Affiliate Approval Process

From Wiki

Please note that affiliate approvals can now be handled in Darwin where you can benefit from updated functionaity and more comprehensive affiliate information.

The affiliate approval process will be most significant when a programme first launches as this is when the largest influx of new affiliates will sign up to promote a merchant programme.

There are two methods for approving affiliates:

• Auto approval

• Manual approval

Automated Process Opting for this process means that all affiliates who request to join a merchant programme are automatically accepted. The advantages and disadvantages of this are:

• All affiliate types will be able to join the programme

• Merchants will have less control of how or where affiliates will promote their brand

• Affiliates will be able to access links and start sending traffic quickly

• Lower administrative input required from the merchant

Manual Process Opting for this process involves the merchant manually going through each affiliate request to join their campaign and accepting or declining it based on whether they fit certain criteria set by the merchant. The advantages and disadvantages of this are:

• Merchants will have a greater control on brand placement

• Recommended method if merchant has restrictions on working with certain affiliate types

• Greater administrative input due to additional affiliate vetting

• Recommend for all lead based programmes which are more susceptible to fraud

If you choose a manual affiliate approval, it is vital that you go into your account as regularly as possible to keep up to date with these approvals. New pending affiliates can be viewed in your 'to do' list on your merchant home page:

When reviewing your pending affiliates and deciding whether to accept or reject an affiliate, please be aware of the following:

• An affiliate has to register with a primary URL which is shown when they apply to join your programme. However, this affiliate may have a number of different URL's and use a variety of promotional techniques. Consequently, it is recommended that you contact the affiliate to find out more information about how they want to promote you before rejecting them.

• If you reject an affiliate, we recommend always contacting them to explain why.

• Most importantly, if you do choose to approve affiliates onto your programme manually, please make sure you actually go into your account and do it! If you do not approve affiliates onto your programme, they cannot promote you, so the quicker you do this the more beneficial it will be to your campaign.