How To Write Affiliate Program Terms In Plain English

Partners want to know three things before they promote you: what they earn, when they get paid and what they are not allowed to do. Short, clear terms answer all three and head off disputes.

The free Affiliate Terms Generator takes your brand name, commission percentage, cookie window in days, payout schedule and minimum payout, and produces editable terms. The page notes that the result is a starting point, not legal advice.

The Decisions Behind The Terms

Commission: the percentage of each qualifying sale. Cookie window: how many days after a click a purchase still counts for the partner. Payout schedule: monthly, twice a month or weekly. Minimum payout: the balance a partner must reach before payment. Decide each one before you generate anything.

What The Generated Terms Cover

The output has sections for commission, the cookie window, payouts and promotion rules. It states that refunded or charged-back sales are not paid, and its promotion rules cover paid ads on brand terms, spam, misleading claims and disclosure of the affiliate relationship.

Edit For Your Program

A fictional example: a brand sets a 30% commission, a 30-day window, monthly payouts and a minimum payout before money is sent. Read each line against how your business works. Add anything specific to you, such as which products qualify.

Check The Wording With A Professional

Because the output is a starting point, have someone qualified review the final terms, especially around payments, refunds and the places you sell.

Publish And Point To It

Put the terms on a page partners can find, link to them in your recruiting messages and update them with a date when you change anything.

Generate A First Draft

Open the Affiliate Terms Generator, enter your numbers and edit the draft until it matches your program.