How does the Affiliate Ranking work?

The Affiliate Ranking is a Hotmart feature that allows creators to create challenges to track and recognize the sales performance of affiliates over specific periods. With this tool, creators can organize campaigns, choose participating products, and track affiliates' performance throughout each season.

In this article, you will understand how the ranking works, how to set up a season, how the total sales are calculated, the tie-breaking rules, and the prize delivery process.

What is the Affiliate Ranking?

The Affiliate Ranking functions as a challenge created by a creator to measure the performance of the affiliates who promote their products. 

Each ranking is exclusive to one creator and has its own rules established at the time of creation. The creator determines: 

• The products that will be part of the ranking (it is possible to include new products while the season is underway). 
• The duration of the ranking and the frequency of the season.
• The qualification value, which determines the minimum total sales required for a participant to qualify for the prize. 
• The prizes awarded for each position.

Since each challenge is configured independently, there is no general Affiliate Ranking on the Hotmart platform. The positioning only reflects the results obtained for that specific creator. The same affiliate can participate in multiple challenges simultaneously if they promote products from different creators.
 

How to set up the Affiliate Ranking?

The affiliate ranking is activated by the creator directly in their Hotmart account when the campaign is set up.

❯ To access the program settings:

1. Access your Hotmart account via the link: https://app.hotmart.com/.
2. In the left side menu, click Partnerships and Affiliate Ranking.
3. Click Set up ranking and select the products that will be part of the campaign.
4. The ranking order is calculated by Total sales (sum of accumulated value in approved sales during the season).
5. Select the season frequency and ranking duration, and click Continue. 
6. Configure the season's prizes, defining the total sales value required for qualification and the prize value for each position. 
7. Review your ranking settings and click Continue to complete the process. 

How is the ranking calculated?

The sorting and positioning of the Affiliate in the ranking are based on their total sales throughout the active season. The calculation only considers transactions of participating products linked to that season. 

In practice, this means that the affiliate's score is formed from sales with confirmed payment. Transactions still in processing are not included in the calculation. Canceled or refunded sales, or those that suffer a chargeback, are deducted from the Affiliate's total sales during the season period, which includes the competition period and the audit period. 

Sales attributed to the Affiliate via Global Affiliate or Sales History count toward the total, provided the purchased product is part of the active ranking. If new participating products are included during an ongoing season, sales of those items start counting toward total sales from their date of inclusion.
 

How does the ranking season work?

The season is the calculation period configured with start and end dates specified in the panel. Only purchases with approved payment within this configured interval count toward the participant's total sales.

Position updates are not made in real time; the platform recalculates every 4 hours. For this reason, there may be a delay between payment approval and the display of information in the ranking. 

As soon as the season reaches its end date, the ranking stops receiving new transactions and enters a 30-day audit period. During this phase, recorded canceled sales, refunds, or chargebacks alter the previously published final standings, and only after this period are the winners officially published and defined.

❯  How can the Affiliate track the challenge? 

Participation is automatic: every active Affiliate promoting a participating product becomes part of the season without the need for formal registration. 

To track performance in the challenge:  

1. Access your Hotmart account at https://app.hotmart.com/
2. In the left side menu, click Products > My products. 
3. And click the option Affiliate challenges.

Why can the ranking position change?

The position of each participating affiliate varies according to the comparative performance of everyone involved in that season.

Position changes can occur when:

• Another participant registers new sales and reaches a higher total sales value.
• Cancellations, refunds, or chargebacks occur, reducing a participant's total sales.
• The current season ends and a new season begins with total sales reset to zero.

How does the tie-breaking rule work?

If two or more affiliates finish the calculation with the same total sales in the season, the order in the ranking will be defined by the tool's tie-breaking rule:

• Order of achievement: if a tie in total sales remains, the participant who reached that accumulated value first stays ahead. 

How does the prize delivery work?

The prizes are configured and funded by the creator when structuring the season. At the end of the season, the platform calculates the results based on the campaign rules.

The payment of prizes is the sole responsibility of the creator and must be made directly to the Affiliate, without Hotmart's financial intermediation. The transfer must be made outside the Hotmart platform after the end of the season and the official conclusion of the 30-day audit period. 

Frequently asked questions 

❯ Can I participate in more than one ranking at the same time?

Yes. If you promote products from different creators, you can appear in more than one ranking at the same time.

❯ Do all sales of a product count toward the ranking?

No. Only transactions with approved payment for participating products registered in the active season add to total sales. Transactions in processing, canceled, refunded, or with chargebacks are not included in the calculation.

❯ Can sales attributed via Global Affiliate and Sales History be included in the calculation?

Yes. If the sale is attributed to the affiliate and the purchased product is part of the active ranking, it is considered in calculating total sales.

❯  If I cancel my affiliation during the season, do I still appear in the ranking?

If the affiliation is canceled while a season is underway, the performance recorded up to that moment remains in the ranking until the end of the season. For subsequent seasons, the Affiliate stops participating.

❯ Is there a general Hotmart ranking?

No. Each ranking is created by a creator and only considers the products and affiliates linked to that specific season.

❯ Does Hotmart pay the prize to the affiliate?

No. The prize is funded and paid directly by the creator to the Affiliate, outside the platform. Hotmart displays the season results but does not perform any financial intermediation, retention, or transfer of values.

❯ What is the deadline and how is the prize payment made?

Payment must be made after the completion of the season's 30-day audit period. Specific deadlines are defined directly by the creator and communicated by them to the participants.

If you participated in a challenge and have questions about receiving your prize, contact the responsible creator directly.

❯ How does the Affiliate appear in the ranking?

To protect participant privacy, the ranking does not display the real names of Affiliates to other participants. Only the creator can view each person's name. Each participant receives an automatically generated nickname from Hotmart when they join the challenge.

❯  What are total sales?

Total sales are the sum of the value of approved purchases attributed to the Affiliate for participating products, considering the total purchase value rather than the commission received. Sales made in currencies other than the currency defined for the prize are converted into the official currency of the challenge.