> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bloop.plus/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bloop.plus/affiliate-program/getting-started.md).

# Getting Started

An affiliate program is a pay-for-performance sales channel: you recruit external partners — creators, bloggers, publishers — and pay them a commission only on the orders they actually drive. Cost scales with revenue, making it one of the lowest-risk ways to grow a Shopify store. Set a commission worth promoting, decide who gets in, and pay reliably; Bloop handles the tracking.

> **Best practice:** Treat your first campaign as a starting offer, not a final answer. Launch with the 15% default, recruit a handful of partners who already love your products, and watch which commission level actually motivates promotion before you scale up. A program with five engaged affiliates beats fifty inactive ones.

If you are deciding between this and a customer referral program, read [referral program vs affiliate program](https://bloop.plus/blog/referral-program-vs-affiliate-program/). The short version: referral programs reward your existing customers for inviting friends, while affiliate programs reward partners for driving sales at scale. You can run both with Bloop at the same time.

### How the affiliate flow works

1. You create a **campaign** that sets the commission structure and the attribution window (cookie).
2. You add **affiliates** manually, or let them self-register through your registration form.
3. Each approved affiliate receives a unique referral link (and optionally a discount coupon to share).
4. When a customer orders through that link within the cookie window, Bloop records a **sale** and calculates the commission.
5. You review sales, approve the valid ones, then **pay out** the approved commissions.

### What gets created on setup

The first time the affiliate module initializes for your store, Bloop creates a set of defaults so you can start immediately:

* A **Default Campaign** with a 15% percentage commission and a 30-day cookie window.
* The default affiliate **email notifications** (registration, sale approved/declined, new payout, and more).
* Default **portal settings** for the affiliate-facing portal.
* A default set of **payment methods** (Bank transfer, PayPal, Debit cash, Google pay) you can enable and configure later.

You do not have to keep these defaults. Every one of them is editable from the affiliate dashboard.

### 1. Review or create your campaign

Open the **Campaign** tab. You will see the Default Campaign already created.

1. Set the **commission structure** — a flat amount, a percentage, or tiered rates. See [affiliate campaigns and commissions](/affiliate-program/campaigns.md) for every option and which model fits your margins.
2. Set the **cookie** (attribution window) in days. This is how long after a click a purchase still counts for the affiliate. The default is 30 days.
3. Optionally turn on an **auto-apply discount** so customers who arrive through an affiliate link get a discount automatically.

You can run multiple campaigns at once and assign different affiliates to different campaigns.

### 2. Add your first affiliates

You can populate your program two ways:

* **Manually add** an affiliate from the **Affiliates** tab by entering their name and email and assigning a campaign.
* **Self-registration** — share your registration form link so affiliates apply themselves. New applicants land with a **pending** status until you approve them.

Full details, including approving applicants and the "login as" portal preview, are in [managing affiliates](/affiliate-program/affiliates.md).

### 3. Set up payment methods

Before you owe anyone money, decide how you will pay. Open **Branding → Payments** and enable the methods you support, then edit the fields each one collects from affiliates. See [affiliate settings](/affiliate-program/settings.md) for the configuration steps.

### 4. Go live

Once you have a campaign, at least one approved affiliate, and payment methods configured:

1. Confirm the campaign status is active.
2. Share referral links (and coupons) with your affiliates, or point them to the registration form.
3. Watch the **Sales** tab as orders start coming in.

Your affiliate program is now live. As affiliates drive orders, sales appear for review in the dashboard, and approved commissions become available to [pay out](/affiliate-program/payouts.md).


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