1# Affiliate Program Design
2 
3Detailed guidance for building and managing affiliate programs.
4 
5## Contents
6- Commission Structures
7- Cookie Duration
8- Affiliate Recruitment
9- Affiliate Enablement
10- Tools & Platforms (Referral Program Tools, Affiliate Program Tools, Choosing a Tool)
11- Fraud Prevention (Common Referral Fraud, Prevention Measures)
12 
13## Commission Structures
14 
15**Percentage of sale:**
16- Standard: 10-30% of first sale or first year
17- Works for: E-commerce, SaaS with clear pricing
18- Example: "Earn 25% of every sale you refer"
19 
20**Flat fee per action:**
21- Standard: $5-500 depending on value
22- Works for: Lead gen, trials, freemium
23- Example: "$50 for every qualified demo"
24 
25**Recurring commission:**
26- Standard: 10-25% of recurring revenue
27- Works for: Subscription products
28- Example: "20% of subscription for 12 months"
29 
30**Tiered commission:**
31- Works for: Motivating high performers
32- Example: "20% for 1-10 sales, 25% for 11-25, 30% for 26+"
33 
34---
35 
36## Cookie Duration
37 
38How long after click does affiliate get credit?
39 
40| Duration | Use Case |
41|----------|----------|
42| 24 hours | High-volume, low-consideration purchases |
43| 7-14 days | Standard e-commerce |
44| 30 days | Standard SaaS/B2B |
45| 60-90 days | Long sales cycles, enterprise |
46| Lifetime | Premium affiliate relationships |
47 
48---
49 
50## Affiliate Recruitment
51 
52### Where to find affiliates:
53- Existing customers who create content
54- Industry bloggers and reviewers
55- YouTubers in your niche
56- Newsletter writers
57- Complementary tool companies
58- Consultants and agencies
59 
60### Outreach template:
61```
62Subject: Partnership opportunity — [Your Product]
63 
64Hi [Name],
65 
66I've been following your content on [topic] — particularly [specific piece] — and think there could be a great fit for a partnership.
67 
68[Your Product] helps [audience] [achieve outcome], and I think your audience would find it valuable.
69 
70We offer [commission structure] for partners, plus [additional benefits: early access, co-marketing, etc.].
71 
72Would you be open to learning more?
73 
74[Your name]
75```
76 
77---
78 
79## Affiliate Enablement
80 
81Provide affiliates with:
82- [ ] Unique tracking links/codes
83- [ ] Product overview and key benefits
84- [ ] Target audience description
85- [ ] Comparison to competitors
86- [ ] Creative assets (logos, banners, images)
87- [ ] Sample copy and talking points
88- [ ] Case studies and testimonials
89- [ ] Demo access or free account
90- [ ] FAQ and objection handling
91- [ ] Payment terms and schedule
92 
93---
94 
95## Tools & Platforms
96 
97### Referral Program Tools
98 
99**Full-featured platforms:**
100- ReferralCandy — E-commerce focused
101- Ambassador — Enterprise referral programs
102- Friendbuy — E-commerce and subscription
103- GrowSurf — SaaS and tech companies
104- Mention Me — AI-powered referral marketing
105- Viral Loops — Template-based campaigns
106 
107**Built-in options:**
108- Stripe (basic referral tracking)
109- HubSpot (CRM-integrated)
110- Segment (tracking and analytics)
111 
112### Affiliate Program Tools
113 
114**Affiliate networks:**
115- ShareASale — Large merchant network
116- Impact — Enterprise partnerships
117- PartnerStack — SaaS focused
118- Tapfiliate — Simple SaaS affiliate tracking
119- FirstPromoter — SaaS affiliate management
120 
121**Partner Relationship Management (PRM):**
122- Introw — Full PRM with deal registration, commissions, tiers, QBRs, and partner engagement tracking ([integration guide](../../../tools/integrations/introw.md))
123 
124**Self-hosted:**
125- Rewardful — Stripe-integrated affiliates
126- Refersion — E-commerce affiliates
127 
128### Choosing a Tool
129 
130Consider:
131- Integration with your payment system
132- Fraud detection capabilities
133- Payout management
134- Reporting and analytics
135- Customization options
136- Price vs. program scale
137 
138---
139 
140## Fraud Prevention
141 
142### Common Referral Fraud
143- Self-referrals (creating fake accounts)
144- Referral rings (groups referring each other)
145- Coupon sites posting referral codes
146- Fake email addresses
147- VPN/device spoofing
148 
149### Prevention Measures
150 
151**Technical:**
152- Email verification required
153- Device fingerprinting
154- IP address monitoring
155- Delayed reward payout (after activation)
156- Minimum activity threshold
157 
158**Policy:**
159- Clear terms of service
160- Maximum referrals per period
161- Reward clawback for refunds/chargebacks
162- Manual review for suspicious patterns
163 
164**Structural:**
165- Require referred user to take meaningful action
166- Cap lifetime rewards
167- Pay rewards in product credit (less attractive to fraudsters)
168