Affiliate marketing sounds simple: pick a campaign, share a link, and earn commissions. But once you step in, things move quickly. Offers have rules. Links need tracking. Sales don’t always get approved. And that’s where both affiliates and advertisers run into trouble.
Most of the time, it’s not about doing things wrong. It’s about not knowing what to watch out for. Maybe you didn’t check the cookie period, forgot to update a creative, or launched a campaign without setting up proper validation. These small things add up and can quietly eat into performance.
If you’re into affiliate marketing, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what works. This blog covers five common mistakes when working with affiliate networks and how to avoid them from the start.
Many people get started with affiliate networks thinking it’s just about grabbing a link and sharing it, but that’s only a small part of it. If you don’t understand how tracking works, what rules apply, or how approvals and payouts are handled, you could end up missing sales, losing commissions, or dealing with payment delays.
After your account gets approved, you’ll see a dashboard filled with live campaigns you can promote. But every campaign has its own KPIs, like what kind of traffic is allowed (blogs, content sites, Telegram groups, coupon channels, media buying), how long the cookie lasts, when conversions get validated, and how commissions are paid.
Before you start promoting, it’s important to go through these campaign details. Some campaigns, for example, may not allow SMS traffic or brand keyword bidding. Others may limit mobile app traffic completely.
Also, make sure to use the tracking links exactly as shown in your panel. Don’t edit or shorten them using third-party tools like link shorteners. Doing so can break the tracking, and your conversions might not show up or get paid.
Setting up a campaign doesn’t just mean handing over a few product links. The network team takes care of the technical side, but only if you provide the right inputs.
You’ll need to share your preferred tracking setup (like postback, API, or pixel), allow access for testing, and submit creatives, product URLs, categories, and audience preferences. You also need to define what counts as a successful order, how returns will be handled, the timeline for validating sales, and what kind of payout model you’re using (CPS, CPL, etc.).
If the information is incomplete or shared late, it can lead to confusion, causing tracking problems, delays in getting the campaign approved, and dissatisfaction among affiliates.
When onboarding is done properly, everything runs more smoothly. It helps ensure conversions are tracked accurately from the beginning and gives your campaign a better chance of performing well.
A big mistake in affiliate marketing is thinking that once you set things up, your job is done. Some affiliates start promoting a campaign and never check back on it. At the same time, some advertisers believe that once a campaign goes live, there’s nothing more to do. But this kind of “set it and forget it” mindset usually leads to low performance
Once you pick a campaign, your job isn’t over. Campaigns need regular monitoring because things change. Offers get updated, product categories shift, creatives are refreshed, and validation timelines may be adjusted. If you continue promoting an outdated link or old creative, your conversions could get rejected.
You can view performance metrics like clicks, conversions, EPC (earnings per click), and approval rates inside your dashboard. Keep an eye on this data and check in with your affiliate manager if something looks off.
Ignoring campaign performance or not adapting to new formats (like Telegram or influencer-led traffic) is one of the most avoidable affiliate marketing mistakes.
Going live is just the start. An affiliate campaign needs periodic updates to stay attractive to publishers. If you never refresh banners, revise targeting, or adjust payouts, your offer might get ignored, especially if competitors are offering better incentives.
Your account manager can help you roll out short-term promotions, boost commissions during festive periods, or whitelist specific publishers. But that can only happen if you’re actively involved.
Advertisers should prefer timely validation, return trends, or product changes regularly. Staying passive after launch is one of the most common affiliate marketing errors for advertisers, and it directly affects your campaign’s visibility and results.
One of the main reasons campaigns don’t perform well is poor communication. When important updates or KPIs aren’t clearly passed on, things get missed. This can result in rejected conversions, lost trust, or missed chances to earn
Each campaign in your panel comes with specific guidelines like which traffic sources you can use, which regions you can target, and what kind of promotions are not allowed (for example, no brand bidding or SMS traffic). Ignoring these terms or assuming all campaigns work the same way is one of the most common affiliate marketing mistakes.
Campaigns can also be paused, updated, or stopped. If you miss those changes and continue promoting, your traffic could be wasted, or worse, your conversions might not be approved.
Make it a habit to read through the campaign guidelines before you start promoting. Stay updated, because campaign terms can change at any time. If anything isn’t clear, reach out to your affiliate manager instead of guessing. Be careful that you are not using traffic sources that aren’t allowed or promoting without the right approvals, both of which can cost you your payouts.
As a brand, your campaign may evolve, include new product launches, updated return policies, or creative refreshes. But if those changes aren’t communicated to your account manager on time, affiliates won’t know, and they may continue promoting outdated offers or disallowed products.
This can lead to higher rejection rates, unsatisfied publishers, and an overall dip in campaign performance.
Make sure you inform your network manager of any policy or product updates. They’ll handle communication with affiliates and update the campaign terms. Advertisers who actively share updates maintain stronger engagement from publishers and get better long-term results.
A common mistake in affiliate marketing is focusing only on surface-level numbers. You might be thinking that more traffic always leads to better results, but without conversions, that traffic doesn’t hold much value. You need to understand which metrics matter, and why.
What matters more than clicks is how the traffic performs. Your dashboard gives you access to key stats like earnings per click (EPC), number of conversions, approval rates, and how long it takes for sales to be validated. These numbers tell you which campaigns are worth your time and which ones aren’t delivering.
You can also use sub-ID tracking to break down performance across different sources, whether it’s your blog, Telegram group, or a paid ad. This helps you double down on what’s working and tweak what’s not.
Just counting conversions isn’t enough to understand the value of affiliate traffic, you need to look deeper. Track things like the average order value, how often people cancel or return orders, how quickly users convert after clicking, and which traffic sources are performing better, be it content, coupon, cashback, or influencer campaigns.
These insights help you make smarter decisions, improve campaign efficiency, and spot opportunities to grow.
Your network manager can help you analyse publisher-level data, identify top performers, and flag sources that may be underdelivering. When campaigns rely only on volume without assessing post-sale quality, they often miss valuable optimisation opportunities.
A lot of problems in affiliate campaigns don’t come from tech glitches, they happen because people skip the help that’s already available. When affiliates or advertisers don’t go through proper onboarding or overlook the guidance shared by the network, it often results in slow performance, tracking issues, or lost conversions.
After you’re approved, it’s tempting to jump straight into campaigns. Taking a little time to understand how the platform works can save you from a lot of problems later. From pulling the right creatives and setting up tracking links to knowing how long validation takes and when payouts happen, every step matters.
There’s also support available to help you along the way. Affiliate managers can answer questions, guide you through campaigns, and even suggest offers that fit your traffic. If something isn’t tracking right or conversions are getting rejected, it’s always better to raise it early rather than wait for the payout cycle to end.
One of the most common beginner mistakes in affiliate marketing is staying quiet or trying to figure everything out alone. The support and tools are there; using them is often what sets top affiliates apart from those who struggle.
A strong campaign starts with a strong launch. Onboarding isn’t just a formality; it’s how the network understands your business goals, product categories, and target audience. Without complete inputs, campaign setup may be delayed, or worse, go live with missing pieces.
Advertisers are expected to share validated product feeds, tracking requirements, commission structures, and return policies during onboarding. Once the campaign is live, ongoing support is available for optimisations, seasonal boosts, and publisher management, but it all starts with a clear, well-documented setup.
Missing these steps often lead to misaligned expectations or poor campaign traction. Staying involved during the initial setup makes sure your offer gets the attention it deserves.
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to drive growth, but it only works well when both affiliates and advertisers understand how to make it work. Most issues don’t come from bad intentions but from minor oversights that add up over time. Mistakes like skipping campaign terms, using the wrong traffic source, missing updates, or ignoring performance metrics can affect earnings and trust. The good news? All of them are easy to avoid with the right approach. Take time to understand the process, communicate clearly, and use the tools and support available to you.
If you’re an affiliate or a brand, staying active and informed is what leads to long-term success. And if you’re looking for a trusted platform to grow with, vCommission provides both the structure and support needed to make affiliate marketing work the right way. So, sign up now and get started!
