Building a top recurring affiliate program and what we learned

When we launched Reply Two, our clients started telling folks about us without prompting. They weren't getting paid a penny for these referrals.

That felt wrong. We needed to thank people who believed in us enough to stake their name on our service. Plus, we were missing a chance to grow this word-of-mouth in a smart way.

So we built what we think is the top recurring affiliate program for our little email marketing company.

Here's what we learned so far.

Launching a top recurring affiliate program

After our fourth "I told my friend about you" message, I asked Sam a simple question: "Shouldn't we pay people for these referrals?"

Sam, being Sam, said: "Yeah, but we need a system that doesn't mean I'm tracking spreadsheets forever."

He was right. Our program needed to be:

1. Generous enough to matter
2. Sustainable for years
3. Simple to run

Our newsletter clients stick around because we're nuts about their success and reader experience. It made sense they'd tell friends.

Now we needed to reward them properly.

Using SPP for affiliate management

I wanted something custom for our affiliate program and laid out what I thought we needed. Sam listened and said, "Sure, once we know people actually want this, I'll build it. Until then, let's stick with SPP."

He was right. We already use Service Provider Pro to manage clients, and it has a solid referral tracking system built in.

Why build something new before confirming the concept works? He used v0 by Vercel to customize the welcome page and it turned out fine.

For anyone starting an affiliate program, this is your first big choice. Use existing tools or build custom? There's no single right answer, but there is a right first step. Start with what gets you going fastest.

The SPP system gave us:

• Unique tracking links
• Auto commission tracking
• Affiliate dashboards

We have to manage payouts manually but Sam has a plan for that. Perfect? No. Good enough to validate the concept? Yep.

What is the highest paying affiliate program

This question pops up all the time, and most people look at it wrong. They hunt for the highest percentage without thinking about total earnings over time.

When creating our commission structure, we had to balance three facts:

1. We offer 50% off early-bird pricing
2. We want affiliates to be motivated
3. We need to build a lasting business

I asked Sam "What is the highest paying affiliate program you've seen?" hoping we'd copy that. But he explained that programs with 50%+ commissions often sell one-time products or have awful retention.

We picked 20% lifetime commission (25% after 10 referrals) because the math works better for everyone long-term.

Here's why:

A one-time sale with 50% commission on a $500 product = $250 once.

Our CLTV tends to be high. Before Reply Two, our client retention rate is close to 100% and we're helping them for at least 15 months (low average).

So we (Sam) did some more math.

Our $299/month Enough plan with 20% commission = $59.80 monthly. After five months, you've earned more than the one-time commission, and it keeps growing.

The highest paying affiliate program isn't about the upfront cut, it's about total earnings over time.

Which affiliate program has the highest commission

When looking at other programs, I learned to ask better questions than just "what's the percentage?"

Here's what actually decides which affiliate program has the highest commission in real life:

• How long customers stay: Higher retention = more commissions
• Monthly price: What's the actual dollar value?
• How long they pay you: One month, one year, or forever?
• Sign-up rate: Do referrals actually convert?

I've seen programs touting "up to 40% commission!" but their products lost 30% of users monthly. Most referred customers would leave within months, making that high percentage useless.

Newsletter operations is different. Clients usually stay for a while once set up right. That's why we're good with lifetime commissions. We're betting on our ability to keep delivering value.

High-ticket recurring affiliate programs

Most high-ticket recurring affiliate programs fall into three groups:

1. Software platforms (email providers, membership sites)
2. Services (like us)
3. Courses with ongoing communities

Services like ours tend to offer the most stable commission potential because clients stick around longer. People don't switch service providers as quickly as they might cancel software. Especially if the provider is good at what they do.

When building our program, we acknowledged that high-ticket sales take longer. That's why we set our tracking cookie to 60 days. If someone clicks your link and signs up within two months, you still get paid.

We also made a simpler choice. Our commission rate is the same for all our plans ($299, $599, or $999). This keeps things clear and helps affiliates recommend what's actually right for each person.

Highest paying affiliate programs in context

The best programs balance these three things:

1. Clear tracking: Everyone knows exactly what they're earning
2. Reliable payments: Commissions arrive on schedule
3. Helpful resources: Affiliates have tools to succeed

Our system via SPP shows real-time stats. Affiliates see exactly who signed up, when they joined, and what they're earning. No mystery math.

We chose a 45-day wait for the first payment. This gives us time to make sure the client is happy before processing commissions. After that, payments go out monthly like clockwork.

Many programs forget to provide promotion resources.

We created the Reply Two Affiliate Starter Pack with guidelines, banner ads, brand assets, and a few killer prompts. All in our voice but flexible enough to match affiliates' styles.

Best affiliate programs for beginners

If you're new to affiliate marketing, look for programs with:

1. Products you actually use and believe in
2. Simple commission structures without confusing tiers
3. Resources to help you succeed
4. Reliable payment schedules

Our focus on these makes our program one of the best affiliate programs for beginners in the newsletter world. You don't need to be an expert marketer, you just need to know newsletter creators who need operational help.

The easiest approach? Share your link when newsletter topics naturally come up in conversation. No hard selling needed.

"My CTR got better after working with Reply Two" works better than any sales script we could write.

How we promote our affiliate program

Now that we had a working program, we needed people to know about it. Here's what's working for us so far:

1. Welcome our clients into it. SPP automatically creates affiliate links for our clients, which is perfect. We don't mention this right away though. We wait until late in our welcome sequence, after we've delivered real value. That way it feels like we're helping them save on fees or spread the love, not just trying to grow.
2. Try affiliate directories. TapRefer.com found us after a post we made on X. We decided to invest $29 for a listing there. We might try other directory sites, but we're being careful. We want quality referrals, not just quantity. Better to have five affiliates who understand newsletter operations than fifty who don't.
3. Make it easy to find. We added a link in our website footer. Simple but effective for people already checking us out.
4. Regular social content. We post about our program on social channels where newsletter creators hang out. We're planning some paid ads once we get our other acquisition experiments stabilized and know our CAC better.

What's working best? So far, our existing clients. They already know exactly who we help and how we help them. Their referrals convert better than any other channel.

Future-proofing your affiliate strategy

Whether you join our program or create your own, sustainability matters more than flashy upfront numbers.

As we grow, our planned Convex platform will give us more flexibility with our program. The Dub.co integration will provide powerful link management.

But the core principles won't change:

1. Good payouts for valuable referrals
2. Sustainable economics for the business
3. Clear tracking and reliable payments
4. Resources that help affiliates succeed

If you're building your own program, start simple but plan for growth. Choose tech that can scale with you, but don't wait for perfection before launching.

And if you're joining a program as an affiliate, look beyond the percentage to the total earning potential over time. The best recurring affiliate program might not have the highest day-one commission, but it will pay the most overall.

The best affiliate programs create wins for everyone. The company, the affiliate, and most importantly, the customer who finds a solution to their problem.

When you get that balance right, good things happen.