How do I generate an affiliate referral link/URL?

An affiliate referral link (your unique URL) is what you use to promote athletesusa.org or specific pages/products on our site. This link contains your affiliate ID or username so we can track visitors you refer. When a referred visitor completes a conversion (such as a sale or form submission), the system records the referral and you earn a commission.

There are two main ways to create your affiliate referral URL:

  1. From the Affiliate Area (Recommended)

    • Log in to your Affiliate Area.

    • Paste the URL of any page on athletesusa.org into the Page URL field.

    • Click Generate URL to create your unique referral link.

  1. Manually adding your affiliate ID

    • Append your unique affiliate ID to the end of any athletesusa.org URL. Example: https://athletesusa.org/apply/?r=123

  2. Using Direct Link Tracking (No ID in the URL)

    • Register your own website’s domain (e.g., myfootballblog.com) as an approved direct link in your affiliate account.

    • Once approved, any visitor clicking from that domain to athletesusa.org will be credited to you — even if the link doesn’t contain ?ref=123.

    • Example: If your approved direct link is myfootballblog.com and you link directly to https://athletesusa.org, your referrals will still be tracked automatically.

Athletes USA Affiliate Area - Direct Link Tracking Dashboard

You can share your referral links:

  • On your website or blog

  • Through social media platforms

  • In email campaigns

  • Or anywhere else you wish to promote Athletes USA

Athletes USA Affiliate & Referral Link FAQ

Sharing Affiliate Referral URLs/Links

With our affiliate system, it’s easy to generate and share your unique affiliate referral links anywhere. These links contain your affiliate ID so we can track your referrals and credit you for successful conversions.

What is an affiliate referral link?

An affiliate referral link is a unique URL with your affiliate ID. When someone clicks it, visits athletesusa.org, and completes a conversion (sale or form submission), the referral is recorded and you earn a commission.

Where can I share my referral links?

You can share them:

  • On your personal website or blog

  • On social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.)

  • In emails or newsletters

  • Offline, by providing the link in printed materials

When and how will I get paid?

Your commission is applied right after a successful referral is recorded.

  • Payments are made by the 10th of the following month via PayPal or bank transfer.

  • This delay allows for security checks and refund reviews.

  • You can view your earnings anytime in the Affiliate Area.

Can I promote Athletes USA if I don’t have a website?

Yes! You can promote on social media, in emails, or even offline.

Can I track the performance of my referral links?

Yes! Use a campaign name when generating a link to track where your traffic comes from.

Example:

https://athletesusa.org/product-1/?ref=123&campaign=twitterjanuary

Campaign data (visits, conversions, and rates) is visible in the Statistics tab of your Affiliate Area.

How is tracking done?

When a visitor clicks your referral link, your affiliate ID is stored in their browser as a cookie. If they make a purchase within 14 days, you get credit for the sale.

How long is the cookie valid?

14 days from the first click. If a user clears their cookies, tracking stops — so running campaigns regularly reduces lost referrals.

Can I share any page from athletesusa.org?

Yes! You can create a referral link for any page in the Athletes USA network.

How do I test my referral link?

  1. Generate your link in the Affiliate Area.

  2. Open it in a different browser or on your phone (where you’re not logged in).

  3. Perform a test visit or action.

  4. Check the Statistics > Visits tab in your Affiliate Area to confirm tracking.

What about my personal scout page?

Your scout page is already linked to your account — no need to generate a special link. Just share your scout page URL directly.

If you want, I can also make this look great as a formatted FAQ section for your WordPress Affiliate Area so it’s easy to navigate and search. That way affiliates can quickly find answers without contacting support.

Do you want me to prepare that web-friendly version next?

How does affiliate marketing work?

How should I get started?

Instagram

Interesting article:

https://www.oberlo.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing >

1. use content from our platforms if you like!

https://www.instagram.com/athletesusa.germany/ >

2. Share and add individual content, Include referral link in bio!

3. Reach out to potential athletes and affiliates

 

 

Facebook

Example: Scout Profile >

 

 

 

 

Blogging

How to start a blog >

Example: http://perfectsoccerrecruit.com/blog/ >

Why Is Blogging So Popular?
There are several reasons why entrepreneurs have turned to blogging.

Search engines love new content, and as a result, blogging is a great search engine optimization (SEO) tool.
Blogging provides an easy way to keep your customers and clients up-to-date on what’s going on, let them know about new deals, and provide tips. The more a customer comes to your blog, the more likely they are to spend money.
A blog allows you to build trust and rapport with your prospects. Not only can you show off what you know, building your expertise and credibility, but because people can post comments and interact with you, they can get to know you, and hopefully, will trust you enough to buy from you.
Blogging is flexible and portable, making it a great option for people who be a lifestyle entrepreneur.

Is there a Downside to Blogging?
Blogging is popular because it works as a marketing tool and makes money. But blogging isn’t all rainbows and unicorns in the world of online income. Before starting a blog as a means to make money or to promote your existing business, you should consider these potential downsides:

Blogging requires a great deal of time. For blogs to be effective at SEO and engaging readers, it needs to be updated regularly. The Internet is littered with abandoned blogs that haven’t been updated in months or even years. The success of blogging comes from having people return, and they only return when there’s new stuff to read. That means generating content at least several times a week, which takes time.
You need ideas to write about. To keep the content coming, you have to have ideas to write about. The good news is that you don’t have to write it all. You can have guest writers or hire freelancers. Another option is to curate content from others or do an alternative post, such as using video. Finally, you can buy private label right (PLR) content, and modify it for posting on your blog.

Youtube

Example: Youtube Channel > 

YouTube is the second largest search engine. With 5 billion video views being watched each day this is one of those marketing channels you wish you started using sooner. The average mobile user spends 40 minutes watching YouTube videos showing a high level of engagement. How to video searches keep climbing up making tutorials one of the most popular types of videos you can create.

While it can be hard to stand out on the platform, only 9% of American small businesses market their brand on the platform. You can give your brand a competitive advantage by marketing on YouTube. This can be done by creating how to videos, vlogs, interviews, webinars, screencast videos or product reviews. You can choose to monetize your channel with ads, links to your products or both. Product links can be added in the video description to drive potential customers to your online store.

Cross-Channel Promote

While an essential component to a successful content strategy for affiliate marketing is to utilize online copywriting and SEO best practices to attract search traffic, few will be successful without the basic semblance of a cross-channel marketing campaign. The healthy flow of qualified traffic is the fuel that powers the affiliate marketing machine, and the best way to expand your reach, increase exposure, and forge deeper connections is through multi-channel engagement.

From building a communications list for direct email marketing, to promoting your content via social channels and online media outreach, the idea is to get all of your actions and efforts working in unison to build your audience and promote your brand