The Secrets to Making Onsite Commissions Work
Onsite Commissions are a game-changer for micro and nano creators—many of whom are already your customers. They offer a way to earn passively from shoppers already browsing your site. I’ve had direct access to many of the largest first- and third-party affiliate networks in the market today. They all share a strikingly similar (and frustrating) result: The 10/40/50 Rule.
10% of creators make all the money.
40% make great content but zero money.
50% never make any content or any money.
The 40% who make great content but earn nothing aren’t failing because their content is bad—they’re failing because they aren't traditional "affiliate marketers." Let’s be real: sharing a "link in bio" is a friction-filled way to convert an audience.
However, that content is conversion gold. It just needs to be mined. Onsite Commissions are the equipment you need to extract that value. To launch a successful onsite program like Amazon’s, you must solve two things: Scalable Content Acquisition and Technical Attribution.
Here are the secrets to success:
1. Unlock the Tracking (Move Beyond the Link)
Standard affiliate links won't work here because the customer is already on your Product Detail Page (PDP). You need a system that attributes the sale when a customer interacts with a specific video or photo onsite.
The Strategy: Your shoppable video provider likely already tracks playbacks and conversion events. The key is connecting those events to a Creator onboarded to an Onsite Commission Manager (like Onsite Affiliate). This ensures that a "view-through" conversion on a PDP is credited to the creator just as accurately as a traditional click.
2. Run a Pilot (Data-Driven Attribution)
Don’t guess on your attribution logic—test it. Onsite Commissions usually require a much shorter attribution window (e.g., 24–48 hours) compared to standard offsite affiliate windows (30 days).
The Strategy: Pilot the program with a small "alpha" group of UGC creators. Don’t wait for the complete solution to start your pilot and work with your finance team to determine the exact conversion lift. If the UGC-exposed group converts 15% higher than the control, you have the green light to make the program entirely self-funded through that incremental margin.
3. Obsess Over the Creator Experience
Micro and nano creators are storytellers, not professional media buyers. If your creator dashboard is a maze of technical jargon and broken links, they will churn immediately.
The Strategy: Make it "one-click simple." Provide a one-click content upload with a transparent view of which videos are live on your site and exactly how much "Passive Onsite Credit" they’ve earned. When a micro creator sees their face on a major brand's website and sees a commission check follow it, you’ve built an advocate for life.
4. Test, Learn, and Optimize Placements
Don't assume you know where content performs best. The location of the UGC can change your conversion rate by double digits.
The Strategy: Use a "Control vs. Exposed" framework. A/B test your placements: Does a video review convert better in the main image carousel or next to the "Add to Cart" button? Once you prove that "Exposed" visitors convert at a higher rate, you have the data needed to justify scaling the payout.
5. Have a Plan to Scale (Automate the Engine)
If you have thousands of products, you need tens of thousands of pieces of content. You cannot scale to this volume with manual outreach and spreadsheets.
The Strategy: To get creators to care initially, offer a hybrid of a flat fee (or product gift) plus the Onsite Commission. To hit high volume, you need an automated "UGC Flywheel" - such as post-purchase emails that invite customers to join your program and submit videos directly into your onsite gallery for a chance to earn.
6. Pay Your Creators Timely
Nothing kills a creator network program faster than slow payouts. In the world of micro-influencers, cash flow is king.
The Strategy: Standard affiliate terms (Net-60 or Net-90) feel like an eternity to a creator who spent hours filming and editing. Aim for Net-30 or faster. Use automated payment integrations (like Onsite Affiliate) to trigger payments as soon as the return window closes. Fast pay is the best recruiting tool you have.
The Bottom Line
Onsite Commissions allow you to stop paying for "potential reach" and start paying for proven conversion. By mining the "gold" from that 40% of creators who make great content but can't sell a link, you turn your product pages into a high-converting, social-first shopping experience.
