Every affiliate program needs a way to reward the people driving growth. Commission on purchases is the standard — but what about the affiliates who are filling your top of funnel? Users who install your app today might not buy for weeks, yet the affiliate who drove that install deserves recognition now.
That is exactly what Install Event Payments solve. This new feature lets you pay affiliates a flat fee each time a user installs your app through their short code or insert link — completely separate from commission-based earnings.
What Are Install Event Payments?
Install event payments are per-install flat fees. When an affiliate shares their short code on TikTok, or posts their insert link on a blog, and a new user installs your app through that referral, the affiliate earns a fixed dollar amount you define.
This is not a replacement for commission. It works alongside your existing commission structure, giving affiliates two income streams: a guaranteed per-install payout and ongoing commission on purchases.
Why Pay for Installs?
Incentivise top-of-funnel activity. Affiliates who drive installs are building your user base. Even if those users do not purchase immediately, they are in your ecosystem. Rewarding installs keeps affiliates motivated to promote actively rather than passively waiting for conversions.
Attract more affiliates. Guaranteed per-install payouts appeal to creators and influencers who may not want to wait for purchase commissions. A predictable income stream makes your program more competitive.
Run targeted growth campaigns. Enable install payments for a limited time — for example, during a product launch or seasonal push — to create urgency and drive a burst of downloads. You can turn the feature on and off as needed.
How to Set It Up
Getting started takes just a few clicks in your Settings page.
- Navigate to Settings in your Insert Affiliate dashboard
- Scroll to the Install Event Payments section
- Toggle the feature on
- Set your payment amount for short code installs (e.g. $0.50 per install)
- If you use Insert Links as your deep linking platform, set a separate payment amount for insert link installs
- Optionally set event caps to limit how many installs are paid per affiliate
You can set different amounts for short codes and insert links, giving you flexibility based on the value of each channel to your business.
Event Caps: Your Most Important Setting
Event caps limit how many install events are paid per affiliate. This is the single most important control for managing costs and preventing abuse.
Cap of 1 — Only the first install from each affiliate is paid. Think of it as a one-time install bonus.
Cap of 10 — The first ten installs are paid, then no more. Great for capped promotional campaigns.
No cap — Every install is paid without limit. Use this carefully and only with trusted affiliates.
Each affiliate's count is tracked independently. You can see the event number for every transaction in the install payments table.
Per-Affiliate Overrides
Your global settings apply to all affiliates by default, but you can override them for individuals. In the affiliate details panel, find the Install Payment Overrides section to set custom amounts or caps.
This is useful for rewarding your top performers with higher rates, running exclusive deals with select partners, or setting tighter limits on newer affiliates until you build trust.
Best Practices
Start with caps. Set a cap of 1 or a small number while you evaluate the impact. You can always increase later.
Combine with commission. Install payments and commission work together. An affiliate can earn a per-install bonus and ongoing percentage on purchases — giving them both immediate and long-term incentives.
Use overrides strategically. Higher rates for proven affiliates, tighter caps for new ones. This creates a natural progression that rewards loyalty.
Monitor your transactions. The Install Payments tab in the affiliate details panel shows every transaction with date, source type, amount, event number, and payment status. Review this before processing payouts.
Getting Started
Install event payments are available now for all Insert Affiliate users. Head to your Settings page to enable the feature and start rewarding affiliates for every install they drive.
If you are already using short codes or insert links, your affiliates can start earning install payments immediately — no SDK changes or code updates required on your end.