The Offer Owner path reverses the affiliate problem.
Instead of selecting an existing offer, the owner defines the economics, the placement options, and the collaboration rules that make an offer worth promoting. On OfferLab, this work is not optional. Affiliates decide quickly whether an offer is usable, flexible, and fair—and most decisions happen before traffic ever runs.
This issue covers the planning phase for offer owners. The goal is readiness, not sales: a net-$500 economics sheet, a partner-ready listing and asset pack, and a prioritized outreach list. Promotion comes later.
As with the Affiliate path, each sub-problem is treated as atomic. If one lever underperforms, it can be adjusted without rebuilding the entire system.
1) Net-$500 economics
Everything downstream depends on the math.
Start by choosing:
Core price and any optional order bump
A base affiliate commission (often 30–60%)
Placeholder assumptions for platform and processing fees (until confirmed)
Then compute how many gross units are required for you to net $500 using cleared payouts—counting only amounts received after affiliate commissions, platform and processing fees, payout holds, and expected refunds.
This framing keeps gross and net honest while allowing you to pay affiliates competitively. Some owners also choose a time-boxed early-partner incentive (for example, +10% commission for the first X sales or Y days) to spark initial adoption without permanently eroding margins.
Deliverables at this stage:
A Net-$500 sheet with fields for price, commission %, fees %, AOV, units to $500 net (using cleared payouts)
A one-paragraph constraint statement covering refund tolerance, delivery capacity, and support SLA
No pricing decisions should move forward without this sheet completed.
2) Offer definition built for placement
Affiliates do not promote “products.” They promote placements.
Clarify where your offer fits best:
Front-end
Order bump
Upsell
If your offer fits more than one placement, rank them (primary/secondary) so partners know your preference.
Then define the offer precisely:
One-sentence promise
3–5 concrete deliverables
Explicit exclusions
Acceptance criteria (what counts as “done”)
Finally, document why the offer works in its preferred placement and provide two or three sample angles affiliates can adapt.
Deliverables at this stage:
A one-page offer spec (promise, scope, exclusions, acceptance criteria)
A short placement guide with recommended placement and sample angles
This removes guesswork for partners.
3) Proof, risk reversal, and compliance
Before inviting affiliates, confirm what proof you are allowed to use and what claims you can stand behind.
Select proof you own or have permission to use:
Product demos
Results or case notes
Testimonials with explicit consent
If proof is limited, prefer a narrower, verifiable promise over a broader claim.
Choose a guarantee you can honor operationally, and add any required disclaimers.
Deliverables at this stage:
A proof inventory with sources and permissions noted
A guarantee statement with a standard disclaimer block
If proof is thin, that is a signal to narrow the promise—not embellish it.
4) Payments and revenue-split QA
Partners assume payments work. You must verify that they do.
Complete the payments setup and confirm:
Automatic revenue splits behave as expected
Refund windows and hold periods are defined
Commission reversals are handled consistently
Run controlled tests before any partner promotion. Verify that test transactions appear in both your dashboard and a test partner’s dashboard, with the correct split and timing.
Document how refund clawbacks are communicated to affiliates (for example, as a monthly statement line item) so there are no surprises.
Deliverables at this stage:
A completed payments checklist
A test plan and results: $1 test purchase, refund test, and commission receipt confirmation
5) Partner-facing assets: Partner Brief and Swipe Kit
Affiliates decide faster when information is packaged cleanly.
Create two core assets:
Partner Brief (1 page):
Target avatar
Promise and price
Commission structure (and any early-partner incentive, if offered)
Recommended placements
Angle menu
Traffic or placements not allowed (e.g., brand-term PPC, incentivized clicks)
Brand and claims usage guidelines
Allowed bonuses
Support contact and response expectations
Swipe Kit (v1):
Two headlines
Two bullet blocks
One email
One short post
One bridge blurb
Image thumbnails
60–90 second talking points
Deliverables at this stage:
Partner Brief v1
Swipe Kit v1 (copy document + media folder)
These are living assets, not final drafts.
6) OfferLab listing (owner and partner views)
With assets prepared, build the OfferLab listing.
From the creator view, write:
Title and subtitle
Bullet summary
Images or short video
FAQ
From the partner view, add:
Best placements
Target avatar
EPC guidance if available—or clearly mark “early test—no EPC yet”
Set visibility intentionally—public or unlisted—and map links. If an intro incentive is offered, note it clearly (for example, “+10% commission for first 10 sales or 14 days”).
Deliverables at this stage:
Listing copy and media folder
A standardized UTM scheme and link map (owner vs. partner links)
7) Build the partner prospect list
Do not blast. Curate.
Source potential partners from:
OfferLab and the OfferLab Skool group
Complementary niches
ClickFunnels or GHL communities
LinkedIn or X
Score prospects by:
Audience fit
Primary channel
Past promotions
Responsiveness
Willingness to share basic KPI data during the test
Deliverables at this stage:
A 25-name prospect sheet with score, channel, and first-contact handle
Two outreach templates: placement-first and angle-first
This list sets the ceiling for early traction.
8) Skool group activation plan
Skool activity is purposeful, not performative.
Prepare:
One intro post that includes the Partner Brief and angle menu
A short list of threads to contribute to
Two reusable mini-answers that add value without selling (no mass promo threads; contribute with specific answers and invite DMs for assets)
Deliverables at this stage:
Draft intro post (not published yet)
Comment bank with two copy-paste-ready responses
Consistency matters more than volume.
9) Exit criteria before promotion
Before any outreach or traffic, confirm:
Net-$500 sheet completed (using cleared payouts)
Offer spec and placement guide finalized
Proof and guarantee locked
Payments and splits tested
Partner Brief and Swipe Kit ready
Listing copy and creative complete
25 prospects scored
Two outreach templates prepared
UTM scheme tested on a dummy click to confirm parameters land in analytics
If these are done, the Offer Owner plan is ready to execute.
What comes next
The next issue moves into Offer Owner execution: partner outreach, first placements, early EPC signals, and how to co-optimize with affiliates before scaling.
Different role. Same discipline.