Affiliate & referral program terminology

Understanding key terminology helps you get the most out of your affiliate and referral programs. This guide covers the essential concepts for partner management, referral tracking, and commission structures.

Affiliate & Referral Program Types

A Program is the foundation of everything in Partnero. It represents a partner, affiliate, or referral program that you create and manage.

Affiliate Program

A program where external partners (affiliates) promote your product and earn commissions for referred sales. Partners are typically bloggers, influencers, or professional marketers.

Referral Program

A program where your existing customers refer friends and earn rewards. Also known as “Refer-a-Friend” programs. Both the referrer and the referred customer can receive incentives.

Partners, Customers & Leads

Term	Description
Partner	Someone who promotes your product in an affiliate program. Also called an affiliate.
Customer	A person who signs up or purchases using a referral link. Customers are linked to the partner who referred them.
Referring Customer	In referral programs, a customer who shares their referral link with others.
Referred Customer	A customer who signed up using someone else’s referral link.
Lead	A potential customer manually submitted by a partner. Requires lead submission to be enabled. Leads can be converted to customers when they sign up or make a purchase.

In affiliate programs, you work with Partners. In referral programs, you work with Customers who become referrers.

Referral Tracking & Attribution

Term	Description
Referral Link	A unique URL containing a partner’s or customer’s tracking code. When clicked, it sets a cookie for attribution.
Referral Key	The unique identifier in a referral link (e.g., `?ref=PARTNER123`).
Cookie	A small piece of data stored in the visitor’s browser to track which partner referred them.
Cookie Duration	How long the referral cookie remains valid (e.g., 30 days).
Attribution	The process of crediting a partner for a referral or sale.
First-click Attribution	Credit goes to the first partner whose link was clicked.
Last-click Attribution	Credit goes to the most recent partner whose link was clicked.

Referral Link Formats

https://yoursite.com/?ref=PARTNER_CODE
https://yoursite.com/?via=PARTNER_CODE
https://yoursite.com/PARTNER_CODE (custom path)

Commissions & Payouts

Term	Description
Transaction	A recorded sale or purchase linked to a referred customer.
Commission	The reward a partner earns from a referred sale. Can be percentage-based or fixed amount.
Recurring Commission	Commission earned on subscription renewals, not just the initial sale.
Payout	The process of paying earned commissions to partners.
Payout Threshold	Minimum balance required before a partner can request a payout.

Commission Structures

Percentage Commission

Partner earns a percentage of the sale amount (e.g., 20% of

100 =

20)

Fixed Amount Commission

Partner earns a fixed amount per conversion (e.g., $50 per sale)

Tiered Commission

Commission rates increase based on performance thresholds

Recurring Commission

Partner earns on all future payments from referred customers

Term	Description
Coupon	A discount configuration (e.g., 20% off for 3 months).
Promotion Code	A redeemable code that applies a coupon’s discount (e.g., `SAVE20`). Multiple codes can share one coupon.
Partner Coupon	A promotion code linked to a specific partner for tracking and attribution.

When a customer uses a partner’s promo code, the sale is attributed to that partner even without a referral link click.

Technical Terms

Term	Description
PartneroJS	Partnero’s JavaScript snippet that tracks referral visits and handles attribution.
Program ID	The unique identifier for your Partnero program, used in tracking scripts.
API Key	A secret token used to authenticate API requests to Partnero.
Webhook	An HTTP callback that sends real-time notifications when events occur.
Outgoing Webhook	Notifications sent from Partnero to your server when events happen.
Incoming Webhook	Data sent to Partnero from external services to create records.
Partner Portal	A dedicated dashboard where partners can view their stats, links, and earnings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an affiliate and a partner?

The terms are often used interchangeably. In Partnero, a Partner refers to anyone in an affiliate program who promotes your product for commissions—whether they’re a blogger, influencer, or business.

How long do referral cookies last?

Cookie duration is configurable per program. Common durations are 30, 60, or 90 days. During this period, any purchase by the referred visitor is attributed to the partner.

What is the difference between first-click and last-click attribution?

First-click credits the partner whose link was clicked first. Last-click credits the most recent partner. Most affiliate programs use last-click attribution.

Can partners earn recurring commissions?

Yes. With recurring commissions enabled, partners earn on every subscription renewal—not just the initial sale. This is ideal for SaaS and subscription businesses.

What is a lead vs a customer?

A Lead is a potential customer manually submitted by a partner (requires lead submission to be enabled). A Customer is someone who signed up or purchased using a referral link. Leads can be converted to customers when they sign up or make a purchase.

Getting started

Programs

Tracking integration

No-code solutions

Postbacks

Webhooks

AI & MCP

Affiliate & referral program terminology

Affiliate & Referral Program Types

Partners, Customers & Leads

Referral Tracking & Attribution

Referral Link Formats

Commissions & Payouts

Commission Structures

Percentage Commission

Fixed Amount Commission

Tiered Commission

Recurring Commission

Technical Terms

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

Quick Start

API Reference

​Affiliate & Referral Program Types

​Partners, Customers & Leads

​Referral Tracking & Attribution

​Referral Link Formats

​Commissions & Payouts

​Commission Structures

Percentage Commission

Fixed Amount Commission

Tiered Commission

Recurring Commission

​Coupon & Promo Code Tracking

​Technical Terms

​Frequently Asked Questions

​Next Steps

Quick Start

API Reference

Affiliate & Referral Program Types

Partners, Customers & Leads

Referral Tracking & Attribution

Referral Link Formats

Commissions & Payouts

Commission Structures

Coupon & Promo Code Tracking

Technical Terms

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps