What are automatic trades?
Automatic trades are a feature within affiliate marketing platforms that allow advertisers to automatically grant selected publishers access to their offers based on predefined criteria — without any manual review or approval.
Unlike traditional affiliate networks where publishers must apply to join a campaign, GrowthLift's platform pushes offers to publishers directly. When an advertiser activates an automatic trade, the system instantly opens the offer to all publishers who match the defined criteria.
How to use automatic trades in an affiliate program
To set up an automatic trade, an advertiser simply:
- Selects criteria for the publisher (such as vertical, country, or traffic type).
- Issues the automatic trade.
- Lets the system automatically open the offer to all qualifying publishers.
This creates an efficient workflow within any affiliate program, giving advertisers access to both new and existing publishers immediately — with the platform doing the screening.
Why affiliate marketers use automatic trades
Simplicity, efficiency, and coverage. Automatic trades allow advertisers to quickly give access to all relevant publishers, dramatically reducing time spent on pre-screening.
Consistency. When automatic trades are active, all new publishers who meet the criteria can begin promoting immediately. This ensures a constant flow of high-quality affiliate sales and helps advertisers drive traffic without delays.
Publisher efficiency. Affiliates can start promoting the moment they gain access to an offer — no waiting for manual approval. This helps them expand their promotions instantly and grow their affiliate income.
The best affiliate programs rely on automation
Efficiency and scalability are what separate good affiliate programs from great ones. Automatic trades make scalability possible by streamlining access to offers and ensuring only relevant publishers are onboarded.
The advantages — saved time, better targeting, higher referral volume, and maximised affiliate income — far outweigh the occasional case of an irrelevant publisher getting access (which is easily corrected by adjusting criteria).
Conclusion
Automatic trades are one of the most valuable tools for advertisers and publishers today. They make it easier to track sales, maintain payout schedules, and build sustainable revenue-sharing models between brands and publishers.
If you want to stay competitive in today's performance-driven market, automatic trades are a natural evolution in how affiliate programs are managed — combining technology with human oversight for the best results. Our account managers at GrowthLift are always available to help you set them up.
