Auto-approve is a type of affiliate program that approves new affiliate applications automatically. Everyone can join and get affiliate links without having to wait. However, you can put some limitations like country or security protocol.
Some companies use this approach since:
- It is less work: you do not have to read through all the applications
- No waiting time: if there are too many applications, you may spend a while sorting them out. When you finally get to that particularly good affiliate, they may be disinterested in your program already.
Problems with Auto-Approve
It is a bad idea to rely on auto-approve fully. If you let everyone in, you may face the following problems:
You Let Bad Affiliates In
If you let everyone join the program, you may stumble upon low-quality websites, those without traffic or inappropriate content, or pages with malware even! If you appear on some offensive websites, you may spend years trying to recreate a good brand image. The same goes for sketchy sites with ad- or spyware.
It Will Cost You a Lot in the Long Run
If your affiliate links end up on a bad page and some of your loyal customers find it out, you will have to spend tons of money on PR and on re-engaging these customers.
No Trust from Good Affiliates
High-quality affiliates are not that quick to join auto-approve programs because they find them low-quality and suspicious.
Therefore, many companies choose their affiliates manually. The work is mostly done by affiliate managers. After all, it is quality, not quantity that matters.
