When most developers think about earning through crypto, Bitcoin often comes to mind first. But there are additional ways to create revenue streams that don’t rely on trading alone—affiliate programs are one such approach. These programs can generate income for a platform while requiring minimal effort from users.
Recently, I worked with an educational crypto platform to explore ways of integrating affiliate functionality. The goal was twofold: provide users with meaningful earning opportunities and simultaneously boost engagement on the platform.
Evaluating Exchange Affiliate Programs
We considered multiple exchange affiliate programs. The criteria were clear:
The program should offer a competitive commission structure.
The exchange needed to actively engage users with marketing initiatives and educational opportunities.
Option 1: OKX Affiliate Program
OKX offers up to 50% commission, 24/7 partner support, and support for sub-affiliates. While the program itself is technically solid, the exchange’s focus on user education and engagement was limited, which was a key requirement for our client.
Option 2: WhiteBIT Affiliate Program
WhiteBIT emerged as a better fit. It is the largest crypto exchange in Europe by traffic and maintains a market cap of $39B (per CoinCodex). The affiliate program offers up to 60% of trading fees, alongside structured marketing activities and referral promotions aimed at educating users while driving engagement.
Implementation and Results
After integrating WhiteBIT’s affiliate program, the platform introduced new functionality that allowed users to earn affiliate commissions in addition to the platform’s existing features.
Within three months, the platform reported:
30% increase in product sales
Additional revenue from affiliate commissions
The program also provided users with more reasons to explore the platform, increasing retention and engagement.
Takeaways
Affiliate programs are not just a tool for influencers—they can be integrated into platforms to:
Provide users with passive earning opportunities
Boost engagement through incentivized actions
Generate additional revenue without heavy infrastructure changes
From a technical standpoint, integrating an affiliate API is straightforward, but choosing a partner that aligns with your product’s goals—especially user education and engagement—can significantly impact outcomes.
Platforms that treat affiliate programs as a product feature rather than a marketing tactic can see measurable improvements in both user activity and revenue streams.
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