program types
Sub-Affiliate
An affiliate recruited into a program by another affiliate, triggering Tier 2 commissions.
What is Sub-Affiliate?
A sub-affiliate is an affiliate who joins a program after being referred by another affiliate — in a two-tier affiliate program, the recruiting affiliate earns a Tier 2 commission percentage on the sub-affiliate's conversion activity.
Sub-Affiliate In Practice
From the sub-affiliate's own perspective, their program participation is identical to any other affiliate: they join via a standard application, generate tracking links, and earn their full commission rate on every conversion they produce. The Tier 2 commission flowing to the affiliate who recruited them is invisible in their own dashboard — a structural feature of the program operating entirely in the background. From the recruiting affiliate's perspective, each sub-affiliate appears as a tracked account in their dashboard's two-tier section, and the Tier 2 percentage — typically 2%–10% of the sub-affiliate's earnings — accrues automatically without further action. Sub-affiliate recruitment generates meaningful Tier 2 income only under specific conditions: the program must offer genuine earning potential (otherwise recruited affiliates will not actively promote), and the recruiting affiliate must have an audience that includes other affiliates or marketers who would themselves join and promote. Affiliate tools, SaaS platforms with creator-focused audiences, and marketing-adjacent products are the verticals where this model works. For most consumer product verticals, the audience is buyers rather than affiliates, making sub-affiliate recruitment a marginal income opportunity.
Example of Sub-Affiliate
An affiliate publishes a 'best affiliate management software' comparison article. Three readers — themselves affiliate marketers — join a PartnerStack-based program through the two-tier referral link and become sub-affiliates. Over six months, the three collectively drive 40 conversions and earn $1,200 in Tier 1 commissions. The recruiting affiliate receives 5% in Tier 2 income: $60. The sub-affiliates operate entirely independently; they are not coordinated with or supervised by the affiliate who recruited them. The Tier 2 income is passive and proportional to the sub-affiliates' own promotional activity.