Quick Start (5 Minutes)

Get Insert Affiliate integrated and test your first affiliate referral in just 5 minutes. This guide focuses on the fastest path to validation.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Step 1: Choose Your Integration Path (1 minute)

You need two integrations to track affiliate purchases:

  1. Deep Linking Platform - Tracks which affiliate referred the user
  2. Purchase Verification - Verifies in-app purchases

Recommended Quick Start Path

For the fastest setup, we recommend:

  • Deep Linking: Insert Links (our built-in solution, no third-party required)
  • Purchase Verification: RevenueCat (easiest purchase verification)

Alternative: If you already use Branch.io, AppsFlyer, or another platform, you can use those instead. See the Integration Overview for all options.

Step 2: Install the SDK (2 minutes)

Choose your platform and follow the installation instructions:

iOS

Visit our Swift SDK GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

Android

Visit our Android SDK GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

React Native

Visit our React Native SDK GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

Flutter

Visit our Flutter SDK GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

Unity

Visit our Unity SDK GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

JavaScript / Capacitor

Visit our JavaScript SDK GitHub repository and follow the installation instructions.

Key steps you'll complete:

  1. Add the SDK to your project
  2. Initialize the SDK with your API key (found in your dashboard settings)
  3. Configure deep linking integration
  4. Set up purchase verification integration

Step 3: Create Your First Test Affiliate (1 minute)

  1. Go to the Create Affiliate page
  2. Select "Create Affiliate (Admin)"
  3. Enter a test email (you can use an email alias like yourname+testaffiliate@example.com)
  4. Create a deep link:
  5. Paste the deep link into the Affiliate Deep Link field
  6. Click Create Affiliate

You'll see your affiliate in the dashboard with their unique short code.

Step 4: Test the Integration (1 minute)

Now test that everything works:

Option A: Test with Short Code (Recommended for Quick Validation)

The fastest way to test is using the affiliate's short code:

  1. Build and run your app on a test device or simulator
  2. Implement a way to manually enter the short code (see Short Codes documentation)
  3. Enter your test affiliate's short code
  4. Make a test purchase (use sandbox/test mode)
  5. Check your Insert Affiliate dashboard - you should see the transaction appear

Option B: Test with Deep Link

  1. Click the affiliate deep link on your test device
  2. Your app should open (or be installed if using TestFlight/internal testing)
  3. Make a test purchase (use sandbox/test mode)
  4. Check your Insert Affiliate dashboard - you should see the transaction appear

Troubleshooting

If your test transaction doesn't appear:

  1. Enable verbose logging in the SDK (check your platform's SDK documentation)
  2. Verify the short code is stored - Log the short code after it's set
  3. Check the purchase verification setup - Ensure you're passing the affiliate identifier correctly
  4. Read our detailed troubleshooting guide - See Troubleshooting for step-by-step debugging

Next Steps

Now that your integration is working:

  1. Set up sandbox testing - Read Testing & Sandbox Mode
  2. Configure commission rates - See Setting Commission Rates
  3. Enable affiliate self-signup - Allow affiliates to sign up without your manual intervention: Affiliate Self-Signup
  4. Learn about advanced features - Explore Features & Tools

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