Affiliate Application Review Rubric
Review pending affiliate applications with a simple scoring rubric before approval.
Use this rubric when a campaign requires manual affiliate approval. It helps owners decide who should be approved, held for more context, or declined before the affiliate link becomes active.
Afglo supports pending, active, and disabled affiliate states. The rubric gives the review step a consistent operating standard.
When To Use Manual Approval
Manual approval is useful when:
- The campaign has high commissions, recurring rewards, or private partner terms.
- Affiliates may use paid search, coupon sites, communities, newsletters, or influencer content.
- The brand needs to review claims, audience fit, or promotional context before links go live.
- The owner wants to avoid self-referrals, incentive abuse, or low-quality promotion.
Review Rubric
Score each application from 0 to 2 for every area:
| Area | 0 points | 1 point | 2 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience fit | No clear audience or irrelevant audience | Some overlap with target buyers | Clear access to likely buyers |
| Promotion source | No website, list, channel, or community | Source exists but is thin or unproven | Active source with relevant content or reach |
| Brand alignment | Messaging may create brand or compliance risk | Mostly aligned but needs guidance | Clear, accurate, and brand-safe |
| Referral quality | Likely low-intent, incentivized, or self-referred traffic | Mixed quality or unclear intent | Likely qualified referrals |
| Operational trust | Missing identity, payout, or contact context | Some missing context but responsive | Clear contact and payout readiness |
Decision Guide
| Score | Decision | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 10 | Approve | Activate the affiliate and send the activation email sequence. |
| 5 to 7 | Hold for context | Ask for the promotion URL, audience source, planned messaging, or payout details before approval. |
| 0 to 4 | Decline or keep pending | Do not activate until the affiliate can show a better fit or clearer promotion plan. |
Questions To Ask Before Approval
Ask only what helps you make the decision:
- Where will you promote this campaign?
- Who is the audience?
- What content, page, newsletter, video, or community will include the link?
- Will you use paid ads, coupon placements, incentives, or comparison content?
- Do you need approved messaging, screenshots, or product claims before publishing?
Approval Notes
When approving an affiliate, save the context you used:
- Campaign name.
- Affiliate name and email.
- Main promotion source.
- Any restricted channels or claims.
- Whether the affiliate needs a private reward structure.
- Date approved and reviewer.
Follow-Up After Approval
After approval:
- Send the Affiliate Activation Emails.
- Confirm the affiliate has their referral link, widget snippet, and disclosure guidance.
- Check for the first qualified click within 7 to 10 days.
- Use the Program Performance Scorecard to confirm whether approved affiliates become active promoters.
Success Metric
Track the percentage of approved affiliates who generate at least one qualified click within 14 days. A healthier approval workflow should improve affiliate activation without increasing fraud reviews, payout disputes, or inactive partner count.