Affiliate Marketing Review and Assessment 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An affiliate is evaluating a program with a 90-day cookie, 8% commission, and $200 AOV. A competitor program offers a 7-day cookie, 12% commission, and $180 AOV. Which factor most favors the first program for a content-driven blog?
- The higher commission rate of the second program
- The longer cookie window of the first program (Correct answer)
- The higher AOV of the first program combined with lower rate
- Both programs are equivalent for content blogs
Correct answer: The longer cookie window of the first program
Content blogs attract readers who research for weeks before buying, so a 90-day cookie captures far more conversions than a 7-day window.
Question 2: What is the purpose of an affiliate disclosure according to FTC guidelines?
- To list all products the affiliate has personally purchased
- To inform readers that the affiliate may earn a commission from recommended links (Correct answer)
- To register the affiliate's business with the federal government
- To disclose the affiliate's monthly earnings to readers
Correct answer: To inform readers that the affiliate may earn a commission from recommended links
FTC guidelines require affiliates to clearly disclose any material connection — including potential commissions — so consumers can weigh the recommendation's objectivity.
Question 3: Which practice violates most affiliate program terms of service?
- Running paid search ads to a review page that contains affiliate links
- Bidding on the merchant's branded keywords in PPC campaigns without permission (Correct answer)
- Sending affiliate links via an email newsletter to opted-in subscribers
- Publishing a comparison article featuring the merchant alongside competitors
Correct answer: Bidding on the merchant's branded keywords in PPC campaigns without permission
Most affiliate agreements explicitly prohibit bidding on the merchant's brand terms in paid search, as it inflates the merchant's own ad costs.
Question 4: What is a 'two-tier' affiliate program?
- A program with two commission rates: one for new customers and one for returning customers
- A program where affiliates earn commissions on both their own sales and sales made by affiliates they recruit (Correct answer)
- A program offering both CPA and CPS commission models simultaneously
- A program with separate tiers for digital and physical product promotions
Correct answer: A program where affiliates earn commissions on both their own sales and sales made by affiliates they recruit
Two-tier programs reward affiliates not only for their own conversions but also for a percentage of commissions earned by sub-affiliates they introduce to the program.
Question 5: An affiliate's email list has 10,000 subscribers with a 25% open rate and 3% click rate on affiliate links. How many clicks per campaign should they expect?
- 300 clicks
- 75 clicks (Correct answer)
- 750 clicks
- 2,500 clicks
Correct answer: 75 clicks
10,000 × 25% open rate = 2,500 opens; 2,500 × 3% click rate = 75 clicks per campaign.
Question 6: Which type of affiliate network model gives affiliates access to thousands of merchants through a single platform?
- In-house affiliate program
- Aggregator affiliate network (Correct answer)
- Private affiliate program
- Direct merchant partnership
Correct answer: Aggregator affiliate network
Aggregator networks like ShareASale, CJ, and Rakuten consolidate multiple merchants under one dashboard, simplifying link management and payment.
Question 7: What does a 'reversal rate' reveal about an affiliate program's quality?
- The percentage of clicks that result in sales
- The percentage of approved commissions later reversed due to returns or fraud (Correct answer)
- How often the merchant reverses their commission structure
- The rate at which the network processes payments
Correct answer: The percentage of approved commissions later reversed due to returns or fraud
High reversal rates signal product quality issues, misleading promotions, or customer service problems that erode an affiliate's actual take-home earnings.
Affiliate Marketing Review and Assessment 4
An affiliate is evaluating a program with a 90-day cookie, 8% commission, and $200 AOV.
A competitor program offers a 7-day cookie, 12% commission, and $180 AOV.
Which factor most favors the first program for a content-driven blog?