How to Set Up an Affiliate Program on UniLink (Let Others Earn by Promoting You)

Enable the Affiliate block, set your commission rate, give affiliates a unique link, and pay out automatically via Stripe — without needing separate affiliate software.

Most creators and small businesses that want an affiliate program face the same problem: dedicated affiliate software costs $50–$200 per month before you've earned a single referral sale, and integrating it with your existing checkout and link-in-bio setup takes days of technical work. UniLink's Affiliate block removes that barrier. You can have a functioning affiliate program — with unique tracking links, commission tracking, and Stripe-connected payouts — running from the same page where you already sell your products or services. This guide covers everything from initial setup to recruiting your first affiliates and preventing fraud.

What the Affiliate Block Does

The Affiliate block adds a referral tracking layer to your UniLink page. When you enable it, a sign-up flow becomes available where potential affiliates can register and receive a unique tracking URL. That URL includes a parameter tied to their affiliate account, so every visit and purchase that originates from their link is credited to them in your Dashboard.

Commissions are calculated as a percentage of the sale amount (excluding taxes and shipping) and accumulate in each affiliate's balance. You set the payout threshold — the minimum balance an affiliate must reach before a payout is triggered — and UniLink automates the transfer via Stripe Connect. Affiliates connect their own Stripe or bank account during signup to receive payouts directly, which removes the manual bank transfer step from your workflow entirely.

The cookie duration setting determines how long after someone clicks an affiliate link that a sale is credited to that affiliate. A 30-day cookie is standard; longer durations are more generous to affiliates and work better for products with longer consideration cycles.

How to Get Started With Your Affiliate Program

1. Connect Stripe to your UniLink account — go to Dashboard → Settings → Payments and connect your Stripe account. The Affiliate block requires Stripe Connect to automate payouts; this step must be completed before enabling the block.
2. Enable the Affiliate block — in the block builder, click "Add Block" and select Affiliate. The block adds both a public-facing affiliate signup section to your page and a private affiliate management panel in your Dashboard.
3. Set your commission rate — in the Affiliate block settings, enter the commission percentage you want to pay per referred sale. For digital products, 20–40% is typical. For physical products with higher fulfillment costs, 10–15% is more common. Start on the higher end to attract quality affiliates early.
4. Configure cookie duration — set the number of days a referral cookie is active. 30 days is a reasonable default. Increase to 60 or 90 days if your product has a long purchase decision cycle (courses, high-ticket services).
5. Write your affiliate program terms — in the Affiliate block settings, add a terms and conditions field. Keep it short but cover: what counts as a qualifying sale, how and when payouts happen, prohibited promotion methods (spam, fake reviews, paid search on your brand name), and what causes account termination.
6. Set a payout threshold — choose the minimum commission balance before a payout is triggered. $25–$50 is common. A threshold reduces transaction costs for small commissions and prevents affiliates from requesting tiny payouts before they've generated meaningful revenue for you.
7. Publish the page and share the affiliate signup URL — the Affiliate block adds a dedicated section to your page where potential affiliates can apply. Copy the direct link to this section and start sharing it with your audience, email list, and outreach targets.

How to Recruit and Manage Affiliates

1. Start with your existing customers — your best affiliates are people who already use and love your product. Send an email to your customer list announcing the affiliate program. Buyers who had a good experience are the most credible promoters and have the lowest acquisition cost.
2. Reach out to relevant content creators — identify bloggers, YouTubers, newsletter writers, or podcast hosts whose audience overlaps with your target customer. Send them a personalized pitch that includes your commission rate, a sample affiliate link to test, and a brief explanation of your product's value proposition.
3. Approve affiliates manually in the Dashboard — under the Affiliate block's management panel, new affiliate applications appear for review. Approve, reject, or request more information before activating any account. Manual approval prevents automated signups from spam bots and ensures you know who is promoting you.
4. Provide promotional materials — add a Links block or a downloadable asset (via Shop block as a free download) containing pre-written copy, approved images, and example social posts affiliates can use. Affiliates who have materials ready to use start generating referrals significantly faster than those who have to create everything from scratch.
5. Monitor referral performance in the Dashboard — the affiliate management panel shows clicks, conversions, and commission earned per affiliate. Check this weekly. Affiliates who are driving clicks but no conversions may need better materials or may be targeting the wrong audience. Reach out proactively to help them improve.
6. Process payouts on a regular schedule — set a monthly or bi-weekly payout cadence. Stripe automates the transfer once the threshold is met, but communicate the schedule to affiliates upfront. Reliable, predictable payouts are the top factor in whether affiliates continue promoting you over time.
7. Recognize and reward top performers — when an affiliate consistently generates high-value referrals, offer them an increased commission rate or a custom deal. A tiered structure (e.g., 20% standard, 30% for affiliates who drive more than 10 sales/month) incentivizes top performers to prioritize promoting you over competitors.

Key Settings Explained

How to Get the Most Out of Your Affiliate Program

The most common mistake in running an affiliate program is treating it as a passive channel after the initial setup. Affiliate programs that generate meaningful revenue have an active relationship between the creator and their affiliates. This means regular communication — a monthly email with performance tips, upcoming promotions to announce, and any new materials available — makes a measurable difference in how much effort affiliates put into promoting you.

Seasonal promotions are one of the highest-leverage tactics in affiliate marketing. When you run a limited-time sale or offer a bonus (e.g., "buy before Friday and get a free bonus"), affiliates have a reason to actively promote rather than passively including your link in existing content. Plan at least two or three promotional windows per year and brief your affiliates one to two weeks in advance so they have time to create content around it.

Fraud prevention deserves consistent attention, especially as your program grows. The most common form of affiliate fraud is self-referral — an affiliate buying your own product through their link to earn the commission. You can detect this by comparing affiliate emails with customer emails in your order list. UniLink's fraud detection also flags unusual patterns like multiple purchases from the same IP address across different affiliate links. Review flagged referrals before processing payouts, not after.

Consider setting up a separate UniLink page specifically for your affiliate program — a page that explains the program, answers common questions, displays testimonials from successful affiliates, and has the signup block prominently placed. This page can rank for searches like "[your brand] affiliate program" and serves as a permanent recruiting asset you can link to from your main page, your email footer, and any content you publish about affiliate partnerships.

Troubleshooting Common Issues