This glossary covers every affiliate marketing term that mobile app developers need to understand when launching and managing an affiliate program. Terms are organized alphabetically for quick reference.
A
Affiliate: A person or entity that promotes your app in exchange for a commission on sales they generate. Affiliates can be bloggers, YouTubers, social media creators, app review sites, or anyone with an audience relevant to your app. In the context of Insert Affiliate, affiliates sign up via your signup page and receive unique tracking links.
Affiliate Agreement: The terms and conditions that govern the relationship between you (the app developer) and your affiliates. This document outlines commission rates, payment terms, prohibited promotional methods, and grounds for termination.
Affiliate Dashboard: The interface where affiliates log in to view their performance metrics, including clicks, conversions, earnings, and payout history. A good dashboard reduces the support burden on you as the app developer because affiliates can self-serve their reporting needs.
Affiliate Link: A unique URL assigned to each affiliate that tracks clicks and attributes subsequent installs and purchases to that affiliate. When a user clicks an affiliate link, the system records the click and follows the user through the install and purchase flow.
Affiliate Manager: The person responsible for running an affiliate program, including recruiting affiliates, managing relationships, setting commission rates, and resolving disputes. For solo developers, the affiliate manager is usually the developer themselves, supported by platform automation.
Affiliate Network: A platform that connects advertisers (app developers) with affiliates. Networks handle tracking, reporting, and sometimes payments. Insert Affiliate serves as an affiliate platform specifically designed for mobile apps.
Attribution: The process of identifying which affiliate (or marketing channel) deserves credit for a specific install or purchase. In mobile app affiliate marketing, attribution connects the original affiliate link click to the eventual in-app purchase, even though the user passes through an app store in between.
Attribution Window: The time period during which a click can be credited for a subsequent install or purchase. If your attribution window is 30 days and a user clicks an affiliate link but installs 25 days later, the affiliate still receives credit. Also called a lookback window.
C
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click an affiliate link out of the total number who see it. Calculated by dividing total clicks by total impressions and multiplying by 100. A CTR of 2 percent means that for every 100 people who saw the link, two clicked it.
Commission: The payment an affiliate earns for generating a sale or other qualifying action. Commissions can be a flat fee (fixed dollar amount per sale) or a percentage of the sale amount. With Insert Affiliate, all commissions are paid as cash via Stripe.
Commission Rate: The specific amount or percentage an affiliate earns per qualifying sale. For example, a 25 percent commission rate on a $9.99 in-app purchase means the affiliate earns approximately $2.50.
Conversion: The moment a referred user completes the desired action, typically making an in-app purchase or starting a subscription. In affiliate marketing, a conversion is the event that triggers a commission payment.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who click an affiliate link and then complete a purchase. Calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the number of clicks. Industry averages for affiliate marketing typically range from 1 to 3 percent.
Cookie: A small piece of data stored in a user's browser that tracks their activity after clicking an affiliate link. In mobile app affiliate marketing, traditional browser cookies are less relevant because the user transitions from a browser to an app store to an app. Deep linking and SDK-based tracking replace cookies in the mobile context.
CPA (Cost Per Action): A commission model where the affiliate is paid when a referred user completes a specific action, such as making a purchase, creating an account, or reaching a milestone within the app. The action is defined by the app developer.
CPI (Cost Per Install): A commission model where the affiliate is paid for each app install they generate, regardless of whether the user makes a purchase. CPI is common in user acquisition campaigns but less common in affiliate programs focused on revenue because it does not guarantee monetization.
Creative: Marketing materials provided to affiliates for use in their promotions. Creatives can include banner ads, screenshots, app preview videos, branded graphics, and pre-written copy. Providing quality creatives makes it easier for affiliates to promote your app effectively.
D
Deep Link: A URL that directs users to a specific location within an app rather than just opening the app's home screen. In affiliate marketing, deep links are used to pass attribution data through the install process so the correct affiliate receives credit for a sale.
Deferred Deep Link: A deep link that works even when the app is not yet installed. The user clicks the link, is redirected to the app store, installs the app, and upon first open, the app retrieves the deep link data and navigates to the intended content. This is essential for mobile affiliate attribution because most referred users will not have the app installed yet.
E
Earnings Per Click (EPC): A metric that shows how much revenue an affiliate earns on average for each click they generate. Calculated by dividing total earnings by total clicks. EPC helps affiliates evaluate which programs are most profitable for them and helps app developers assess overall program performance.
F
Flat Fee: A commission structure where affiliates earn a fixed dollar amount for each sale, regardless of the purchase price. For example, a $5 flat fee means the affiliate earns $5 whether the user bought a $4.99 item or a $49.99 item. Insert Affiliate supports flat-fee plans.
First-Click Attribution: An attribution model that credits the first affiliate link a user clicked, even if they later clicked a different affiliate's link before purchasing. This is less common than last-click attribution in affiliate marketing.
I
Impression: A single instance of an affiliate link or promotional material being displayed to a user. Impressions measure visibility but not engagement. Clicks and conversions are generally more meaningful metrics for affiliate program performance.
In-App Purchase (IAP): A transaction made within a mobile app after it has been downloaded. In-app purchases can be consumable (virtual currency, extra lives), non-consumable (premium unlock, ad removal), or auto-renewable subscriptions. Affiliate programs for apps typically pay commissions on in-app purchases.
L
Landing Page: The web page a user arrives at after clicking an affiliate link. In mobile affiliate marketing, the landing page is often the app's App Store or Google Play listing, though some programs use intermediate web pages that then redirect to the store.
Last-Click Attribution: The most common attribution model in affiliate marketing. It credits the sale to the affiliate whose link was clicked most recently before the purchase. If a user clicks Affiliate A's link on Monday and Affiliate B's link on Wednesday, and then purchases on Thursday, Affiliate B receives the commission.
Lifetime Value (LTV): The total revenue a user generates over their entire time using your app. LTV is important for setting commission rates because it tells you how much you can afford to pay affiliates while remaining profitable. If your average user LTV is $30, paying a $5 commission per acquisition is highly sustainable.
P
Payout: The transfer of earned commissions from the app developer to the affiliate. With Insert Affiliate, payouts are processed as cash via Stripe Connect, providing direct bank transfers to affiliates.
Payout Threshold: The minimum amount of earned commissions an affiliate must accumulate before a payout is processed. Common thresholds range from $10 to $50. This prevents the overhead of processing very small payments.
Performance Marketing: A marketing approach where you pay only for measurable results, such as sales, leads, or installs. Affiliate marketing is a form of performance marketing because commissions are tied to actual outcomes rather than ad impressions or clicks alone.
R
Recurring Commission: A commission paid on an ongoing basis, typically each time a referred user renews a subscription. If an affiliate refers a user who subscribes monthly, the affiliate earns a commission on each monthly renewal. This model is common for subscription apps.
Referral: A user who arrives at your app through an affiliate's promotional efforts. The referral is tracked from the initial click through to installation and purchase.
Revenue Share: A commission model where the affiliate earns a percentage of the revenue generated by users they refer. For example, a 20 percent revenue share means the affiliate earns 20 cents of every dollar the referred user spends. Insert Affiliate supports revenue share plans.
ROI (Return on Investment): A measure of the profitability of your affiliate program. Calculated by comparing the revenue generated by affiliate-referred users against the total commissions and platform costs paid. A healthy affiliate program should have a positive ROI from the start since you only pay on completed sales.
S
SDK (Software Development Kit): A set of tools and code libraries that developers integrate into their app to enable specific functionality. The Insert Affiliate SDK enables affiliate tracking, attribution, and purchase verification within your iOS or Android app. Available for Swift, Kotlin, Java, React Native, Flutter, Unity, and JavaScript.
Self-Billing Invoice: An invoice generated by the app developer on behalf of the affiliate, documenting the commission payment. Insert Affiliate automatically generates VAT-compliant self-billing invoices through Stripe Connect.
Sub-Affiliate: An affiliate recruited by another affiliate. In hierarchical or daisy chain structures, the parent affiliate earns a commission on sales generated by their sub-affiliates. Insert Affiliate supports this on Growth and Enterprise plans.
T
Tracking Link: Synonymous with affiliate link. A unique URL that identifies the affiliate and tracks user behavior from click through to conversion.
Tiered Commission: A commission structure where the rate increases as the affiliate reaches higher performance thresholds. For example, 20 percent for the first 50 sales per month, 25 percent for sales 51 to 100, and 30 percent beyond 100. Tiered structures incentivize top performers.
U
Universal Link: An iOS technology that allows a single URL to open either a web page or the corresponding app, depending on whether the app is installed. Universal links are used in mobile affiliate marketing to create seamless click-to-app experiences. Android uses a similar technology called App Links.
W
Webhook: An automated HTTP callback that sends data from one system to another when a specific event occurs. In affiliate marketing, webhooks are used to notify your affiliate platform when a purchase is verified, triggering commission attribution. Purchase verification services like RevenueCat, Adapty, Apphud, and Iaptic use webhooks to communicate transaction events to Insert Affiliate.
Understanding these terms gives you the foundation to launch, manage, and optimize an affiliate program for your mobile app. Bookmark this glossary and refer back as you build out your program.