Creating commission rates for Skimlinks sub-partners

Platform availability

This article refers to functionality currently available only on Awin Classic.

Plan availability

This functionality is available only for Awin Accelerate and Advanced customers.

Skimlinks works with a network of sub-partners under its main publisher account.

You can use Click ref, Publisher tags, Commission groups and Publisher commission rates to set bespoke commission rates for an individual Skimlinks sub-partner without changing your wider commission structure.

How it works

Skimlinks passes the sub-partner URL through the Click ref. Awin can then use this value to identify the relevant sub-partner and apply the appropriate commission rate.

The setup involves these four steps:

1. Create a Publisher tag for Skimlinks.

2. Create a dedicated Commission group using the tag.

3. Create a Publisher commission rate using the sub-partner’s Click ref.

4. Assign the Publisher commission rate to Skimlinks.

Note

Custom rates are intended for Skimlinks advertisers on the Skim500 or Preferred Partner program. If you aren’t on either program and want to set custom rates, contact Skimlinks directly using their request form.

Step 1: Tag Skimlinks with a publisher tag

First, assign a unique publisher tag to the main Skimlinks account. You’ll use this tag as a condition in your commission group.

1. In Awin Classic, go to Publishers > Publisher tags.

2. In Filter by Publisher, search for Skimlinks or enter PID 78888.

3. Click Search tags.

4. In Add tag next to Skimlinks, enter a unique tag name, for example Skimlinks.

5. Press Enter to apply the tag.

Note

Apply this tag only to the main Skimlinks (ID 78888) account.

Step 2: Create a commission group for Skimlinks

Create a dedicated commission group and use the publisher tag from step 1 as a condition. This ensures the group applies only to Skimlinks traffic.

Before you start, review your existing commission structure. This helps you avoid conflicting or duplicate groups.

1. Go to Commission > Rules > Commission manager.

2. Open the Commission groups tab.

   • Click Edit Commission groups, or

   • Click Add Commission group.

3. Complete the fields:

   • Commission group name: Enter a clear name, for example Skimlinks Rate 1.

   • Commission group code: Enter a code that reflects what your program passes in tracked parts, for example Skimlinks Rate 1.

   • Description: Add internal notes, for example Commission group for Skimlinks traffic.

   • Transaction type: Choose Sale or Lead.

   • Commission type: Choose Percentage or Fixed.

   • Publisher commission: Enter the rate or amount.

4. In the Condition field, click to open the condition editor.

   1. Click Add condition and select Publisher tag as the condition type.

   2. Click Select all that apply, search and select the Skimlinks tag you created in Step 1.

   3. Click Add 1 tag, then click Apply.

   4. Click Save.

5. Click Tracking order, to drag and drop the new Skimlinks commission group to sit on the top as Order 1.

6. Click Save.

Important

Make sure your Skimlinks commission groups are ordered above your existing commission groups in Commission manager. For more information on ordering commission groups, see this guide.

Step 3: Set up a Publisher commission rate for a sub-partner

Create a custom publisher commission rate by using the commission group created in step 2 and the Click ref condition to assign to sub-partner.

1. Go to Commission > Rules > Commission manager.

2. Select the Publisher commission rates tab.

3. Click Add Commission rates.

4. Enter a clear Name, for example Skimlinks - [Sub-partner name]. This name is visible only to sub-partners assigned.

5. Edit the following fields for the commission group created in step 2:

   • Commission type: Choose Percentage or Fixed.

   • Publisher commission: Enter the rate or amount.

6. In the Conditions column, click the field for the commission group you want to configure.

7. Click Add condition and select Click ref and In list from the dropdown lists.

8. Enter the exact sub-partner URL as the Click Ref value, in the free text box below.

9. Click Apply.

10. Click Save.

Note

You can find the exact sub-partner URL in an exported Awin Transactions report, or get it by contacting your Skimlinks representative. If you don’t have the exact URL, use the Contains operator instead.

Step 4: Assign the rate to Skimlinks

Finally, assign the new individual rate to the Skimlinks publisher account and set the schedule.

1. In Publishers window, search for Skimlinks or enter PID 78888.

2. Select Skimlinks and click Select.

3. Set the From date in the schedule.

4. Set the To date:

   • For an ongoing rate, leave it set to Ongoing.

   • For a rate with an end date, enter the date and select the appropriate rate under Revert to.

5. Enter a Schedule Description, for example Skimlinks [sub-partner name] custom rate.

6. Click Save.

Do I need more than one commission group for Skimlinks?

It depends on your existing commission structure.

If you only use the default commission group

Create one commission group for Skimlinks. You can use this group to set individual publisher commission rates for each Skimlinks sub-partner.

If you use multiple commission groups

If you want to keep the same commission structure for Skimlinks sub-partners, create a Skimlinks version of each relevant commission group. You can then set individual publisher commission rates for each Skimlinks sub-partner.

Repeat the setup for each commission group you need.

Important

Make sure your Skimlinks commission groups are ordered above your existing commission groups in Commission manager. For more information on ordering commission groups, see this guide.

Best practices

• Review your commission structure first. Before adding new groups, check your existing setup to avoid conflicts or duplication.

• Keep naming conventions clear. Use consistent names for commission groups and rate templates so they’re easy to identify and maintain over time.

• Reorder your commission groups so Skimlinks appear first. The system applies conditions in sequential order and maps it to the commission group that appears first in the list of conditions.

• Create separate rates for each sub-partner. Each Skimlinks sub-partner with a unique rate should have its own publisher commission rate.

• Use exact Click ref values where possible. Precise matching reduces the risk of incorrect commission assignment. Use the Contains operator only if an exact URL isn’t available.

• Notify Skimlinks of rate changes. Partners must receive at least 7 days’ notice before any commission reduction. Reductions are capped at 20% and can only happen once every 30 days.