Adding New Affiliates

Adding new affiliates to AffiliateWP is simple. Affiliate managers can add affiliates manually, or affiliates can register themselves. There are many different ways to add an affiliate account within AffiliateWP. Select the one that works best for your affiliate management workflow. 


Before getting started, make sure you’ve installed and activated AffiliateWP on your site.

Adding New Affiliates Manually

To manually add a new affiliate you’ll need to be logged into your WordPress admin area.

Once there, click on AffiliateWP in the admin sidebar and go to the Affiliates page. Then, click the Add New button.

The Add New button on AffiliateWP's Affiliates admin page

You’ll now see the New Affiliate page where you can begin to add your affiliate.

AffiliateWP's New Affiliate admin page

Adding an affiliate account for an existing WordPress user account

In the User Login Name field, begin typing the username of an existing WordPress user account who you want to add as an affiliate. A list of username(s) will be shown matching the username entered.

Entering a User Login Name on AffiliateWP's New Affiliate admin page

Next, click on the username you’d like to add as an affiliate.

Selecting a user account on AffiliateWP's New Affiliate admin page

Creating a WordPress user and affiliate at the same time

If the user doesn’t already have a WordPress account on your site you can create a new WordPress user account and add them as an affiliate, all in one step.

In the User Login Name field, enter the desired username for the new user. AffiliateWP will check for the username on your site and if it doesn’t already exist you will see a notice that reads:

“The user you entered does not exist. To create a new user and affiliate, continue filling out the form and click Add User & Affiliate.”

Entering a User Login Name which doesn't exist on AffiliateWP's New Affiliate admin page

As indicted by the notice, continue filling out the form to add the new user and affiliate.

Affiliate options

Referral Rate Type

Referrals can be based on either a percentage or a flat amount. The Referral Rate Type option allows you to override the global Referral Rate Type.

For example you could have all affiliates earning 20% of the order total (global rate) and configure one or more affiliates to earn a flat rate of $30 per order.

Referral Rate

The Referral Rate will either be a percentage or flat amount based on the Referral Rate Type. For example, if you enter 30 into this field and the Referral Rate Type is set to Flat USD, an affiliate will earn $30 USD for every order.

Likewise, if the Referral Rate Type is Percentage (%), an affiliate will earn 30% commission from each order.

Payment Email

The Payment Email is the affiliate’s email address for systems such as PayPal, Skrill, or others. If left blank AffiliateWP will use the affiliate’s user account email.

Group

Affiliates can be placed into groups for easier management. Select a Group from the dropdown menu or leave as None to keep the affiliate out of a group.

Notes

If you have any special notes for the affiliate enter them here. Affiliate notes are only visible to affiliate managers.

Welcome Email

Enable this checkbox if you wish to send the affiliate your “Application Accepted Email” to the affiliate after they have been added.

After configuring the various options for an affiliate (you can always edit them later) click the Add Affiliate button to add your affiliate. If you’re creating a new WordPress user and affiliate at the same time, this button will instead show as Add User & Affiliate.

The Add Affiliate button on AffiliateWP's New Affiliate admin page

Allowing Affiliates to Register Themselves

There’s nothing special you need to do to start accepting your very first affiliate(s), AffiliateWP has you covered! From the moment AffiliateWP is installed, affiliates can instantly sign up and begin promoting your business.

Automatically Registering New Users as Affiliates

New WordPress users can be automatically registered as affiliates. This is useful if you intend to import a large number of user accounts, or WordPress user registration is enabled on your site. Once a WordPress user is created they will also be added as an affiliate.

To set this up, click on AffiliateWP in the admin sidebar and go to the Settings page.

Once there, click on the Affiliates settings tab, in the Additional Registration Modes section, enable the Automatically register new user accounts as affiliates option.

The Automatically register new accounts as affiliates option from AffiliateWP's Settings admin page

Finally, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Creating Affiliate Accounts for Existing WordPress Users by Role

AffiliateWP allows you to add an affiliate account for all users of a specific WordPress user role. This is useful if you want all users of a specific role to instantly become an affiliate.

To add affiliate accounts for all users of a role, go to AffiliateWP » Tools in the sidebar menu on the left side of your WordPress admin area.

On the Tools page, click the Migration Assistant tab.

The User Accounts section from AffiliateWP's Tools admin section, highlighting the Create Affiliate Accounts for Users button

Within the User Accounts section, select one or more user roles you want to create as affiliates and click on the Create Affiliate Accounts for Users button.

Creating a New WordPress User Account and Adding Them as an Affiliate

Affiliates can be added at the same time as creating a new WordPress user account.

To add an affiliate while creating a new WordPress user account go to Users » Add New in the admin sidebar.

Once you have entered the user’s information, enable the Add as Affiliate checkbox at the bottom of the screen.

The Add New User page in WordPress, highlighting the Add as Affiliate checkbox option

Finally, click the Add New User button. A new WordPress user will be created and they will also be added as an affiliate.

Additional options

There are two additional options which will be displayed depending on your set up.

Disable Affiliate Email

The Disable Affiliate Email option (shown in the screenshot above) will show if you have enabled affiliate application emails. This is useful if you do not want the affiliate to receive the application accepted email while you are adding them.

Dynamic Coupon

The Dynamic Coupon option allows you to generate a dynamic coupon for the affiliate.

The Add New User page in WordPress, highlighting the Dynamic Coupon checkbox option

Adding an Existing WordPress User as an Affiliate

Existing WordPress users can easily be added as affiliates with a few clicks.

Adding an affiliate from the All Users page

Find your desired user from WordPress’ Users » All Users page and hover over their username. Then, click the Add Affiliate link.

The Users page in WordPress, showing the Add Affiliate action link option

You’ll then be taken to the New Affiliate screen where you can configure some additional settings for this user.

The New Affiliate admin page in AffiliateWP, showing the User Login Name pre-filled

Once you have finished configuring the affiliate’s options, click Add Affiliate at the bottom of the page.

Adding an affiliate from the Edit User page

There’s one more way to add an existing WordPress user as an affiliate. On WordPress’ Users » All Users page, find your desired user and hover over their username. Then, click the Edit link to edit the WordPress user.

The Users page in WordPress, showing the Edit action link option

On the user’s Edit User page, scroll down until you see the AffiliateWP section and click the Register button to add them as an affiliate.

The WordPress Edit User page showing the Register button within the AffiliateWP section

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I manually add a new affiliate?

Log into your WordPress admin area, navigate to AffiliateWP » Affiliates, and click Add New. Search for an existing user or create a new user and affiliate account simultaneously.

How can I automatically register new users as affiliates?

Enable the Automatically register new user accounts as affiliates option in AffiliateWP » Settings » Affiliates.

How do I add an affiliate while creating a new WordPress user?

Go to Users » Add New, enter the user’s information, enable the Add as Affiliate checkbox, and click Add New User.

Can I add an existing WordPress user as an affiliate?

Yes, you can add an existing user from the Users » All Users page by clicking Add Affiliate or from their Edit User page by clicking the Register button in the AffiliateWP section.

That’s it! You now know the many different ways to add an affiliate with AffiliateWP.