Draft your program rules brief
Personalize this draft, replace the bracketed details, and review it before sending. This tool does not send messages.
Your message
Your brand affiliate program: operational brief for Creator name Scope: promotion of Your product and [eligible collections]. Eligible orders: [order status, exclusions, and calculation basis]. Reward: [rate or amount, currency, and any documented tiers]. Attribution: [link/code rules and conflict handling]. Returns and cancellations: [review and adjustment process]. Promotion: [allowed channels, restricted practices, and disclosure guidance]. Payment: [review schedule, threshold, method, and reconciliation process]. Questions and disputes: [contact and response process]. Changes or exit: [notification method and outstanding commission handling]. Prepared on [date]. Review these choices against your actual setup and obtain any legal review needed for your markets before using an agreement.
Review names, dates and terms before sharing. Nothing is sent automatically.
Define the qualifying event and the commission basis
Write down what has to happen before commission is earned and what has to happen before it is payable. An order being created, an order being paid, and a commission being approved are different events. Explain the eligible products, excluded orders, calculation currency, and treatment of discounts in language a partner can use to check a worked example.
Include examples for the situations your store actually encounters. A mixed basket and a partial return are often more revealing than a clean full-price order. State how attribution conflicts are resolved when multiple partner signals appear. Verify these descriptions against the configured application behavior. A published promise that your setup cannot implement becomes a recurring support problem.
Explain acceptable promotion and clear communication
Define the channels and practices your program permits. Decide your approach to coupon distribution, paid search using your brand name, self-referrals, and unapproved promotional claims. Keep the policy specific enough to apply consistently. A vague ban on “bad traffic” gives neither the partner nor your reviewer a dependable way to decide whether a placement fits the agreement.
Include disclosure guidance appropriate to the audience and channel. For US-facing endorsements, FTC guidance explains the importance of making material brand relationships clear. Link partners to the official guidance and keep your instructions aligned with applicable requirements. Avoid asking partners to make claims they cannot support or to conceal compensation, product gifts, or another relevant commercial connection.
Document review, payment, and changes
Describe who reviews commissions, how returns or cancellations affect them, and how a partner can raise a question. State the intended payment schedule, any threshold, and the supported payment process without promising capabilities that have not been verified. Keep payout approval distinct from payment completion. Partners should know what a pending balance means and where to ask about a missing payment.
Plan how changes will be communicated and how outstanding commissions will be handled if participation ends. Keep dated versions of the operational rules and record the version shared with each cohort. Have the agreement reviewed for the markets and commercial arrangement involved before treating this planning brief as final contract language. The interactive draft helps surface decisions; it does not resolve legal enforceability.
Worked example · illustrative scenario
Example: clarifying a mixed basket
A fictional pet-accessory merchant sells both its own products and excluded gift cards. Its draft rules include an example with a qualifying accessory, a gift card, and a customer discount, showing which amount enters the commission calculation. The merchant checks that the application produces the described result before sharing the offer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the generated brief as a finished contract?
The brief records operational choices and unresolved fields. Review it against your actual configuration and get appropriate legal review before relying on it as a binding agreement.
Which rule usually needs a worked example?
The commission calculation basis is a strong candidate. Add a mixed basket, discount, partial return, and competing link/code scenario if those situations occur in your program.
How should I communicate a rule change?
Keep a dated record, explain what changes and when, and address existing activity and outstanding commission under the applicable agreement. Make the support route easy to find.
Further reading
Put your Shopify affiliate plan into practice
Use Afivio to organize your affiliate campaigns, partners and commission records. Review the integration guide and current app listing before choosing your setup.