How to Use the Affiliate Program Terms Prompt to Launch a Partner Program That Protects Your Margin

Launching an affiliate program looks simple: pick a network, set a commission, and invite creators. The trouble starts a few months later, when a coupon site is collecting commission on customers who were already at checkout, a partner is bidding on your brand name in search ads, and refunded orders have already been paid out. Most of those problems come from terms that were never written down. The Affiliate Program Terms Builder for Impact, PartnerStack, or ShareASale: Commission Tiers, Referral Window, Locking Period, Reversal Rules, Brand Bidding and Coupon Site Policy, FTC Disclosures, and a Partner Welcome Kit prompt turns your product economics and partner plans into a full set of program terms you can load into Impact, PartnerStack, or ShareASale before the first partner signs up.

What the prompt produces

1. Commission math that starts from your margin, refund rate, and network fees, then sets a base rate and up to two performance tiers.
2. Subscription options such as a one time bounty, first year recurring, or a capped number of renewals, with the cost per new customer for each.
3. Attribution rules covering the referral window, last click or first click, and whether partner coupon codes override cookies.
4. A locking period and reversal list so refunds, chargebacks, fraud, and self referrals never get paid.
5. A brand bidding policy for trademarked search terms and misspellings.
6. A coupon and deal site policy that stops partners from publishing codes that belong to someone else.
7. Prohibited traffic rules for cookie stuffing, browser extension injection, incentivized clicks, and spam.
8. An FTC disclosure section with sample disclosures for blogs, video, and newsletters.
9. Payment terms and a short welcome kit for approved partners.

How to fill the inputs

ProductEconomics is the most important input. Give price points, gross margin, the refund window, and your refund rate if you know it. The prompt uses these numbers to find the highest payout you can afford, so guesses here lead to rates that lose money.

Network names the platform and whether you sell once or by subscription. Recurring products need a different commission design than one time purchases.

PartnerMix lists the partner types you want. Content sites, creators, newsletters, and coupon sites behave very differently, and the terms should treat them differently.

BrandTerms describes your paid search setup and the trademarked terms you bid on. This is what the brand bidding policy protects.

Prohibited captures tactics you already know you do not want, such as partners running social ads with your name or cashback sites.

Reading the example output

The example is a stainless steel water filter pitcher with a filter subscription, run on Impact.

• The margin sets the ceiling. The prompt works out the gross margin per pitcher, subtracts refund drag and network fees, and lands on a payout ceiling before proposing any rates.
• Tiers reward volume without blowing the budget. The base rate rises at two monthly sales thresholds, and the subscription commission is capped at a set number of filter orders.
• The locking period covers the refund window plus shipping time, so refunds are reversed before payment.
• Coupon placements earn the base rate only. That keeps deal sites in the program without letting them take tier upgrades on demand they did not create.
• Disclosures are specific. The output shows exactly what a blogger, a YouTube creator, and a newsletter writer should say and where.

Tips for better results

• Use your real refund rate, not a hopeful one. Reversals and payout timing depend on it.
• Decide your position on coupon sites before you recruit, not after the first dispute.
• Keep the welcome kit short. Partners read the first screen and skip the rest.
• Review the terms once a quarter against actual reversals and partner behavior.
• Ask a lawyer to review the final terms if your program will be large or regulated.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not set a referral window just because a competitor uses it. Match it to how long your customers take to decide.
• Do not pay commissions before the refund window closes.
• Do not leave brand bidding unaddressed. Partners will often assume it is allowed.
• Do not bury disclosure requirements in a long legal document. Put them in the welcome kit too.

Who it is for

Ecommerce brand owners, SaaS founders starting a referral program, affiliate managers at small agencies, and marketers moving an informal creator program onto a network with written terms.

Related PromptDig links

Open the Affiliate Program Terms Builder for Impact, PartnerStack, or ShareASale: Commission Tiers, Referral Window, Locking Period, Reversal Rules, Brand Bidding and Coupon Site Policy, FTC Disclosures, and a Partner Welcome Kit prompt and add your own product numbers to draft your program terms. For more marketing and growth prompts, Browse more prompts. If you run partner programs and have a prompt that helps, Share a prompt.