How to Create an Affiliate Program for Your eLearning Platform
You pour hours into creating amazing courses, yet the enrollments feel slow?
What if your students, niche influencers, or even your teaching partners could help promote your courses? And most importantly, earn for every sale they bring?
That’s the magic of affiliate programs!
It lets you build a team who can earn commissions for bringing in new enrollments. With FluentAffiliate and Tutor LMS, you can launch a full affiliate system in minutes. No coding. No extra tools. Just activate, set rates, and watch enrollments grow.
In this guide, you’ll discover how to effortlessly set up, automate, and manage a high-impact affiliate program for your eLearning website.
Step-by-Step Guide to Create an Affiliate Program
First things first, here goes the step-by-step guide to creating an affiliate program for your eLearning website.Â
Prerequisites:
You’ll need two plugins for adding an affiliate program to your eLearning website:
Make sure that both plugins are installed and activated on your WordPress website.
Step 1: Enable the Tutor LMS Integration
This step turns on the communication channel between your LMS and your affiliate system.
From your WordPress Dashboard, go to FluentAffiliate → Settings.
Click on the “Integration Settings” tab in the left sidebar. This is where you connect FluentAffiliate to other tools.
Scroll down to find Tutor LMS in the list of available integrations.
Toggle the switch next to it to enable FluentAffiliate for Tutor LMS.
Once enabled, a “Manage” button will instantly appear next to the toggle. Click this button to proceed to the specific commission settings.
That’s it! FluentAffiliate can now detect every course enrollment and sale that comes through an affiliate link.
Step 2: Configure General Affiliate Settings
In the manage section, you’ll get the control panel for your course affiliate rates. From here, check the box labeled “Enable Affiliate Integration for Tutor LMS”. It will activate commission tracking for all your Tutor LMS courses using the global affiliate rate you have set in FluentAffiliate.
Step 3: Set Custom Affiliate Rates
Custom rates let you decide how much commission affiliates earn per course or category. It’s a great way to reward effort, promote priority courses, or drive sales on specific topics.
Here’s how you can do it.
Choose Your Rate Type: Decide if the custom rule will apply By Specific Courses or By Specific Categories. Use Categories for broad topics (e.g., “Web Design Courses”) and Specific Courses for individual high-value products.
Select Your Courses/Categories: Use the dropdown menu to select the courses or categories that this special rule will apply to.
Define the Rate: Enter your preferred commission rate here. Use the dropdown to define whether it’s a Percentage (%) or a Fixed Amount ($).
Add More Rules: Need different rates for different course types? Click + Add New Group to create additional custom rules.
Finally, click Save Settings once you are completely done setting up your rules.
đź’ˇ Note: Setting the custom commission rate will override your global commission rate for those specific premium courses or course categories.
And you’re done! Your affiliate system is now fully operational. FluentAffiliate will handle all tracking automatically.
Managing and Optimizing Your Affiliate Program
Launching your affiliate program is just the beginning. This Tutor LMS and FluentAffiliate integration also lets you manage the affiliates effectively. It’ll help you to build stronger relationships and maximize revenue.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Track Performance in Real Time
FluentAffiliate’s dashboard gives you a clear view of every affiliate’s performance—clicks, referrals, and conversions. You can easily identify your top performers and offer them incentives.
2. Approve and Reject Commissions
You have full control. Review each referral before approving commissions to ensure validity. This helps prevent fraudulent activity.
3. Payout Made Simple
Use the built-in payout system to disburse earnings directly from your dashboard.
4. Communicate with Affiliates
Keep your affiliates motivated. Share updates about upcoming courses, new course launches, or promotional campaigns through emails or your community channel.
5. Provide Marketing Assets
Offer your affiliates the tools they need—images, banners, pre-written copy, etc. This makes it easier for them to promote your courses effectively.
Why Affiliate Marketing Is Essential for Online Courses
Most course creators rely on ads or email lists. But affiliates bring fresh traffic without spending a dollar upfront. Here are a few reasons why you should launch an affiliate program for your eLearning website:
Students Become Your Sales Team: Your happiest learners love sharing success stories. Let them earn 20–30% for every friend they refer. It’ll motivate them to promote your courses even better than before.
Launch New Courses with Instant Buzz: Before launch day, offer early access to a group of select affiliates. They create reviews, social posts, and bonus content, and create a hype. Thus, you can create an instant buzz right after the course is launched.
Fill Low-Enrollment Courses Fast: Got a course with a very small number of students? Offer 50% commission for 30 days for that specific course. Affiliates will promote that course even more, and the enrollment rate will soar.
Get Featured on Niche Blogs & YouTube Channels: Influencers need content. Give them a free course and an affiliate link. They’ll feature your courses on their video, and you’ll reach hundreds of targeted students in no time.
Turn One-Time Buyers into Repeat Promoters: A student buys your $97 course. They earn $30 per referral. Soon, they’ll have made their money back—and keep promoting.
Run Flash Sales Without Stress: Black Friday coming? Offer something extra, such as “Double commissions this week.” They blast emails and stories. Sales pour in while you sleep.
Build Trust Through Real Reviews: Affiliates share honest results: “I passed the exam thanks to this course!” New students trust peers more than ads.
Risk-Free Marketing: Unlike upfront ad spending, you only pay a commission after a successful sale is completed. This makes your marketing budget incredibly efficient and guarantees a positive return on investment (ROI).
Boosts SEO: When affiliates link to your course pages from their high-authority sites, it generates valuable backlinks. These links boost your course site’s credibility and help your course rank higher in search results organically.
Final Words
Building an affiliate program for your online courses doesn’t have to be complicated. By integrating FluentAffiliate with Tutor LMS, you won’t just add a new plugin, you’ll unlock a passive, performance-based sales engine.
Start today – empower your students, reward your partners, and grow your eLearning business with an affiliate system that works for you.
