Thinking of Starting a SaaS Affiliate Program. Any Lessons to Share Before I Dive In?
I am in the very early research phase of launching an affiliate program for my SaaS. Nothing is set in stone yet. No commission structure, no software picked, no rollout timeline. Before I draw up a plan, I want to learn from founders and marketers who have already walked this
What I am curious about:
• Which tracking/attribution hurdles surprised you once real traffic showed up?
• What signs told you an affiliate partnership was working or quietly draining resources?
• Any red flags when evaluating platforms?
• For anyone who shut a program down, what pushed you to pull the plug?
I would like to avoid “build-it-and-they-won’t-come” syndrome and budget realistically for both partner recruitment and ongoing support. Honest war stories are more useful than polished case studies, so please share the gritty details commission numbers, churn headaches, fraud issues, whatever.
I will round up the best insights into a follow-up post so everyone here benefits. Thanks in advance for helping me start on the right foot!
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What platform for affiliate do you wanna use?
I can say for us that 2 years back, when we started, we were too soon. We haven't been so well-known so we didn't get so much traffic. So we cancelled the program.
But now, people are messaging whether we have the affiliate (right now, that would be a great time to implement it again).
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@busmark_w_nika Thanks for sharing! Interesting how timing plays such a big role. Sounds like you have a perfect moment right now to give it another shot. Which platform did you initially try, and would you pick the same one again?
I was looking into Tolt and Rewardful but honestly I feel like it is too price. Was thinking making my own simplified version instead. Still deciding
@nicksuccesslaunch We had Impact but to be honest – haven't used it as a company for 2 years. But still using it as a creator. To be honest, I expected more opportunities. But have heard that Rewardful is also good.
I learned keep tracking super simple. If affiliates can’t see what they’re earning, they’ll lose interest quick.
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@mather_marker Thank you for the advice. Have you used any platforms or did it in house?
We ran an affiliate program for our SaaS in healthcare + automation here’s what surprised us:
Attribution got messy fast. A lot of first-click referrals were lost due to coupon sites or bundled deal links. We had to move to multi-touch tracking.
Support was the hidden cost. Affiliates needed frequent updates, promo kits, and hand-holding almost like onboarding a new hire.
Red flag: Platforms that don’t offer fraud detection at the lead level bot traffic + fake signups spiked once we raised commission.
One thing that worked: Giving partners custom-branded landing pages boosted trust and made attribution easier.
Are you planning to target content creators or niche partners? That made a difference for us.
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@priyanka_gosai1 Thanks for the detailed breakdown. Super helpful, especially the heads-up on fraud detection. Hadn't even considered that angle yet. Custom landing pages sound like a smart idea too.
I'm planning to target AI-focused content creators on social platforms initially. How did you go about promoting your affiliate program to reach the right niche partners?