How to launch a prop firm affiliate program.

1. Decide what you pay on

Before you pick a rate, decide what earns commission. First evaluation only? Resets? Activation fees? For how long? These choices matter more than the percentage, because prop firm buyers often come back.

The big firms show the range. Apex pays 15% for the lifetime of referred customers on evaluations and resets. FTMO pays recurring commission on futures evaluations for up to 12 months. Our commission rates guide has the tables and sources.

2. Set codes and offers

Give every creator their own code and link. A discount gives viewers a reason to use it, and it settles who gets credit. Keep one offer per creator at a time, and agree how long it runs.

3. Write the rules before anyone signs

The rules you skip now become the arguments you have later. Write down, at minimum:

• Paid ads. Whether affiliates can run them, and if brand keyword bidding is banned. Apex bans paid search and trademark bidding. FTMO asks for 14 days’ notice before paid ads.
• Coupon sites. Apex bans them. Many firms do, because they take credit for sales that were already happening.
• Claims. No promised funding, payouts or returns. Your risk wording, word for word.
• Disclosure. The exact ad label you expect. See our FTC disclosure guide.
• Refunds and clawbacks. When commission is reversed, and for how long.
• Payout timing. When you pay, the minimum, and what happens to small balances.

4. Pick your tracking

Use an affiliate platform you own, such as PartnerStack, Impact, Rewardful, FirstPromoter or Tapfiliate. Check it handles codes as well as links, because a lot of creator sales come from a code said out loud on a stream. Whatever you pick, own the account. If an agency or affiliate manager leaves, the history should stay with you.

5. Recruit your first creators

Start small. Five creators who fit your buyer will teach you more than fifty who don’t. Look for people whose viewers already ask about prop firms, and check how they’ve handled sponsors before. Our guide to finding trading influencers covers the checks.

6. Brief them properly

A good brief is short. It covers what the product is, who it’s for, the code and offer, the disclosure wording, the risk wording, and the things they mustn’t say. Add assets and a contact for questions. Then check the first post before you relax.

7. Report and pay on a schedule

Pick a reporting day and a payout day and stick to them. Late or confusing payouts lose creators faster than low rates. Reconcile refunds and chargebacks first, then pay. Every week, look at sales by creator and decide who to back and who to cut.

The launch checklist

• Commission: what counts, the rate, and how long it lasts
• One code and link per creator, with one clear offer
• Written rules on paid ads, coupon sites, claims and disclosure
• An affiliate platform you own
• A short list of creators who fit your buyer
• A one-page brief with disclosure and risk wording
• A fixed reporting day and payout day

Sources

1. Apex Trader Funding, affiliate program help articleReferral fee, paid search, trademark bidding and coupon site rules. Checked 4 November 2026.
2. FTMO, affiliate programmeCommission levels, 12-month futures commission, paid ads notice and brand bidding rules. Checked 4 November 2026.
3. FTC, Disclosures 101 for Social Media InfluencersFederal Trade Commission guidance on ad disclosure.

Questions people ask