Hey there! I’m Ali—a top affiliate marketer and the proud owner of AFFiNCO, an agency I’ve been running for over 10 years.
My journey in this industry started over a decade ago when I stumbled into affiliate marketing as a side hustle. Back then, I was just a curious entrepreneur trying to figure out how to make online promotions work.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve built AFFiNCO into a thriving agency that helps businesses—especially SaaS companies—grow through smart, performance-driven strategies.
Affiliate marketing has been a game-changer for me, and I’ve seen it do the same for countless SaaS businesses.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about using affiliate marketing to boost your SaaS product—why it matters, how to set it up, and real examples of it working in action.
🚀 What Is Affiliate Marketing for SaaS?
Affiliate marketing for SaaS means paying affiliates—bloggers, influencers, or businesses—to promote your subscription-based software, earning commissions for every new subscriber they bring.
Unlike one-time sales, SaaS thrives on recurring revenue, so affiliates can earn ongoing payouts as long as customers stay. It’s low-risk, scalable, and opens new audiences without upfront costs.
In the USA, the SaaS market is projected to reach $233 billion by 2026, growing at 17.3% annually. India’s SaaS industry is surging toward $10 billion, with a 30% yearly growth rate, keeping affiliates motivated.
📢 Why SaaS Companies Should Care About Affiliate Marketing
So, what’s in it for your SaaS business? Plenty. Here are the standout benefits I’ve seen firsthand through AFFiNCO’s work with SaaS clients:
1. Affordable Customer Growth
With affiliate marketing, you only pay when you get results. Unlike ads where you’re spending money hoping for clicks, affiliates earn commissions only when they drive subscriptions.
It’s a budget-friendly way to grow, and platforms like Trackdesk (with its free plan) make it even more accessible.
Businesses see $12 in revenue for every $1 spent on affiliate marketing. That’s a solid return!
2. Reaching New Crowds
Affiliates often have loyal followers—think bloggers, YouTubers, or even other SaaS companies. They can introduce your product to people you’d never reach otherwise.
I’ve watched clients at AFFiNCO tap into entirely new markets using affiliate program tools like Partnerstack, which connects you to a B2B affiliate marketplace.
SEMrush, a popular SaaS tool, has used affiliates to expand globally, pulling in over $625K in revenue through their affiliate program.
3. Building Trust and Awareness
When a trusted affiliate recommends your software, it’s like a friend vouching for you. That trust turns into brand recognition and more sign-ups. Programs like Tolt.io let you create branded affiliate portals to keep that trust consistent.
Affiliate marketing drives 16% of all U.S. online orders. It’s a big deal!
4. Actionable Insights
Affiliate programs give you data—how many referrals, which affiliates perform best, what converts. platforms like Everflow or FirstPromoter offer advanced reporting to help you fine-tune campaigns.
These benefits aren’t just theory—they’re what I’ve seen work time and again over my 10 years in the game.
How to Set Up an Affiliate Program for Your SaaS: Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to get started? Here’s a clear, actionable plan based on my experience building programs at AFFiNCO, now enhanced with specific affiliate tools:
Step 1: Know Your Ideal Customer
First, figure out who you’re targeting. What industries do they work in? What problems does your software solve for them? A clear customer profile helps you pick affiliates who can reach them.
💡Tip: Look at your current users—patterns in their roles or company size can guide you.
Step 2: Set Up Your Commissions
Decide how much you’ll pay affiliates. For SaaS, recurring commissions are king—think 20% to 70% of each subscription payment. Make it enticing but sustainable. Tools like Rewardful let you set multi-tier commissions to incentivize top performers.
🚀Example: ProProfs pays 40% on annual plans and 100% of the first month’s fee for monthly plans. It’s a bold move that pays off.
Step 3: Pick Affiliate Tracking Software
You need a tool to track referrals and commissions. Here’s how the programs you asked about fit in:
- Everflow: A partner marketing platform with revenue tracking and automation—great for scaling SaaS businesses (custom pricing).
- FirstPromoter: Built for SaaS, with automated payouts and multi-currency support ($49/month).
- Tapfiliate: Offers branded dashboards, affiliate recruitment, and analytics ($89/month).
- Rewardful: Simple Stripe integration, fraud protection, and multi-tier commissions ($49/month).
- Reditus: B2B SaaS focus with an affiliate marketplace and automated payouts ($48/month).
- Trackdesk: Free up to $1,000 in revenue, with real-time monitoring ($99+ plans).
- Tolt: Branded portals and Stripe/Paddle sync, perfect for startups ($29/month).
Step 4: Build a Program Page
Create a page on your site explaining your program—commission rates, benefits, how to join. Tools like Tapfiliate or Tolt let you customize this page with branding. Make it clear and inviting.
📈Best Practice: Add a testimonial from a top affiliate. Social proof works!
Step 5: Find and Train Affiliates
Recruit through networks like Affistash or Reditus’ marketplace. Once they’re in, give them tools—links, banners, product demos—and a quick onboarding call. FirstPromoter’s automation can streamline this process.
💡Pro Tip: At AFFiNCO, we’ve found personal outreach to niche bloggers beats mass emails every time.
Step 6: Support Your Affiliates
Keep them motivated with resources (email templates, graphics) and a point person for questions. Everflow’s advanced reporting can help you spot top performers to support. Happy affiliates promote harder.
🚀Example: SEMrush offers webinars and a support team, which keeps their program humming.
Step 7: Track and Improve
Watch metrics like revenue per affiliate, referral counts, and customer lifetime value (CLV).
real-time monitoring or Rewardful’s dashboards make this easy. Use what you learn to tweak commissions or double down on top performers.
📊Key Metric: CLV—if it’s high, your program’s a winner.
This process, paired with the right tools, has built successful programs for AFFiNCO clients, and it can work for you too.
Comparing Top Affiliate Tracking Softwares for SaaS
Choosing the right affiliate program software is crucial for managing and scaling your SaaS affiliate marketing efforts. Below, I’ve compared Everflow, FirstPromoter, Tapfiliate, Rewardful, Reditus, Trackdesk, and Tolt based on their features, pricing, and suitability:
| Affiliate Software | Key Features | Pricing | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everflow | Partner marketing, revenue tracking, automation | Custom pricing | Scaling SaaS businesses |
| FirstPromoter | SaaS-specific, automated payouts, multi-currency | Starts at $49/month | Subscription-based SaaS |
| Tapfiliate | Branded dashboards, affiliate recruitment, analytics | Starts at $89/month | Growing SaaS companies |
| Rewardful | Stripe integration, fraud protection, multi-tier commissions | $49/month | Startups, small teams |
| Reditus | B2B SaaS focus, automated payouts, affiliate marketplace | Starts at $48/month | B2B SaaS scaling |
| Trackdesk | Free plan up to $1K revenue, real-time monitoring | Free/$99+ plans | Budget-conscious startups |
| Tolt | Branded portal, Stripe/Paddle sync, simple UI | Starts at $29/month | Early-stage SaaS |
Quick Insights
Pick based on your needs: Trackdesk or Tolt for affordability, Everflow or Reditus for scale, or Rewardful for ease of use.
Wrapping It Up: Your Next Steps
Affiliate marketing is a growth engine for SaaS. It’s affordable, scalable, and builds trust while bringing in actionable data. Over my 10 years at AFFiNCO, I’ve seen it turn small SaaS startups into industry leaders. The steps I’ve shared—defining your customer, setting commissions, picking software like Rewardful or Trackdesk, and supporting affiliates—are the playbook I’ve honed over a decade.
Start small, recruit a few affiliates, and track what works. Or, if you want a hand, reach out to me. We’ve got the experience to make your program a success.
What’s your next move? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain some affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase something that we recommend at no additional cost for you (none whatsoever!)
