Overview
CPA commission, or cost per action commission, is a fixed commission amount paid to an affiliate when a specific action is taken. In the case of ClickBank, that action is the initial sale in a ClickBank seller's sales funnel.
Unlike some other affiliate networks, ClickBank doesn't require sellers to choose between paying revenue share (RevShare) or CPA commission on an offer. Sellers can set both, which means affiliates have the ability to earn either. This empowers both the affiliate and the seller to optimize and scale.
Both commission models have their strengths, but CPA is especially beneficial for affiliates who want to earn all their commission upfront, at the time of conversion. In addition, with CPA commissions, affiliates keep their earnings even in the case of returns or refunds.
If you’ve promoted products for CPA commission on other networks, you may have expectations based on what you’ve previously experienced with CPA. CPA on ClickBank is different. CPA commissions are set specifically for affiliates--not on a per offer basis. This means that any affiliate can earn CPA from any qualifying seller on any offer without the hassle of changing links.
Note: Because CPA is set on an affiliate by affiliate basis, the affiliate must contact the seller to ask for their specific CPA rate.
This article contains the following sections. Select the link that best represents the information you need.
- CPA vs. RevShare: Explaining the Available Commission Types
- How to Contact and Ask a ClickBank Seller for Your CPA Rate
- CPA for Affiliates: FAQ
- Additional Resources & Related Articles
CPA vs. RevShare: Explaining the Available Commission Types
ClickBank offers RevShare as the default commission model. The ClickBank Marketplace offers an indication of what you can earn per offer. However, it’s important to note that sellers can set custom commission rates for affiliates on either a RevShare or CPA basis, allowing for maximum optimization and scalability.
Here are some of the key differences between each commission model:
How to Contact and Ask a ClickBank Seller for Your CPA Rate
If you are currently promoting an offer for a particular seller and want a CPA rate, there’s no need to change out links since CPA is set for affiliates, rather than offers. All you have to do is contact the seller and ask them to set your specific CPA rate.
If this is your first time promoting a product for a specific seller, the same process applies. There is no previous sales history with a particular seller required for them to set a CPA rate for you. The ClickBank Commission Calculator will use their historic sales data only to determine an ideal commission range to offer.
To contact a seller and ask them to set your specific CPA rate, follow these simple steps: .
Step 1: Log in to your ClickBank account.
Step 2: Go to the ClickBank Marketplace. You can access the ClickBank Marketplace through your master account or your sales account.
Step 3: Locate a seller that you’re interested in promoting. Note: You can search the ClickBank Marketplace using several different filters. To learn more about how to search the ClickBank Marketplace, check out this article.
Step 4: Locate the seller's contact information or go to their affiliate page to find their contact information.
Step 5: Contact the seller and ask them for your specific CPA rate. Provide any information about your experience with affiliate marketing
Here is a sample message:
CPA for Affiliates: FAQ
Q: Do I need to use a special link to earn CPA commission instead of RevShare?
A: No. CPA does not require a special referral link. HopLinks simply act to provide tracking and redirect customers to the seller's landing page. The commission you receive is a setting within the seller's account so any changes made to your commission settings will never require a HopLink change. For more information on HopLinks, check out this article.
Q: How will I know if a CPA commission has been set for me?
A: When a seller sets a CPA commission for you, an email notification with the details of your commission will be sent to the email address affiliated with your ClickBank account. You will also receive an email notification if your CPA commission is ever changed, paused, or deleted.
Q: Will CPA commission sales look different in my reporting?
A: No. In your account Analytics and Transactions, you will still be able to see the same sales data reported for each seller that you’re promoting. You will most likely notice the differences in gross and net earnings for revenue share vs. CPA, but the reporting experience is the same.
Q: Is the payout schedule different for CPA commissions?
A: No. While the payout schedule is the same whether or not you are earning CPA or revenue share commission, you can expect for the withholding on payouts to be different depending on the type of commission earned on the transactions in the current pay period. When a pay period settles, we review the sales included in that period and only calculate withholding for transactions that are eligible to be returned in the future. This means that we do not withhold funds for any CPA commissions. For more information on getting paid, check out this article.
Q: Will I get paid more or less on CPA?
A: Commission amounts vary based on seller and offer. When you earn commission on a CPA basis, you know exactly what you will earn per conversion. When you earn commission on a revenue share basis, the amount you earn per conversion depends on a lot of different things.
- The percentage you’re earning
- The average order value from the sales you’ve generated
- Returns
To check what your earnings per conversion are on a revenue share basis, we recommend looking at your net earnings for your transaction that are beyond the refund period. This will give you the most accurate view of what you’re earning after returns. You can do this in your analytics report by selecting a time range that does not end sooner than approximately 60 days ago.
Q: Are the CPA rates on ClickBank competitive to other networks?
A: Yes. Just like revenue share commission, there is a wide range in the CPA amounts you can earn depending on the offer, but we do our part to make sure those rates are competitive. When a seller sets a CPA commission on CB, we help the seller maximize the CPA commission by showing them the range they can set the CPA commission and stay profitable based on their sales history. Also, because ClickBank does not take a cut from the affiliate commission, we have found that affiliates are often able to earn higher amounts on ClickBank than if they were to promote the similar offers on other networks.
Q: Do I need to have sales history with a seller in order to get CPA commission?
A: No. Affiliates are not required to have any previous sales history with a seller. While ClickBank’s Commission Calculator allows sellers to set CPA commissions based on the sales from a specific affiliate when that affiliate has contributed a significant volume in the seller's recent sales history - it is not a requirement. As long as a seller is qualified to set a CPA commission they can set a CPA commission for any affiliate.
Additional Resources & Related Articles
- OFFICIAL GUIDE: CPA on ClickBank
- BLOG POST: ClickBank CPA is Now Available!
- BLOG POST: CPA vs. RevShare: Official ClickBank Guide to Affiliate Revenue Models
- PODCAST EPISODE: ClickBank Now Has CPA!
- KNOWLEDGE BASE ARTICLE: How to Use CPA on ClickBank
- KNOWLEDGE BASE ARTICLE: CPA is Available on ClickBank
- KNOWLEDGE BASE ARTICLE: How do I set commission for my product?
- YOUTUBE VIDEO: ClickBank Now Support CPA Marketing