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Affiliate marketing explained in plain language.
57 articles
Topics
Eight complete guides on affiliate marketing and partner recruitment. Each guide links through to the matching questions in the FAQ.
- Affiliate agency
Hiring an affiliate agency: when it pays off and what to expect
An affiliate agency builds and runs the partner network that lets other sites sell for you. This guide explains which tasks an agency takes over, when outsourcing is cheaper than doing it yourself, and how to keep the partnership measurable.
Read more → - Affiliate programme
Setting up an affiliate programme: from tracking to first partners
Setting up an affiliate programme is not flipping a switch. You build tech, terms and an offer publishers say yes to. This guide walks the steps in the order they actually happen.
Read more → - Partner recruitment
Recruiting and activating publishers: finding partners who actually sell
An affiliate programme is only as strong as its partners. Recruitment is not a one-off campaign but a continuous cycle of finding, approaching, activating and pruning. Here is how to run it per market.
Read more → - European growth
Affiliate marketing in Europe: expanding without losing your margin
Every European market has its own publisher landscape, language and expectations. Copying what works at home rarely delivers. This guide shows how to expand country by country without blowing up your margin.
Read more → - Network or in-house
Affiliate network or in-house software: which setup fits you
The choice between an affiliate network and your own software decides your cost, your data quality and how freely you can recruit partners. Here are the differences without the sales pitch.
Read more → - Cost and commission
Calculating affiliate cost and commission: what is left at the bottom
Affiliate marketing only makes sense when the maths works. This guide lists every cost line and shows with a worked example what is left after commission and fees.
Read more → - Publisher recruitment
Publisher recruitment by country: finding the right partners in every European market
Publisher recruitment is local work. A partner that performs in Germany means nothing to a French audience. This guide shows how to build a partner list per market, who to approach first, and which terms actually get partners live.
Read more → - Publisher types
Publisher types and partnership models: who actually sells for your brand
Publishers do not all do the same job. One brings in new customers, another closes a sale that was already coming. This guide compares the types, the role they play and the commission terms that fit each.
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Affiliate marketing
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a model where partners promote your products and earn commission when they generate a measurable sale. You pay for results, not for reach.
Read more →In-house or outsource affiliate marketing?
In-house works when you have time, expertise and language coverage. Outsourcing works when you want speed without building a team. The question is not which is better, but which fits your stage.
Read more →Affiliate fraud and programme policy
Most affiliate programmes don't lose money to spectacular fraud, but to sloppy rules: brand bidding, cookie stuffing and codes leaking onto voucher aggregators.
Read more →Affiliate marketing for beginners: the first 10 steps
Starting in affiliate marketing requires a structured approach to avoid common technical and commercial pitfalls. Follow these ten steps to build a solid foundation for your programme.
Read more →Influencer marketing vs affiliate marketing
While both rely on third-party promotion, the commercial models and goals differ significantly. Understanding these differences is key to choosing the right strategy for your brand growth.
Read more →Drafting publisher contracts and programme terms
Clear and enforceable terms are the foundation of a healthy affiliate programme. Protecting your brand while remaining attractive to partners requires a well-structured legal framework.
Read more →Common mistakes in affiliate programmes
Many programmes stall because of easily avoidable errors in strategy or execution. Identifying these pitfalls early allows you to redirect your budget towards high-growth opportunities.
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Commission
What does affiliate marketing cost?
Affiliate marketing has three cost lines: publisher commission, software or network fees, and management. Looking only at commission gives you the wrong number.
Read more →How do you set affiliate commission rates?
Your commission is not a single number but a policy: per product group, per partner type and per goal. Start with margin and work backwards.
Read more →Coupon code attribution and influencer codes
Tracking codes are a vital alternative to link-based attribution, especially for social media partners. Implementing a clean code strategy prevents attribution conflicts and ensures fair payment.
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Publishers
How do you find publishers?
Finding publishers is research plus outreach. It is not a button in software; it is work, repeated per market.
Read more →Cashback and voucher sites: friend or foe of your brand?
Many brands fear that cashback and voucher sites dilute their margin without adding value. However, when managed correctly, these partners can be a powerful tool for conversion and customer loyalty.
Read more →Affiliate newsletters publishers actually read
Sending generic updates to your publisher list is a waste of time. To get noticed, your newsletters must provide concrete value, exclusive data, and ready-to-use content.
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International growth
Affiliate marketing in Europe: how to scale across countries
Europe is not one market but 28, each with its own publishers, payment habits and price expectations. Copy-pasting what works at home is the most common mistake.
Read more →Affiliate marketing in Germany: a market-specific guide
Germany is a mature but highly regulated affiliate market with specific publisher preferences. Navigating legal requirements and local comparison sites is crucial for success in the DACH region.
Read more →Affiliate marketing in France: a market-specific guide
The French affiliate landscape is dominated by large media groups and specialized cashback portals. Success in France requires a localised approach and strong relationship management.
Read more →Affiliate marketing in the UK after Brexit
The UK remains one of the largest affiliate markets globally, but Brexit has introduced new considerations for cross-border e-commerce. Adjusting your shipping, tax, and tracking policies is essential for British publishers.
Read more →Affiliate marketing in Scandinavia
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland offer high purchasing power but distinct local nuances. A successful Nordic strategy balances regional similarities with specific local publisher networks.
Read more →Affiliate marketing in Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal)
Southern European markets are growing rapidly and offer unique opportunities for early movers. Building trust through local payment methods and language-specific content is key to capturing this audience.
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Affiliate software
Affiliate software or a network: which do you pick?
A network gives you reach and publishers; software gives you control and lower variable cost. The right choice depends on your markets and volume.
Read more →Tracking and attribution: what you need to know
Without reliable measurement you overpay or underpay. Cookies are disappearing, so attribution now requires a deliberate choice.
Read more →Deep linking and product feeds: content that converts
High-quality data is the engine of a successful affiliate programme. Providing publishers with accurate product feeds and deep links significantly reduces friction in the customer journey.
Read more →GDPR and affiliate tracking: what is and isn't allowed
Data privacy regulations have fundamentally changed how affiliate sales are measured. Ensuring your tracking remains compliant while maintaining accuracy is a balancing act for every advertiser.
Read more →Cookieless tracking and the future of attribution
As third-party cookies are phased out, brands must transition to more robust measurement methods. Server-side tracking and first-party identifiers are becoming the new industry standard.
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Strategy
Seasonal promotions via affiliate: Black Friday and the holidays
The Q4 peak is the most competitive time for affiliate marketing. Planning ahead and securing placements early is essential to capture high-intent holiday shoppers.
Read more →Increasing AOV with affiliate bundles and upsells
Affiliate marketing isn't just about volume; it's also a tool to increase your average order value. Use bundles and tiered commissions to incentivise partners to drive higher-value baskets.
Read more →KPIs and reporting: which affiliate numbers matter
Not all affiliate data is equal; focusing on the wrong metrics can lead to poor investment decisions. Understanding incrementality and lifetime value is essential for measuring true channel success.
Read more →Scaling an affiliate programme from 10 to 100 partners
Growing your partner base requires moving from manual management to scalable processes. Automating recruitment and activation is the only way to maintain quality while increasing reach.
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Glossary
What is an affiliate network?
An affiliate network is a platform that connects advertisers with publishers and provides the technology to track clicks, sales and commissions and to settle payments.
Read more →What is an affiliate publisher?
An affiliate publisher is a party with its own audience that promotes an advertiser's products or services in exchange for a commission on the sales or leads it generates.
Read more →What is an advertiser in affiliate marketing?
In affiliate marketing, the advertiser is the brand or webshop owner who offers a programme and pays commission for measurable sales or leads delivered by publishers.
Read more →What is a performance fee?
A performance fee is a fee you only pay on achieved results, such as a percentage of the revenue generated through affiliate marketing.
Read more →What is a conversion in affiliate marketing?
A conversion in affiliate marketing is the completed target action for which the advertiser pays commission — usually a purchase, sometimes a lead or sign-up.
Read more →What is a tracking window (cookie duration)?
The tracking window, also called cookie duration, is the period after a click during which a publisher still receives commission if the visitor makes a purchase later.
Read more →What is a product feed?
A product feed is a structured data file containing all your products — including prices, stock, images and deep links — that publishers use to display your assortment.
Read more →What is last-click attribution?
Last-click attribution is a commission model in which the publisher of the final click before the purchase receives the full commission, regardless of earlier touchpoints.
Read more →What is EPC (earnings per click)?
EPC stands for earnings per click: the average amount earned per click on affiliate links, calculated by dividing total commission by the number of clicks.
Read more →What is commission validation?
Commission validation is the review process in which the advertiser approves or rejects recorded transactions before the commission is definitively paid out to the publisher.
Read more →What is a cashback model?
Cashback is an affiliate model in which the publisher shares part of their commission with the consumer, as a reward for shopping through the cashback platform.
Read more →What is incrementality in affiliate marketing?
Incrementality is the degree to which affiliate sales are genuinely additional: transactions that would not have happened through another channel without the publisher.
Read more →What is publisher recruitment?
Publisher recruitment is the process of actively approaching relevant websites, platforms and creators to promote your affiliate programme.
Read more →What is cross-border ecommerce?
Cross-border ecommerce is selling online to customers in countries other than where your business is based, with everything that involves in language, payment and logistics.
Read more →What is an affiliate link?
An affiliate link is a unique URL with tracking parameters that lets the network recognise through which publisher a visitor arrived, so commission is attributed correctly.
Read more →What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the practice of optimising content so that AI search engines and chatbots such as Google AI Overviews pick up your information and cite you as a source.
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Comparisons
Affiliate network vs affiliate agency: which do you need?
An affiliate network provides the technology and the marketplace; an affiliate agency provides the people who grow the programme day to day. In practice you use both.
Read more →Last-click vs first-click attribution: which model is right?
Last-click gives all credit to the final click before purchase; first-click gives it to the first click in the journey. Both are incomplete, but they reward completely different partners.
Read more →Flat fee vs performance fee: which agency model is fairer?
A flat fee is a fixed monthly amount; a performance fee is a percentage of realised revenue. The difference decides whether you pay for effort or for results.
Read more →Affiliate management in-house vs outsourced
In-house gives control and product knowledge; outsourcing gives access to existing publisher relationships and several markets at once. The choice depends on how many countries you serve.
Read more →Cashback vs content publishers: where is your growth?
Cashback partners deliver volume right before the purchase; content partners create demand long before it. Both are useful, neither is interchangeable.
Read more →Affiliate marketing vs influencer marketing
Affiliate marketing pays for results; influencer marketing usually pays per placement. The difference is who carries the risk and what you can measure.
Read more →Own tracking software vs network tracking
Own affiliate software gives control over data and costs; network tracking gives access to an existing publisher market. The difference shows most during international expansion.
Read more →CPA vs CPL: which affiliate model fits your funnel?
CPA pays per sale, CPL pays per lead. The right model depends on how long your sales cycle is and how reliably you can judge lead quality.
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