Launching an affiliate program in 2026: 5 key insights from Tapfiliate

AMSTERDAM, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tapfiliate, a partner relationship management platform trusted by more than 66.000 customers, shared crucial insights for the perfect affiliate program launch. Over 80% of brands are already using affiliate marketing to attract sales and boost brand awareness. If your brand is ready to jump on this trend or wants to stand out from the thousands of competitors, check out Tapfiliate's advices, based on years of experience.

Pre-launch set-up 

Start with setting clear goals and KPIs, set a timeframe for their achievement. Think about the reward system: a certain percentage of sale or a flat rate per order, various rates for recurring lead actions and performance-based incentives - fair rewards are among top decision-making factors for publishers.

Terms and tech

Prepare clear terms of service: include description of the types of partners you are interested in, regions you are after, payment information, banned traffic types etc.. Next comes the technical part. Integrating your website with affiliate marketing software is essential - it automatically tracks clicks, sales, and commissions, ensuring accurate payouts and performance monitoring.

Final steps

Branded sign-up pages increase new affiliate applications by 42% so make sure your affiliate portal contains the program's description, appealing welcome message and terms of services. Don't forget to add a good variety of promo materials.

The launch day 

Ensure that your existing partners have successfully registered on the platform or manually transfer their accounts. To attract new partners, prepare an appealing landing page in advance and follow the instructions in the full Tapfiliate checklist so that every potential partner quickly learns about your program.

Focus on the best partners

The "more is better" strategy no longer works. Brands focus on close collaboration with the most active partners rather than mass recruitment. According to Tapfiliate, the top 15% partners currently account for over 85% of sales. Brands that focused on the best-performing partners saw their sales increase by 15-17% in 2025.

The extended Tapfiliate Launch Guide contains instructions for every step of the launch preparations: check-lists for your terms of services, commission settings, tips for affiliate page customisation, detailed route of affiliate onboarding process and many other crucial guidelines. Check it to be sure that you are fully prepared for the launch of your affiliate program or to polish your existing program and boost its performance.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2672516/5763093/Tapfiliate_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Tapfiliate