Run an affiliate referral program with a clear payment trail

An affiliate program becomes hard to defend when the terms are in email, the referral links are in a spreadsheet and the commission is reconstructed after payment.

RTObase keeps the program, partner, tracked visit, paid outcome and commission history connected. It records what needs review and what was paid, while the actual transfer still happens through your bank or accounting system.

Affiliate marketing is for general referral relationships. It is separate from regulated CRICOS education agent management.

The fictional example

Harbour Skills Institute creates a referral program for a local hospitality association. It pays 10% of successful RSA course payments when the buyer acts within 30 days of the referral.

The organisation, partner and values are fictional. The program and commission workflow are from RTObase.

Before you start

Agree the commercial terms outside the software, including:

• the courses or pages the partner will promote;
• a percentage or fixed commission;
• an attribution window from 1 to 90 days;
• when commission becomes eligible for approval;
• how refunds will be handled; and
• who approves and pays the partner.

Use a fixed commission carefully. It applies once per enrolment, not once per payment instalment.

1. Create the program

Go to Marketing → Affiliate Marketing → Programs & affiliates and create a program.

Choose the commission type and attribution window. The program receives an immutable campaign code so historical referrals continue to point to the terms that applied at the time.

Name the program for the commercial arrangement, not a person. For the fictional example, Hospitality association referrals is clearer than September campaign because it remains useful after the month changes.

2. Add the affiliate and issue the link

Add the partner to the program, then choose the published course or website page they should share. RTObase creates an affiliate link with an immutable, non-personal tracking code and campaign details.

Send the partner the exact link and tell them not to remove its query details. The link should lead to a page that matches what the partner has promised.

Open the link in a private browser and complete a test journey before promotion starts. Confirm that the affiliate appears on the resulting attribution detail.

3. Review performance against paid outcomes

Open Marketing → Affiliate Marketing → Performance.

Review partner activity beside the paid outcomes that created commission entries.

RTObase creates a pending commission only for an attributed successful or partly refunded live AUD payment inside the program's window. A visit or enrolment without a qualifying payment does not create a payable commission.

For the fictional 10% program, a $250 successful payment creates a $25 pending commission. If $50 is later refunded, the commission history adjusts against the updated paid value.

4. Approve commissions with evidence

Go to Marketing → Affiliate Marketing → Commissions & payouts.

Review the underlying enrolment, payment, referral date, attribution window and stored commission rule. Approve only when the recorded result matches the agreement.

Program terms are preserved with the commission calculation. Pausing or archiving a program stops future use without erasing the past trail.

5. Record the external payout

Pay the affiliate through the RTO's usual bank or accounting process. RTObase does not transfer the money.

After payment, record the payout reference and included commissions in RTObase. Use a reference that can be matched to the bank transaction or accounting entry. This closes the trail from referral to external payment without pretending that RTObase moved the funds.

Adapt the setup to your RTO

A course-specific partner may need one narrow program and destination page. An association promoting several short courses may use a broader program with separate links for each course. A fixed-dollar rule can suit a stable course price, while a percentage is easier when prices vary or employer discounts apply.

Keep unrelated commercial arrangements separate. Different commission terms or approval rules should be separate programs so the history remains clear.

Common mistakes

• Using affiliate marketing for a regulated CRICOS education agent relationship.
• Agreeing terms after referrals have started.
• Sending a generic homepage link when the partner promotes one course.
• Assuming every visit or enrolment creates a commission.
• Forgetting that refunds can adjust the commission.
• Treating a fixed commission as payable for each instalment.
• Marking a payout without a bank or accounting reference.
• Expecting RTObase to transfer money to the partner.

Final check

Before approving the first live commission, confirm that:

1. The program terms and attribution window match the written agreement.
2. The partner used its own tracked link.
3. The payment is live, successful and in AUD.
4. The referral falls inside the attribution window.
5. Any refund is reflected in the commission history.
6. The payout reference can be matched outside RTObase.

This gives the RTO one reviewable chain: agreed terms, partner link, attributed payment, commission decision and external payout reference.