Who is this article for?
You'll find this article useful if you're a program manager looking to add or remove partners from your program.
Adding partners to your program
Sometimes you’ll meet a partner you want to work with right away. This guide walks through the different ways to add a partner and their members directly to your program.
Note: Some methods bypass your standard application process
- Adding Partners from your dashboard
- Sharing a join link
- Importing partners
- Adding partners via API
Key concepts
Partners
A partner is a company that may include one or more members. Think of the partner as the organization, and the members as the individuals working within it.
You will engage directly with members, but use the partner record to manage shared access to things like program resources, incentives, tiers, and properties like geography or industry.
Members
Members are the people who represent the partner company. This can include sales reps, integration specialists, partner managers, or solo affiliates.
Even if someone works alone, they are still a member of their partner account. Members can have custom roles, permissions, and properties based on what they do.
Adding partners and members from your dashboard
The fastest way to start working with a partner is by clicking the “Add Partners” button on the All Partners page. You can either add a new partner or add members to an existing one.
Add a new partner
- Click “Add new partner”
- Enter the email of your main contact
- Add as much info as possible, including their name, company logo, program manager, and any custom fields you track.
If they already have a PartnerStack account, you will be asked to confirm which partner organization to connect them with.
Adding members
Members are the individuals who make up the partner. By default, your primary contact is created as a member. You can add other members to be included in this partnership, including any custom properties or information about them.
For partners who are not already found in our network, you can specify the access level for each member. This access level will determine the access this member has within their partner account.
- Owner: Full access to all elements of the partner account
- Admin: Manages team settings and user permissions - Cannot withdraw commissions.
- Finance: Exclusively manages and withdraws commissions
- Member: Most common access level - Basic level of access to promote.
The partner team owner will need to approve the partner team addition before the invite is sent to the new member
Customize the invite email
You can customize the email your primary contact will receive when you add them as a partner. Use the email editor to craft your message. Once complete, check "Save content for future partner invitations" to store your email copy for next time (saved content is unique to you).
Invites can be resent or deleted by visiting the partner's profile and going to the 'invites' tab.
Viewing invited members and pending partnerships
When you add partners or members, they’ll need to claim their account before they can gain access to your program.
You can track their status using the “invited” flag:
-
New Partners (not yet on PartnerStack):
If you add a partner who is new to PartnerStack, you’ll see an “invited” flag next to their name in the partner list. This flag will remain until the primary contact claims their account.
-
Existing partners (already on PartnerStack):
If you invite a partner who already has a PartnerStack account, you’ll still see the “invited” flag. The flag will remain until someone with Owner or Admin access approves the new partnership from their Partner Dashboard.
Any members you add to this partner team will not receive notifications until the partnership is approved.
-
Invited members (within an existing partner account):
When adding members to a partner’s team, you can view the status of their invite in the partner detail page under the “Invites” table.
Sharing a direct group join link
Each of your groups has a unique join link you can share to allow partners to join. Visitors through this link are prompted to log in or create a PartnerStack account. You can find the group join link by selecting a Group and going to Settings tab.
If you have an application form enabled, the user will be prompted to complete your application.
Importing partners
Migrating from other services is made simple with the importer.
For more information on importing, please see our Universal importer docs.
Adding partners via API
Partners can also be created via API. For more information. refer to the Create Partnership API
Managing inbound partners applications
Adding partners to your program is a great way to start working quickly when you've already made a connection with a partner you're interested in working in. PartnerStack also gives you the opportunity to collect inbound interest and applications from the public and a collection of prevetted partnesr from the PartnerStack marketplace.
The PartnerStack team manually reviews all partner applications to the network so you can trust anyone applying to your program from our marketplace has been vetted and is a "network approved" high quality partner.
Partner inbound from the Marketplace
If your program is listed in the PartnerStack Marketplace, network approved partners will be able to apply to your program. If a partner has not yet joined the PartnerStack Network, they will be prompted to become "network approved" before they can apply to your program. The PartnerStack team reviews network applications daily.
If a partner has been declined from the PartnerStack Network, or if their application is currently pending but you would like them to be able to apply directly to your program, you can send them your Group join link or link to your application.
Applications and Verified Network Profiles
Our Network team allows high-performing partners to quickly apply to programs using their Network Profile. When this occurs, you may see partner applications that do not include all the required fields on your application form.
If you require specific information from the partner to process their application, reach out to them using PartnerStack messages to gather any additional details, or decline their application and request they fill out the full application form when reapplying.
Removing partners from your program
You may wish to remove a partner from your program. Once a partner is removed from your program, they will no longer be able to see your program within their PartnerStack or any referral information associated with it. When a partner is removed from your program they will not appear in your All Partners tab, however, you can find their historical program activity in your all partner export should you wish.
If you have removed a partner from your program, they will be unable to rejoin with the same email address unless you manually re-add them
If you choose to re-add a partner to your program after they have been removed please note this will create a second, new partnership. The historical data associated with the previous partnership is not reinstated.
Please consider carefully before removing a partner from your program.
To remove a partner from your program:
- Log into your PartnerStack account
- Click into your All Partners tab in the menu on the left-hand side
- Use the search field or filter to locate the partner(s) you wish to remove
- Select the partner(s) by selecting the box to the left of the partner's name
- Once the partner(s) have been selected, click on "Actions"
- In the drop-down menu that appears, select "Delete Partners"
From here, you can choose if you want to "Deactivate partner links" or not. Deactivating the partner links means that if anyone clicks on the partners' links after their links were deactivated will land on a 404 page and not your website. If you do not choose to deactivate a partner's link when removing them from your program, their link will continue to redirect to your website, however activity will not be tracked to the partner, and commissions will not generate.
Deactivating partner links when removing a partner is a great solution if you are concerned that the partner is referring fraudulent customers. If the partner is not fraudulent, deactivating their links will prevent possible customers from accessing your site.
Updating a partner's group
To move a partner to a new group, select the partner on the All Partners page, click on Actions, and select Update Partner Group. Select the partner's new group, and click 'Move to group'.
Note that when a partner changes groups, that partner will be eligible to receive any emails, automations, and new commissions or links that partners in that new group get.
Any ongoing commissions that the partner was earning in the previous group may be impacted by the rules and automations of the new group. Be cognizant of this when moving partners.
Updating partner information
Can I change a partner's name or email?
To ensure partners have full control over their account details, profile settings such as a partner's name or email can only be updated by the partner themselves. The Updating your account email and profile support guide is a great resource that walks partners through the steps to update their accounts. If a partner needs help updating their account details direct them to reach out to the PartnerStack support team through their in-app chat bot or at support@partnerstack.com and we'd be happy to help!
Updating a partner's partner key
A partner's partner key is created using the partner's first and last name, when their account is created, unless the partner is imported or created by API with a specific partner key.
If you use the partner key shortcode in link UTMs your partner's first and last name will show in their fully expanded link. If a partner does not want their full name showing in their expanded link, you can update their partner key using the Update Partnerships API.
Partner keys are alphanumeric and cannot contain spaces, capitals or special characters.
If you need any assistance updating a partner's partner key, reach out to the support team at support@partnerstack.com.