Documentation
Create programs & tracking links
Create a partner or customer referral program, generate tracking links, and understand how RewardSpring attributes clicks and conversions.
Tracking links are how RewardSpring connects a visitor to the partner or customer who referred them. This guide covers creating a program and getting your first links live.
Step 1 — Create a program
From your dashboard, choose Create program and pick a type:
- Affiliate program — pay partners cash commissions.
- Customer referral program — reward customers with credits or free months.
- Hybrid — run both from the same workspace.
Step 2 — Set your reward in plain language
RewardSpring asks plain questions instead of jargon:
- How long should a referral link get credit? (the attribution window)
- When should the reward be created? (usually the first paid invoice)
Start from a preset and adjust:
- SaaS affiliate: 25% recurring for 12 months
- Customer referral: one free month after the first paid invoice
- Partner bounty: $100 after the first paid invoice
- Creator launch: 30% for the first 6 months
Step 3 — Generate tracking links
Every partner you approve and every customer in a referral program gets their own tracking link with a copy button. Partners find theirs in the partner portal; customers find theirs in the “invite a friend” portal.
A tracking link looks like a normal link to your site with a referral identifier attached. When someone clicks it, RewardSpring records the click and remembers the referrer.
How attribution works
- A visitor clicks a tracking link. RewardSpring records the click and starts the attribution window.
- The visitor signs up. RewardSpring records the signup against the referrer.
- The visitor pays their first invoice in Stripe. RewardSpring records a paid conversion and creates a pending reward for the referrer.
If something needs correcting, founders can adjust attribution manually — you are never stuck with a wrong result.
What each portal shows
- Partner portal: referral link, program terms, clicks, signups, paid conversions, and pending / approved / paid commissions.
- Customer portal: invite link, reward terms, and pending / earned / credited rewards, in friendly language.
Next step
Learn how rewards move from pending to credited in Customer rewards.