Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing

Build and scale SaaS affiliate programs that drive 20-50% of customer acquisition at 30-50% lower CAC.

Quick Start

1. Define Program → Choose commission model matching business stage
2. Select Platform → Pick tool based on scale and integration needs
3. Recruit Partners → Identify KOL/​KOC aligned with ICP
4. Prevent Fraud → Implement multi-layer protection
5. Scale & Optimize → Track KPIs, iterate on performance

Commission Models

Platform Quick Reference

Key Metrics

• Conversion Rate: Target 3-5%
• EPC (Earnings/​Click): $5-50 for SaaS
• CAC via Affiliate: 30-50% lower than paid
• Affiliate Retention: Target >70%
• Program ROI: 3:1 to 5:1 typical

References

Strategy & Design

• Program Structure - Commission models, tiering, cookie windows
• Platform Selection - FirstPromoter vs PartnerStack vs Rewardful

Partner Recruitment

• KOL/​KOC Partnerships - Influencer identification, vetting, compensation
• Outreach Templates - Cold emails, proposals, onboarding

Operations

• Fraud Prevention - Detection, clawbacks, risk management
• Compliance & Legal - FTC disclosure, GDPR, contracts
• Case Studies - Dropbox, PayPal, Shopify, ConvertKit

Decision Tree

GOAL → STRATEGY
├─ Launch Program → FirstPromoter + 25% recurring + 10-20 affiliates
├─ Scale Revenue → Tiered commissions + content creators + KOC focus
├─ Enterprise → PartnerStack + agency partners + hybrid compensation
├─ Reduce Fraud → 90-day holds + vetting + clawback policies
└─ Optimize ROI → Track EPC + CLV attribution + retention bonuses

Quick Wins

1. Two-sided rewards - Both referrer AND referee get incentives (68% higher participation)
2. 90-day cookie - Industry standard for B2B SaaS sales cycles
3. Recurring commission - Aligns affiliate motivation with customer retention
4. Commission holds - 60-90 days matching refund window prevents fraud
5. Tier advancement - 20%→30%→40% based on performance

Report Output

Activate: assets-organizing skill for report file paths

Affiliate reports go to assets/​reports/​performance/​{date}-affiliate-program.md

Anti-Patterns