1stContact.ai Elite Partner Program

Program Overview

Let's Grow Together!

Here's the scoop... The 1stContact.ai Elite Partner Program pays out a 40% monthly recurring commission for every paying agency customer you send us (we call this a "Tier 1" affiliate).

Additionally, 1stContact.ai pays out an additional 5% monthly recurring commission for every paying agency signed up by an agency that you signed up (we call this a "Tier 2" affiliate).

So if you send us an agency customer who goes on the Agency Unlimited plan at $297/month, we'll send you $118.80 every month they remain a customer!

"The 1stContact.ai Elite Partner Program is an incredible way for marketing agencies to open up a new revenue stream that's basically 100% margin."
– Nick Rustad, CEO 1stContact.ai

Who Can Be a Partner?

You already know the power of 1stContact.ai. You're already telling your colleagues about it; so why not earn extra income for sharing?

Open up a new revenue stream for your agency by sharing something that you already know and love. It's easy!

• Existing 1stContact.ai Customers: All 1stContact.ai agency accounts are automatically given an affiliate link (promoter referral code) when they signup for 1stContact.ai. You can manage your affiliate account in your Affiliate Portal!
• Not a 1stContact.ai Customer?: If you are not a 1stContact.ai customer/Agency Owner but would still want to become an affiliate, you can register here: https://partners.1stcontact.ai

Commission Tiers

As an affiliate, you will make a 40% commission on every referral you bring in that signs on to 1stContact.ai. You can make a commission on every 1stContact.ai subscription plan, including the Starter $97 plan, $297 Agency Freelancer plan, and the $497 Agency Pro plan.

• Tier 1 Referrals (40%): These are the customers you refer directly.
• Tier 2 Referrals (5%): These are customers that your original client brings in.

Getting Started: First Steps

Congratulations! You are a 1stContact.ai partner! This article will walk you through the first things you should do once you set up your affiliate account or send out your first referral link!

Step 1: Log in to Your Partner Portal

Your Partner Portal is our affiliate and referral tracking system. This is where you will manage and track all of your affiliate work. You can see who has clicked on your link, your earnings, customers, and more.

To access your account, go to: https://portal.1stcontact.ai/affiliate/campaign

Step 2: Set Up Your Payouts (Tipalti)

Make sure you have Tipalti set up! We are now using a platform called “Tipalti” to help us with our affiliate payments.

• If you have an active 1stContact.ai agency, you can set up Tipalti in your affiliate portal under "Payment Details".
• If you are an affiliate for 1stContact.ai and do not have an active 1stContact.ai subscription, please get in touch with support at [email protected] to receive a Tipalti setup link.

Currently, affiliates cannot be paid unless they use Tipalti.

Step 3: Get Familiar with the Dashboard

When you go to your dashboard, you can see how many customers, referrals, clicks, and unpaid earnings you have. You will be able to follow through and look at everyone you’ve brought onto testifies platform, who is still a lead. You will also be able to view everyone your customers have brought on in the Sub-affiliates tab.

On the First Promoter title tab, click on the “Assets” tab. This gives you access to all of the marketing assets that 1stContact.ai provides to affiliates.

Step 4: Get to Know 1stContact.ai

You should get to know the 1stContact.ai platform and bring on those first few affiliates to your account.

• We recommend going to our events calendar and checking out our upcoming events.
• Every weekday we offer a Daily Q&A or a Weekly Affiliate Department Q&A every Tuesday.
• We also have a monthly Affiliate Hangout, which we post about in our Facebook Group (Are you in the group yet?) and on the calendar of events.

Step 5: Check Out Our Resources

• Our YouTube Channel: We have a dedicated playlist for our affiliates. Check it out here.
• Support Portal: We have many helpful documents that will guide you.
• Affiliate Welcome Course: This Welcome Course will teach you everything you need to begin earning passive, recurring income with 1stContact.ai. Access the course here.

Promotion Strategies

The key to being a successful affiliate for any company is getting yourself out there! Here are 3 easy ways to promote 1stContact.ai and build your income, plus 5 more tips from our top affiliates.

1. Leverage the TEMPLATE - Agency Snapshot

The Agency snapshot has everything you need to get colleagues on your calendar so you demo 1stContact.ai and answer any questions they might have, including an outreach campaign and a landing page with a non-branded demo video.

To get started, just follow the Agency Snapshot Setup Guide then upload your colleagues into Contacts then bulk-request (or manually add) them into the A) Potential Affiliate Nurture campaign.

2. Make "[Old Service] Vs. 1stContact.ai" Blog Posts & YouTube Videos

As 1stContact.ai grows, more and more people are searching for comparison articles and videos. The more in-depth your articles/videos, the better chance they have of being shared and to rank in search results.

Be sure to hyperlink all mentions of 1stContact.ai with your affiliate link and be sure to add your affiliate link to the video description!

3. Make "Why I Switched From [Old Service] To 1stContact.ai" Content

Just like with strategy #2, the more of these you make, the better chance you'll have of curious marketers finding them. Share your answers to questions like:

• Why did you switch from your previous platform(s) to 1stContact.ai?
• What are your favorite features of 1stContact.ai?
• Are there any special gems that have allowed you to take your agency to the next level?

4. Send An Email/SMS To Your Colleagues

To this day, the best method for effective marketing is still word-of-mouth. If you love 1stContact.ai, you probably have colleagues who would, too!

Every 1stContact.ai account has access to the Marketing Agency Snapshot, which is a perfect starting point for a potential affiliate nurture campaign. You can customize the outreach template to send to all of your friends & colleagues.

5. Hunt Down Opportunities on Social Media

By searching for competitors of 1stContact.ai features and/or key hashtags, you'll find all sorts of opportunities to introduce someone to 1stContact.ai. Remember to keep your messages short and sweet, then ask them to either DM you or use your affiliate link to try it out.

6. Start Building a Community

There are plenty of benefits to starting an online community (like a Facebook group or Circle.so community). It’s a great place to cultivate your relationship with potential affiliates, share knowledge, and increase trust.

The easiest way to build a community is to simply start documenting your process and successes!

Something to look forward to: Once you hit 10 affiliates, you can book a call with Nick Rustad, the Affiliate manager, and he’ll help you book a live webinar with our leadership team about 1stContact.ai and your agency!

7. Go Viral!

This one is obviously much easier said than done, but keeping up with the latest trends on social media dramatically increase your chances of going viral. Don’t be afraid to try something new to get the word out!

Your Affiliate Portal

The affiliate portal allows you to look at your affiliate reports & manage your payouts.

If you have an active 1stContact.ai agency, you can find the portal inside your Agency View. If not, log in at https://portal.1stcontact.ai/affiliate/campaign.

Where can I find my affiliate link?

You can find your affiliate link (promoter referral code) by going to Affiliate Portal -> Dashboard. You can also find your 14-day pro plan links here as well by clicking the "Links" dropdown.

Can I change my link?

Yes. If you would like to change the ref code on the end of your link click the customize link button! Here you can edit the FP code of your Affiliate link. After that click "save" and you are good to go!

Can I have custom tracking with my link?

Yes! You can have one Promoter ID but create multiple link variations to be able to track which links brought in clicks and referrals. All sales from all affiliate links that you create will be attributed to the same affiliate account (yours). This allows you to create links for different channels and track conversions better.

Creating Affiliate Links from 1stContact.ai Landing Pages

Interested in making one of our 1stContact.ai landing pages into an affiliate link? You can! This works really well for sharing different aspects of 1stContact.ai with potential new users.

(Note: You already have three default affiliate links in your affiliate portal, including 14-day pro plan trials!)

Understanding the "Referrals" Page

The Affiliate Referral Page is vital. You can find it by clicking Referrals at the top of the dashboard. Here is how contacts are categorized:

• All: Shows all your affiliate customers from every referral category.
• Lead: These are customers that have only completed step one of the free trial sign-up.
• Free / Trial: These customers have completed the sign-up, and they have active 1stContact.ai accounts on a free trial. They have a status that says "Not A customer yet."
• Paying: These are your current active affiliate customers who are paying a 1stContact.ai subscription. You are earning a commission on these customers!
• Canceled: These customers have canceled 1stContact.ai subscriptions. You are currently not getting a commission on these customers. When these customers renew their subscription they will switch back to the paying category.

Where do I see my Sub-Affiliates?

You can go to Affiliate Portal -> Sub-Affiliates to see your sub-affiliates and level 2 commissions. This is where you can check how well your affiliate customers are also promoting 1stContact.ai. You will also get a 5% commission from customers they refer!

Payouts & Commissions

How do I get paid?

You can set your payout preferences by going to Affiliate Portal -> Payment Details. We use a platform called “Tipalti” for our affiliate payments. Affiliates can request different payment methods, get tax forms organized, and more.

You must set up Tipalti in order to choose your payment method and start receiving Affiliate payouts.

Tipalti Perks:

• New Payment Methods:
  • For US-based affiliates: Direct Deposit, PayPal, or Debit Card
  • For International affiliates: ACH Transfers, PayPal, or Debit Card
• A quick onboarding experience: The account can be set up in minutes.
• A “one-stop shop” for payments: Instant access to payment status and history.

Understanding Payouts

We approve and send all payments on the 15th of each month for all commissions earned the previous month.

So, for example, if 3 people signed up through your affiliate link and paid for their $297 subscription on any date between Sept 1st and Sept 30th, you would receive 3 x $118 ($297 x 40% x 3) on October 15th.

Note: Each new signup starts with a 14-trial, but commissions are tracked based on the date they actually become a paid customer (not a trial signup).

Payout FAQ

Q: Where is my affiliate payout?

There could be a few reasons for this!

1. Make sure you've set up Tipalti. If you don't have an active 1stContact.ai account, email [email protected] for a link.
2. Are you past the $50 threshold? Payouts are only released after you've generated more than $50 in commission.
3. Check the date. Payments are released between the 10th-15th of each month, and may take up to 5 days to reach your bank account.
4. Check your compliance. Ensure that your promotion efforts abide by our Affiliate Policy! If your payments have been suspended due to violations, you'll have notices in your inbox.

If you've completed all other steps and haven't received your payout by the 20th of the month, reach out to our support team!

Q: My Affiliate Commission Looks Incorrect. Why?

Does your commission amount look different from what you were expecting? Here are a few potential causes:

• If 1stContact.ai is running a promo (e.g., Black Friday), usual commission amounts could be lower than normal.
• If the commission is from a referral upgrading their plan, the amount will be prorated in accordance with the day of the upgrade.
• If your referred customer receives a refund, it will show up as a negative balance in your portal. (Note: An overall negative balance does not mean you owe money, but you will need to generate enough commission to counteract the negative amount to receive a payout.)

Q: I got a commission of $30 but I don't see that as a payout?

There is a $50 minimum for a payout to be sent out. As soon as your total commissions accrued is higher than $50 you will receive a payout!

Affiliate Split Commissions Overview

1stContact.ai is excited to offer split commissions! When an affiliate refers someone, we want to give that affiliate credit. Additionally, when a *different* affiliate gets that customer to upgrade, we want to give all involved affiliates credit!

Example:

A customer is referred to sign up for 1stContact.ai on the Starter plan by Affiliate A. Down the line, Affiliate B refers the customer to upgrade their account from Starter ($97/mo) to Pro ($497/mo).

• Affiliate A will continue to receive regular commission for referring the customer to the starter plan.
• Affiliate B can generate commission on the difference between the two plans (about 40% of $400).

This also works for customers who upgrade from Starter ($97/mo) to the Unlimited ($297/mo) plan. Make sure your referral uses your affiliate link when upgrading!

Technical Setup (Webhooks)

In this article, we will cover how to set up webhooks for your affiliate links so that you can run automation off sales when someone signs up using your affiliate link.

As an affiliate, you can enroll in any 1stContact.ai Plan. To track referrals using webhooks, please contact the support team at [email protected].

• Request to set up your "1stContact.ai General Affiliate Campaign" webhooks (for $97/month or $297/month plans).
• Request to set up your "Supercharged SaaS Program" webhooks (for $497/month plan).

Available Webhooks (First Promoter)

The Webhooks that we have on FirstPromoter are as follows:

• Lead Subscribed: Step one of the two-step sign-up form.
• Lead Signup: Step two of the two-step Sign up form (trial started).
• Lead Converted to Customer: They made their first payment.
• Reward Generated: Anytime they make a qualifying payment.
• Lead Canceled: Lead or customer has no more active subscriptions.

Step-by-step Setup Guide

1. Head into your Sub-account > Click on the Automation tab > Create New Workflow.
2. Create an inbound webhook trigger > Copy the inbound webhook URL string.
3. Open up a tool like Postman:
   • Select HTTP Request Method "Post".
   • Paste the webhook URL.
   • Select "Body" then "Raw" & select "JSON".
   • Copy the First Promoter Sample data given below into the Body.
   • Hit "Send". Ensure you get a successful response.
4. Return to your Workflow and hit the "fetch sample" button within the trigger. Grab and select the sample, then proceed to map out the action fields (Full name, Email, Phone).
5. Repeat this process four more times for the remaining webhooks (Clone workflow, get new webhook URL, send test from Postman, fetch sample).
6. Open a live chat with support (or email [email protected]) with the following format:

I would like webhooks activated for my affiliate link: [Insert Affiliate Link]

Step 1: lead_subscribed on – [Insert inbound Webhook URL]
Step 2: lead_signup on – [Insert inbound Webhook URL]
Step 3: lead_becomes_referral on – [Insert inbound Webhook URL]
Step 4: reward_created on – [Insert inbound Webhook URL]
Step 5: lead_cancelled on – [Insert inbound Webhook URL]

Sample Webhook Payload (for Postman)

{
    "event": {
        "id": null,
        "type": "",
        "created_at": ""
    },
    "data": {
        "id": null,
        "state": "",
        "email": "",
        "uid": null,
        "customer_since": null,
        "cancelled_at": null,
        "plan_name": null,
        /* ... (rest of the sample JSON) ... */
        "custom_fields": {
            "name": "",
            "company_name": "",
            "phone_number": ""
        },
        "promotion": {
            "id": null,
            "status": "",
            "ref_id": "",
            "referral_link": "",
            "campaign_name": "1stContact.ai Elite Partner Program"
            /* ... etc ... */
        },
        "promoter": {
            "id": null,
            "email": "",
            "profile": {
                "id": null,
                "first_name": "",
                "last_name": ""
                /* ... etc ... */
            }
            /* ... etc ... */
        }
    }
}

Referring Customers to Pro

Want to refer new or existing customers to the 1stContact.ai Pro Plan ($497/month)? Here's how.

How to Find Your PRO Affiliate Links

1. Go to your Affiliate Portal.
2. Scroll down and Click on E-dropdown (or "Links").
3. You should see at least 3 links:
   • Default - 14-day trial for 97 starter accounts.
   • Link for EXISTING Customers to upgrade to the 1stContact.ai 497 Pro-plan
   • Link for NEW Customers to a 14-Day Trial to the 1stContact.ai 497 Pro-plan

Referring Existing Customers

1. Select and copy the "Existing Customer Trial link".
2. Send your link to your customer.
3. Have your existing customer fill out the form. Make sure your customer places your link in the "Affiliate Upgrade Credit" box.

IMPORTANT: Existing customers do not get an extra 14-day trial through this link. They will be upgraded to the $497 plan in 1-3 business days and their billing date will be reset and charged the prorated amount.

Referring New Customers

1. Click on your "New Customer Pro Trial link".
2. Copy the link and send it to your customer.
3. Have your customer click on "Start A Free Trial of the Pro SaaS Plan Today!"
4. Have your new customer fill out the Free Trial form. That's it!

Pro Referral FAQ

Q: What if my customer is on the $97 plan and wants to upgrade to the $297 plan?

A: We are now offering split credit for upgrades to the Unlimited ($297/month) plan. Make sure your referral uses your affiliate link when they upgrading from the $97 to the $297 plan to receive credit.

Q: Can I give a 14-day trial to existing customers?

A: No, the 14-day trial is only for new customers.

Q: How can I get a 30-day Extended Pro trial link?

A: The 30-Day trial offers are exclusively for high-performing affiliates. If you have 100 or more active customers, reach out to an Affiliate Manager to see if you qualify.

Q: If the customer I am referring is not assigned to an affiliate, do I get 100% of their commission?

A: Since you did not refer this customer to 1stContact.ai, you will only be getting a commission for their 1stContact.ai Pro subscription and upgrade, NOT the base subscription. (e.g., if they upgrade from 297 to 497, you would get 40% of the $200 difference).

Rules & Compliance

The Affiliate Policy

It's important that you review & understand the 1stContact.ai Affiliate Policy, which you can find at: https://partners.1stcontact.ai/partner-terms-conditions

Using The 1stContact.ai Logo

Please use the official version of our logo. [Update this part to match your own logo rules].

• For light colored backgrounds use the logo with black letters.
• For dark colored backgrounds use the logo with white letters.
• Do not use our icon colors as color backgrounds in an area that will contain the logo.

Logo Misuse: It’s important that the 1stContact.ai logo remains consistent. Please don’t modify, add or take out any of its elements. Your logo should not include, or look similar to “1stContact.ai”.

Affiliate Content Compliance (Integrishield)

To make compliance as easy as possible, 1stContact.ai has partnered with a compliance software called Integrishield that will automatically check your content for compliance with 1stContact.ai’s Affiliate Agreement and Code of Conduct.

If you receive an email from [email protected] or [email protected] regarding some of your content, you’ll need to make required modifications to the content within 5 business days.

Here are some specifics that may cause your content to be flagged:

• Lacking a clear and conspicuous disclosure of a partnership with 1stContact.ai
• Discounts, promos, coupons, etc. that are not authorized by 1stContact.ai
• Inflammatory language
• Competitor comparisons
• Unapproved trademarks
• Unapproved claims of the software’s performance

Please note that if you ignore any of these warnings, you may become ineligible to continue receiving commission per the 1stContact.ai Affiliate Policy.

Taxes (1099 Forms)

As we approach tax season, we want to ensure a smooth process for everyone. Qualifying affiliates should have received an email from Tax1099.com to access your 1099 from 1stContact.ai for the previous tax year.

The IRS requires us to send out 1099s prior to January 31st. This 1099 outlines the total amount you received from 1stContact.ai and is essential for your tax return.

What to do:

1. Log In: Click the link provided in the Tax1099.com email.
2. Enter Email ID: Use the email address where you received the Tax1D1099.com email.
3. Password: Refer to the Password Scenarios listed at the bottom of the login screen for the.

If you have any questions or encounter issues please reach out to our accounting team at [email protected].

The Affiliate Commander Program

What is an Affiliate Commander?

“Affiliate Commander” is a status awarded annually 1stContact.ai’s highest-performing affiliates that comes with exclusive perks and bonuses.

Commander Perks include…

• Your own slack channel in the 1stContact.ai workspace
• Short-term endorsement opportunities
• Invitation to the Affiliate Mastermind and other exclusive events
• Quarterly calls with the 1stContact.ai dev team
• Access to ticket-escalation protocol for you and your referrals
• And more!

How do I become an Affiliate Commander?

Affiliate Commander status is earned by affiliates who generate at least six figures in annual commission from new referrals and/or upgrades.

Commander Status is not a lifetime achievement, and affiliates must remain on pace with the annual commission target to retain the title and its perks.

Each year’s winners are announced at the LevelUp Summit in October. [Update with your own event name if desired].