A partner program is where you set the basic rules for your partners and how they earn commissions. Setting one up takes about a minute. Let's walk through it.
First, make sure Partner programs is turned on. Click your profile icon, then Administration, then Advanced Features, and toggle on Partner programs. Then set your global settings. Hover over Partners, then click Settings, then Global settings. Those apply to every program you create. The previous lesson covers both.
To create a program, go to Partners and click New Partner Program. Give it a name. Something simple works, like "Main partner program."
Next, pick a program type. With 1 Tier, your partners earn a commission when someone they refer buys from you. That's the simplest setup, and it's a good place to start.
With 2 Tier, partners also earn a second commission, usually a smaller one, from the partners they recruit. Say one of your partners refers a friend, and that friend signs up as a partner too. When the friend's referral buys, the friend earns the main commission, and your original partner earns a second-level commission on that same sale. For example, you might pay a larger commission at the first level and a smaller one at the second. Ontraport tracks both for you.
You don't set the rates here. You set them for each product you add to the program, as a percentage or a flat rate, with a separate amount for each level. That's the next lesson.
Then choose whether to email your partners each time they earn a commission. If you turn it on, pick the email you want to send. Then click Save.
Your new program shows up in the Partners collection. Click its name to open it. You'll add commissionable products on the Partner program information tab. The Partners tab lists the partners in the program, and the Referrals tab shows the people they've referred.
If your partner center runs on WordPress, the WordPress settings tab controls what partners see there. You can choose how much they see about their referrals, from anonymous sales up to full names. You can also show them declined charges and each referral's complete purchase history. Share only what your partners need. Complete purchase history shows everything a referral has bought, not just the sales your partner earned on, so leave these off unless you have a clear reason.
There's also a newer way to build a partner center, with the Partners app. The partner center lesson covers your options.
You can create as many programs as you like, for example to give your top partners a better deal, or to have different partners promote different products. Just know that each partner can belong to only one program at a time. That's the Partner Program field on their contact record. To put someone in a second program, create a second contact record for them and assign it to that program.
So: go to Partners, click New Partner Program, name it, pick 1 Tier or 2 Tier, decide on commission emails, and save. Next up, we'll add products to your partner program, so your partners have something to earn on.