How to create a partner program from scratch

The affiliate program is a channel for attracting and returning users through a network of third-party publishers/media players/content creators. For the program to work for a long time, you need a clear economy, transparent rules, reliable tracking and compliance. Below is a practical constructor: from strategy to first payments and scaling.

💡 Disclaimer for iGaming/financial/other regulated niches: comply with the laws of your jurisdiction, licensing requirements, age restrictions, site policies and principles of responsible communication. No promises of "guaranteed income/winnings."

1) We determine the purpose and economy of the channel

Why do you run the program?

Reduce the cost of attraction (eCPA below paid networks)

Diversify traffic sources
Accelerate growth in new GEO/niches

Units of success (by cohort):

eCPA/eCPL - actual cost of the targeted action
LTV_D30/D90/D180 - income per cohort over horizons
ROMI_N = (LTV_N − marketing costs )/costs
Payback - payback day/month

Budget frames and mouthguards: set daily/weekly limits by GEO/sources; growth of mouthguards - only after stable quality.

2) Choose a payout model

CPL (Cost per Lead): fix for lead (contact + consent). Fast scale, high risk of garbage → need strict validation.

CPA (Cost per Acquisition): fix for target action (e.g. FTD/purchase). Transparent to P&L, funnel sensitive.

RevShare:% of NGR/net revenue. Long economy, better for content sources.

Hybrid: CPA + RevShare (or CPL + L2FTD bonus). Now cache and LTV tail balance.

Tip: start with 1-2 models for different types of partners (buyers/content creators), so as not to complicate the calculations at the start.

3) Legal, rules and compliance

Public Agreement/Offer:

permitted GEO and sources (SEO/Telegram/UGC/PPC; branded PPC - more often than not)
prohibition of clickbait, "promises," images of minors policy on sub-partners and traffic transmission term and format of payments, controversial situations, holds
Content policies: promo "terms page," disclosure requirements, examples of safe language.
Privacy and data: GDPR/local laws, storage of personal data, unsubscribe in 1 click.
For iGaming: Responsible/18 +, KYC/AML procedures, bans for self-excluded users.

4) Tracking: Architecture "from day one"

Minimum stack:

Tracking links with 'click _ id' and labels' sub1-sub5'
S2S postbacks (server-to-server) for events: 'lead', 'registration', 'FTD/approved', 'revenue'
Attribution windows: 7-30 days (clearly in the rules)
Idempotence: double protection by 'tx _ id/click _ id'
Dashboards: clicks → leads → registration → targeted actions → applications/deviations (with reasons)

Data path: Partner (click) → your landing/product → postbacks to partner/CRM → reports to partner.

5) Funnel and landing requirements

One page of conditions (bonuses/tariffs/limits/exception/eligible GEO) - in one click.

UX frictionless: few fields, hints, progress bar, coronavirus on mobile.

Demo/guides: demo/FAQ/checklists for documents (if KYC is available) - increase post-click conversion.

Texts: neutral formulations and ranges ("output usually 15 min - 24 h after KYC; depends on the method") instead of "instantly to all."

6) Onboarding and partner support

Application form: site/portfolio, sources, GEO, expected volumes.

Partner KYC (B2B): basic check to reduce the risk of fraud/chargebacks.

Showcase of materials: links, banners, text templates, tracking and postback FAQs.

Account manager: communication channel, SLA answers, weekly reports.

Test cap: 1-2 weeks of restrictions to stable quality, then phased growth.

7) Creative politics (do's and don'ts)

You can: facts, condition tables, guides, interface demonstration/demo, neutral CTA: "View conditions," "Open demo," "Check status."

It is impossible: "guaranteed result/win," false timers, "without KYC all," images of minors, bypassing restrictions/GEO.

Process: pre-moderation of creatives, version with update date, revision log.

8) Antifraud: risks and protection

Typical abuses: motivated traffic, bot registrations, duplicates, cookie stuffing, post-back injection, emulators/proxies.

Countermeasures:

device/IP fingerprint, velocity limits, proxy-detection email/SMS confirmation, disable disposable domains postback signature, idempotence, error log
"yellow" segments and stepped growth of mouthguards weekly summary of the causes of deviations with recommendations

9) KPI and dashboards of the program

Conversion: CR click→lead/ lead→reg/ reg→tselevoye action

Quality: Approval Rate, L2KYC/L2FTD, proportion of repetitions, time to first value step (TTFV)

Economics: EPC, eCPA/eCPL, Cohort LTV, ROMI_N, Payback

Risks: complaints/unsubscribes, bans of creatives, fraud rate

Operating system: payment speed, share of disputed cases, AM response time

10) Payments, holds and finance

Schedule: Net-7/14/30; "daily" - only for verified partners on bail/limit

Methods: banking/fintech/other legal GEO channels

Currency and exchange rate: fix in the contract

Hold: protection against fraud/returns; clear renewal/withdrawal criteria

Reporting: uploads by players/leads, marking deviations with reason codes

11) Matrix of permitted sources

Source	Typical status	Comment
SEO/Content	Resolved	YMYL requirements for quality and transparency
Telegram (channels/bots/WebApp)	Resolved	Consent, Responsible, neutral wording
Push/Web/App	With reservations	Strictly by opt-in/quiet clock, no clickbait
PPC (brand)	More often prohibited	Conflict with operator
UGC/influencers	Resolved	Briefs, pre-moderation, disclosures
Motivated/Spam/Adult	Forbidden	High risk of fraud and blockages

12) Formulas (quick calculator)

EPC = Payouts/eCPA Clicks = Costs/Number of Approved Targeted Actions

Approval Rate = Approved/All Target Step Events
ROMI_N = (LTV_N − Cost )/eCPA Cost from CPL = eCPL/ L2FTD

13) Frequent bugs and quick fixes

There is no conditions page. → Do "all in one table," add an update date.

Maintenance "to the main." → Always diplink to the target screen (demo/conditions/status/FAQ).

Volume jumps without heating. → Enter the stages of the caps, check the Approval/fraud-speed.

Label confusion. → source _ campaign _ geo _ creative _ sub'naming pattern.

Little feedback to partners. → Weekly report with reasons for deviations and advice.

No postback idempotency. → Doubles in payments; add validation 'tx _ id'.

14) 30/60/90 day launch plan

0-30 days - foundation

Formulate goals and P&L frameworks, select 1-2 payment models

Prepare rules/offer, creative policy, "All conditions" page

Set up tracking (click_id, S2S, attribution windows, idempotency)
Assemble materials showcase, onboarding and pre-moderation process
Launch 10-20 partners for a test cap; dashboards CR/EPC/Approval

31-60 days - quality stabilization

Weekly reports of deviation reasons; cleaning sources/creatives

A/B landing pages (card table vs, route bot→LP vs LP), TTFV optimization
Stepped growth of caps to successful partners; SLA and knowledge base
Hybrid/RevShare talks for stable publishers

61-90 days - scale and control

Connect additional GEO/offers; orchestration rules/SmartLink

Implement anti-fraud alerts, holdout cohorts to assess increment
Weekly quality committees: LTV cohorts, ROMI, ban rates, NPS partners
Prepare quarterly report and rate/step increase plan per KPI

15) Templates (can be copied)

Secure Headers/ACT

Headline: 'All bonus terms - on one page'

Subtitle: "Wager, Term, Games Contribution - Example Table"

CTA: "View Terms "/" Open Demo "/" Check Status"

Caption: "Terms apply 18 + Play responsibly"

Source rule snippet

Prohibited: branded PPC, promises of results, images of minors, motivated traffic, circumvention of restrictions/GEO.

Required: disclosure of conditions, current update date, unsubscribe in 1 click, compliance with local laws.

Postback skeleton (example):

`https://tracker. yoursite. com/postback? click_id={CLICK_ID}&event={EVENT}&status={STATUS}&amount={AMOUNT}¤cy={CUR}&tx_id={TX_ID}&sub1={SUB1}`

The partner program "from scratch" is not only about bets and links. This is a system: a clear economy and rules, reliable tracking, strong partner onboarding, anti-fraud discipline and experimental cultures. Build a transparent funnel and dashboards, talk to partners in the language of data and compliance, and the channel will become predictable in ROMI and resistant to risks - from the first test cap to scaling to new GEOs.