How to Automatically Level Up Affiliates Based on Performance

This guide explains how to automatically promote affiliates to new campaigns based on performance milestones. You’ll learn what the Affiliate Level-Up feature does, why it’s useful, and how to configure it step by step. By the end, you’ll be able to build a performance-based affiliate structure with minimal manual effort.


Contents

What is the Affiliate Manager Level-Up Feature?

The Affiliate Manager Level-Up feature enables you to automate the process of promoting affiliates to higher-tier campaigns based on their performance. By setting clear milestones—such as reaching a certain number of customers or generating a specific revenue amount—you can reward top-performing affiliates without manual tracking or intervention. This feature is designed to streamline affiliate management and foster motivation among your partners.

Key Benefits of the Affiliate Manager Level-Up Feature


Unlocking automated affiliate promotions offers several advantages for your business and your affiliates:


  • Automated Tier Progression: Affiliates are automatically moved to higher-tier campaigns when they hit set goals, reducing manual effort.


  • Customizable Milestones: Set performance-based triggers such as customer count or revenue generated.


  • Flexible Campaign Selection: Choose which campaign affiliates are promoted to, supporting diverse program structures.


  • Seamless Customer Handling: Decide whether existing customers remain in the current campaign or move with the affiliate.


  • Enhanced Motivation: Affiliates are incentivized to reach higher goals, boosting engagement and performance.


  • Supports Multiple Campaign Types: Level up between Website, Store, and Funnel campaigns for maximum flexibility.

How To Setup Automatic Affiliate Level-Up

If you have not set up an affiliate campaign before, please follow the steps in the articles linked below:

Step 1: Set Up Your Affiliate Funnel

Step 2: Upload Or Add Affiliates To The Affiliate Manager

Step 3: Create An Affiliate Manager Campaign

Step 4: Managing Affiliate Payouts



Access Affiliate Campaigns

From the left sidebar, go to Marketing and click on the Affiliate Manager dropdown in the top navigation. Then select Campaign from the list to open your affiliate campaigns dashboard.



Create a Second Affiliate Campaign for Level 2

  • You can use an existing affiliate campaign - OR - create a new affiliate campaign.

A) Click the "+ Add" button in the upper right corner to create a new affiliate campaign.

B) Alternatively, you can click the three dots to the right of an existing affiliate campaign and select 'clone'.

    • Note: Make sure to rename the cloned campaign and include the level name ( Example: Level 2).
    • Toggle off the 'keep affiliate' option to prevent the automatic transfer of affiliates to the new campaign.
    • Then, click "Save"


  • The cloned campaign will be in draft mode.
  • Click on the campaign name to edit it.

  • Set the commission amount:
    • Choose between a flat rate or percentage.
    • Example: Set a 20% commission.


  • You can update/edit any of the campaign settings.
  • Then, click finish and select Publish Now to make the Level 2 affiliate campaign active.



Choose an Existing Affiliate Campaign - OR - Create a New Affiliate Campaign for Level 1

You can enable this feature in an existing affiliate campaign or create a new affiliate campaign. Click the + Add button in the top-right corner to create a new affiliate campaign. If you’re updating an existing campaign, use the "Search by name or email" bar to quickly locate it from the list.



Fill Campaign Details (For New Campaigns)

If you’re creating a new campaign, complete the Campaign Details step by selecting a traffic source and linking the campaign.



Enable Level-Up Option

  • You can enable this feature in an existing affiliate campaign or create a new affiliate campaign.
  • In the Commissions step, expand the Level Up to another Campaign section to customize how and when affiliates are promoted to a higher-tier campaign based on performance milestones.



Select Destination Campaign

  • Use the dropdown to choose the campaign affiliates will be leveled up to. This is where high-performing affiliates will be automatically moved once they meet the criteria you define.

  • In the 'Level Up to Another Campaign' section, select your Level 2 campaign from the drop-down menu.



Set Promotion Criteria

  • Define the condition for leveling up by choosing either Customers or Revenue and entering the corresponding number or amount. This determines when affiliates qualify for promotion to the next campaign.

  • Choose the milestone type ( Customers - OR - Revenue ).
  • Enter the milestone number ( Example: 25 customers ).



Choose Customer Handling

Decide how to handle commissions from existing customers—either keep them in the original campaign or move them along with the affiliate. Your selection determines where future commissions will be tracked.


This is where you will decide what happens to existing customers when an affiliate levels up:

  • Choose whether to keep existing customers in Level 1 or move them to Level 2.
  • If moving, affiliates will earn the new commission rate for those customers.


  • Scroll down and click 'Next'.
  • Click 'Finish' and then 'Publish Now' to update your affiliate campaign.


Complete and Publish

Review all the campaign settings including commission structure, level-up logic, and customer handling rules. Once everything looks good, click Next and publish the campaign to activate your performance-based affiliate flow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is it possible to pause level-up automation temporarily?

There’s no native “pause” button, but you can temporarily disable level-up by switching the selected campaign in the dropdown back to “No level up campaign.” Be sure to reconfigure it manually if resuming later.


Q: Can affiliates be leveled up across campaigns in different subaccounts?

No, the level-up process is scoped within a single subaccount. If you are an admin on multiple subaccounts, you’ll need to manually replicate the affiliate campaign configuration across each account and manage transitions manually.


Q: What happens if a product is removed from the source campaign after affiliates have already been leveled up?

Removing a product from the original campaign won’t impact already leveled-up affiliates, but it will stop future tracking of commissions for that product in the original campaign. If the product also exists in the destination campaign, future purchases will be tracked there based on the level-up rule and customer handling option you chose.


Q: Can I use tags, contact attributes, or affiliate-specific filters to control who qualifies for a level-up?

Currently, level-up is only triggered by quantitative performance (Customers or Revenue). Filters based on tags, attributes, or manual qualification logic are not supported, but you can use workflows to assign tags post-level-up as part of a broader automation strategy.