What is Refer.WordPress.com?
Refer.WordPress.com (or “Automattic Affiliate Program”) is a program for affiliates to promote WordPress.com, Jetpack, and WooCommerce to earn affiliate rewards. The program was created for WordPress professionals including site and plugin developers, designers, theme creators, and others who are part of the WordPress ecosystem and its associated products.
Is this open to anyone? Can I join?
In order to maintain the best service and best revenue opportunities for our affiliate, the program is currently limited to a very select number of participants. As such, we’re operating in an invite-only capacity but if you feel like you could partner with us to drive meaningful referrals, please do let us know on one of our partner pages which are product-specific: WordPress.com, Jetpack, and WooCommerce. Also, we have a WordPress.com Refer-a-Friend program that allows you to earn free account credits while allowing your network (friends, family, social media followers) to also benefit with a reward.
I applied for your program but haven’t heard anything. What’s next?
We have made some changes to our affiliate program in order to provide the best service and highest revenue possible for our affiliates. Therefore we are only working with a select number of affiliates. We will reach out to you by the email you provided if we feel like there is a fit for our program. Otherwise, our WordPress.com Refer-a-Friend program doesn’t require any sign-up or application and can get you to earning rewards fast.
I was approved for your program but can no longer login. What happened?
Affiliates who have less than $100 in accrued rewards on a consistent basis will automatically be removed from the program. The reason for this is so that we can provide the best service and revenue earning potential for affiliates. We’d encourage you to check out our WordPress.com Refer-a-Friend program to receive rewards while at the same time offering rewards as you welcome them to WordPress.com.
Who is eligible?
The Automattic Affiliate Program is a service for WordPress professionals including agencies and companies. As the program is only open to a select number of affiliates, specifically those who can deliver demonstrated new traffic and sign-ups to WordPress.com, Jetpack, and WooCommerce. Affiliates who have less than $100 in accrued rewards on a consistent basis will be removed from the program.
How do I get my links?
Unique tracking links are available in your Refer.WordPress.com dashboard.
How do I track performance?
On your Dashboard, go to Earnings. You’ll be able to track your earnings and check your payments. Our affiliate links contain unique identifiers, allowing us to track anyone directed from your website. Please do not use UTM tags with your affiliate links as that may interfere with tracking.
How are my sales tracked?
The marketing fees are determined approximately 45 days after the end of the month in which the Qualified Purchase is recorded. Payments are then processed and sent to affiliates between the 16th of the month and the last day of the month. For example between the 16th and end of March, payments will be made for January sales.
How is my payout calculated?
Subject to the Automattic Affiliate Program Agreement, you are eligible to receive 20% of qualifying purchase amounts actually received by Automattic. Products and services eligible to be qualifying purchases are:
WP.com: Annual Paid Plans
Woocommerce.com: All
Jetpack: Backup Daily, Backup Real-time, Anti-Spam, Scan, Security Daily, Security Real-time, Search, and Complete.
Purchases must be made within 30 days from the time a new user clicks on your affiliate link. For Jetpack purchases, new purchases made by an existing user who has not made any previous purchases may still qualify. Purchases made after a user clicks on a different affiliate link or ad are ineligible.
Do you accept other payouts methods than PayPal?
No – we only make payments via PayPal and a valid PayPal email address must be entered into your account otherwise you will not be paid.
Why can’t I find out the revenue from each individual client?
We do not provide this statistic as it would be a violation of client privacy.
What happens if I want to dispute the amount of my payout?
For any payment disputes, contact [email protected] with the full details of the issue. Please include your affiliate ID in the email.
Do I have to include any disclosures when using the links or banners?
Generally, yes. The FTC requires that you disclose your relationship with WordPress.com and the fact that you may earn a commission. Affiliate links will generally require disclosures. Banners may require a disclosure if your placement of the banners does not clearly convey that it is an ad (e.g., it blends in with the page’s content).
Disclosures should be “clear and conspicuous” — meaning they shouldn’t be hidden, but rather they should be easy to find, read, and understand. More information on how to make effective disclosures can be found here. You may consider using “#ad,” “#sponsored,” or “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post” depending on where you post the links or banners. Check out these additional resources from the FTC on endorsements and native advertising.