PLAYBOOK: Launching an exclusive code without burning the merchant

PLAYBOOK: Launching an exclusive code without burning the merchant
Confirmed pattern from affiliate managers who hand out true exclusives: the publishers who keep them follow a tight launch checklist.
— Lock the code in a vault page first, gated behind a click-to-reveal, never in raw HTML or the feed
— Add a rel=nofollow outbound and a tracked redirect so the network attributes the click
— Set a hard expiry in your CMS 48h before the merchant's stated end date — buffer against silent early kills
— Watch for code leakage to aggregators within 6 hours; if it appears, the merchant's affiliate team gets the screenshot, not a public callout
Why it matters: exclusives get revoked when they leak. The publishers who police leaks keep getting first dibs. Developing...