<b>Q: Should I run an open program or an invite-only one?</b>

<b>Q: Should I run an open program or an invite-only one?</b>

Most advertisers default to open and shouldn't. An invite-only or curated program trades reach for quality, and for many products quality wins, especially in regulated or brand-sensitive niches.

Go invite-only when:

— Your brand can be damaged by where it appears (you don't want your offer on spammy or off-brand sites)
— You operate in a regulated space where every partner is a compliance liability
— Your margins only support paying genuine performers, not a long tail of bonus-hunters

Go open when:

— You want maximum distribution and can absorb policing a large, mixed roster
— Your product is broad-appeal and low brand-risk

A strong middle path: open applications, but every applicant is human-reviewed and approved into a tier, so 'open' doesn't mean 'automatic.'

Caveat: invite-only grows slower and needs you to actively recruit, since nobody's lining up. If you can't commit time to outreach, a curated-but-open model will serve you better than an empty exclusive one.

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