Q: A sub-affiliate network wants to join — should I let them in?

Q: A sub-affiliate network wants to join — should I let them in?

Treat them as a traffic wholesaler and demand transparency upfront, or your fraud and brand risk goes invisible. A sub-affiliate network is a single account routing traffic from hundreds of partners you'll never see, which means their problems become yours with no way to isolate the source.

Before approving:

— Require source-level reporting: which of their sub-IDs sent which traffic.
— Pass down your brand-bidding and traffic-source bans in writing, and make them liable for enforcement.
— Start them on a strict validation hold and a per-source cap until quality is proven.

Caveat: the upside is real volume fast, and some sub-networks run clean, premium inventory. Don't reflexively ban the category. But never let one account become 40% of your program with zero visibility into who's behind it. If they won't share sub-ID data, that refusal is your answer. Wholesale traffic is fine; a black box is not.

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