What is Affiliate Marketing? Commission Models and Building a Program

Affiliate marketing is a performance marketing model in which a brand pays a partner commission for sales or defined actions driven by the partner promoting its product with a unique link or code. We track each sale’s source through the affiliate linkAffiliate linkA unique link that identifies the partner and credits the sale to them. and record which partner brought which result.

“Affiliate” means partner; in marketing it names the publisher who promotes a brand’s product for commission. When we build a program, we set the product margin, the result that triggers a payout and how it is verified together, tie partner selection to these decisions and explain the rules before sharing starts.

What is affiliate marketing and how does it work?

Affiliate marketing is an arrangement between a brand, a partner and a customer in which a referred sale or action earns commission. The brand sells and sets the terms. The partner promotes the product with a unique link or code. The customer buys through that referral, and the brand credits the result to the partner.

The partner can be a content creator, a website, a newsletter or a coupon site. We review where and how each partner will present the product at application, and the program rules define newsletter features and coupon site posts separately.

For example, when a content creator adds their link to a product review, we track purchases made through it and assess the order, its return status and the commission approval together.

What does affiliate mean?

An affiliate is a partner or associated member; in affiliate marketing it is the publisher who does the promoting. Amazon calls its own program Associates.

Our program documents call the publisher the “partner.” A business running its own program pays commission; promoting another brand’s product, it earns it. This decides who reviews applications and sets payment terms.

What are the commission models in affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing uses pay per sale, action, lead or click, plus recurring commission tied to subscriptions. We choose the model by the result the business wants to pay for.

Per sale, commission is a percentage or a fixed amount. Per action, we define what counts as a sign-up or install. Per lead, we define a qualified form. Pay per click is rare in affiliate programs.

This distinction drives the decision:

1. We sell online with a known basket and margin → We choose a percentage per sale, with the rate set by product margin.
2. We want app installs or memberships → We set a fixed amount per defined action and write the approval criteria.
3. Our service has a long sales cycle → We set a fee per lead and state the quality criteria a form must meet.

We set model and rate together, weighing margin for sales and submission quality for leads, so the partner knows from the start what they are paid for.

How is a sale credited to an affiliate: link, code and cookie duration?

We match a sale to the partner by a unique link or discount code, applying the cookie duration and attribution rule to link purchases. The partner ID travels in a URL parameter added to the end of the address.

A discount code makes the match when the customer skips the link. We keep each partner’s link and code in one record, check which one credited the sale, and confirm that their promotional material carries the right link and code.

Cookie duration is the window in which a sale after a click is credited to the partner. When several partners’ links were clicked, the attribution ruleAttribution ruleThe rule that decides which source gets credit for a sale influenced by several sources. decides who earns the commission. We write it before launch and test it with link tracking.

Cookie duration is separate from the approval period: the first decides which referral gets the sale, the second when the sale becomes payable. The terms list the crediting window, approval stage and monthly payment schedule separately.

Which affiliate programs are there in Turkey?

In Turkey, Amazon runs its Associates program, and the marketplaces Trendyol and Hepsiburada run commission-based programs for content creators. As publishers, we assess them by the products we would promote and how we share them.

Joining Amazon Associates in Turkey is free. Creators earn a fee on qualifying purchases from their links, varying by product category; “up to 10%” on Amazon’s page does not mean the same rate for every product.

Trendyol and Hepsiburada also pay creators commission through links. For these options, searched in Turkey as “Trendyol affiliate” and “Hepsiburada affiliate,” we rely on each program’s current pages.

A publisher earns commission on approved results: they read the product terms, place the link and make the advertising relationship visible. A brand with its own program sets commission by its margin.

How do you set up an affiliate program?

We launch an affiliate program by defining the goal, commission, tracking and partner terms, then building the application, approval and payout process. We use the affiliate plugin or app of the ecommerce platform, or an affiliate network, depending on the tracking we need.

1. We set the goal and the marginWe pick a sales, membership or form goal and weigh the commission budget against our margin.
2. We choose the commission model and rateWe state the payout result, percentage or fixed amount, and the calculation basis.
3. We set up tracking and the cookie durationWe define link, code, cookie duration and attribution rule, then test the matching.
4. We prepare the program rules and the contractWe write promotion limits, approval conditions and payouts, and finalize the contract with a lawyer.
5. We select partners and review applicationsWe build the program page and application process, review publishers and approve suitable ones.
6. We provide promotional materialWe send each approved partner their link, code and product images, and explain the ad disclosure.
7. We approve, pay and measure commissionWe approve commission after the withdrawal period and returns, pay monthly against invoices and track results per partner.

We handle the program alongside the product, margin and measurement decisions of our ecommerce marketing work, comparing the program page, contract and tracking settings so the stated terms match the applied calculation.

We settle tax and invoicing with an accountant and the contract with a lawyer. Before the first post, we check the partner’s link, code and material, and the payment schedule shows when commission is approved.

What are the ad disclosure and program rules for affiliate posts?

In an affiliate post, we make the advertising relationship visible at first glance, and the program spells out commission, tracking, approval and promotion terms. In Turkey, the Ministry of Trade’s Guideline on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices by Social Media Influencers sets the framework for this disclosure.

Under the guideline, a post made for a material benefit or a free or discounted product cannot look like an independent recommendation, and affiliate commission is a material benefit. Labels such as “#Reklam” (Turkish for “#Ad”) or a note of collaboration with @[advertiser] must be noticeable without tapping “read more.”

The guideline makes the advertiser responsible for informing influencers and acting on violations. We brief partners before posting and check disclosures and product claims after.

Taking into account the withdrawal periodWithdrawal periodThe time in which a consumer in a distance sale can cancel the contract without giving a reason; the general period in the regulation is 14 days. in Turkey’s Distance Contracts Regulation, we approve commission in our own program only after this period ends and returns settle. A lawyer reviews the product and contract.

Our program rules cover coupon sites, the ad disclosure and a ban on misleading discounts and health claims. We forbid partners from running search ads on our brand name and check compliance in ad libraries.

What do we track after the program launches?

After launch, we track clicks, sales, returns, net revenue and commission paid per partner. In GA4 we separate sources by link parameters, and after returns we assess each partner’s profitability.

The path splits by situation:

1. Sales come in, but returns are high → We move approval after returns and review returns by product and partner.
2. The partner bids on our brand name → We cite the rule and end the partnership if it continues.
3. The post has no ad disclosure → We inform the partner and hold commission until it is added.

We read clicks with sales, sales with returns, and net revenue with commission paid, checking which products each partner sold and how many came back.

Before each monthly payout, we check records per partner, separate pending approvals from payable commission, add posting-rule findings and weigh net revenue against our margin. We cover the line that separates affiliate marketing from pyramid selling in our post what is network marketing. Other promotion channels are compared in our digital marketing posts.

Frequently asked questions