General Information  1) What is Match.com?  2) How does the Match.com affiliate program work?  3) What is Linkshare?  4) Who can apply to be an affiliate?  5) What is the payout rate for sales generated from my links?  6) How can I contact the Match.com Affiliate Team? Marketing on Your Site  7) What types of banners and links are available?  8) What are Match.com's policies on search engine marketing?  9) How can I best target a specific demographic? 10) Can I link to a subscriber profile on Match.com? 11) Can I use e-mails to promote Match.com? 12) Can I have more than one affiliate site? 13) Can I frame the Match.com landing site with my own header? 14) Can I accept membership information on my website and forward it to Match.com? 15) Will I know who signs up for Match.com through my site? 16) Can I describe membership prices on my site? Tracking and Reporting 17) How do you track subscriptions acquired through my site? 18) How can I track the progress of my affiliate links? 19) How can I be sure that I get credit for if a visitor subscribes at a later time at the direct domain? Generating Sales 20) How is a sale defined? 21) What is the difference between a registration and a subscription? 22) When do I get paid? 23) Do I earn a commission on traffic to my website? 24) How much income can I make? Increasing Your Earning Potential 25) What is the best way to generate sales? 26) What is the top performer bonus? 27) What can I do to improve my conversion rate?
	General Information 1) What is Match.com? Match.com is world’s largest online dating site, offering a fun, private, and secure environment for meeting other singles. Hundreds of thousands of people each year find the one the one they are looking for on Match.com! back to top 2) How does the Match.com Affiliate program work? The affiliate program is a marketing collaboration between Match.com and the owner/operator of a unique web site. Web sites may place links or promotion to Match.com within their pages, and in turn, will receive a commission for subscriptions generated from their links. Match.com has a dedicated affiliate team to help affiliates maximize their marketing of Match.com and thus their earning potential. back to top 3) What is Linkshare? Linkshare is a solution provider that tracks, distributes, and hosts the Match.com Affiliate Marketing program. All affiliates join our program through Linkshare, and use the Linkshare software to download links and reports. An internal Match.com Affiliate team maintains relationships with our affiliates, and optimizes the performance, presence, and integrity of all aspects of the affiliate program. back to top 4) Who can apply to be an affiliate? Any owner and/or operator of a unique web site may apply by clicking here. We review every affiliate application and you will receive an e-mail notifying you of your application status. Mainly, we look to partner with sites that: Provide a unique and honest user experience Have content that would appeal to singles Are compliant with our search marketing and copyright policies Are aesthetically pleasing Do not display pornographic or offensive content If your application is denied due to the improper url being displayed, you may re-apply using the proper url or request the affiliate team to screen an alternate site. Detailed instructions on this process will be delivered via e-mail after the application review process is complete. back to top 5) What is the payout rate for sales generated from my links? Match.com affiliates are paid a commission on new subscriptions acquired from their website. All Match.com affiliates earn 75% of the initial subscription price. Those affiliates who generate over thirty subscriptions in a month receive 100% of the initial subscription revenue for all subs that month – not just those over thirty. The table below is for illustrative purposes only – please note that subscription prices may change over time, so the payout amount would change accordingly. Package Subscription Price All Match.com Affiliates Earn 75% Top Performer Bonus is 25% more Maximum earning potential per subscription is 100% New 1 Month subscription $29.99 $22.49 plus $7.50 $29.99 New 3 month subscription $50.07 $37.55 plus $12.52 $50.07 New 6 month subscription $77.94 $58.46 plus $19.48 $77.94 All affiliate commissions, including top performer bonus commissions, are calculated based on the net amount of subscriptions earned, less charge backs, refunds, resignations and other transactions that occur during the calendar month. The top performer bonus is paid at the conclusion of each month. back to top 6) How can I contact the Match.com Affiliate Team? Please write an e-mail to lsquestions@match.com with any questions you may have. back to top
	Marketing on Your Site 7) What types of links are available? Once you have been accepted on Linkshare, you will have access to numerous interactive creative pieces that you can use to promote Match.com. We have three types of links available (banner ads, text links, HTML search function), divided into seven categories (General Market, Free Trial, African-American, Ethnic, Gay/Lesbian, Magazine, and Seasonal). Links and images are regularly updated so that only top performing pieces are available and are up-to-date with all brand messaging. Additionally, we provide weekly editorial article content from Match.com’s Happen Magazine that affiliates can link to from their sites. back to top 8) What are Match.com policies on search engine marketing? We operate a site-based affiliate program, as opposed to one which is exclusively search-based – basically, an affiliate may not engage in search on marketing on behalf of Match.com; that is, all traffic from search engines must link to the affiliate site, rather than directly to Match.com. The affiliate site must be owned and/or operated by you; and the affiliate site cannot consist merely of links to the Match.com site, rather, it must provide a user-experience distinct from that available on the Match.com Site (for example, it may include unique content or services). Additionally, the following activity is strictly prohibited: Bidding on the Match.com service marks “MATCH.COM”, “MATCHCOM”, MATCHDOTCOM”, “MATCH COM” or any other trademark or service mark of Match.com’s on any search engine. Including the Match.com service mark “MATCH.COM”, any variation of, or any other trademark or service mark of Match.com’s in any paid search engine marketing copy. Using the Match.com service mark “MATCH.COM”, any variation of, or any other trademark or service mark of Match.com’s in any Web site page titles or meta tags. Pointing traffic from search engine results directly into a page of the Match.com Site or a page of any Web site that is co-branded with Match.com, including Web sites that consist of the Match.com Site framed by a differently-branded header and/or footer. Any violation of these policies can result in termination of your affiliate account and forfeiture of commissions. back to top 9) How can I best target a specific demographic? Within our Linkshare platform, we have a variety of creative pieces and articles targeted towards various groups including General Audience, African-American, Gay/Lesbian, Single parents, and many more. back to top 10) Can I link to a subscriber profile on Match.com? No - Affiliates are prohibited from using the individual profiles and information of Match.com users on their referring affiliate site. Doing so violates the privacy policy of the Match.com User Agreement and will result in immediate termination of your Match.com Affiliation. back to top 11) Can I use e-mails to promote Match.com? We have a strict 'no spamming' policy. Match.com reserves the right to immediately terminate an affiliate relationship if that affiliate uses unsolicited email to promote Match.com. back to top 12) Can I have more than one affiliate site? Yes, you may have more than one affiliate site. Please note that this may, in certain cases, require separate applications for each site. Please contact us if you run into any issues with this. back to top 13) Can I frame the Match.com landing site with my own header? No, this activity is strictly prohibited. This is not only a violation of copyright, but also jeopardizes the integrity of your tracking links. back to top 14) Can I accept membership information on my website and forward it to Match.com? No. Subscription information is accepted only on the subscribe form at Match.com. Note that your commissions are calculated only through the subscription application form. back to top 15) Will I know who signs up for Match.com through my site? No. To protect Match.com customer privacy, the names or other personal information about specific customers is not provided to affiliates. back to top 16) Can I describe membership prices on my site? You may describe at a given time prices and other details of the Match.com product – however, it is very important to note that prices, terms, and options are subject to change. We will only honor the prices listed on Match.com, not prices, special offers or discounts made by affiliates on their referring websites. back to top
	Tracking and Reporting 17) How do you track subscriptions acquired through my site? Match.com and Linkshare's tracking system assigns you a unique ID for each link you publish. That ID is yours and only yours; it accompanies any code you receive for integration, ensuring you receive credit for users who register through your site. When one of those users later subscribes to Match.com, you are credited with the sale. back to top 18) How can I track the progress of my affiliate links? Through the Linkshare system, you are able to download up-to-date performance reports of your site and even specific links. You are able to see data on clicks, registrations, subscriptions, and even commission estimates. back to top 19) How can I be sure that I get credit for referring traffic if a visitor subscribes at a later time at the direct domain? Once a visitor registers at Match.com, their ID is attached to that user for the lifetime of that subscriber's relationship with Match.com. Therefore, if a visitor decides to join at a later time by going directly to www.match.com (without going through the referring affiliate's website), the referring affiliate will still get credit for that subscription. Unlike cookie tracking, once the ID is attached to that user, it never expires! back to top
	Generating Sales 20) How is a sale defined? Match.com and Linkshare are solely responsible for tracking subscription sales. A 'sale' is recognized when a subscription is purchased on the Match.com Web site via valid credit card, check or money order or other means. Commission is not paid on credit card fees, sales tax charges, penalties or other costs collected from subscribers by Match.com. You can continually monitor sales performance of your account on Linkshare. back to top 21) What is the difference between a registration and a subscription? Registration is a free process anyone can complete in order to become a Match.com member. Registration allows a user to browse profiles and even create their own. However, in order to communicate with other members and find a potential date, one must become a paying subscriber. Commissions are paid on paying subscriptions only. Read through the “How Match.com Works” page for illustrative details on the product. back to top 22) When do I get paid? Commissions are calculated by Match.com at the end of each calendar month and paid out to you from Linkshare in the following calendar month. back to top 23) Do I earn a commission on traffic to my affiliate website? Affiliates earn commission on paid subscriptions only. Traffic is only commissioned in the sense that it converts into paying subscribers. back to top 24) How much income can I make? Payout rates are described in question #5 above. Earning options are limitless to the extent that an affiliate site can continually refer new and valid paying subscribers. back to top
	Increasing Your Earning Potential back to top 25) What is the best way to generate sales? There is no “best way” to generate sales. Every affiliate has different goals, and we found that those that meet them consistently have one universal thing in common – they all deliver a unique and valuable experience to their users. We encourage you to find the best way to integrate Match.com into your site given the needs and expectations of your site visitors. We are very serious about promoting a fair and honest affiliate program, and will not tolerate any affiliate who violates our copyright policies and/or uses fraudulent or deceptive practices to generate subscriptions. back to top 26) What is the top performer bonus? As described in question #5, the top performer bonus is given as an incentive for affiliates to increase their performance. The bonus gives affiliates an additional 25% commission of subscription price if they generate 30 or more net paying subscriptions in a calendar month. The affiliate earns the bonus on ALL sales for that month, not just those over 30. Bonuses are calculated at the end of each calendar month and paid out via Linkshare the following month. back to top 27) What can I do to improve my conversion rate? A conversion rate is described as the ratio of registered users who become paying subscribers. The best thing an affiliate can do to improve their conversion rate is to provide an honest and valuable user experience, while promoting Match.com in the most appropriate light possible. At Match.com, we employ a variety of programs to encourage registrants to subscribe, and ensure them that they will be glad they did! back to top
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