Our Terminology: Throughout Tapfiliate, the term "Affiliate" is used as our universal designation for any partner: a referral agent, publisher, creator or influencer - a promoter who earns a commission by referring customers to your business.
Options for Onboarding New Partners: Match the Method to the Partner
Using the right invitation method dramatically increases your efficiency. Here are a few scenarios:
Scenario | Partner Type | Recommended Method | Why It Works |
Recruiting at Scale | Warm (Blogging), general social media users, or newsletter subscribers. | Shareable Link | Scale it! Low effort for both you and the partner. Converts passive interest into active sign-ups instantly. |
White-Glove Service | A high-profile influencer or a major media buying team. | Adding Manually via Form | Builds Trust. You handle all the paperwork yourself, providing a personalized, premium onboarding experience. |
Mass Migration | Moving your existing 1,000+ partners from a legacy platform or spreadsheet. | Bulk Import via .CSV File | Saves Time. Quickly onboard large groups of pre-qualified partners without requiring manual signup from each person. |
CRM/Internal Sync | Creating partners automatically the moment a sale closes or a form is submitted in your CRM (like Salesforce). | Technical Import using API | Automation. Removes all manual steps, integrating recruitment directly into your existing business flows. |
How to add partners to Tapfiliate
1. New Affiliates via Shareable Link and Manual Add
This method is for partners who are not yet registered in your Tapfiliate account.
Invite via Shareable Sign-Up Link
This is the easiest way to scale recruitment, as partners sign up themselves.
How it works: When a potential affiliate clicks this link, they are taken directly to the Sign-up page (the customized form you created).
Find the Link on your Dashboard or retrieve the invite link from your Affiliates Overview.
Share the link on your social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) using the provided buttons, or embed it in your email signature, newsletters, or website footer.
Manually Add or Bulk Import
For a small number of partners or private programs, you can add them directly.
Go to your Affiliates Overview page.
Click on New Affiliate in the top right corner.
Choose one of the two options in the pop-up window:
Add via Form: Fill out the details manually.
Import affiliates via .CSV file: Use a spreadsheet file for bulk import.
2. Adding an Affiliate Manually via Form
This method lets you quickly create a new affiliate account and assign them to a program. The system automatically sends them an email with their unique referral link.
Custom Welcome Email: You can fully customize and personalize thу welcome email sent to the affiliate by following our guide: How to create your own welcome email for the affiliates.
Step 1: Affiliate's Personal Details
Fill in the essential information needed to create the account:
Field | Description | Example Value |
First name and Last name | Enter the affiliate's full name. | John Smith |
Enter the affiliate's email address. Note: The affiliate will receive an email containing their password and unique referral link at this address. | ||
Language | Select the language.
Note: This language sets the default for the affiliate dashboard and all buttons displayed on the sign-up page.
| English |
Step 2: Company Details (Optional)
These fields are optional but are highly recommended for internal organization and tracking within your dashboard.
Field | Description | Example Value |
Name | Enter the name of the company or the website/project. | TechReviewer Blog |
Description | Provide a brief summary of the affiliate's activity. | Review site focusing on B2B SaaS tools. |
Usage Note: Although optional, the Company Details fields are crucial for advertiser management. They act as a permanent, searchable reference for what the affiliate does, helping you quickly identify them later for segmentation (Affiliate Groups) and filtering within your dashboard. Both you and the affiliate can view this information.
Step 3: Program Assignment (Required)
Field | Description | Example Value |
Add to program | Use the dropdown menu to select the specific program you want this affiliate to join. Crucial: This step automatically approves the affiliate for the program and immediately generates their unique referral link. They will instantly gain access to the program assets. | Your Online Shop |
Step 4: Finalize and Create
After filling out all required fields, click "Create new affiliate".
The system will instantly create the account and send the welcome email to the affiliate.
3. Bulk Import Affiliates via .CSV File
If you need to add many partners at once, you can use the bulk import feature via a file. This is ideal for migrating an existing partner base or adding a large group of new affiliates.
Step 1: File Preparation
Prepare your file in .CSV or Tab-Delimited (.TXT) format. The file must contain specific columns to ensure accurate import.
Required Columns:
For every affiliate, you must include:
First name
Last name
Email
Optional Columns:
You can include these optional columns for more detailed account setup:
Password
Company name
Address one, Address two
Postal code, City, State, Country code
Coupon
Step 2: File Upload and Column Mapping
This step ensures your data fields are correctly identified by Tapfiliate.
Upload File: On the Import Affiliates page, click Drop file or browse and select your prepared CSV file.
Review Data: Tapfiliate will immediately show you a preview of your data.
Verify Headers: Check the box "First row contains column headers" if your CSV file includes a header row. This prevents the first row from being imported as an affiliate.
Map Columns: The system automatically matches your column names (e.g., "Email") to the correct Tapfiliate field (e.g., "Email*").
Manual Mapping: For any column that is not matched automatically, use the dropdown menu to manually select the correct Tapfiliate field or choose "Don't import" to skip that column entirely.
Click Next step.
Step 3: Program Assignment and Finalization
This final step completes the import process and handles initial communication.
Assign Program: Select the specific program to which you want to import these affiliates.
Send Welcome Email: Choose "Yes" if you want the system to send a welcome email containing their temporary password upon import, or "No" if you prefer to send your own custom communication later.
Click Start Import. The system will create the accounts and send notifications if you selected "Yes."
4. Switching Programs for Existing Affiliates
If you are running multiple programs, you can easily add existing affiliates to a new program without changing their login credentials.
Switching Programs with Batch Management
The Batch Management feature makes it easy to manage affiliates and conversions across your account with just a few clicks. You can use this feature on the Affiliates Overview page.
On the Affiliates Overview page, check the box next to one or more affiliates.
A menu will appear at the top, offering options to approve, disapprove, set an affiliate group, export, or add the affiliate to the program.
Managing Multiple Programs
If you have multiple programs enabled, note the following:
Batch Approve/Disapprove
Using the Approve All or Disapprove All buttons will impact the affiliate's participation across all programs they are part of.
Program-Specific Editing
To edit an affiliate's participation in a specific program, click on the affiliate's name. Use the side panel that appears to approve or disapprove their participation for individual programs.
Pro Tip: Changing Referral Codes Affiliate links are created using 7 random symbols, but it's very easy for them to change their referral codes in their accounts.
5. Technical or Bulk Import using API
This option is for program managers or developers who need to integrate affiliate recruitment directly into their own platform, CRM, or app, allowing for automation and scale.
Why Use the REST API? (Advanced Use Cases)
Using the REST API gives you advanced control and power over your affiliate onboarding process:
Seamless Integration: Automatically create an affiliate in Tapfiliate the moment they sign up on your main website (e.g., your partner hub or internal dashboard).
Scale and Volume: Quickly onboard hundreds or thousands of partners at once, which is essential for rapidly growing programs.
Custom Logic: Implement custom recruitment flows or integrate with internal HR/Partner Management systems.
How to Onboard Affiliates via REST API
This is a two-step technical process that your developer will need to handle.
Step | Action and Purpose | Information for Developers |
Step 1: Create the Affiliate | This step registers the partner in the Tapfiliate system and generates their unique Affiliate ID. | Action: Call the Create Affiliate API endpoint. |
Step 2: Add to a Program | This is the crucial step. It enrolls the affiliate into a specific program and generates their unique referral link. | Action: Call the Add Affiliate to Program API endpoint. Key Result: The developer must retrieve the unique referral link from the API response. |
What to Send to Your Developer
If you decide this is the right method for your program, send your developer these two primary resources:
The Goal: Inform them that you need to automate the creation of affiliates in Tapfiliate.
API Documentation: Direct links to the relevant endpoints:
Create the Affiliate – This step generates the affiliate ID. Click here for detailed instructions on creating an affiliate.
Add the Affiliate to a Program – This crucial step generates the affiliate's unique referral link (unique per affiliate, per program). You can retrieve the link from the API response. Click here for detailed instructions on adding an affiliate to a program.
FAQ
❓ How do I re-send an affiliate their password reset email?
If an affiliate needs help logging into their account, you can quickly launch a message containing a temporary password directly from the platform.
Click on the affiliate's name in the Affiliates Overview to open the side panel.
Click on the three dots () at the top of the side-panel.
The option to Reset Password is located here.
(add GIF)
❓ How to Create Affiliates through Zapier
To create new affiliates and add them to your program using Zapier, the following actions must be sequenced correctly:
Set an action in your 'X' platform/app (e.g., New Customer in Stripe).
Use the Find/Create Affiliate action (make sure to check the box for creation).
Use the Add Affiliate to Program action.
Important: The Add Affiliate to Program action is mandatory. Without this final step, the affiliate will be created but remain archived and unable to promote your program.
❓ Will a new referral link be created if I add an affiliate to a new program?
Yes. When an affiliate is added to a new program, a new referral link is automatically generated specifically for that program.
❓How can I change an affiliate's commission rate without generating a new referral link?
A: To change an affiliate's commission rate without changing their existing link, you should use the Affiliate Groups feature. Simply add the affiliate to a different group that is configured with the desired (higher or lower) reward rate.
‼️Single Sign-On (SSO)
If you are using Single Sign-On (SSO), your developers can use a specific guide to set up automatic affiliate creation upon login.
Still need help?
If you have any questions or if something in this guide is unclear, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@tapfiliate.com-we're happy to assist!
Next Steps
You have successfully learned how to invite partners to your program.
Next: Learn how to Approve or reject applications from your new partners.
After that: See how to efficiently Set affiliate groups to manage different commission tiers.