Kit affiliate program

Kit, formerly ConvertKit, offers 50% of referred-customer revenue for the first 12 months under its current standard offer. After that, 10–20% recurring commission requires retained Bronze, Silver or Gold status. The agreement specifies a 90-day last-click purchase window, subject to Kit’s discretion. ^1,3,4

Start with audience and email-use fit. Joining Kit’s referral program does not make every affiliate newsletter acceptable. Its service policy excludes affiliate-only content and restricts affiliate education offers, even though some responsibly marked affiliate links are allowed. ^5,6

Official sources checked October 7, 2026 · Terms incomplete · Payment timings differ. This is public-source research, without firsthand product, campaign or payout testing.

Who it may fit

Our assessment: consider the program when you help creators choose tools for an original newsletter, their own products or a specific publishing workflow. Kit describes forms, landing pages, broadcasts, tagging, automations and digital-product/subscription sales. Its current Free plan advertises up to 10,000 subscribers; paid plans add features such as unlimited sequences and Visual Automations. Feature availability is merchant-described, not a tested advantage. ^1,2

For an affiliate publisher, content permission is a material tradeoff. Kit’s help describes roughly 70–80% original business/content and 20–30% affiliate content, with links clearly identified as another company’s offers. This is guidance, not guaranteed account approval: prohibited topics still apply. The policy lists affiliate educational offers among exclusions; specific help also restricts education-related affiliate links. Confirm the intended topic and use rather than assuming all educational content qualifies. ^6,5

Permission-based list collection and account review also apply. The policy reserves closure without refund for violations and makes data export after closure discretionary. Keep that account risk in your evaluation. ⁵

Compare the commission stages

Paid-method referrals, including PPC, do not count toward status. Changes generally happen around January 1; qualifying during a year generally takes effect the following January 1. Kit can make exceptions or change/revoke status, and verifies referrals and revenue. This is not an immediate upgrade or rolling-year guarantee. ^3,4

Later commissions concern eligible referrals from January 1, 2024 onward whose subscriptions continue beyond 12 months. Losing status or participation ends those fees; “lifetime” is conditional. Termination stops further fees even from previous referrals, with an exception for fees already processing. Exact eligible gross/net revenue and deductions remain unconfirmed. ³

These are direct-customer performance levels, not second-tier commissions from recruited affiliates. No current qualifying-sales override from referred affiliates is established in the retrieved program and agreement. ^3,4

A calendar-year example

Hypothetical planning example, not earned results or a status prediction. Keep customer revenue, channel eligibility and the calendar separate. The agreement uses prior-calendar-year status counts, excludes paid acquisition from those counts and requires each customer to pass 12 months for later fees. ³

1. 1
   1. Count by channel

   Eight qualifying nonpaid referrals plus four paid-ad referrals could mean twelve paying customers, but only eight toward status—not the ten required for Bronze.

2. 2
   2. Check the calendar

   If ten status-eligible referrals are recorded in 2026, a new Bronze level would generally take effect around January 1, 2027, subject to Kit’s verification and discretion.

3. 3
   3. Check each customer

   Holding status in January does not skip a customer’s first 12 months. Later fees also require that customer to remain a paying subscriber and the affiliate to retain status.

For an actual recommendation, document the reader’s original content, expected messages and needed workflow first. Compare a simple broadcast with an automated sequence; a bigger commission does not establish that a paid plan solves the task. We have not tested a setup or determined whether AI alternatives change its value.

From purchase to payment

Cancelled, returned, charged-back or refunded transactions do not earn commission. A refund after payment creates a negative balance against future fees. A free signup alone is not the first paid transaction required by the agreement; exact existing-free-account eligibility needs confirmation. ³

Use recurring versus one-time commissions to distinguish credited revenue, customer retention and actual cash. Do not calculate expected earnings from a displayed gross plan price without confirming the eligible base.

Promotion and joining limits

• Paid search: Kit and former ConvertKit brand terms, trademark ads/domains and direct PPC links are restricted without written permission. Other bidding/placement restrictions apply; paid referrals remain excluded from status counts. ³
• Methods: no self-referrals, commission cashback, source cloaking or unapproved sub-affiliate networks. Promotional domains must be listed; social promotion belongs on your own pages. The agreement forbids affiliate links/marketing messages by SMS or text, regardless of customer-facing SMS features. ^3,2
• Presentation: participating affiliates must substantiate claims and provide clear, prominent relationship disclosures near compensated claims/links. Unsolicited messages and purchased/scraped lists are restricted. ^3,5
• Acceptance: joining is advertised as free and open to noncustomers, with individual review and valid payment details. Sanctions and regional payment availability restrict participation; a complete publisher/customer country list is not established. ^4,3

Before applying, record your audience, original newsletter content, proposed affiliate topics and referral channels. Check the calendar-year status rules and current payment terms alongside service permissions. The choose-programs lesson supplies an evaluation checklist.

Visit the official Kit affiliate program, which links its PartnerStack application. This is an untracked provider destination; Affiliate Orchard’s enrollment is not confirmed. No application or provider contact was made. ^4,3

Compare MailerLite’s separately reviewed terms or browse the program directory. Compare permission and workflow fit alongside rates.