ConvertKit's referral split runs every month—here's the math
The afternoon light hits your dashboard at the angle that makes you squint at revenue numbers, trying to work out which slice belongs to you and which belongs to the person who sent the subscriber. ConvertKit’s creator network does the division automatically, but the timing matters more than the percentage.
ConvertKit’s referral program splits your revenue before you see it
Built-in referrals pay your affiliates 30% every month—but cancellations, upgrades, and timing change the actual amount.
ConvertKit’s creator network lets other creators refer subscribers to you. When someone signs up through their link and converts to paid, ConvertKit splits the monthly revenue: 70% to you, 30% to the referrer. That split applies every single month the subscriber remains active, not just the first payment.
The referral commission runs on the subscriber’s billing cycle, not yours. If someone joins on the 15th and pays $9/month, the referrer earns $2.70 on the 15th of every subsequent month. If the subscriber upgrades mid-cycle, the new split applies from the next billing date. Cancellations stop the split immediately—no trailing payments, no grace period.
The 30% comes off your gross revenue before Stripe fees, so your actual take-home is lower than 70% once processing costs hit. ConvertKit pays referrers via Stripe, which means referrers need a Stripe account to receive commissions. Payments batch monthly, typically within five business days of the subscriber’s billing date. If a subscriber downgrades, the commission adjusts to match the new plan price starting the next cycle.
Annual subscriptions split the same way, but the referrer receives their 30% share upfront when the annual charge processes. That means you hand over a larger nominal amount immediately, even though the percentage stays consistent. Refunds claw back the referrer’s commission—ConvertKit reverses the payment if the subscriber requests a refund within the standard window.
TACTIC
Automation triggers in ConvertKit can fire twice—here’s when
ConvertKit’s visual automation builder lets you stack triggers, and certain configurations cause the same sequence to fire multiple times for a single subscriber. The most common culprit: overlapping tag-based triggers when a subscriber qualifies for two rules simultaneously. If you’re sending welcome sequences, lead magnets, or referral bonuses through automations, duplicate sends erode trust and waste email quota. The fix isn’t obvious—ConvertKit’s interface doesn’t warn you when rules overlap, and the log only shows individual trigger events, not the collision.
WORTH READING
LinkedIn’s native scheduler handles carousels differently than Buffer does
If you’re scheduling LinkedIn posts through a third-party tool, carousels and link previews behave differently than when you use LinkedIn’s built-in scheduler. Buffer and Hootsuite upload carousel images as separate attachments, which LinkedIn sometimes rejects or reorders. Native scheduling lets you drag, preview, and publish carousels as a single unit with full control over sequence and aspect ratio. Link previews also render more reliably when scheduled natively—third-party APIs occasionally strip thumbnail images or truncate descriptions, especially when the target URL redirects or takes longer than three seconds to respond.
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Sponsorship rate cards rarely match what deals actually close at
If you’ve published a sponsor rate card—$500 for 5,000 opens, $1,200 for a dedicated send—expect the first three inbound sponsors to negotiate down by 20–40%. Rate cards anchor the conversation, but sponsors compare your card against a dozen others, and most deals close below the published number. The gap exists because rate cards ignore frequency discounts, barter deals, and the reality that most sponsors test one insertion before committing to a package. Knowing the spread helps you price the card higher without scaring away serious buyers, and it tells you when to hold the line versus when to flex.
Know someone who would like this? Forward today’s email—every operator we reach is one closer to running an online business with a little less friction.