---
title: "Launching Affiliate Programs"
description: "Launching an affiliate program allows you to kickstart viral product-led growth by empowering partners, influencers, and affiliates to drive traffic, leads, and sales for your business. The onboard..."
last_updated: "2026-10-05T05:09:52.154382+00:00"
canonical_url: "https://www.doc0.dev/docs/934e554a-e6a1-476f-bb2f-23e62d86c3fd/guide/how-to-guides/launching-affiliate-programs"
---

## Overview

### Overview
Launching an affiliate program allows you to kickstart viral product-led growth by empowering partners, influencers, and affiliates to drive traffic, leads, and sales for your business. The onboarding wizard guides you through setting up your program's details, defining reward structures, configuring referral links, and inviting your first partners.

---

### Step 1: Initialize the Program

To begin creating your partner program, navigate to your workspace dashboard and access the program setup flow.

1. Open your workspace dashboard and click **Create program** (or **Finish creating** if you have an incomplete onboarding session).
2. Enter your **Company name** in the text field.
3. Upload a square **Logo** for your program. This image will appear across your partner portal, branding elements, and application forms.
4. Set up your **Referral link** configuration by choosing a program domain and entering your website destination URL. 
5. Click **Continue** to save your details and advance to reward configuration.

> [!NOTE]
> A connected domain or subdomain is required to create a program, ensuring that partner referral links use a professional, branded URL.

---

### Step 2: Configure Rewards

Define how partners earn commissions when they drive traffic and conversions for your business.

1. Choose your **Default reward type** (either **lead** or **sale**).
2. Select your **Reward structure** type and specify the payout amounts:
   - **Flat**: Set a fixed cash amount in cents per conversion event.
   - **Percentage**: Set a percentage share of the total sale amount.
3. Configure your maximum duration rules for recurring commissions (such as limiting rewards to a certain number of months or the customer's lifetime).
4. Proceed to the next step once your reward rules are set.

---

### Step 3: Invite Partners and Finalize Setup

Add your initial cohort of partners and review your configuration before publishing the program live.

1. Enter the email addresses of the partners, influencers, or affiliates you want to invite to the program (up to the allowed limit per batch).
2. Provide your support contact details, help documentation URL, and terms of service link.
3. Review your complete setup summary on the **Overview** page.
4. Click **Create program** to finalize your setup and activate your partner program.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Start Program Onboarding] --> B[Enter Company Name & Logo]
    B --> C[Configure Referral Domain & URL]
    C --> D[Set Up Reward Rules & Payouts]
    D --> E[Invite Initial Partners]
    E --> F[Publish & Create Program]
```

---

### Key Concepts

Review these core terms to understand how your program functions behind the scenes:

| Concept | Definition |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Partner Program** | A structured framework within your workspace that tracks affiliate referrals, rewards, and payouts. |
| **Partner Group** | A collection of partners sharing the same reward structures, branding settings, and default link templates. |
| **Program Enrollment** | The association connecting a specific partner profile to your partner program. |
| **Reward Structure** | The commission model determining how partners are paid (e.g., flat rates or revenue shares per lead or sale). |

---

### Tips for a Successful Launch

> [!TIP]
> **Use Custom Domains:** Dedicate a clean, branded domain exclusively for your short links and program referral tracking to increase partner trust and click-through rates.

> [!WARNING]
> **Plan Requirements:** Creating and managing partner programs requires an eligible plan tier (Business plan and above). Ensure your workspace plan is up to date before launching.

## Related

- [Partner Program Management](https://www.doc0.dev/docs/934e554a-e6a1-476f-bb2f-23e62d86c3fd/guide/core-features/partner-program-management)
- [Commissions and Payouts](https://www.doc0.dev/docs/934e554a-e6a1-476f-bb2f-23e62d86c3fd/guide/how-to-guides/commissions-and-payouts)


## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://www.doc0.dev/docs/934e554a-e6a1-476f-bb2f-23e62d86c3fd/llms.txt) for all pages in this wiki.