offer a launch bonus you can't sustain. A temporary boost is fine, but partners anchor to whatever they earn first, and clawing it back later costs you trust.
Got a question? Send it in.
Resist the urge to mass-recruit on day one. Here's the sequence that prevents a messy launch:
— Week 1: Lock your terms. Commission rate, cookie window, payout threshold, what counts as a valid sale, and your reversal policy for refunds. Write it down before anyone signs.
— Week 1: Set up tracking and run three test conversions yourself end to end. Confirm the postback fires and the sale attributes correctly.
— Week 2: Hand-pick 5 to 10 partners you already trust. A small, high-quality cohort surfaces tracking bugs without exposing you to fraud.
— Week 3: Watch their first results. Fix attribution gaps, clarify confusing terms.
— Week 4: Open wider recruiting only after the core works.
The caveat: don't offer a launch bonus you can't sustain. A temporary boost is fine, but partners anchor to whatever they earn first, and clawing it back later costs you trust.
Got a question? Send it in.
Q: How do I decide on a minimum payout threshold?
The threshold is the minimum a partner must earn before you send money. Set it with this checklist, not a copied number:
— Calculate your cost per payout. Wire fees, PayPal cuts, accounting time. If sending $50 costs you $4, a $50 threshold burns 8 percent on overhead.
— Match it to your average order value. A program with $300 sales can hold $100; a program with $20 sales should sit near $50 so partners actually hit it.
— Decide your hold period separately. Threshold and the wait for refunds to clear are two different levers.
— Offer faster payouts as a reward tier, not the default. Trusted partners at $25, new ones at $100.
The caveat: a high threshold quietly demotivates small affiliates who'll never reach it, leaving balances you owe but never pay. Cap unpaid time: if a partner sits below threshold for 6 months, pay out anyway or refund the network.
Got a question? Send it in.
The threshold is the minimum a partner must earn before you send money. Set it with this checklist, not a copied number:
— Calculate your cost per payout. Wire fees, PayPal cuts, accounting time. If sending $50 costs you $4, a $50 threshold burns 8 percent on overhead.
— Match it to your average order value. A program with $300 sales can hold $100; a program with $20 sales should sit near $50 so partners actually hit it.
— Decide your hold period separately. Threshold and the wait for refunds to clear are two different levers.
— Offer faster payouts as a reward tier, not the default. Trusted partners at $25, new ones at $100.
The caveat: a high threshold quietly demotivates small affiliates who'll never reach it, leaving balances you owe but never pay. Cap unpaid time: if a partner sits below threshold for 6 months, pay out anyway or refund the network.
Got a question? Send it in.