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