What is a two-tier affiliate program?
A two-tier affiliate program is a type of affiliate marketing program that allows affiliates to earn commissions not only on their own sales but also on the sales made by their sub-affiliates (people they’ve referred to the program).
In this type of program, an affiliate (referred to as a “first-tier affiliate”) earns a commission for each sale they make through their unique affiliate link. They also have the opportunity to recruit other affiliates (referred to as “second-tier affiliates”) to join the program and earn a commission on the sales made by these sub-affiliates.
This type of program creates a hierarchical structure where first-tier affiliates can earn commissions from their own sales and the sales made by their sub-affiliates. This can create a residual income for the first-tier affiliate, as they continue to earn commissions from the sales made by the second-tier affiliates they’ve referred.
Additionally, this setup also incentivizes first-tier affiliates to actively recruit new affiliates to join the program.
Two-tier affiliate programs may also be called “second-tier”, “tier 2”, and “multi-tier” affiliate programs.
Some popular two-tier affiliate programs include:
Additionally, some affiliate networks also offer a similar type of two-tier structure:
