How to Read an Affiliate Network Listing for a Nutrition App

Affiliate networks like ShareASale, FlexOffers and UpPromote list programs and their terms: per-lead bounties, per-sale percentages, cookie windows, minimum payouts and payment schedules. The terms sound like technical jargon if you have not promoted via affiliate before. This guide walks through the terms using real listings from Cronometer, YAZIO and Noom as worked examples, so you can read a listing and understand what you would earn.

What do per-lead and per-sale mean?

Per-lead is a bounty paid for every sign-up, whether the person buys or not. Per-sale is a percentage of what the person actually spends. A listing can offer one or both.

• Priced per lead or sign-up: Noom's UpPromote listing shows $10 to $15 per qualified trial or sign-up, which is priced like a per-lead bounty rather than a cut of a price paid. The listing does not define "qualified" beyond "trial or sign-up," so whether a trial has to convert to a paid plan to count is not stated; ask the network or Noom directly before assuming either way.
• Per-sale only: YAZIO's FlexOffers listing shows 8% of web sales, in-app sales excluded. You earn 8% of the price only if the person makes a purchase; a sign-up with no purchase earns nothing.
• Per-lead plus per-sale: Cronometer's ShareASale listing shows $0.10 per lead plus 35% of a Gold sale. A follower who signs up earns you $0.10, and if they buy Cronometer Gold, you also earn 35% of that sale (about $21 on a yearly plan, since Gold costs $59.99 a year). One referral can earn you both amounts.

What is a cookie window?

A cookie is a tracking marker that the network places in a follower's browser when they click your affiliate link. The cookie window is how long the tracking lasts. After the window closes, that follower is no longer tracked to you.

• Cronometer on ShareASale: 365-day cookie. A follower clicks your link on September 17. If they buy Cronometer Gold anytime in the next 365 days (up to September 16 the next year), that purchase still counts as your referral and you earn 35% of the sale.
• YAZIO on FlexOffers: 30-day cookie. A follower clicks your link on September 17. They have 30 days (until October 16) to make a purchase and have it count toward your commission. If they buy on October 17, the tracking is gone and you earn nothing.
• Nutrola creator code: no cookie. The code is typed in the app at sign-up, so there is no cookie window. The referral is recorded the moment the follower enters the code, not by browser tracking, so timing is not a factor. Weeks or months later, whenever they convert to a paid subscription, it still counts.

Cookie windows matter because they determine how much time a follower has to convert before the tracking expires: the longer the window, the more time between a click and a purchase still counts toward your commission. App-based codes have no expiry at all, because the referral is entered in the app rather than tracked by a browser. The full comparison of cookie windows across programs goes deeper into why that gap matters for app installs specifically.

What is a minimum payout and payment schedule?

A minimum payout is the amount you must earn before the network sends you money. A payment schedule says when you are paid.

Cronometer on ShareASale: $50 minimum payout, Net-20 monthly. You must accumulate at least $50 in commissions from sales of Cronometer Gold before you receive a payment. Once you hit $50, the network pays you on the 20th of the following month. If you earned $30 in September and $20 in October, you have $50, so on November 20 you are paid. If you only earn $25 in a month, the listing does not say whether that balance rolls into the next month or is handled some other way; ask the network before assuming.

Noom on UpPromote: The listing does not state a minimum payout or payment schedule, so you need to ask UpPromote directly or check your account after your first referral converts.

Nutrola creator code: No minimum payout. Commission is paid monthly the month after a subscription converts, and small balances roll into the next month. You can receive payment even if you have earned only $2.

A minimum payout likely exists to keep a network from processing tiny payments one at a time, though neither ShareASale nor UpPromote states that reason; the practical effect is that a creator with fewer or smaller sales waits longer for the same money. Nutrola states plainly that there is no minimum and small balances simply roll into the next month. Caps and minimum payouts compared across programs covers this alongside referral caps.

What does in-app exclusion mean?

In-app exclusion means the program does not pay on purchases made through the mobile app; only web purchases count. It matters if your audience installs the app and buys from it instead of the website.

YAZIO on FlexOffers: The listing shows 8% commission on web sales, in-app sales excluded. A follower clicks your link on a mobile phone, lands on the YAZIO website, and buys a subscription. You earn 8%. The same follower clicks your link, installs the YAZIO app instead, and buys in the app. You earn nothing, because the listing excludes in-app sales.

Reasoning it through: Apple and Google each take a share of an in-app purchase before the developer sees the rest, so an app already gives up part of that sale before an affiliate commission would come out of it. Excluding in-app sales from the affiliate rate is one way a program could avoid stacking a network cut on top of that. For creators, the practical effect is the same either way: if your audience tends to buy through the app rather than the website, an affiliate program with in-app exclusion pays you less.

Cronometer and Noom on ShareASale and UpPromote: The listings do not exclude in-app, so they should pay on app purchases; ask the network to confirm if you are not sure.

What do these terms look like in three worked examples?

Program and network	Rate	Cookie	Min payout	Example: one referral
Cronometer (ShareASale)	$0.10 per lead + 35% per sale	365 days	$50 minimum	Follower signs up: you earn $0.10. If they buy Gold ($59.99/yr) within 365 days: you earn $21. Total: up to $21.10 if they renew inside the window.
YAZIO (FlexOffers)	8% of web sales only	30 days	Not stated	Follower clicks link, buys on web within 30 days: you earn 8% of the price. Buys in app: you earn nothing. Cookie expires on day 31.
Noom (UpPromote)	$10-15 per qualified trial or sign-up	Not stated	Not stated	Follower signs up: the listing implies you earn $10 to $15, but does not define "qualified" or say whether a trial must convert to paid. Renewals: not mentioned.

Every affiliate program is different. When you find a listing, read every line: rates, cookie, minimum, payment timing, and any exclusions. Ask the network if anything is unclear. If affiliate terms sound complicated, a creator code may be simpler.