72f7f5dfd3
Add Mention Me (AI-powered referral marketing platform) to the referral program tools list. Closes #2 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
157 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
157 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
# Affiliate Program Design
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Detailed guidance for building and managing affiliate programs.
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## Commission Structures
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**Percentage of sale:**
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- Standard: 10-30% of first sale or first year
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- Works for: E-commerce, SaaS with clear pricing
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- Example: "Earn 25% of every sale you refer"
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**Flat fee per action:**
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- Standard: $5-500 depending on value
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- Works for: Lead gen, trials, freemium
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- Example: "$50 for every qualified demo"
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**Recurring commission:**
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- Standard: 10-25% of recurring revenue
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- Works for: Subscription products
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- Example: "20% of subscription for 12 months"
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**Tiered commission:**
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- Works for: Motivating high performers
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- Example: "20% for 1-10 sales, 25% for 11-25, 30% for 26+"
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---
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## Cookie Duration
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How long after click does affiliate get credit?
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| Duration | Use Case |
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|----------|----------|
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| 24 hours | High-volume, low-consideration purchases |
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| 7-14 days | Standard e-commerce |
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| 30 days | Standard SaaS/B2B |
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| 60-90 days | Long sales cycles, enterprise |
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| Lifetime | Premium affiliate relationships |
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---
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## Affiliate Recruitment
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### Where to find affiliates:
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- Existing customers who create content
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- Industry bloggers and reviewers
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- YouTubers in your niche
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- Newsletter writers
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- Complementary tool companies
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- Consultants and agencies
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### Outreach template:
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```
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Subject: Partnership opportunity — [Your Product]
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Hi [Name],
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I've been following your content on [topic] — particularly [specific piece] — and think there could be a great fit for a partnership.
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[Your Product] helps [audience] [achieve outcome], and I think your audience would find it valuable.
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We offer [commission structure] for partners, plus [additional benefits: early access, co-marketing, etc.].
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Would you be open to learning more?
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[Your name]
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```
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---
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## Affiliate Enablement
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Provide affiliates with:
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- [ ] Unique tracking links/codes
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- [ ] Product overview and key benefits
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- [ ] Target audience description
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- [ ] Comparison to competitors
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- [ ] Creative assets (logos, banners, images)
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- [ ] Sample copy and talking points
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- [ ] Case studies and testimonials
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- [ ] Demo access or free account
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- [ ] FAQ and objection handling
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- [ ] Payment terms and schedule
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---
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## Tools & Platforms
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### Referral Program Tools
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**Full-featured platforms:**
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- ReferralCandy — E-commerce focused
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- Ambassador — Enterprise referral programs
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- Friendbuy — E-commerce and subscription
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- GrowSurf — SaaS and tech companies
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- Mention Me — AI-powered referral marketing
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- Viral Loops — Template-based campaigns
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**Built-in options:**
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- Stripe (basic referral tracking)
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- HubSpot (CRM-integrated)
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- Segment (tracking and analytics)
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### Affiliate Program Tools
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**Affiliate networks:**
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- ShareASale — Large merchant network
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- Impact — Enterprise partnerships
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- PartnerStack — SaaS focused
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- Tapfiliate — Simple SaaS affiliate tracking
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- FirstPromoter — SaaS affiliate management
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**Self-hosted:**
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- Rewardful — Stripe-integrated affiliates
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- Refersion — E-commerce affiliates
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### Choosing a Tool
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Consider:
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- Integration with your payment system
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- Fraud detection capabilities
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- Payout management
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- Reporting and analytics
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- Customization options
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- Price vs. program scale
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---
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## Fraud Prevention
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### Common Referral Fraud
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- Self-referrals (creating fake accounts)
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- Referral rings (groups referring each other)
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- Coupon sites posting referral codes
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- Fake email addresses
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- VPN/device spoofing
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### Prevention Measures
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**Technical:**
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- Email verification required
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- Device fingerprinting
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- IP address monitoring
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- Delayed reward payout (after activation)
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- Minimum activity threshold
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**Policy:**
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- Clear terms of service
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- Maximum referrals per period
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- Reward clawback for refunds/chargebacks
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- Manual review for suspicious patterns
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**Structural:**
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- Require referred user to take meaningful action
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- Cap lifetime rewards
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- Pay rewards in product credit (less attractive to fraudsters)
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