# Invite affiliates to join

> Share your affiliate sign-up link, ask affiliates extra questions such as age and occupation, and see how they join and start promoting.
>
> Source: https://docs.bcl.my/affiliate-sign-up/

Affiliates join your programme through a link you share with them. They get their own affiliate account, separate from your BCL dashboard, where they copy their promotion links and track their commission.

## Share your sign-up link

Turn on the programme first: see [Turn on your affiliate programme](/enable-affiliates/). The links only show once it is on.

1. Go to **Affiliate** → **Settings**.
2. On the **Affiliate Settings** tab, under **Affiliate Program Link**, click **Copy** next to one of the two links:
   - **Sign-up link** (recommended) opens the registration form, best for new affiliates.
   - **Sign-in link** asks them to sign in first, best for people who already have an affiliate account.

   *(Screenshot: The Affiliate Program Link box with the Sign-up link and its Copy button highlighted)*

3. Send the link by WhatsApp, email or social media.

## How an affiliate joins

This is what your affiliate does after they open the sign-up link.

1. They fill in **Full Name**, **Username**, **Email Address**, **Mobile Number** and **Password**. They choose an **OTP Verification Method** (**SMS**, **WhatsApp** or **Email**) and click **Send OTP**. People who already have an account click **sign in to your account** instead.

   *(Screenshot: The Create your affiliate account form filled in, with Email chosen and the Send OTP button highlighted)*

2. They type the code from their SMS, WhatsApp or email in **Verify OTP** and click **Register Affiliate**. An emailed code lasts 10 minutes. **Resend OTP** sends a new one.

   *(Screenshot: The Verify OTP field and the Register Affiliate button highlighted)*

3. They see your programme's **Commission**, **Multi-level rewards** (when you use multi-tier commission), **Payout schedule** and **Minimum payout**. Then they fill in any [extra details you ask for](#ask-affiliates-for-extra-details) and click **Join Program**.

   *(Screenshot: The Join page for the merchant's programme with commission, payout schedule, minimum payout and the Join Program button highlighted)*

4. BCL welcomes them and opens their **Profile**. If you turned on **Require Manual Approval**, they stay pending until you approve them under **Affiliate** → **Affiliates**.

To show a message and a link (for example a WhatsApp group invite) after they join, use **Welcome Setup**. Go to **Affiliate** → **Settings** → **Affiliate Onboarding**, fill in **Welcome Setup** and click **Save Join Settings**.

*(Screenshot: The Welcome Setup section on the Affiliate Onboarding tab highlighted)*

## Ask affiliates for extra details

You can add up to 10 questions of your own to the join page, for example the affiliate's age and occupation. To add them:

1. Go to **Affiliate** → **Settings** and open the **Affiliate Onboarding** tab.
2. Under **Custom Application Fields**, click **Add Custom Field**.
3. Fill in the **Field Label** (what the affiliate sees, such as Age) and choose a **Field Type**:

   | Field Type | Use it for |
   | --- | --- |
   | **Text Input** | A short answer, such as Occupation or an Instagram handle. |
   | **Text Area** | A longer answer, such as how they plan to promote you. |
   | **Dropdown** | One choice from your list, such as an age group. Add each choice under **Options** with **Add to options**. |
   | **Checkbox** | A yes or no, such as agreement to your affiliate rules. |
   | **Date Picker** | A date, such as a date of birth. |

4. Optional: add **Hint Text** to explain the question. Turn on **Required Field** if affiliates must answer before they can join. **Enable Field** hides the question but does not delete it.

   *(Screenshot: An Age field with Field Type set to Dropdown and four age groups under Options)*

5. Repeat for each question, for example Occupation as a **Text Input**, then click **Save Join Settings**.

   *(Screenshot: Age and Occupation under Custom Application Fields, and the Save Join Settings button highlighted)*

New affiliates answer the questions on the join page, before **Join Program**. Affiliates who joined earlier fill them in under **Account** → **Profile** on the **Additional Info** tab, and click **Save information**. Affiliates can also change an answer there. If you add a required question after people joined, BCL asks them to answer it the next time they open their panel.

*(Screenshot: The Additional Info tab of an affiliate's Profile, with the Age dropdown and the Occupation field)*

To see the answers in your dashboard:

1. Go to **Affiliate** → **Affiliates**. Each question is a column of the **Affiliate Users** list, hidden at first.
2. Click **Columns**, tick your questions under **Show columns** and click **Apply columns**.

   *(Screenshot: The Show columns panel with Age and Occupation ticked and the Apply columns button highlighted)*

3. The answers show at the right end of the list. **N/A** means the affiliate has not answered yet.

   *(Screenshot: The Affiliate Users list with the Age and Occupation columns highlighted)*

**Export All** includes the answers too, under **Custom Fields**.

> **Tip**
> There is no number field, so ask for age as a **Dropdown** of age groups. The answers then stay tidy and easy to sort, instead of "25", "25 years" and "twenty-five".

## What the affiliate does next

Before they start to promote, your affiliate must do two things in their affiliate panel.

1. Go to **Account** → **Profile** and open the **Bank Details** tab. Fill in **Bank name**, **Account holder name** and **Account number**, then click **Save bank details**. You need these details to pay them. Until they save them, BCL sends them back to **Profile**.
2. Go to **Promotion Links** and find the form. Copy the link under **Your affiliate link**, or use the QR code for posters.

> **Note**
> One affiliate account can join several merchants. Affiliates see all their programmes under **Account** → **Partnerships**. There they can **Switch** between merchants, or click **Join Affiliate Merchant** to join another.

*(Screenshot: Active Partnerships in the affiliate panel, with the Join Affiliate Merchant button highlighted)*

## Common issues

### Which link must an affiliate share with customers?

The link under Your affiliate link on Promotion Links. It ends with the affiliate's ID, and BCL uses this ID to credit the sale. The code under Embed code puts the form on their own website. It is not for customers.

### Can I ask affiliates for their age and occupation when they apply?

Yes. Go to Affiliate → Settings → Affiliate Onboarding, click Add Custom Field under Custom Application Fields for each one (for example Age as a Dropdown of age groups and Occupation as a Text Input), turn on Required Field and click Save Join Settings. Affiliates fill them in before they can join.

### My affiliate shared a form link without a number at the end. Do they still get commission?

No. A link without the affiliate ID is your normal form link, so the sale counts as a direct sale. Ask them to copy the link from Promotion Links every time.

### Where do I see what affiliates answered in my extra fields?

In Affiliate → Affiliates. Each field is a column, hidden at first: click Columns, tick the field and click Apply columns. Export All also includes the answers under Custom Fields.