Getting Started after Launching Your New Program

Welcome to Webgains. This getting started guide brings together the key steps to consider after launching your new program, alongside self-service advertiser guidance and Knowledge Hub resources that help you manage and grow your program.

Use this page as a quick route into the most important areas of the advertiser platform: account setup, tracking, program settings, commission setup, publisher recruitment, promotional assets, voucher strategy, transaction validation, reporting and ongoing optimisation.

Getting started essentials

Before you begin recruiting publishers, complete the essentials that help your program launch successfully.

• Review the platform navigation and Network Guidelines.

• Complete tracking setup.

• Confirm your program settings, marketing channels and keyword rules within the platform.

• Set up your commission structure.

• Prepare your program description, promotional assets, links, banners, vouchers and product feed.

Stage 1: Preparation for recruitment

Before you begin the recruitment process, it’s important to make sure your program is clear, attractive and easy for publishers to promote. A well-written program description increases your chances of getting publishers onboard and actively promoting your brand.

A blueprint for a good program description is below, or learn more here: How do I create a good description and T&Cs for my program?

1.1 Program description

Describe your business in 1-3 sentences, clearly stating what you do and who your target audience is.

• Why join your program?

  • Briefly explain your USPs and what makes your brand attractive to your customers and partners.

• What’s in it for them?

  • Describe your program details, including commission levels, cookie length, average order value and product feed availability.

• Terms and conditions

  • Let publishers know if you have specific terms that apply to them, such as PPC restrictions, coupon policies or social media policies.

1.2 Marketing channels

Marketing channels define the types of publisher activity you allow on your program. Setting these rules clearly helps publishers understand how they can promote you and helps you manage activity such as PPC, content, cashback, loyalty, voucher and technology partnerships.

1.3 Promotional assets

Set your publishers up for success by providing them with promotional assets. Give publishers what they need to promote your brand effectively, including up-to-date copy, imagery, offers and relevant landing pages.

Create a minimum of 10 links and banners per program. Try to update these at least two weeks before any big events.

1.4 Voucher codes

Vouchers give publishers clear promotional offers to share with their audiences. Keep voucher details accurate, make validity dates and terms clear, and use voucher strategy alongside publisher recruitment and commission planning.

• We recommend creating monthly or quarterly generic voucher codes. These could be category-specific codes that require a minimum spend, free delivery codes or codes that target new customers only.

• You can also create exclusive codes if you decide you want to work more closely with a specific publisher.

1.5 Offers

Upload your weekly on-site offers to the Webgains platform. These can be any offers that are already on your website, such as free delivery or a sale.

1.6 Product feed

Product feeds are very important for data-driven publishers. These publishers promote not only your brand but also particular products that can be purchased on your site, so your product feed should include item name, price, stock, SKU and other relevant product information.

Our product feed platform allows advertisers to seamlessly upload automated Google Shopping Feeds straight into the Webgains platform without requiring any manual intervention from a Webgains account manager. When ingesting your feeds into our platform, we will check that the feed is valid and adheres to the Google Shopping Feed specifications. Any issues with the format of the feed will be highlighted directly in the platform, allowing you to easily resolve any formatting issues.

Stage 2: Recruitment process

Webgains has thousands of vetted publishers, and we advise working with a wide variety in order to have a balanced affiliate program.

We recommend launching with the following publisher types as a base mix:

• Technology - This is a broad category of publishers which covers affiliate types such as CSS, price comparison and retargeting. They leverage technical solutions to drive and optimise sales for you.

• Cashback and voucher - Cashback and voucher sites are very popular and help with new customer acquisition, increasing AOV and encouraging repeat purchases.

• Content - Content publishers help you to place your products on various editorial sites. Subnetworks give you access to influencers at scale.

To help you get started, Webgains provide 10 publishers that we recommend you explore working with: Webgains Recommends - Top 10 Publishers (UK)

How to invite publishers and review applications

Publisher recruitment helps you build the right partner base for your program. Use Publisher Search to find relevant partners and send invites, and use Publisher Management to review applications from publishers who want to promote your brand, and manage your relationships.

Once you have invited publishers to the program, in the same section you can view the publisher’s contact details if you wish to send a personal email from your own email address, introducing yourself and your business.

Stage 3: Commission strategy

Smart Commissions let you create flexible commission rules based on products, customer types, publisher groups, voucher codes, tiers and other program needs. Use them to make your program commercially attractive while keeping your commission structure controlled.

When setting commission rates, aim for a structure that is attractive to publishers, competitive within your market and sustainable for your margins. Publishers are more likely to prioritise programs that offer clear earning potential, so avoid setting rates too low compared with similar retailers. At the same time, your commission strategy should reflect your commercial goals, product profitability and the value different publisher types bring to your program.

A strong commission strategy should consider:

• Competitor benchmarks: Review what comparable brands offer through affiliate programs, cashback sites and voucher partners so your rates remain competitive.

• Margin and product value: Set rates that support profitability. You may want to offer higher commissions on high-margin or priority products, and lower rates on products with tighter margins.

• Publisher type: Different publisher models can influence customers in different ways. Consider whether content, technology, cashback, voucher or influencer partners should receive tailored rates based on their role in the customer journey.

• Customer type: Use different rates to support your objectives, such as rewarding new-customer acquisition more strongly than repeat purchases.

• Performance incentives: Introduce tiered commission levels, bonuses or temporary uplifts to motivate publishers to drive more sales during key campaigns or seasonal peaks.

• Voucher and promotional strategy: Align commission rates with the value of the offer. For example, you may choose different rates for generic codes, exclusive codes or high-discount promotions to protect your margins.

• Regular review: Monitor sales, conversion rate, average order value and publisher performance so you can adjust commissions based on what is delivering profitable growth.

By balancing competitiveness with profitability, you can create a commission strategy that motivates publishers while keeping your program commercially controlled.

Stage 4: Activation

Now that you have your publishers onboard, it’s time to plan your commercial events.

Make your publishers aware of your campaigns at least two weeks in advance, so that they have time to schedule your placements. For bigger events like Black Friday, we recommend communicating your offers at least 30 days in advance.

The newsletter format can be in plain text or HTML, whichever you prefer. You can also include links to landing pages, images and videos. The more your existing publishers know about your product ranges, new releases or best-sellers, the better your chances are of getting featured.

Remember to also keep your account updated with your Vouchers and Offers, so publishers are aware of your upcoming sales, seasonal events, promotions, and other assets that they can use to promote your program.

Stage 5: Transaction Validation

Transaction validation is a recurring month-end task. Review unconfirmed transactions, cancel or adjust where needed, and make sure validation is completed before deadlines so publisher payments and advertiser invoices can progress smoothly.

Set a recurring monthly reminder to review and validate transactions before your validation (recall) period expires.

Stage 6: Reporting and Optimisation

Once your program has been up and running for a few months, it’s good to take a step back and look at what has worked and what hasn’t. Reporting helps you monitor performance, understand publisher contribution, review customer journeys and identify opportunities to optimise your program.

Compare your publishers’ performance

• Which publishers are generating the most sales and on what products?

• Which publishers are click-active, but not generating sales?

• What are your best-selling products?

• What are your general stats, such as conversion rate and average order value?

Research your competition

Information about your competitors’ affiliate programs can be found online. Search for “your competitor’s brand” + affiliate program, or search for competing brands on cashback and voucher sites.

What’s next?

Now that you’re clear on what works and what doesn’t, you can optimise your program for better performance.

Reward your best-performing publishers

Create exclusive campaigns or increase commissions for your best publishers to encourage them to promote you more. Get in touch with them to discuss how you could work more closely with them.

Review your commissions and incentives

If you notice that your rates are lower than your competitors, try increasing your commission rates, or test with different cashback and voucher types to see if this improves conversion.

Consider purchasing tenancies

Most publishers offer special placements on their websites and newsletters for a fee, known as tenancies. If you have a publisher that generates a good amount of clicks and sales, consider increasing their impact by purchasing more visibility on their site.

Recruit more publishers that bring results

If you notice that a specific publisher type works well for you, such as voucher publishers, consider recruiting more of that type and increasing the offers available for your brand.