Should you run an affiliate program at all?
After this track you can
Decide, honestly, whether an affiliate program will work for your SaaS right now, and know what to expect if you start.
This track is willing to say no. An affiliate program only pays affiliates when a customer pays you, which means the whole channel rests on a funnel that already converts. Set one up too early and the outcome is predictable: a few affiliates sign up, nobody earns, nobody publishes, and six months later the channel gets written off as "did not work for us".
Three lessons. The first is the gate you have to pass. The second lists the signals that mean not yet, including the ones where we tell you to stop. The third sets expectations with the real numbers and the real months, so that if you do start, you judge the program against what actually happens rather than against the hope.
Syllabus
Lessons in this track
- 1Pass the readiness gate before you spend a day on thisCheck your SaaS against the three conditions affiliates test in the first minute: product-market fit, a funnel that converts, and a site an affiliate can send traffic to. 6 min read Video coming soon
- 2Recognise the bad-fit signals, including the ones where we tell you not to startSpot the six signals that make a program fail regardless of platform: checkout off your own domain, a domain mismatch, an active AppSumo deal, sub-$10 pricing, no product-market fit, and a commission that earns an affiliate under $10 per customer payment. 7 min read Video coming soon
- 3Know what a working program looks like before you start, in numbers and monthsSet expectations from the cleared benchmarks: 20 to 30% of new revenue, month one for recruiting, months two and three for clicks, first paid customer around month five or six, break-even at nine to twelve months, all shifted by trial length and recruiting style. 8 min read Video coming soon
What "in trouble" looks like at this stage
Every academy teaches the happy path. These are the signals we see in programs that are going quietly wrong at this exact point, and the lesson that deals with each one.
Your signup, demo booking or checkout happens on a different domain than your marketing site
Tracking works on one domain. This is the objection that ends the most sales calls, and it has to be fixed before installing anything.
Fix it: Recognise the bad-fit signals, including the ones where we tell you not to startYou expect affiliates to bring your first customers
Affiliates amplify a funnel that already converts. Pre-PMF programs stall because experienced affiliates can tell within a minute.
Fix it: Pass the readiness gate before you spend a day on thisYou have budgeted for affiliate revenue in month two
Month one is recruitment, months two and three are clicks. Revenue that early is the exception, not the plan.
Fix it: Know what a working program looks like before you start, in numbers and months