Affiliate Manager in HighLevel

If you sell courses, SaaS plans, products, or services through HighLevel, you can add an affiliate channel to that revenue without touching external software – the Affiliate Manager is already in your account.

Reading time: approximately 9 minutes.

What Is the HighLevel Affiliate Manager?

The HighLevel Affiliate Manager is a built-in tool for running a complete affiliate marketing program inside your HighLevel sub-account. It lives under Marketing → Affiliate Manager and requires no external affiliate software, third-party platforms, or integrations to operate.

With it, you create affiliate campaigns linked to your products, invite affiliates who each receive a unique tracking link, and let HighLevel handle the tracking, attribution, commission calculation, and payout management. Your affiliates get their own portal to monitor their performance without needing access to your HighLevel account.

The Affiliate Manager is designed for businesses that sell products, services, courses, or SaaS subscriptions and want to grow through referrals rather than – or in addition to – paid advertising.

Campaigns: How Affiliate Programs Are Structured

Everything in the Affiliate Manager is organized around campaigns. Each campaign represents one affiliate program with its own set of products, commission rates, and affiliated partners.

A campaign has three components: the source (where conversions happen), the products that earn commissions, and the affiliates enrolled in it. A single sub-account can run multiple campaigns simultaneously – for example, one for a course, one for a SaaS subscription, and one for a physical product.

Campaign sources determine where affiliate tracking links point:

• HighLevel Funnel or Website – the most common setup; the affiliate link points to a specific funnel page or website page in your sub-account
• HighLevel Store – for e-commerce products sold through the HighLevel store
• External Website – any website you own that runs on a domain outside HighLevel, tracked via a script added to the external site (added January 2025)

Commission Types and Settings

HighLevel Affiliate Manager gives you several layers of control over how affiliates are compensated.

Level Up: Automated Tier Progression

The Level Up feature automates promoting affiliates to a higher-tier campaign once they hit a defined performance milestone. Instead of tracking performance manually and reassigning affiliates by hand, you configure the milestone once and HighLevel handles the promotion automatically.

You set the condition as either a customer count (e.g., when an affiliate has referred 10 paying customers) or a revenue amount (e.g., when they have generated $5,000 in sales). When reached, the affiliate is moved to the campaign you designated as the “next level” – which might carry higher commission rates, different products, or other perks.

You also choose how existing customer commissions are handled: keep them in the original campaign (the affiliate continues earning the original rate on those customers) or move them to the new campaign (the new, typically higher rate applies going forward). This one decision significantly affects how your affiliate program compounds over time for top performers.

The Affiliate Portal

The Affiliate Portal is a dedicated login area for your affiliates – completely separate from your HighLevel account. Affiliates see only their own data: no access to your contacts, campaigns belonging to other affiliates, or any other part of your account.

Inside the portal, affiliates can: copy their unique referral link for each campaign they are enrolled in, view their total clicks (unique only), check how many leads and customers they have referred, monitor commission amounts and payout status, and access the Media Library where you have uploaded promotional assets.

Enable portal access in Affiliate Manager → Settings → Portal Access. Once enabled, share the portal login URL with affiliates when you invite them.

The portal eliminates a significant administrative overhead – affiliates no longer need to email you asking for their link, their stats, or their payout status.

Click Tracking

Click Tracking (added September 2025) shows how many unique clicks each affiliate’s referral link receives. A click is only counted once per unique visitor – repeated clicks from the same person do not inflate the number.

Click data appears in four places: the Affiliate Manager Dashboard, the Affiliate List view, individual Affiliate Profile pages, and inside the Affiliate Portal so affiliates can monitor their own link performance directly.

This data is useful for identifying performance gaps. An affiliate generating many clicks but few conversions may be sending low-quality traffic or the landing page may not be converting well.

An affiliate with high conversion rates but low clicks needs help driving more traffic. Click tracking makes both problems visible without guesswork.

Managing Payouts

The Payouts section of Affiliate Manager has four tabs representing the commission lifecycle:

Bulk Actions let you approve, deny, or delete multiple commissions at once – available from both the individual affiliate profile view and the main commissions dashboard. This is particularly useful at the end of a monthly payout cycle when reviewing high volumes of commission entries across multiple affiliates.

Payment methods: automated payouts via PayPal Business (connected in Affiliate Manager Settings) or manually via your own method – Stripe, bank transfer, Wise, check, or any other method you choose. Once you mark a payout as Paid in HighLevel, the record moves to the Paid tab regardless of the actual payment method used.

You can also export affiliate sales data as a CSV directly from the Dashboard, including Campaign Name, Affiliate ID, Affiliate Name/Email, Customer Email/Name, Transaction Date, Revenue, Commission, Currency, and Status.

External Website Campaigns

Before January 2025, Affiliate Manager campaigns could only track conversions on HighLevel funnels and websites. The External Website update changed this – you can now run affiliate campaigns on any website you own.

Setup: create a campaign, select External Website as the source, enter your website URL. HighLevel generates a tracking script that you add to your site’s header or footer so it loads on every page.

This enables domain-wide tracking including subdomains – one affiliate link covers your entire website.

Important limitations: only products connected to Stripe are supported for external website campaigns. One-time products use the default commission setting.

Recurring products can have customized commission rates. If you want to exclude a product from commissions, add it and set the commission to 0%.

Workflow Actions for Affiliate Automation

Two workflow actions connect the Affiliate Manager to the Workflow Builder:

Add to Affiliate Manager – automatically converts a contact into an active affiliate when the action fires. Useful for auto-enrolling customers who indicate interest in referring others (e.g., when they click a “join our affiliate program” link, submit a form, or receive a tag).

Status is set to Active by default.

Add Leads Under an Affiliate – automatically assigns a newly generated lead to a specific affiliate in a campaign, ensuring accurate commission attribution. Supports First Attribution (credit the original referrer) and Latest Attribution (credit the most recent referrer before conversion).

Custom Mapping allows dynamic assignment using custom fields or workflow variables – useful for API integrations where affiliate data arrives through external systems.

These two actions make affiliate enrollment and lead attribution fully automated for businesses running high volumes of affiliates or integrating external lead sources with their HighLevel program.

What You Can Do With It

• Turn existing customers into a referral channel without building a separate system – use the Add to Affiliate Manager workflow action to automatically enroll customers who reach a certain purchase threshold or tag into your affiliate program, converting your best customers into active promoters with unique tracking links
• Run product-specific affiliate campaigns with different commission rates for different offers – a course might pay 30% while a low-margin product pays $25 flat; both can coexist in separate campaigns, each with their own affiliates and tracking links, managed from one Affiliate Manager dashboard
• Give affiliates visibility into their own performance without giving them access to your CRM – the Affiliate Portal means affiliates can check their clicks, leads, and earnings at any time without emailing you, and without you creating sub-account users or sharing any part of your HighLevel account with them
• Automatically reward your best affiliates by promoting them to higher-tier commissions – the Level Up feature fires when an affiliate hits a revenue or customer milestone and moves them to a higher-commission campaign automatically, which motivates sustained performance without manual tracking and reassignment on your end
• Track affiliate-driven sales on any website you own – the external website support means your HighLevel affiliate program is not limited to HighLevel-hosted pages; if your main sales website runs on WordPress, Shopify, or any other platform, you can still run HighLevel affiliate campaigns on it by adding the tracking script

Key Definitions

Use Cases by Industry

Online Course Creators

A course creator sells a $497 marketing course through a HighLevel funnel. They set up an affiliate campaign with a 30% commission, Commission Length of 1 (no recurring), and a NET-14 payout term.

They invite 20 past students as affiliates. Each student receives a unique tracking link and accesses their stats through the Affiliate Portal.

The creator uploads promotional graphics to the Affiliate Manager Media Library. Within 30 days, 6 affiliates refer paying students, generating $2,982 in commissions against $9,940 in new revenue.

Outcome: A distribution channel added to the course with no upfront marketing spend – affiliates are incentivized, self-managing their links via the portal, and paid automatically through PayPal.

SaaS and Software Agencies

An agency selling a white-label SaaS product built on HighLevel sets up a multi-tier affiliate campaign. Tier 1 affiliates earn 20% recurring on subscriptions they refer.

When a Tier 1 affiliate recruits a new affiliate, the original affiliate earns 5% on that recruit’s referred subscriptions. The Level Up feature promotes Tier 1 affiliates who generate 15 active subscriptions to a Tier 2 campaign with 25% commissions.

The entire progression runs automatically – the agency monitors the leaderboard on the Affiliate Manager Dashboard but does not manually reassign anyone.

Outcome: The agency builds a self-sustaining referral network where top affiliates are automatically rewarded and motivated to keep recruiting without any manual program management.

Coaches and Consultants

A business coach uses the Add to Affiliate Manager workflow action to automatically enroll every client who completes their three-month coaching program into the affiliate program. The workflow trigger is “Tag Added: Program Complete.” Newly enrolled affiliates receive a welcome email with their portal login link.

The $200 flat commission per referred client motivates graduates to share their experience. No manual outreach needed to recruit affiliates – the workflow does it automatically at the right moment in the client journey.

Outcome: The coaching program generates a steady stream of new referral affiliates automatically at the moment when client satisfaction is highest – no separate affiliate recruitment process required.

E-commerce and Product Sellers

A supplement company sells products through a website built outside HighLevel. Using External Website Campaign support, they add the HighLevel tracking script to their Shopify store, connect Stripe, and create an affiliate campaign with product-specific commission rates: 25% on their flagship product, 15% on accessories, and 0% on clearance items.

Affiliates promote any product with one universal link that tracks across the entire domain. Coupon codes give affiliates an alternative promotional method for audiences that respond better to discounts than referral links.

Outcome: The HighLevel affiliate program runs on a non-HighLevel website – no additional affiliate software needed, and product-specific rates ensure profitability is maintained across the catalog.

Membership Site Operators

A membership site operator offers variable commissions on their $97/month recurring subscription: 40% on the first payment, 20% on payments 2-12, and 10% ongoing after month 12. Commission Length is unlimited – affiliates earn as long as the member stays active, but at declining rates over time.

This structure front-loads the incentive for new member acquisition (the most valuable action) while reducing long-term commission liability as members mature. The payout term is NET-30 to account for the membership’s cancellation window.

Outcome: Affiliate incentives are aligned with the business economics – affiliates are well-rewarded for new member acquisition but the commission structure is sustainable long-term.

Who Is This For?

How to Set Up the HighLevel Affiliate Manager

Step 1: Connect PayPal Business for automated payouts

Go to Marketing → Affiliate Manager → Settings. Connect your PayPal Business account if you want automated payouts.

If you prefer to pay manually, skip this step – you can still record and track payouts manually in the payout dashboard.

Step 2: Create your first campaign

Go to Marketing → Affiliate Manager → Campaigns → + Add. Enter a clear campaign name.

Select your source: HighLevel funnel/website URL, HighLevel store, or External Website. Add the products that will earn commissions.

Write an optional description for affiliates explaining the offer.

Step 3: Set commission rates and structure

In the Commissions step, set the Default Commission – flat amount or percentage. Override rates for specific products if needed.

Configure Commission Length (unlimited or By Count). Add Variable Commissions if rates change over time.

Set a Payout Term if you have a refund window. Configure Level Up if you want automated tier progression.

Step 4: Enable the Affiliate Portal

Go to Affiliate Manager → Settings → Portal Access. Enable access.

Note the portal login URL – you will include this in your affiliate welcome message. Upload promotional assets to the Media Library so affiliates have ready-made promotional materials.

Step 5: Add affiliates

Go to Marketing → Affiliate Manager → Affiliates → + Add Affiliate. Enter name and email.

Assign to the campaign. The affiliate receives their unique tracking link inside the portal.

Alternatively, use the Add to Affiliate Manager workflow action to automate enrollment based on contact behavior.

Step 6: Create coupon codes (optional)

Go to the campaign → Coupon Codes. Create a fixed code for any affiliate who wants a promotional code option.

Set the discount amount. The code is tied to that affiliate – commissions fire when the code is used at checkout, calculated on the post-discount price.

Step 7: For external websites – add the tracking script

After creating an External Website campaign, HighLevel generates a tracking script. Add it to your external site’s header or footer.

Test by clicking an affiliate link and completing a test transaction. Confirm the conversion appears in the affiliate’s record before going live.

Step 8: Set up the Add Leads Under an Affiliate workflow action

For businesses where leads arrive through channels other than direct affiliate link clicks (e.g., API integrations, imported lists), configure the Add Leads Under an Affiliate workflow action. Specify the campaign, affiliate, and attribution model (First or Latest).

Test with sample data before activating.

Step 9: Manage payouts monthly

At the end of each month (or per your payout schedule), go to Marketing → Affiliate Manager → Payouts → Pending. Review pending commissions.

Use Bulk Actions to approve all eligible payouts at once. PayPal processes automatically if connected.

For manual payments, process outside HighLevel then return and mark the payout as Paid. Export a CSV for accounting records if needed.

How It Connects to the Rest of HighLevel

• Workflow Builder and Automation Engine – two dedicated Affiliate Manager workflow actions (Add to Affiliate Manager and Add Leads Under an Affiliate) integrate affiliate enrollment and lead attribution directly into workflow automations. This enables fully automated affiliate recruitment based on contact behavior and accurate multi-source lead attribution without manual CRM work.
• Tag-Based Automation – the Add to Affiliate Manager workflow action is commonly triggered by a Tag Added condition. Tags like “Program Complete”, “High Value Customer”, or “Referred Interested” can automatically enroll contacts as affiliates at the right moment in the customer journey – typically when satisfaction and motivation to refer are highest.
• Email Campaign Automation – once an affiliate is enrolled, email automations handle onboarding: welcome message with portal login link, promotional asset download, commission structure explanation, and regular performance update emails. Keeping affiliates engaged and informed is directly linked to their promotion activity – email automation makes this systematic.
• Multi-Channel Campaigns – affiliates promoting your products through their own channels drive traffic to your funnels and websites. When those visitors convert through forms, calendar bookings, or checkout pages, the Affiliate Manager records the attribution. Multi-channel campaign analytics and affiliate attribution data together give a complete picture of which acquisition channels produce the highest-value customers.
• API and Webhooks – for businesses with complex affiliate integrations – passing affiliate IDs from external systems, integrating with custom checkout flows, or syncing affiliate data with external reporting tools – the HighLevel API and Custom Mapping in the Add Leads Under an Affiliate action provide the flexibility to assign affiliates dynamically based on data from external sources.

Common Questions

To Wrap It Up

The HighLevel Affiliate Manager is one of those features that many users overlook because it does not have an obvious daily workflow connection – it sits in Marketing, away from the Conversations and Contacts sections where most day-to-day activity happens. But for businesses selling products, courses, or subscriptions, it is one of the higher-leverage features in the platform.

The combination of flexible commission structures, automated Level Up promotion, a self-serve Affiliate Portal, and native workflow integration means you can build an affiliate channel that largely runs itself once it is properly configured. The manual work in a well-structured HighLevel affiliate program reduces to reviewing and approving monthly payouts – everything else operates automatically.

1. Start with your best customers as your first affiliates – they already know the product, have experienced the results, and need the least convincing to share with their networks
2. Configure the Payout Term before your first commission is generated – retroactively applying a NET-30 after affiliates expect immediate payouts creates friction; set the expectation upfront
3. Enable the Affiliate Portal immediately and share the link in your affiliate welcome message – affiliates who can check their stats independently ask fewer questions and stay more engaged in promoting
4. Use Commission Length and Variable Commissions to build an incentive structure that front-loads rewards for new customer acquisition without creating unsustainable long-term commission liabilities on low-margin recurring products
5. Use the Add to Affiliate Manager workflow action to automate recruitment at the highest-conversion moment – immediately after a customer completes a program, reaches a milestone, or indicates satisfaction, not weeks later when the enthusiasm has faded

A well-configured affiliate program compounds over time – every affiliate who recruits another affiliate, and every top performer promoted through Level Up, builds a distribution channel that grows without proportional increases in your management effort.