Reward Structure Playbook

Choose affiliate reward terms for public, private, recurring, and milestone-driven campaigns.

Use this playbook before creating or changing a campaign reward. It helps owners choose reward terms that fit the partner type, customer economics, and payout risk.

Afglo campaign settings already support percentage or fixed rewards, cookie windows, minimum payouts, private campaigns, affiliate approval mode, and reward cadence. The playbook turns those settings into practical reward structures.

Reward Models

Model	Best for	Afglo setup
Public starter program	Broad affiliate recruitment with simple terms	Public campaign, automatic approval, moderate percentage commission, clear minimum payout.
Private preferred partner program	Agencies, creators, or strategic partners with higher trust	Private campaign, manual approval, higher commission, longer cookie window.
Fixed bounty	One-time lead, signup, demo, or non-subscription conversion	Fixed amount reward, one-time cadence, clear qualification rules.
Recurring subscription reward	SaaS or membership products where customers pay repeatedly	Percentage reward, first 3 payments, first year, or every payment cadence.
Milestone bonus plan	Keeping high-potential affiliates engaged after early wins	Keep the campaign reward simple, then document manual bonuses for first sale, 10 customers, or revenue milestones.

Starting Defaults

For a first campaign, keep the structure narrow:

Reward type: percentage commission for subscription revenue, fixed amount for qualified leads or demos.
Reward cadence: one-time for simple purchases, first 3 payments for early subscription tests, first year for stronger recurring incentives.
Cookie window: 30 to 90 days, based on how long customers usually take to buy.
Minimum payout: high enough to avoid tiny payouts, low enough that new affiliates can reach a first payout.
Approval mode: manual approval when the campaign allows higher payouts, private partners, coupon use, or paid media.

When manual approval is enabled, review applications with the Affiliate Application Review Rubric before activating links.

Private Partner Campaigns

Use a private campaign when one partner group should earn different terms from the public program. Common cases:

Agencies that refer multiple customers.
Creators with a proven audience.
Strategic partners that need custom messaging or launch support.
Existing customers with a strong community or newsletter.

Keep private terms explicit. Tell affiliates whether the higher reward applies to all future referrals, only one campaign, only a launch period, or only new customers.

Milestone Bonus Ideas

Milestone bonuses can be tracked manually while Afglo continues to manage normal commissions:

Milestone	Bonus idea	Why it helps
First qualified referral	Small one-time bonus or public recognition	Helps new affiliates feel progress quickly.
First paid conversion	Extra payout after refund window closes	Encourages affiliates to reach the first real customer.
10 paying customers	Higher private campaign invite or manual bonus	Rewards sustained production without changing every affiliate's terms.
Revenue threshold	Manual bonus after net revenue target	Aligns reward with business impact.
High-quality content	Co-marketing support or featured partner slot	Supports creators who need distribution more than a higher rate.

Change Management

When changing reward terms:

Confirm whether the change applies to new referrals only or existing referrals too.
Update the campaign settings and written agreement together.
Tell affiliates what changed, when it starts, and which referrals are affected.
Review pending commissions before the next payout run.
Keep a note of the old terms in case an affiliate disputes a commission.

Success Metric

Track the percentage of active affiliates who reach their first paid conversion within 60 days of approval. A healthier reward structure should improve that number without increasing voided commissions, payout disputes, or manual review volume.