The New and Improved Affiliate Program
By Amber Singleton Riviere
Founder of Upstart Smart
I'm taking my cue from Chris Guillebeau. You see, I like affiliate programs and think, if built right, they can really generate a substantial income for both the merchant and the affiliate, but I'm not sold on most affiliate program models, so instead of throwing out another crappy program that doesn't work very well for either side, I decided to scale back and focus on quality.
Part 1 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
By Application-Only and a True Partnership
I want to be serious about my affiliate program, and I want my affiliates to be serious, too. Then everyone wins. I'll pay you a 50% commission one every product you sale, and in return, you'll let me know (via the application) how you intend to actively promote the products. I'll help you market the products on an ongoing basis, and you'll take a continued and active interest in promotion.
It's important to note that the affiliate program is completely free to join and also that not all applications are accepted into the program.
Part 2 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
A Fair Commission on Every Sale
Our current affiliate rate is 50% of the sales price. Commissions are paid on a monthly lump-sum basis via PayPal in the month following a completed sales month (e.g., commission for sales made in January would be paid out some time in February). Affiliates must have a valid PayPal email address to receive payment.
Important Note: Please visit e-Junkie to learn how their affiliate program works.
Part 3 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
True Fans and Supporters
You have to have worked with me in some way, purchased one or more of my products, or used one or more of my services before becoming an affiliate. I want affiliates who truly believe in the value of my products, services, and work.
Part 4 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
All-Around Respect and Integrity
Respect for Our Customers
First and foremost, we should both believe in respecting our customers by:
- Having a strict anti-spam policy that follows all CAN-SPAM laws, as well as all other federal, state, and local laws regarding marketing and solicitation,
- Not annoying them with too many messages or purely "salesy" messages,
- Not annoying the online community at large with spammy or overly "salesy" messages (like in comments), and
- Only sending customers what they've actually signed up to received.
Respect for Each Other
I only want to work with people who really believe in:
- Always striving to work from a place of integrity,
- Aiming to be of service first, knowing that prosperity will follow by default, and
- Not "cheating" the system, "gaming" the system, or otherwise participating in shady practices.
Part 5 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
Great Products That Support Our Efforts
My aim is to provide high-quality resources and products to my customers - always. I work overtime to make sure that I put the absolute best I've got into all that I do, and I hope that's reflected in the products I create.
There are a variety of products that you can promote as an affiliate. If a product is offered for sale via e-Junkie, then it is available through our affiliate program at the current affiliate rate. That's a very important distinction you'll want to know. Services are NOT included as part of our affiliate program, only products listed with e-Junkie. Generally, that includes all items listed under the "Books & Products" page of the site, NOT those listed on the "Services" page. Why? This is purely a time-investment issue. With services, I'm actually investing my personal time one-on-one with a client, so it's hard to justify giving away half of my rate (or charging the client double my rate) so that those services can be included in the affiliate program. Services are generally for consulting, and I just don't think they fit within an affiliate program.
Part 6 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
A Marketing Plan and Ongoing Support
Again, it's my intention to focus on quality within this program, so I want to work with a smaller group of affiliates and really provide valuable support for marketing the products.
Naturally, there are some obvious ways to promote the products like:
- Placing a banner or information about the products on your website,
- Mentioning the products in your newsletter,
- Writing about the products on your blog,
- Promoting the products on Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks,
- Writing articles about about small business topics and linking to relevant products, and
- Creating unique promotional materials around the products that serve the customer.
In addition to these ideas, I hope to provide you with ongoing resources to help you with your efforts, including regularly updating the "Affiliate Resources" page on the site, as well as sending a regular affiliate newsletter to provide tips and ideas for maximizing the effectiveness of your affiliate efforts.
Another important thing to note, it's now required by the FTC for you to disclose any affiliate fees or commissions you receive on products you promote within your website, so be sure that you're in compliance.
And here's the other legal stuff you'll need to know.
Part 7 of a Hopefully-Not-Crappy Affiliate Program:
Keeping It Legal
Terms and Conditions of This Affiliate Program
By signing up as an affiliate, you agree to the following terms and conditions.
This agreement is between you and Upstart Smart and/or their assigns. Upstart Smart and/or their assigns shall be referred to as "us, we, or our" and you shall be referred to as "you, your, or affiliate."
You understand that Upstart Smart and/or their assigns does not guarantee or predict any type of profit or response from said services. You agree to hold us harmless from and against any and all losses, claims, expenses, suits, damages, costs, demands, or liabilities, joint or several, of whatever kind or nature which Upstart Smart and/or their assigns may become subject, arising out of or relating in any way to the use of the services provided under this agreement, including, without limitation, in each case attorneys' fees, costs, and expenses actually incurred in defending against or enforcing any such losses, claims, expenses, suits, damages, or liabilities.
A. Services to be Provided. We agree to pay you certain commissions as described on our website for referral sales made by customers.
B. Termination. We may terminate your account: (a) if you violate any of these terms and conditions; (b) promote Upstart Smart in a manner that is unethical or inappropriate; or (c) for any reason, at our sole discretion.
C. No Warranties. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES TO YOU OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE UPSTART SMART, ITS SUBCONTRACTORS, AND AFFILIATES PROVIDE YOU. WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS OF THIS SERVICE FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. We shall not be liable for any damages suffered by you, whether indirect, special, incidental, exemplary, or consequential, including, by not limited to, loss of data or service interruptions, regardless of cause or fault. We are not responsible for your lost profits or for your loss of data or information. If notwithstanding this clause, we are held liable to you.
D. TERMS. You agree: (1) to use our system in a manner that is ethical and in conformity with community standards; (2) to respect the privacy of other users (you shall not intentionally seek data or passwords belonging to other users, nor will you modify files or represent yourself as another user unless explicitly authorized to do so by that user); (3) to respect the legal protection provided by copyright law, trade secret law, or other laws protecting intellectual property. (4) to accept commercial emails from us.
If we learn of a violation or likely violation of our TERMS AND CONDITIONS, we will attempt to notify you. If you do not take immediate remedial action which is satisfactory to us, or in the event of a serious violation of the TERMS AND CONDITIONS, we reserve the right to terminate your account immediately. Every effort will be made to inform you prior to account termination and to re-establish your account upon receiving such representations from you as we deem appropriate in the circumstances.
YOUR SERVICE WILL BE TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT WARNING SHOULD YOU USE OUR SYSTEM AS PART OF ANY BULK EMAIL CAMPAIGN. You may also be subject to fines and legal actions as a result of your bulk email promotion..
E. Assignment. This agreement is personal to you. You may not assign your rights under this agreement without our prior written consent. If you do assign your rights, as would be the case were someone other than you to use your account, you shall remain liable to us for any fees due under this agreement. We may assign this agreement at any time.
F. Change of Terms and Conditions. We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions of this agreement as needed. Use of our servers by you after said changes constitutes acceptance of those new terms and conditions. If you do not agree to the new terms and conditions, you may terminate this agreement in accordance with Section B.
G. Notification of Account Changes. You agree to provide us with such other information relating to your use of this service as we deem necessary or desirable. You agree to notify us if your address, email address, telephone number, and/or billing information changes.
H. Notices. All notices, requests, demands, and other communications under this agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date of delivery: if delivered personally to the party to whom notice is to be given; if sent by electronic mail with a cc: to sender; if sent by fax; or on the third day after mailing by first class mail.
I. General Provisions. The subject headings of the articles and sections are for convenience only, and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of any of its provisions. If any portion of this agreement is found invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be severed and the remainder of this agreement shall remain in force. This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between us pertaining to its subject matter and supersedes all of our prior agreements, representations, and understandings. Subject to Section I, no supplement, modification, or amendment of this agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both parties. No waiver of any of the provisions of this agreement shall be deemed, or shall constitute, a waiver of any other provision, whether or not similar, nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver. No waiver shall be binding unless executed in writing by the party making the waiver. This agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts. Each shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. If an organization is the subscriber, the individual signing up for our services represents that he or she is duly authorized to enter into this agreement on behalf of that organization. In the event of a dispute, the parties agree to submit the matter to the Community Dispute Resolution Service or any recognized Arbitration Board located within our state and county, before instituting litigation.