Using the programs marketplace

The Marketplace gathers every affiliate program open to applications on Affilae. You search for a brand, read its terms and its performance figures, then apply with one of your publisher profiles.

Opening the Marketplace and finding a program

GENERAL

Dashboard

Messaging

Manage profile

TOOLS

Reporting

Link builder

Product testing

Marketplace

1. In the left menu (Tools section), open Marketplace.
2. Stay on the Programs tab: this is the list of programs currently recruiting affiliates.
3. In the Search field, type a brand name or a keyword. The search covers the program name, its description and its tags.
4. Narrow the list with the filters, then click Details on a row to open that program page.

The available filters are:

• Categories: the program sector (fashion, home, sport and so on).
• Countries: the countries where the brand operates.
• Commissions: the payout model offered, CPA, CPL or CPC.
• Product feeds: With product feeds or Without product feeds, useful if you work with catalogues.
• All Contacts: Contacted or Not contacted, to show only the brands you have not approached yet.
• Profiles: if you manage several publisher profiles, the list hides the programs already linked to the selected profile.
• Currencies: the currency the program pays in.

As soon as a criterion is active, a cross appears at the end of the filter row: it resets every filter at once. To sort, click a column header: Conversion rate, Validation rate, EPC, Product feeds or Payment period. The carousel above the list highlights up to ten programs based on their performance, and it follows your filters.

A program only appears in the Marketplace if it is active and if the advertiser requested a marketplace listing that Affilae then approved. If you cannot find a brand, it usually means it is not published.

In the Actions column, the + icon adds the program to a selection: an Apply button followed by the number of selected programs then appears, so you can apply to several brands at once. The envelope icon lets you message a program without applying.

Reading the performance figures on a program page

This is the part that matters most: these figures describe the whole program, not your own future earnings. Here is exactly what each one means.

• EPC (earning per click): the total commissions paid to the program affiliates divided by its total number of clicks, since the program opened. It is not a 30 day average but a lifetime figure. If the brand pays in several currencies, a dropdown lets you switch the currency shown.
• Conversion rate: conversions compared with clicks, over the last month.
• Validation rate: the share of conversions the advertiser did not refuse, over the last month. A program with no refused conversion shows 100 %.
• Average payments: the average time observed between a payment request and its actual settlement, on requests paid in the last six months. The page shows +60 days beyond two months, and a dash when no request has been paid yet.
• First reply: the advertiser average time to first reply in the Affilae messaging. The page shows +3 days when that delay exceeds three days. It is the best indicator of how responsive a brand is.

Three gauges complete the page, below the commission block:

• tracking duration, how long a sale stays attributed to you after the click. The page keeps the longest duration among the program public rules and shows +30 days of tracking duration beyond a month;
• the payment threshold, the minimum amount of commissions you must reach before requesting a payment. The wording no minimum payment threshold means you can request from the very first euro;
• the session timeout (click), the delay after which a new visit from the same user counts as a new click.

Above the gauges, two blocks summarise the commercial terms: the best public commission rule of the program, and its attribution mode (First click, Last click or Share). Finally, three tabs cover everything else: Commission Rules, Advertising material and Affiliate program terms. If all the brand rules are private, the tab shows « Please, contact this advertiser for their commission rules. »

Applying to a program

1. On the program page, click Apply, below the brand logo. From the list, select several programs with the + icon then use the Apply button followed by the number of programs.
2. In the Apply to a program window, choose the publisher profile you are applying with. Profiles already partnered with that brand appear greyed out.
3. Fill in the Your message field. It is mandatory and limited to 400 characters: describe your audience and how you plan to promote the brand.
4. Tick the box « By checking this box you acknowledge that you have read and fully accept the terms of this program. » The link opens the terms tab directly.
5. Click Apply. The window confirms with Congrats ! and the message « Your application to the program has been successfully sent. »

Programs flagged Payments handled by Affilae or Affilae managed program work slightly differently: the application window has no message field, you simply accept the terms and confirm, and the Contact button is not offered. For those brands, apply from the program page rather than from a bulk selection.

What happens after you apply

Your application creates a partnership between your publisher profile and the program. Its status depends on the setting chosen by the advertiser:

• if the program approves partners manually, the partnership starts as Pending and the advertiser decides;
• if the program uses automatic validation, the partnership is immediately Approved and you can generate your links right away.

As soon as the advertiser accepts, you receive an email and a notification in your interface. If the application is declined, the partnership becomes Cancelled by advertiser and you can no longer reapply to that program from the Marketplace.

Once the partnership is approved, go to Link builder to create your first tracked link.

Why use the Marketplace

• You compare brands on real figures (EPC, validation rate, payment period) instead of trusting a headline commission rate.
• You read the affiliate terms before committing, which avoids conversions being refused later on.
• You apply to several programs in one operation, with the same introduction message.
• You spot responsive brands thanks to the First reply figure, a decisive criterion the day you have a question about a sale.

Best practices

• Never judge a program on its EPC alone: a high EPC with a low validation rate signals conversions that often get refused.
• Check the payment threshold and the Average payments figure before applying: those two decide when you actually get paid.
• Personalise your message. Advertisers receive many applications and accept first the profiles that describe their audience concretely.
• Filter on Not contacted so you do not go over brands you have already approached.

Use cases

• A decor blog looks for its first partners. You filter on the Home category and the France country, sort on validation rate, and apply to the four best placed brands with the same message adapted to your audience.
• A comparison site needs catalogues. You switch on the With product feeds filter to see only the programs that provide a feed, which is essential to fill product pages automatically.
• A content creator wants to be paid quickly. She favours pages showing no minimum payment threshold and a short average payment period, rather than the highest commission rate.

Related articles

• Creating an account and an editor profile
• Understanding partnership statuses
• How to create a tracking link?
• Listing your program on the marketplace