# Start a referral or affiliate program

> Pay happy customers and creators to bring you more customers.

- Time per week: 1 day to set up, then 1 hour
- First results: 1 to 3 months
- Cost: Free to about $29+ a month for software, plus the rewards
- Best for: Products that already have happy, paying customers
- Human guide: https://agentmarket.lol/how-to-market/referrals-and-affiliates
- Last checked: 2026-10-04. Platforms change their rules and prices; confirm before relying on a number.

## How it works

A referral program rewards customers for inviting friends, often with a reward on both sides (for example, a free month each). An affiliate program pays creators and partners a commission for customers they send.

For subscription software, affiliates are commonly paid a share of each payment for a set time. Rewardful's own affiliate program, for example, pays 25% of payments for the first 12 months.

Software tracks who referred whom. Tools like PromoteKit (reported to have a free plan for very small programs), Rewardful and Tolt connect to Stripe. Check their pricing pages, because prices change.

In the US, the FTC requires affiliates to clearly disclose that they earn a commission, in a way that's hard to miss.

## Good fit if

- Products people already recommend
- Tools that creators, consultants or agencies use with their clients

## Skip it if

- You don't have happy customers yet. Fix that first

## Prepare before you start

- [ ] Customers who already like your product (check reviews, support emails, replies)
- [ ] A reward you can afford (a free month, a discount, or a commission %)
- [ ] Simple written terms: what counts, when you pay, what's not allowed
- [ ] Referral tracking software, or a simple coupon-code system to start
- [ ] Ready-made assets for affiliates: screenshots, a short description, a demo video

## Step by step

1. **Start with referrals from customers.** Ask your happiest customers first. Give both them and their friend a reward. Put the invite link inside your product where people feel success.
2. **Pick a commission for affiliates.** Choose a percentage and a time limit you can afford. Make sure you still make money after paying it.
3. **Write clear terms.** Say how long a referral counts, the minimum payout, and what's banned (self-referrals, spam, bidding on your brand name in ads).
4. **Invite the right partners.** Creators who already make content about your problem, consultants and agencies who'd use your tool with clients. Write to each personally.
5. **Help them sell.** Give them assets, a demo account and quick answers. Partners who understand the product send better customers.

## Rules and mistakes to avoid

- Require affiliates to clearly disclose that they earn a commission (FTC rule in the US)
- Ban spam, fake reviews and misleading claims in your terms, and remove partners who break them
- Don't pay out before the refund window ends. It protects you from fraud

## Tips

- A double-sided reward (both people get something) usually works better than one-sided
- Show referral stats inside the product so people see progress

## What to measure

- Share of new customers that came through referrals or affiliates
- Revenue per partner, minus commissions paid
- Refund and cancel rate of referred customers

## Template: Partner invite

```text
Subject: Partner with [product]? [X]% for [N] months

Hi [name],

I loved your [video/post] about [topic]. Your audience has exactly the problem [product] solves: [one sentence].

We pay [X]% of every payment for [N] months for customers you send. You get a free account, a demo video and screenshots to use.

Want me to set you up?

[Your name]
```

## Important links

- [FTC: Endorsement Guides (disclosures)](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking)
- [Rewardful](https://www.rewardful.com/)
- [Tolt](https://tolt.com/)
- [PromoteKit](https://www.promotekit.com/)

## Sources

- [FTC: Guides Concerning Endorsements and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 255)](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/P204500%20Guides%20Concerning%20Endors%20and%20Testimonials.pdf)
- [Rewardful affiliate program (25% for 12 months)](https://www.rewardful.com/affiliate-program)
- [Best affiliate software for SaaS in 2026](https://refgrow.com/blog/best-affiliate-software-for-saas-2026)