Creating Your First Partnership Campaign

Creating Your First Partnership Campaign

Creating your first partnership campaign on Partnac is straightforward. This guide walks you through the entire process, from defining your goals to launching your program and attracting your first partners.

Whether you're launching a partnership program for the first time or migrating from another platform, this step-by-step guide will help you set up a campaign that attracts quality partners and drives real results.

Before You Start: What You'll Need


Before creating your campaign, gather:

- Clear campaign goals - What do you want to achieve?
- Commission structure - How much will you pay affiliates?
- Product information - Details about what affiliates will promote
- Marketing assets - Images, copy, and resources for affiliates
- Tracking setup - Your website or app ready for tracking integration

Step 1: Campaign Basics

Navigate to **Campaigns > Create Campaign** to start.

Campaign Name

Choose a clear, descriptive name:
- Good: "Q1 2025 Product Launch - Affiliate Program"
- Bad: "Campaign 1" or "Test"

Your campaign name appears in:
  1. Affiliate applications
  2. Partnership requests
  3. Analytics and reports
  4. Creator marketplace

Campaign Description

Your description should answer:
  1. What is your product or service?
  2. Who is your target audience?
  3. What makes your product unique?
  4. Why should affiliates promote you?
  5. What support do you provide?

Example:
> "We're a project management SaaS tool built for remote teams. Our platform helps distributed teams of 5-50 people stay organized, collaborate effectively, and hit deadlines. We're looking for affiliates who create content about productivity, remote work, or team collaboration. We offer 30% recurring commissions, provide all marketing assets, and have a dedicated partnership team to support your success."

Industry and Category

Select your industry and relevant categories. This helps:
  1. Creators discover your campaign
  2. Partnac match you with relevant partners
  3. Filter and organize your campaigns

Step 2: Campaign Goals and Objectives

Define what success looks like for your campaign.

Campaign Goal

Choose your primary goal:
  1. Conversions - Sales, signups, or other actions
  2. Traffic - Website visits and clicks
  3. Awareness - Impressions and reach
  4. Engagement - Likes, comments, shares
  5. App Installs - Mobile app downloads
  6. Hybrid - Multiple goals
For affiliate campaigns, Conversions is typically the primary goal.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Define specific metrics to track:
  1. Conversion rate - Percentage of clicks that convert
  2. Cost per acquisition (CPA) - Average cost per conversion
  3. Revenue generated - Total sales from affiliates
  4. Number of active affiliates - Partners actively promoting
  5. Click-through rate (CTR) - Percentage of impressions that result in clicks

Target Audience

Describe who you're trying to reach:
  1. Demographics (age, gender, location)
  2. Interests and behaviors
  3. Professional characteristics
  4. Pain points your product solves
This helps affiliates understand if their audience is a good fit.

Step 3: Commission Structure

This is where you define how affiliates get paid.

Payout Type

Choose your commission model:

Percentage of Sale
  1. Example: 20% of each purchase
  2. Best for: Products with variable pricing
  3. Pros: Scales with order value
  4. Cons: Requires clear pricing
Flat Rate per Conversion
  1. Example: $50 per signup
  2. Best for: Lead generation, fixed-price products
  3. Pros: Predictable costs
  4. Cons: Doesn't scale with order value
Recurring Commission
  1. Example: 30% of first month, 10% recurring monthly
  2. Best for: SaaS, subscriptions, memberships
  3. Pros: Rewards long-term customer value
  4. Cons: More complex tracking
Tiered Rates
  1. Example: 15% for first 10 sales, 25% after that
  2. Best for: Motivating top performers
  3. Pros: Rewards high performers
  4. Cons: More complex to manage

Setting Your Commission Rate

Research industry standards:
  1. E-commerce: 10-30% of sale
  2. SaaS: 20-40% of first month, 5-20% recurring
  3. Lead generation: $20-100 per qualified lead
  4. Digital products: 30-50% of sale
Consider your margins:
  1. Can you afford the commission?
  2. What's your customer lifetime value?
  3. How does this compare to other marketing channels?
Start competitive:
  1. Higher rates attract more affiliates
  2. You can always adjust later
  3. Better to start high and optimize down

Earning Duration

For recurring commissions, define how long affiliates earn:
  1. Lifetime - Affiliates earn as long as customer stays
  2. 1 year - Affiliates earn for 12 months
  3. 6 months - Affiliates earn for 6 months
  4. Custom - Define your own duration

Step 4: Partner Requirements

Define what you're looking for in affiliates.

Geography

Select target regions:
- Global - Open to all countries
- Specific regions - North America, Europe, etc.
- Specific countries - United States, United Kingdom, etc.

Minimum Follower Threshold

Set minimum audience size (optional):
  1. No minimum - Open to all creators
  2. 1,000+ followers - Micro-influencers
  3. 10,000+ followers - Mid-tier creators
  4. 100,000+ followers - Macro-influencers

**Pro tip: Don't set thresholds too high. Micro-influencers often have higher engagement rates and can be more effective.

Preferred Platforms

Select platforms where you want promotion:
  1. Instagram
  2. TikTok
  3. YouTube
  4. Blog/Website
  5. Newsletter
  6. Twitter/X
  7. LinkedIn
  8. Podcast
You can select multiple platforms or leave open to all.

Step 5: Creative Assets and Guidelines

Provide affiliates with resources they need to succeed.

Brand Guidelines

Include:
  1. Brand voice and tone - How should affiliates talk about you?
  2. Key messaging - Important points to communicate
  3. Do's and don'ts - What's allowed and what's not
  4. Disclosure requirements - FTC guidelines and platform rules

Marketing Assets

Upload or link to:
- Product images - High-resolution photos
- Logo files - Various formats and sizes
- Banner images - For blog posts and websites
- Email templates - Pre-written emails affiliates can use
- Social media graphics - Ready-to-post content
- Product descriptions - Copy affiliates can use

Hashtags

Provide relevant hashtags affiliates can use:
  1. Brand-specific hashtags
  2. Industry hashtags
  3. Campaign hashtags

Step 6: Tracking and Attribution

Set up how conversions will be tracked and attributed.

Attribution Model

Choose how conversions are attributed:
  1. Last click - Last affiliate link gets credit
  2. First click - First affiliate link gets credit
  3. Multi-touch - Credit shared across touchpoints
For most affiliate programs, last click is standard.

Referral URL

Enter the URL where affiliates will send traffic:
  1. Your homepage
  2.  A dedicated landing page
  3.  Product pages
  4.  Signup pages
Pro tip: Create dedicated landing pages for affiliate traffic. This helps with tracking and conversion optimization.

Set how long affiliate links remain active:
  1. 7 days - Standard for most programs
  2. 30 days - Longer attribution window
  3. 90 days - Extended attribution
  4. Custom - Define your own duration
Longer durations give affiliates more credit but can complicate attribution.

Step 7: Budget and Limits

Set spending limits to control costs.

Total Budget

Optional total campaign budget:
  1.  Helps you stay within spending limits
  2.  Partnac will notify you as you approach limits
  3.  Can be adjusted as campaign progresses

Daily/Monthly Caps

Set limits on:
  1. Daily spend - Maximum per day
  2. Monthly spend - Maximum per month
  3. Per-partner caps - Maximum per affiliate
These help prevent overspending and manage cash flow.

Step 8: Contracts and Terms

Define the legal and operational terms.

Contract Template

Choose a contract template:
  1. Standard affiliate agreement - Basic terms
  2. Custom contract - Your own terms
  3. No contract - Terms defined in campaign description

Payment Schedule

When will affiliates get paid:
  1. Weekly - Every week
  2. Monthly - Once per month (most common)
  3. Quarterly - Every three months
  4. On completion - After each conversion (rare)

Approval Workflow

How applications are handled:
  1. Auto-approve - All applicants accepted automatically
  2. Manual review - You review each application

For new programs, manual review is recommended to ensure quality.

Step 9: Campaign Visibility

Control who can see and apply to your campaign.

Campaign Visibility

  1. Public - Visible in marketplace, anyone can apply
  2. Private - Only invited creators can see and apply
  3. Unlisted - Not in marketplace, direct links only

  1. Yes - Campaign appears in featured section
  2. No - Campaign appears in regular listings

Featured campaigns get more visibility but may receive more applications.

Step 10: Review and Launch

Before launching, review everything:

Pre-Launch Checklist

  1.  [ ] Campaign name and description are clear
  2.  [ ] Goals and KPIs are defined
  3.  [ ] Commission structure is competitive
  4.  [ ] Partner requirements are reasonable
  5.  [ ] Marketing assets are uploaded
  6.  [ ] Tracking is configured correctly
  7.  [ ] Terms and contracts are in place
  8.  [ ] Budget limits are set (if applicable)

Launch Your Campaign

1. Save as draft - Review everything one more time
2. Test the application process - Apply to your own campaign to see the experience
3. Launch - Change status from "Draft" to "Active"
4. Share with your network - Invite existing partners or customers

After Launch: What's Next

Week 1: Monitor and Adjust

  1. Review applications - Approve quality affiliates quickly
  2. Monitor performance - Track clicks, conversions, and engagement
  3. Gather feedback - Ask early affiliates what they need
  4. Make adjustments - Refine commission rates or requirements if needed

Month 1: Optimize and Scale

  1. Identify top performers - Focus on affiliates driving results
  2. Provide support - Answer questions, share resources
  3. Test different approaches - Try different commission structures
  4. Expand reach - Invite more affiliates or increase marketing

Ongoing: Build Relationships

  1. Communicate regularly - Keep affiliates updated
  2. Share performance data - Show affiliates how they're doing
  3. Provide new assets - Keep resources fresh and current
  4. Reward top performers - Bonuses, higher rates, or special opportunities

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Setting Commissions Too Low
  1. Affiliates won't be motivated to promote
  2. You'll attract low-quality partners
  3. Better to start competitive and adjust

Mistake 2: Vague Campaign Descriptions
  1. Affiliates don't understand what you offer
  2. Leads to mismatched partnerships
  3. Be specific about product, audience, and value

Mistake 3: No Marketing Assets
  1. Affiliates don't have what they need to promote
  2. Results in inconsistent or poor promotion
  3. Provide comprehensive resources

Mistake 4: Overly Restrictive Requirements
  1.  Limits your pool of potential affiliates
  2.  May exclude effective micro-influencers
  3.  Start broad and narrow based on results

Mistake 5: Set It and Forget It
  1.  Affiliate programs need ongoing management
  2.  Regular communication and optimization are essential
  3.  Treat it as an active marketing channel

Getting Help

If you need assistance:
  1. Campaign creation support - Contact support from your dashboard
  2. Best practices - Check our blog for affiliate marketing guides
  3. Community - Connect with other brands running affiliate programs

Next Steps

Now that your campaign is created:

1. Start recruiting affiliates - Use the marketplace to find creators
2. Share your campaign - Invite existing partners or customers
3. Monitor performance - Track metrics and optimize
4. Build relationships - Engage with your affiliate partners

Ready to create your campaign? [Go to Campaigns > Create Campaign](https://partnac.com/dashboard/campaigns/new).

For more guidance, check out our blog articles on [how to start an affiliate program](https://partnac.com/blog/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program) and [affiliate marketing best practices](https://partnac.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-guide-for-brands).

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