Prerequisites for Launching Your First Affiliate Campaign

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Before you launch an affiliate campaign in Sparkforge, connect Stripe Connect for product sales, list your products in a funnel, website, or store, set up forms or calendars for lead tracking, and connect PayPal Business for payouts.

Affiliate campaigns need a few pieces in place before they can pay out. Get these set up first and the campaign launch itself takes minutes.

Connect Stripe Connect

Stripe Connect handles affiliate-driven product sales and tracks the transactions commissions are calculated against.

Go to Settings > Integrations > Stripe Connect.
Connect or create your Stripe account.
Confirm the integration is active before publishing the campaign.

List your products

Affiliates can only earn commissions on products that are live somewhere customers can buy. Add products in any of these locations:

Funnels — attach products to funnel checkout steps.
Websites — add products to website pages.
Online stores — set up an e-commerce store with full catalog.

Set up lead-tracking sources

If you plan to pay affiliates per lead instead of per sale, leads must come from a tracked source: a form, survey, or calendar embedded inside a funnel or website page. Custom code embeds and iframes are not tracked.

Connect PayPal Business

PayPal Business is the fastest path for affiliate payouts. Link the account so commissions can be sent without manual transfers.

Quick checklist

Stripe Connect is live.
Products are listed in a funnel, site, or store.
Forms, surveys, or calendars are embedded for lead tracking.
PayPal Business is connected for payouts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Stripe Connect if I only pay affiliates per lead?

Stripe Connect is required for product-sale commissions. For pay-per-lead campaigns based on form, survey, or calendar submissions, Stripe is not strictly required, but most operators run both.

Can I use a payment processor other than Stripe?

Stripe Connect is the supported integration for affiliate sale tracking. Other processors do not feed commission data into the Affiliate Manager.

Does PayPal Business need to be active before launching?

You can launch without it, but commissions will accumulate without a way to pay out. Connect PayPal Business before commissions come due.

Can affiliates earn on products from any location?

Currently, product-sale commissions track from funnels, websites, and online stores. Lead-based commissions track from forms, surveys, and calendars embedded in those locations.