Affiliate offers are usually compared by one number: the percentage. But for apps where people keep paying month after month — subscriptions, games, short-drama series — the percentage is only half the deal. The other half is how long a person you bring stays attributed to you.
This guide explains the two main models and shows, with simple numbers, why the difference can be bigger than the gap between 30% and 50%.
Two ways a program decides what's "yours"
The cookie window
When someone taps your link, a cookie or click record is stored. If they sign up within the window — often 30 days — the signup is credited to you. What happens next depends on the program: some pay only on early purchases, some on a limited period of spending, some for longer. The cookie window itself only tells you how long the click is remembered.
Lifetime attribution
The person is linked to you permanently at signup — by your link or by a code they enter. From then on, everything they spend (within the program's revenue types) earns you your share, for as long as they're a customer. There's no window to fall out of.
The question to ask any program is simple: "If someone joins through me today and is still paying in two years, do I still earn?"
Why it matters so much for short dramas
Short-drama viewers don't buy once. A typical paying viewer unlocks episodes with coins, subscribes to VIP for a while, comes back for a new series, renews again. A big share of what they spend arrives after the first month.
That means the attribution model decides whether you're paid on a viewer's first month or on their whole relationship with the app.
The math, simply
Let's use round illustrative numbers. Suppose a paying viewer generates $10 of net revenue a month and keeps paying for 6 months — $60 in total.
| Model | What you're paid on | Your earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 30% on the first month only | $10 | $3.00 |
| 30% for the life of the viewer | $60 | $18.00 |
| 50% for the life of the viewer | $60 | $30.00 |
Now multiply by an audience. If 200 of your viewers become payers like this, the first model pays $600, while 50% for life pays $6,000. Same audience, same content, ten times the money.
These are illustrations, not promises — real spending varies a lot by viewer. The point is the shape: when customers stay, lifetime attribution compounds.
Rate changes: does your level apply backwards?
Many programs raise your rate as you grow. Two details change the outcome:
- Does the new rate apply to all your viewers, or only new ones? If only new ones, your early audience keeps paying you the starting rate forever.
- Can the rate drop? Programs that recalculate tiers monthly can push you back to the base rate after a slow month.
The creator-friendly version: a higher level applies to everyone you've ever brought, and it never goes down.
How Tokime Partners handles it
At Tokime Partners, every viewer who joins with your link or code is yours for life — coins, VIP renewals and ad revenue. Your share starts at 30% and grows as your paying viewers grow:
- 30% from your first viewer
- 35% at 25 paying viewers
- 40% at 100
- 45% at 400
- 50% at 1,500
Each level applies to all your viewers, including the ones who joined before, and never goes down. The first 100 partners — Founding partners — get 50% from day one, for life.
You can see how the numbers play out for your audience in the calculator on the main page, or compare terms with typical short-drama programs on Why Tokime.
FAQ
What is a lifetime commission in affiliate marketing?
A lifetime commission means a customer you refer is attributed to you permanently, and you earn a share of their spending for as long as they remain a customer — not just within a short window after the click.
Is a 30-day cookie bad?
Not necessarily — for one-off purchases a 30-day window is standard. For apps where people keep paying for months, it can mean you're paid on only a small part of each customer's spending.
Does my share apply to subscriptions and renewals?
At Tokime Partners, yes: coin purchases, every VIP renewal and ad revenue from your viewers all count toward your share.