Affiliate marketing glossary
Self-referral
In one sentence
Self-referral is an affiliate using their own tracking link to buy for themselves, which is prohibited on effectively every affiliate program and is grounds for account termination.
It is banned because it converts a marketing channel into a discount for the affiliate, generating commission on a sale the advertiser would have made anyway. Advertisers detect it easily through matching names, addresses and payment details.
It is worth naming plainly because new affiliates often assume it is a harmless perk. It is not: on a sub-affiliate network the consequence extends beyond the individual, because the upstream network sees one publisher account and acts against it.
Common questions
Self-referral, answered
Can I use my own affiliate link to buy something?
No. It is prohibited on effectively every affiliate program and is grounds for termination. Advertisers detect it easily, because the name, address and payment details on the order match the account on file.
What about buying for family or friends?
Orders shipping to your own address or paid on your own card are treated as self-referral regardless of who the item is for. Genuine recommendations that a friend acts on independently are not, and the difference the advertiser can see is whose details are on the order.
Why is it treated so seriously on a sub-affiliate network?
Because the upstream network sees one publisher account rather than individual partners. A self-referral pattern is attributed to the account, so the consequence lands on everyone using it, not only on the person responsible.
Keep reading
More from the glossary
Every term here is written to answer one question completely, then point at the next one worth asking.
Sub-affiliate network
A sub-affiliate network is a company that holds approved relationships with affiliate programs on major networks and lets smaller publishers and creators promote those programs under its account, sharing the commission it receives.
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.
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