How To Launch An Affiliate Program From Scratch

An affiliate program lets other people promote your product and earn when someone buys. It can bring customers without ad spend, but a program with no partners, unclear terms or no tracking does nothing.

Set A Commission You Can Afford

Work out contribution after delivery costs, fees, refunds and taxes relevant to your model, then decide what commission fits that margin. A hypothetical example: if a sale brings you a certain margin, set the commission well inside it. Decide whether it is a one-time or recurring payout.

Write Simple Terms

State what partners can and cannot do, how long a referral counts, when and how you pay, and what ends the agreement. Keep it short enough that a partner reads it.

Make Tracking Work First

Choose how referrals are tracked, with links or codes, and test that a referral is recorded correctly before recruiting anyone. Payments depend on this.

Recruit A Small First Group

Start with a short list of people who already reach your customers: newsletter writers, consultants, creators and complementary businesses. Send a personal message that says why they are a fit and what they get.

Support Your Partners

Give them links, a short description and clear answers to likely questions. Include disclosure requirements and program limits in those materials.

Review And Adjust

Look at who sells, who does not and why. Pay under the agreed terms. Review proposed changes with notice and respect existing commitments rather than changing earned commissions retroactively.

If You Want A Playbook

The Affiliate Program Launch Playbook covers these same decisions in order: set the commission, write the terms, recruit your first 20 partners and track what they sell. Bring your margin assumptions, attribution rules and payment terms to the planning work.