What it means
In affiliate marketing, sub-affiliate an affiliate recruited by another affiliate within a multi-tier program. The recruiting affiliate earns a percentage of the sub-affiliate's commissions.
Why it matters
Whether you're launching a new affiliate program or scaling an existing one, understanding sub-affiliate helps you make better decisions about commission structures, partner recruitment, and growth tactics. Most SaaS founders run into this concept early and benefit from a clear mental model before they start building.
See also
Related terms in the affiliate marketing glossary that connect to sub-affiliate:
- Tiered Commission -- A commission structure where the rate increases as affiliates hit performance thresholds. For example, 20% for 1-10 s...
- Tracking Pixel -- A 1x1 transparent image or JavaScript tag placed on a confirmation page that fires a request to the affiliate platfor...
- UTM Parameters -- Tags added to URLs (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content) to track traffic sources in analytic...