How to start an affiliate programme
An affiliate programme is a set of decisions before it is a piece of software. Make them in this order and the software is a detail; make them afterwards and you will be changing rules on people who have already earned under the old ones.
Decide what earns commission
A sale, a subscription, a qualified lead. For subscriptions, decide now whether an affiliate earns on renewals and for how long, because changing it later changes what people already believe they are owed. Decide whether tax and shipping are included before anyone asks.
Decide the rate, and where it lives
Percentage or flat, and whether it varies by product, category or affiliate. The rate should be read from your rules at the moment of calculation and never stored on the order, or you end up with an amount and a percentage that disagree and no way to tell which is right.
Decide the attribution window, and what beats what
How long after a click does a sale still count? Thirty days is common. Then answer the question that actually causes disputes: a shopper arrives through one affiliate's link and uses another's coupon code. Decide which wins and write it down before it happens.
Decide the holding period
Commission should be held until your returns window has passed, so a refund reverses it before anyone is paid. Pay immediately and you will be reclaiming money from people who have already spent it.
Decide how you pay, and who holds the money
Bank transfer, PayPal, Wise. A platform that holds your money adds a processing fee and a float. Affiliatant calculates what is owed and hands you a file; the payment leaves your own account.
Write the terms before you recruit
What is not allowed: bidding on your brand name, coupon sites, self-referral, incentivised traffic. An affiliate who breaks a rule you never published has a fair argument.
Start free
Twenty attributed conversions a month, every feature, no card. Above that, from GBP 15.00 a month.