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Roles and players

Sub-affiliate network

Also called sub-affiliate network, sub-network, SAN.

Short answer

A sub-affiliate network is a company that joins affiliate programs as an affiliate and passes the access on to its own members – typically smaller publishers and creators. The network gathers its members' traffic under one account ID and distributes the commission downwards.

Definition of Sub-affiliate network.

The model works in 2 tiers: the sub-affiliate network is accepted into a program or network as an ordinary affiliate, and behind it stand the network's own members – bloggers, content sites and creators – who get links handed out through the network's platform. All clicks and sales are reported under the network's account, and the network then distributes the commission to the member who created the sale, minus its own share.

The value for a small site is access: one sign-up opens hundreds of programs without individual applications and without having to meet each program's minimum requirements. The value for the store is reach – one approved partner can represent thousands of small publishers that the store would never have found or managed individually.

The price is transparency. The store sees one affiliate ID, not the individual sites behind it, unless the sub-affiliate network passes identification along in sub-IDs or reports. Quality control and rule enforcement therefore move from the store to the network – and the commission is split one more time, so the individual member is left with a lower effective rate.

Affiliate network vs. sub-affiliate network

AspectAffiliate networkSub-affiliate network
Rolethe platform between stores and affiliatesone affiliate representing many publishers
Contractual relationshipstore and affiliate are each approvedonly the network itself is approved by the program
Visibility for the storeeach affiliate is seen individuallyone combined account ID, unless sub-IDs are shared
Payoutsettled directly with each affiliatethe network receives everything and passes it on

An affiliate network is the infrastructure – a sub-affiliate network is an aggregator that uses the infrastructure on behalf of its members.

How it goes wrong

  • 01

    The store does not know who is linking

    Without a requirement for sub-IDs or publisher lists, the store cannot see which sites the traffic actually comes from. Make the requirement at admission – afterwards there is no practical way to tell the members apart.

  • 02

    Two rulebooks at once

    The member must comply with both the sub-affiliate network's terms and the individual program's. If one member breaks the rules – for example with brand bidding or cookie stuffing – the consequence hits the whole network's account and thereby every other member.

  • 03

    The effective rate is lower

    The sub-affiliate network takes its share before the member gets theirs. Compare the rate you are actually paid with the rate from joining the program directly – the difference is the price of convenience.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an affiliate network and a sub-affiliate network?

An affiliate network is the platform where stores and affiliates meet and are each settled with. A sub-affiliate network is itself an affiliate in the programs and lets its own members in behind it, so all members' sales are reported under one account.

Why use a sub-affiliate network as a small publisher?

Access and simplicity. One sign-up gives links to many programs without individual applications, and all earnings are gathered in one payout. The price is that the network takes a share of the commission, and that you are subject to both the network's and the programs' rules.

Can a store see which sites send traffic through a sub-affiliate network?

Only if the network passes identification along – for example a sub-ID per member – or shares publisher lists. Without that, the store only sees the sub-affiliate network's combined account and must ask for documentation to assess the quality of the traffic.

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