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Learn how to set up affiliate campaigns, track conversions, manage commissions, and grow revenue through partner-driven sales — all inside MarketiStats.
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based channel where partners (affiliates) promote your product and earn a commission for every sale or lead they generate. You only pay when results happen, making it one of the most cost-efficient acquisition channels available.
There are two common commission structures:
PERCENTAGEPercentage-Based
Affiliate earns a percentage of each sale. Best for high-ticket or variable-priced products. Example: 20% of a $200 sale = $40 commission.
FLATFlat-Rate
Affiliate earns a fixed dollar amount per conversion regardless of sale price. Best for low-ticket or subscription products. Example: $15 per sign-up.
When to use which: Use percentage commissions for products above $50 where margin varies. Use flat-rate commissions for low-ticket items or subscriptions where you want predictable CAC.
Follow these steps to create your first affiliate campaign and start tracking clicks.
Navigate to your dashboard and select the Affiliates tab from the top navigation. This is where all your campaigns, analytics, and integration settings live.
Click "Create Campaign" and fill in the details:
bloggerx-summer)Your tracking link is automatically generated based on the slug:
yoursite.com/t/{slug}For example, a campaign with slug bloggerx-summer creates the link yoursite.com/t/bloggerx-summer.
Distribute the tracking link to your affiliate partners. When visitors click the link, MarketiStats automatically:
One campaign per affiliate: For the most granular tracking, create a separate campaign (with a unique slug) for each affiliate partner. This lets you compare individual performance side by side.
Clicks alone don't generate revenue — you need to track conversions (sales, sign-ups, or leads) back to the affiliate who referred them. MarketiStats supports three methods:
MANUALLog conversions directly in the Conversions tab when you confirm a sale. Best for low-volume programs or when you verify each sale individually.
Select the campaign, enter the sale amount, and submit. The conversion is recorded as PENDING until you approve it.
WEBHOOKSend a POST request to /api/conversions/track with your API key in the X-Affiliate-Key header. Ideal for automated, real-time tracking from your backend.
curl -X POST https://yoursite.com/api/conversions/track \
-H "X-Affiliate-Key: mst_your_api_key" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"slug":"bloggerx-summer","amount":99.00}'PIXELAdd the tracking pixel JavaScript snippet to your thank-you or order-confirmation page. It fires automatically for visitors who arrived through an affiliate link.
<script src="https://yoursite.com/t/pixel.js"
data-amount="99.00"
data-key="mst_your_api_key">
</script>The pixel reads the affiliate cookie set during the click and attributes the conversion to the correct campaign.
Go to the Affiliates tab and scroll down to the "Integration" section at the bottom of the page.
Click "Generate API Key" to create your mst_ prefixed key. Copy it immediately — it is only shown once.
The Integration Guide section displays ready-to-use code snippets for both the webhook curl command and the pixel JS snippet, pre-filled with your key.
Keep your API key secret. Anyone with your mst_ key can log conversions against your campaigns. Never expose it in client-side code — use the pixel snippet (which is designed for public pages) or server-side webhooks.
The Performance tab in the Affiliates board gives you a complete picture of each campaign's effectiveness.
Conversions / Clicks x 100The percentage of affiliate link clicks that result in a confirmed sale or lead. This measures how well the affiliate's audience matches your product.
Good: 2-5% for most niches. Above 5% indicates strong audience-product fit.
Total Revenue / Total ClicksHow much revenue each click generates on average. A high RPC means the affiliate is sending high-quality, purchase-ready traffic.
Good: Varies by product price. For a $100 product at 3% CVR, expect ~$3.00 RPC.
Sum of Approved CommissionsThe total commission owed or paid to affiliates. Compare this against the revenue generated to ensure your program is profitable.
Good: Keep total commission below 20-30% of affiliate-driven revenue.
Total Commissions / Total ClicksHow much the affiliate earns per click they send. This is the metric affiliates care about most — higher EPC attracts better partners.
Good: EPC above $0.50 is competitive. Above $1.00 attracts top-tier affiliates.
Device and platform breakdowns are available in the Analytics tab. Use these to understand where your affiliates' audiences are coming from (Instagram vs Twitter vs direct) and what devices they use (Mobile vs Desktop). This helps affiliates optimise their promotion strategy.
Every conversion moves through a lifecycle of statuses. Managing this flow properly builds trust with your affiliates and protects you from fraud.
| Status | Meaning | Your Action |
|---|---|---|
PENDING | Conversion logged but not yet verified | Review sale evidence |
APPROVED | Sale confirmed, commission is owed | Queue for payout |
PAID | Commission sent to the affiliate | Record payment reference |
VOIDED | Fraudulent, refunded, or cancelled | Document reason |
Bulk status updates: Select multiple conversions and update their status in one action. This is especially useful at the end of each payment cycle when you move all verified conversions from APPROVED to PAID.
Review pending conversions weekly. Affiliates lose trust quickly if commissions sit in PENDING for weeks. Set a regular cadence — weekly review, bi-weekly payout — and communicate it to your partners.
Give each affiliate their own campaign slug
Individual slugs let you compare affiliate performance head-to-head and identify your top partners. Shared slugs make it impossible to attribute conversions accurately.
Use percentage commissions for high-ticket items
When your product costs $200+, a percentage model (e.g., 15-20%) gives affiliates a strong incentive. For products under $50, flat-rate commissions are simpler and more predictable.
Review pending conversions weekly
A consistent review cadence builds affiliate trust. Document your payout schedule (e.g., NET-15 or NET-30) and communicate it clearly to all partners.
Monitor device and platform breakdowns
If most conversions come from mobile Instagram traffic, help your affiliates create mobile-optimised content. Data-driven feedback improves everyone's results.
Set up webhook tracking for real-time automation
Manual logging works for small programs, but webhook-based tracking eliminates human error and ensures every conversion is captured the moment it happens.
Protect your program from fraud
Watch for suspicious patterns: extremely high click counts with zero conversions, clicks from data-center IPs, or conversions that are immediately refunded. Use the VOIDED status liberally.
Sign up for free and create your first campaign, generate tracking links, and start monitoring clicks, conversions, and commissions in real time.
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