Choosing a program you can actually sell
Most partners pick a program because the commission headline is large. The programs that actually pay are chosen on three numbers a directory already gives you, and one question only you can answer: can I put this in front of a buyer this month?
Start with demand, not with commission
A 40% commission on a product nobody searches for is worth nothing. A demand score is a rough proxy for whether buyers are already looking, which means your introduction is a nudge rather than an education. Pick programs above roughly 70 and you spend your time selling instead of explaining.
Read the top three programs in a category side by side. If the highest commission also has the lowest demand, the market is telling you something: that vendor is paying for a conversation you will have to create from scratch.
Model the payout, not the percentage
Percentage commission is meaningless without a deal size. Ten percent of a 12,000 dollar annual contract pays 1,200 dollars; thirty percent of a 40 dollar monthly subscription pays 12 dollars a month, which only becomes interesting if retention is good and the buyer stays.
Multiply percentage by your realistic deal value, then multiply again by the share of introductions you expect to close. If that number is under your hourly rate, the program is a hobby.
- Recurring programs reward retention, so check churn before you commit.
- Fixed bounties pay fast but cap your upside on large accounts.
- Hybrid models are usually the most honest: a bounty now, a slice later.
Check the attribution window against your sales cycle
A 30-day cookie is generous for a 200 dollar self-serve tool and almost useless for a six-month enterprise cycle. If your buyer takes longer to decide than the window allows, you will do the work and lose the credit.
Where a program offers a referral code or a manual claim, use it. Attribution that survives a lost cookie is worth more than a few extra points of commission.
The one question to answer before you apply
Write down the names of three real people or companies you could introduce this month. If you cannot, the program is aspirational, not actionable. Apply to the program where you already have the three names.
TAKEAWAYS
- Demand score first, commission headline second.
- Model commission as deal value times close rate, never as a percentage alone.
- Match the attribution window to your real sales cycle.