Affiliate marketing glossary
Publisher
In one sentence
A publisher is any party that promotes an advertiser's products in exchange for commission, including content sites, comparison sites, email lists, apps and increasingly individual creators.
'Publisher' is the industry's term of art and predates creator marketing. Networks still classify creators as publishers, which is why a creator signing up for an affiliate program will be asked for a website even when their audience lives entirely on social platforms.
Common questions
Publisher, answered
Am I a publisher if I only post on social media?
Yes, in the sense the industry means. The word predates creator marketing and networks still classify creators as publishers, which is why an application form asks for a website and a monthly traffic figure that a social-first creator does not have. The category fits; the form does not.
Do I need a website to be an affiliate publisher?
Not through a sub-affiliate network, because the approved publisher account is the network's rather than yours. Applying directly to most affiliate networks, you generally do, and the absence of a domain is the specific gap this structure exists to close.
What kinds of publisher do advertisers value most?
It depends what the advertiser is short of. Brands with strong search presence value discovery and social content, because it creates demand they were not already capturing. Brands trying to close existing demand value comparison and deal placements. The same publisher is attractive to one and restricted by the other.
Keep reading
More from the glossary
Every term here is written to answer one question completely, then point at the next one worth asking.
Affiliate network
An affiliate network is a platform that connects advertisers running affiliate programs with publishers who promote them, handling tracking, reporting and payment between the two.
EPC (earnings per click)
EPC is the average commission earned per click sent to an advertiser, calculated as total commission divided by total clicks over a given period.
Cookie window
The cookie window is the length of time after a click during which a resulting purchase is still credited to the affiliate, commonly ranging from 24 hours to 90 days.
Last-click attribution
Last-click attribution credits the entire commission to the final affiliate link clicked before a purchase, which is the default model across almost all affiliate networks.
Attribution
Attribution is the process of determining which marketing touchpoint receives credit for a conversion, and therefore which affiliate is paid.
Cross-device tracking
Cross-device tracking links a click on one device to a purchase on another, so an affiliate is credited when a customer discovers a product on mobile and buys on desktop.
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