Campaign Best Practices

Your payout rate is the single biggest factor in attracting quality promoters. Set it too low and no one picks up your campaign. Set it too high and you burn through budget before gathering enough data to optimize.

Research what similar campaigns on the platform are offering. If you are launching a new campaign in a competitive category, start slightly above average to attract early promoters and build momentum.

Consider the lifetime value of a customer, not just the cost of a single conversion. If your average customer is worth $50 over their lifetime, paying $2 per signup is a strong return even if it feels high in isolation.

Adjust rates based on performance data. If you are getting plenty of promoters but low conversion rates, the issue is likely your landing page, not your payout. If conversions are high but promoter adoption is low, raise your rate.

CPC (cost per click) works best when your goal is awareness and traffic. You pay every time someone clicks a promoter link, regardless of what happens next. Use CPC when you have a strong landing page and want to maximize visits.

CPA (cost per action) is ideal when you want to pay only for results: signups, purchases, form submissions, or any defined action. CPA campaigns attract fewer promoters because the conversion bar is higher, but the traffic tends to be more intentional.

CPI (cost per install) is purpose-built for mobile apps. Promoters earn when a user installs your app after clicking their link. Use CPI if your primary growth metric is installs.

If you are unsure, start with CPC to test whether promoters can drive relevant traffic. Once you have conversion data, switch to CPA with a rate based on your observed cost per acquisition.

Your campaign description is your pitch to promoters. They read it to decide whether your product is worth recommending to their audience. Write for them, not for end users.

Lead with what the product does in one sentence. Follow with who it is for and why it matters. Skip marketing jargon and be direct about the value proposition.

Include talking points: the three or four key things you want promoters to mention when sharing your link. This keeps messaging consistent without being overly prescriptive.

Mention any restrictions or requirements upfront. If the campaign is geo-restricted, requires a specific action, or has creative guidelines, say so in the description. Surprises after a promoter has started sharing will damage your reputation on the platform.

TonicPow uses organic promoter discovery, not algorithmic targeting. This means your targeting strategy is about making your campaign appealing to the right promoters rather than configuring audience segments.

Write your description for a specific type of promoter. If you sell developer tools, use technical language that signals your campaign is relevant to tech content creators. If you sell consumer products, emphasize broad appeal.

Enable promoter approval if you want to vet who promotes your brand. Review each applicant's profile, audience, and past performance before granting access. This takes more time but produces higher-quality placements.

Provide creative assets: banner images, social media templates, and sample copy. Promoters with ready-made materials produce content faster and with more consistent branding.

Track three core metrics: click-through rate (CTR) from promoter links, conversion rate on your landing page, and cost per acquisition (CPA). These three numbers tell you whether your campaign is working and where to improve.

Compare promoter performance individually. A small number of promoters often drive the majority of conversions. Identify your top performers and consider offering them higher rates or exclusive access to new campaigns.

Look at conversion quality, not just volume. If a promoter drives 100 signups but none of them become active users, those conversions are not valuable. Track downstream metrics like retention, engagement, or revenue per user where possible.

Set a testing budget and a scaling budget separately. Use the testing budget to try different rates, models, and descriptions. Once you find a combination that works, allocate the scaling budget to maximize results.