Setting up your paid ads policy

Every program on Reditus sets its own paid-ads policy: whether affiliates may run paid ads with their affiliate link, and on what. Your program's landing page shows the policy, so affiliates know the rules before they apply.

Where to set it

You set the paid-ads policy in your affiliate program settings. The options are roughly these: allow all paid ads, no Google paid ads, no brand bidding, or no paid search ads. You can change it at any time. When you do, tell your affiliates: some of them may already be running ads.

The setting is informational. It tells affiliates what is and isn't allowed, but it doesn't block or reject anything by itself. To reject referrals from Google paid ads automatically, also switch on auto-reject for them (see below).

Not sure which option to pick? Ask us in the chat and we'll help you decide.

The general affiliate terms follow your policy

getreditus.com/affiliate-terms holds the general terms for every program on Reditus. Their two paid-ads clauses (no bidding on your brand name, and no search or social ads that compete with your own marketing) apply unless your program's paid-ads policy explicitly allows those ads. So if you allow paid ads, including on your brand name, your policy wins and there's no conflict with the terms.

Auto-reject referrals from Google paid ads

Reditus flags referrals that come from Google paid ads. If you don't allow paid ads, switch on auto-reject for these referrals in your affiliate program settings. They're then rejected automatically and marked as potential fraud, so you don't have to reject them one by one.

This was the first auto-reject option in Reditus. Most of the fraud we see is paid-ad fraud, and this detection already handles it.

Two more signals have their own auto-reject toggle: the same IP address (a self-referral) and the same email address. One caution: agencies often sign up and pay on behalf of a client and share an IP address with them. That's normal, so think twice before you switch on same-IP auto-reject if you work with agencies. The same-IP and same-email checks cover affiliate referrals only: they don't apply to the in-app referral program, because Reditus doesn't always receive that information there. Google paid-ads detection should cover advocates too. More in how Reditus helps you avoid fraud.

Should you allow paid ads?

Some SaaS companies do allow it. What you get:

• Affiliates pay for the ads, so the ad spend risk sits with them.
• Your team doesn't have to manage the campaigns.
• Affiliates can bring in traffic you would otherwise miss.
• You still only pay commission when that traffic turns into paying customers.

What you carry is the brand risk: an affiliate can misrepresent your product in an ad or break an ad platform's rules. That's why some companies keep paid ads closed.

Brand bidding

Joran Hofman, our founder, used to be against affiliates bidding on a company's brand name, because they can take your organic traffic when you don't bid on your brand yourself. He changed his mind. Affiliates' ads point to your own domain, so they don't compete with your own brand ads. They capture the searches your ads miss: when your budget runs out, in regions you don't cover, or beyond a small budget. And once you're bigger, competitors often bid on your brand anyway, so you're not on top regardless. SaaS companies that were against brand bidding have changed their minds, and Reditus's own affiliate program allows it.

Not ready to open up completely? Two middle paths:

• Keep paid ads closed, allow one trusted affiliate to run them under a written agreement, and open up once that works.
• Allow paid ads only in regions where you don't advertise yourself.

Enforcing a "no brand bidding" rule

Reditus can't see inside an affiliate's ad account, so it can't tell which keywords an affiliate bids on. Auto-reject covers referrals from Google paid ads in general, not only ads on your brand name. If you allow paid ads but not on your brand, checking that is up to you: search for your brand name and look at who is advertising on it. You can remove an affiliate who breaks your rules.

For a complete policy covering every channel, see allowed vs restricted affiliate promotion channels.

FAQs

What happens if I don't allow affiliates to run paid ads?

Affiliates promote you through organic channels instead, such as content, newsletters, social media, video and communities. Your policy alone doesn't stop paid traffic, so also switch on auto-reject for Google paid-ads referrals: paid traffic that comes in anyway is then rejected and earns no commission.

Can I change the paid ads setting later?

Yes. You can change your paid-ads policy at any time in your affiliate program settings. Let your affiliates know when you do.

Can Reditus reject only ads on my brand name?

No. Reditus flags and can auto-reject referrals that come from Google paid ads, whatever keyword the ad ran on. It can't see an affiliate's keywords, so a brand-only rule is yours to check.

Are there risks to allowing affiliates to run paid ads?

Affiliates carry the investment risk, but you carry the brand risk. Misleading ads and ad policy violations are why some companies restrict paid ads or allow them only under a written agreement.