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As your program runs, Referly emails your affiliates automatically so they always know what’s happening — that they’ve been approved, that a referral came in, or that they just earned a commission. This page lists the emails your affiliates receive and how to control them. You manage them in your program’s Settings. In the left sidebar, select Settings, open Affiliate Portal, then Email Settings. Each email is a card you can toggle on or off, open to preview, test, or customize, and — once it’s been sent a few times — check its open and click rates on.

The core lifecycle emails

These follow an affiliate through your program, and each one can be turned on or off:

Welcome Email

Sent when someone becomes an affiliate in your program. It confirms they’re in and points them to their affiliate portal, where they’ll find their referral link. This is the first impression of your program, so it’s worth customizing.

Application Approved

If you review affiliates before letting them in, this email tells an applicant you’ve accepted them. Learn more in Approve or decline affiliates.

Application Declined

Lets an applicant know you won’t be moving forward with them. Many programs send this as a courtesy; you can switch it off if you’d rather not notify declined applicants.

New Referral

Tells an affiliate that someone they referred has been tracked — a sign their promotion is working. How much of the customer’s information appears depends on your shared customer data settings: if you’ve chosen not to share customer names or emails, those details are hidden or partly masked in the email.

Commission Earned

Sent when an affiliate earns a commission from a sale — whether that’s cash, a coupon, or store credit. It’s one of the most motivating emails your affiliates get, so many programs leave it on. As with referral emails, the customer details shown follow your shared customer data settings.

Bonus Earned

Sent when an affiliate receives a bonus, whether you gave it manually or it was awarded automatically.

Reward and account emails

These send as part of other features and are always on, because they’re essential to how those features or your affiliates’ accounts work:
  • New Performance Bonus Announcement — tells eligible affiliates when you create a new performance bonus.
  • New Content Reward Announcement — tells eligible affiliates when you publish a new content reward.
  • Verification Code — a one-time code for signing in and verifying an affiliate’s identity.
  • Affiliate Invitation — sent to the people you invite to join your program.
  • Social Connection Request — asks an affiliate to connect their social accounts when you request it.

Turn an email on or off

Use the toggle on any email card to switch it on or off. The change takes effect right away. Emails that are essential — like the verification code and announcements — don’t have a toggle and always send.

Preview, test, or edit an email

Select an email card to open its details. From there you can:
  • Preview — see the current design of the email.
  • Send Test — send yourself a sample so you can check exactly what your affiliates receive.
  • Edit — open the custom email builder to rewrite the wording and adjust the layout. Editing content is available on the Business plan.
Each email also shows how it’s performing — see Track opens and clicks.

Emails you receive

The sign-up, sale, payout, and weekly summary emails sent to you.

Custom email builder

Edit the wording and layout of an affiliate email.

Track opens and clicks

See how your affiliates engage with each email.

Shared customer data

Control which customer details affiliates can see.
Last modified on July 21, 2026