ECHO EMISSARY

Glossary

Offer (CPA)

An offer is an advertiser's proposal in an affiliate network: what is being sold, which action is paid for, how much and on what terms.

In plain words

An offer is a task card for an affiliate. It states which product or service to promote, which action is paid for, in which countries, which traffic sources are allowed and what is forbidden.

For an advertiser, an offer is a contract with the traffic market. The clearer and fairer it is, the better the flow.

What it includes

  • The target action: an application, a sign-up, a first payment, a confirmed order.
  • The payout per action and how it is calculated.
  • Geo and the audience’s language.
  • Allowed and forbidden traffic sources.
  • The hold period and the conditions under which a lead is not counted.
  • The landing pages that may be used.

Why it matters to an owner

How the target action is defined determines the traffic you get. Pay for any application, and you will get any applications. Pay for an order that reached payment, and the flow will be smaller but cleaner, while affiliates will have to trust your processing team more.

An offer also sets expectations for speed: if a lead must be handled and approved quickly, your team has to keep up.

Common mistake

Vague rejection rules. When the offer does not spell out which lead counts as low quality, every dispute is settled by hand, and affiliates suspect the advertiser of shaving the numbers. Clear criteria that both sides understand remove most conflicts.

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