Guide · for online shops
Influencer marketing where you only pay for sales.
Influencer marketing is marketing through people who have an audience and recommend products to it. Payment can be a flat fee, commission per sale or a mix – and when it is paid per sale, it is affiliate marketing at the same time.
This guide is written for online shops that want to pay for results rather than posts: how to use affiliate links and personal discount codes, label advertising under the Danish Consumer Ombudsman’s rules, find the right creators and measure what each collaboration delivers.
Updated 20 October 2026
Definition
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is when a shop works with a person whose audience has chosen to follow them. The channels are typically Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, newsletters and blogs. The value lies in trust: a recommendation from someone you chose to follow carries more weight than an ad.
The scale runs from nano- and micro-influencers with a few thousand engaged followers to profiles with national reach. For a Danish online shop the small ones are often the most interesting: they speak to a niche, answer comments and can often live with being paid per sale.
Influencer marketing in Denmark follows Danish rules, wherever the platform is based: the Marketing Practices Act applies to marketing aimed at Danish consumers, and the Consumer Ombudsman supervises it. We go through that further down.
Influencer collaborations
Three ways to pay a creator.
An influencer collaboration can be put together in many ways, but payment almost always takes one of three forms. The choice decides who carries the risk – and whether you can see what the collaboration delivered.
| Flat fee | Commission per sale | Fee + commission | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You pay for | A post, a video or a period of time | A sale that has happened and been approved | A bit of both |
| The risk sits with | The shop | The creator | Shared |
| Best suited to | Launches and big profiles, where reach is the goal | Ongoing collaborations and micro-influencers with an engaged audience | Creators who want a guaranteed base, and shops that want to reward results |
| Measured by | Views and likes – the sale is hard to see | Clicks, sales and revenue per creator | Both |
Commission per sale is not the right answer to everything. Some creators – especially the big ones – want a flat fee, and a launch where reach is the goal can be worth the money without a trackable sale. But for ongoing collaborations, commission is the model where the shop only pays for what works, and the creator earns from content that keeps being seen.
Affilyflow handles the part that is paid per sale (or per lead). If you also agree a flat fee, that happens outside the platform.
The tools
Links and personal discount codes.
To pay per sale, the sale has to be connected to the right creator. That happens with a link that can be clicked, or a code the customer types in the basket. The best collaborations use both.
The affiliate link
Every creator gets their own link, which can point straight to a product page. The click gets a click ID, and the commission rate is locked the moment the click happens – if you change the rate tomorrow, it does not affect traffic that has already been sent. With a sub-ID the creator can tell bio link, story and newsletter apart.
The personal discount code
A code you give to one specific creator earns that creator commission – even without a click. It catches sales a link cannot: the customer heard the code on a podcast, declined cookies, or bought on a computer after watching the video on their phone. The commission is the programme’s current rate, because there is no click to lock it to.
The general code
A code everyone may share makes the purchase cheaper, but does not earn commission on its own. It does not tell you which creator the customer came from – the click on the creator’s link does.
The channels
You choose which channels the programme allows – for example Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or email. An affiliate cannot create a link for a channel you have switched off. The rules are on the programme page before anyone joins. See programme terms.
When both a click and a code are in play
- A valid click always wins. If the customer clicked an affiliate’s link within the cookie window, the click decides the sale – even if the customer uses another creator’s personal code.
- Without a valid click, the code decides. If the customer has no click, or it has expired, the creator the code belongs to gets the sale.
- The code has to reach us. That happens automatically in WooCommerce from plugin version 1.11.0, and via the coupon field in the Google Analytics purchase. On a custom-built online shop the code is written on the sale line or sent from your server. Stripe works for one-off payments when the coupon’s ID is the same as the code. The Shopify app does not support personal codes yet. See personal discount codes in the docs.
- Privacy: an order without a click only leaves the shop when it was made with a personal code. Orders with a general code or no code are never sent to us.
The rules
Ad labelling and the Consumer Ombudsman’s rules.
Commission does not change the fact that a post is advertising. Here are the main points under Danish law – and why they are the shop’s responsibility too.
In Denmark the rules are in the Marketing Practices Act (markedsføringsloven) – the core is section 6(4): the commercial intent must be clear. The Danish Consumer Ombudsman (Forbrugerombudsmanden) supervises it and has published guidance for influencers. See the Consumer Ombudsman’s influencer rules and ad identification in the glossary.
It is the benefit that triggers the requirement, not a fee. An affiliate link, a personal discount code, a free product or commission on the sale makes the mention advertising – even when the creator stands behind every word.
The label must be visible straight away: a clear Danish word such as Reklame (advertisement) at the start of the post, video or article – not hidden in a string of hashtags, behind "read more" or only in the profile bio. In stories every clip is labelled, because a follower can land in the middle of the series.
Responsibility can rest with both the creator and the business behind the advertising. So write your requirements into the programme guidelines, where they appear on the programme page before a creator joins.
Recruitment
How to find the right creators.
Programmes at Affilyflow are open: a creator can join without waiting for approval, and you manage the collaboration with rules per programme rather than an application queue. The work lies in being found by the right people.
Get the programme ready
A programme only becomes visible to affiliates once the shop has a website and tracking is running. That way no creator lands on a programme where sales cannot be measured. Start an affiliate programme shows the setup.
Start with the people who already like you
The best creators are often customers: people who have already tagged you, reviewed a product or asked about a collaboration. An audience that trusts the sender matters more than the follower count – see micro-influencer.
Share your invitation link
Under Recruitment in the store dashboard you get your own invitation link and a QR code, ready-made copy and code for your site. A creator with an account joins in one click, and a new one is joined as soon as their email is confirmed. You can see visits, new accounts, joins, first clicks and first sales per source.
Only send invitations to people who have asked for them
Affilyflow can send invitation emails on your behalf, but only to recipients you confirm have asked for the programme – section 10 of the Danish Marketing Practices Act requires it. A cold list of emails taken from Instagram profiles must not be used.
See the profile, and talk inside the platform
You see the creator’s display name, sites, promotion type, country and verification – never private contact or bank details. You can write to each other under Messages, and an affiliate who does not follow the rules can be blocked with a reason.
Give a personal code and clear guidelines
Create the code in your online shop and under Programme → Discount codes, and choose the creator. State in the guidelines how you want advertising labelled, and which claims about the products may be used.
Follower counts can be bought; engagement is harder to fake. Look for comments with substance, an audience in the country you sell in, and collaborations that fit your niche. Ten creators, each with their own engaged audience, often deliver more than a single big account – and with commission per sale they cost nothing until they sell. More advice on choosing is in how to choose affiliates for your programme.
Measurement
What to measure on every collaboration.
Likes and views say something about reach. Sales say whether the audience follows the recommendation. These are the numbers that decide whether a collaboration should continue.
Clicks that are real
One visit is one click: the same visitor with the same affiliate and programme counts once within 30 minutes. Known bots, and an affiliate who is logged in and clicks their own links, do not count.
Sales and revenue per creator
Every sale is listed with creator, source and amount – and sales via a personal code are marked "Personal discount code – no click". Under Clicks & sales you see clicks and sales per source and per affiliate.
Conversion and earnings per click
The conversion rate and EPC show whether an audience follows the recommendation. A small account with high conversion is often worth more than a big one with lots of clicks.
Cost per sale – after returns
You set the approval period to 30, 45, 60 or 90 days – typically your return period – and can reject a sale with a reason. With the WooCommerce plugin and Stripe, commission is reduced or rejected automatically on a refund. If nothing happens, the sale is approved when the period ends.
How a click becomes a sale – and what can stop it – is explained in affiliate tracking and attribution and on the tracking page.
Influencer marketing pricing
What does it actually cost?
Flat fees are negotiated with each creator, and we do not publish market prices we cannot document. What we can show is the calculation when payment is per sale.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Order value excl. VAT | DKK 400 |
| Your total price per sale (20 %) | DKK 80 |
| To the creator (80 % of the price = 16 % of the order) | DKK 64 |
| Network fee (20 % of the price = 4 % of the order) | DKK 16 |
| Subscription and setup | DKK 0 |
DKK 250 in starter credit when you create a store account – try Affilyflow without paying.
An influencer platform is something different from an affiliate network. Makeinfluence is one example: a Danish, performance-based influencer marketing platform where brands find influencers, send out links and discount codes, and can also pay upfront and buy UGC. As of October 2026 the smallest package costs DKK 699 a month (15 % less with annual billing) plus a service fee of 30 % of the commission (pricing page). If you need that help, it may be the right choice.
If you want to run the collaboration yourselves and only pay per sale, it is cheaper to start in a network – and with us you get DKK 250 in starter credit when you create a store account at store.affilyflow.com.
For creators
Are you a creator? How to earn from your recommendations.
An affiliate account is free, and there is no application queue for the programmes. You get exactly the rate the programme shows – the network fee is not deducted from your share. If a shop gives you a personal discount code, you earn commission on sales with the code, even when the follower has not clicked.
Remember to label your posts as advertising. Approved commission is paid out automatically on the first banking day of the month when the balance is at least DKK 100. Tax and VAT for Danish affiliates are covered in tax and VAT as an affiliate.
Questions
What shops ask most.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is marketing through people who have an audience and recommend products to it – on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, podcasts or a blog, for example. Payment can be a flat fee, commission per sale or a combination. When payment is per sale via trackable links or codes, it is affiliate marketing at the same time.
How much does influencer marketing cost?
It depends on the model. A flat fee is agreed with each creator and paid regardless of the result. With commission, the shop only pays for approved sales. At Affilyflow the shop sets a total price per sale: the network fee is 20 % of it, and the creator gets the 80 %. There is no subscription – the shop tops up a balance, and prices are excluding VAT.
What is the difference between influencer marketing and affiliate marketing?
Influencer marketing describes who recommends: a person with an audience. Affiliate marketing describes how payment works: per sale, measured with a link or a code. The two overlap when a creator earns commission per sale – then the collaboration is both. Read more in the guide to affiliate marketing.
What is a micro-influencer?
A micro-influencer is a creator with a smaller but engaged following – often defined as 10,000–100,000 followers. The limits vary, but the point is the same: in a niche, credibility often produces more sales per follower than broad reach, and commission per sale fits well, because a flat fee is hard to justify with limited reach.
Does a discount code earn commission at Affilyflow?
A personal discount code that the shop gives to one specific affiliate earns commission – even without a click. A code for all affiliates does not earn commission on its own. A valid click always wins over a code. The code has to be sent with the sale: automatically in WooCommerce from plugin version 1.11.0, via the Google Analytics purchase, the sale line or your server. The Shopify app does not support it yet.
Does a post with an affiliate link or discount code have to be labelled as advertising?
Yes. If the creator receives commission, a personal code, free products or any other benefit, the mention is advertising under the Danish Marketing Practices Act and must be labelled clearly and straight away – for example with the word Reklame at the start of the post. Responsibility can fall on both the creator and the shop. This text is not legal advice; the Consumer Ombudsman’s guidance is at forbrugerombudsmanden.dk.
How do I find influencers for my online shop?
Start with customers and creators who already mention you, and share your invitation link from Recruitment in the store dashboard – on your site, in your newsletter and on social media. Programmes are open, so a creator can join without waiting for approval, and you can see the profile and write to each other in the platform.
Is Affilyflow an influencer platform?
Affilyflow is an affiliate network with tools that suit creators: personal links, personal discount codes, sub-IDs and commission per sale. We do not find creators for you, produce UGC or pay flat fees. If you need that, a specialised influencer platform or an agency is a better match.
Does it work with Shopify?
The Shopify app is in review with Shopify and is not in the App Store yet, and it does not support personal discount codes yet. WooCommerce, Stripe, Smartweb, DanDomain, Shoporama and custom-built online shops can be used today – Magento 2, PrestaShop and Shopware 6 via Google Analytics 4.
Continue here
Personal discount codes
How a code is connected to a creator – per platform.
DocsGetting started as a shop
From new account to a programme affiliates can find – price, tracking and test purchase.
Affiliate marketing strategy
Commission, rules, recruitment and the numbers an online shop should follow.
Partner-ads alternative
Price, terms and tracking side by side, as of October 2026.
Pay for sales, not for posts.
Give your creators a link and a personal code, and only pay for the sales you approve. No subscription, no setup fee.