Affiliate Network

A network holds two sides. On one it signs merchants, who publish their offer, rate and terms into the network's catalogue. On the other it signs publishers, who browse that catalogue and apply. The network owns the tracking domain, so every link routes through it, and it owns the money flow: the merchant funds a balance, the network deducts its fee, and publishers are paid from the network rather than by the brand.

That intermediation is what a network charges for. It also means the merchant does not hold the publisher relationship directly — contact details, payment terms and often the ability to talk to a partner at all are mediated by the network, which is the trade brands weigh when they consider going self-hosted.

Networks are the fastest way for a partner to find programs, because the catalogue is the product. One application, one dashboard and one payment cycle can cover dozens of brands, which removes most of the administrative friction of running many direct relationships.

The cost is control and margin. Network payment terms are usually slower than a direct program's, minimum thresholds are set by the network rather than the brand, and a brand that leaves the network takes its program with it — including, sometimes, your accumulated performance history.

For a brand, a network solves the cold-start problem: a new program with no partners can be in front of thousands of publishers on day one. It also absorbs tracking, tax-form collection and international payouts, which are the three operational jobs most likely to sink a self-hosted launch.

What the brand gives up is the direct relationship and a slice of every sale. Mature programs frequently run both — a network for discovery and reach, a self-hosted program for the partners that matter enough to manage directly — and deduplicate between them on the order identifier.