Practical playbooks
Build the system, not just the campaign.
Start with the commercial model, choose the right partners and tools, then document measurement, operations and compliance before you scale. These guides are written to be used: take notes, turn the checklists into questions and adapt each framework to the size and reality of your organisation.
You can read them in order or begin with the decision you face today. Advertisers can start with programme economics; publishers and creators can begin with audience value; teams already comparing suppliers can go directly to platform selection, payment models or tracking.
01 · ADVERTISERS · 12 MINBuild an affiliate programme that partners want to join
Define unit economics, commission rules, partner profiles, creative assets, tracking and a ninety-day launch plan.
Open the advertiser playbook →
02 · PUBLISHERS & CREATORS · 15 MINMonetise a website, app and content audience
Build a balanced revenue stack across ads, affiliate, sponsorship, subscriptions, services and products.
Open the monetisation playbook →
03 · STRATEGY · 8 MINChoose an affiliate platform
Compare partner fit, market coverage, tracking, fees and operations.
Read the guide →
04 · FUNDAMENTALS · 7 MINCPA, CPL, CPC, CPM and hybrid payment models
Understand what each model rewards, who carries the risk and which metrics matter.
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05 · MEASUREMENT · 9 MINTracking, consent and disclosure
Design clear attribution, proportionate data flows and auditable partner rules.
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06 · OPERATIONS & RISK · 14 MINPrevent affiliate fraud without blocking growth
Define valid traffic, investigate anomalies, apply fair reason codes and measure false positives.
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07 · PUBLISHERS & CREATORS · 13 MINBuild recommendations that deserve trust
Research consistently, explain trade-offs, disclose relationships and maintain changing claims.
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08 · PROGRAMME OPERATIONS · 16 MINRecruit and activate valuable partners
Define partner fit, build a measurable recruitment funnel and reduce the time to first useful action.
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09 · MEASUREMENT · 17 MINMeasure incremental partner value
Choose a credible baseline, protect the test and connect measured lift to an economic decision.
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10 · MARKETS & LOCALISATION · 18 MINExpand an affiliate programme internationally
Prioritise ready markets, localise the journey and launch through a controlled partner cohort.
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11 · GOVERNANCE · 18 MINRun accountable affiliate programme governance
Assign decision rights, design an operating cadence and keep changes auditable as the programme grows.
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12 · FINANCE & OPERATIONS · 17 MINReconcile commissions and prevent payment disputes
Connect approved conversions, ledgers, invoices and payment batches through one explainable control path.
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13 · CREATOR OPERATIONS · 16 MINWrite a creator brief without erasing the creator
Set evidence, deliverables, review boundaries and usage rights while protecting an authentic editorial voice.
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14 · B2B PARTNERSHIPS · 19 MINDesign B2B affiliate partnerships for long sales cycles
Define accepted leads, sales handoffs, pipeline reporting and partner value beyond immediate conversion.
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Commerce operations · 12 MINMake affiliate product feeds accurate and useful
A practical method for improving product identifiers, availability, landing pages, images and partner access before scaling commerce campaigns.
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Tracking and partnerships · 11 MINDesign fair affiliate promo code attribution
Define code ownership, click and code precedence, leakage controls, test transactions and settlement before rewarding partners for promotional codes.
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PROGRAMME OPERATIONS · 12 MINAudit an affiliate programme
Reconcile approved value, inspect partner cohorts and tracking, then commit to a 90-day action plan.
Read the audit guide →
PUBLISHERS & CREATORS · 15 MINBuild product comparisons readers can trust and find
Define a decision, record evidence, compare the same task and keep pages clear for search and AI answers.
Read the guide → 50+ DEFINITIONSUnsure about a term?
Use the glossary for quick explanations of affiliate links, EPC, postbacks, banners, cookies, attribution and more.
Open the glossary →Recommended order
Economics first. Technology second.
Clarify the value exchange and operating model before selecting software. A platform cannot fix weak margins, unclear programme rules, poor content or an audience that does not trust the recommendation.
Once the foundations are clear, technology becomes much easier to compare. You can ask concrete questions, test a realistic journey and judge the answer against a shared plan instead of being carried away by feature lists or headline claims.
Learn the terminology →Explore categories
Explore individual service descriptions, selection criteria and a practical test for each tool family.
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