Affiliate Links :: Suggestions / Ideas

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JayZX535 Nov 23, 2018 @ 8:57am

Affiliate Links

Hey, all. I know this has been suggested before, but the original thread was rather old and I'd like to raise this topic again but perhaps with some safeguards to prevent the problems that were brought up in the original thread.

What is an affiliate link?
An affiliate link is a way to earn revenue via a partner link. For example, I'm a YouTuber. I often link back to the games I play in my video description. With an affiliate link, I would receive a small amount of compensation for anyone who clicks on my link and then purchases the game. It's a very helpful way of earning revenue as a content creator.

What are the potential issues with affiliate links?
The biggest concern brought up on the old thread was spam.
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/10/282992646975615546/
Since there are so many members in the community, everyone could start spamming their favorite referral links and clutter up the forums.

How could we prevent this problem?
I'd suggest two things to help remedy this problem. First of all, restrict affiliate links to verified creators. i.e. have an application process where the creator must verify that they are in fact a YouTuber/blogger/whatever, to provide just anyone from gaining access to referral links. You could even restrict them to more established creators (i.e. 1000+ subs on YouTube, x number of views per month on a blog, etc.) to help cut down on spam.
Secondly, completely restrict affiliate links from being shared on the Steam forums. Links should be used to draw traffic from offsite-- not to get money from those who are already here. You could probably implement an automatic system to catch and delete affiliate links, honestly, if you developed a way to recognize the link format.

Why implement affiliate links?
Affiliate links are a great way of supporting content creators by rewarding them for the traffic they generate. Many people buy games based off creators they see online, and these creators usually have options as to where they link to the games they're playing. Currently, Steam is disadvantaged by not providing affiliate links, and this may cause content creators to link to the games they play from other sources, thereby taking traffic and revenue away from Steam. Adding affiliate links would help draw more traffic to the site and earn more revenue for Steam itself, as well as supporting creators. Furthermore, affiliate links are good publicity, since they would show that Steam cares about content creators and is willing to give back to them in thanks for their support.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you'll consider this proposal. I think it would really benefit Steam, as well as helping the many content creators who use the platform to play their games.

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Showing 1-7 of 7 comments

cSg|mc-Hotsauce Nov 23, 2018 @ 8:58am

We don't need another avenue for spammers.

Reasons why... https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=4045-USHJ-3810

Last edited by cSg|mc-Hotsauce; Nov 23, 2018 @ 8:59am

Spawn of Totoro Nov 23, 2018 @ 9:21am

No.

We clear enough of such spam from the forums as it is. If Valve starts having an official referral program on Steam, it will be far worse and people will use it as an excuse to spam other referrals as well.

Steam doesn't need a referral program as it is already well know.

Brujeira Nov 23, 2018 @ 9:45am

Originally posted by JayZX535:
With an affiliate link, I would receive a small amount of compensation

Yeah, I stopped reading there. Why would the most dominant platform for sales of PC games give you a cut? It seems that you need Valve a lot more than Valve need you.