An affiliate relationship is a business relationship, which includes all of the attendant legal responsibilities. Despite this, a recent survey found that only 53 percent of affiliates “always” read affiliate agreements. For the 47 percent who do not necessarily read agreements, there are consequences for both affiliate program managers and the affiliates themselves.

The affiliate agreement statistics

The 2011 Affiliate Summit included a survey of affiliates that covered a wide variety of topics and pieces of information. One of the most interesting takeaways from the report, however, is that a huge number of affiliates do not always read affiliate agreements. 11 percent of affiliates sometimes read the agreement, 4 percent read it rarely and 32 percent never read the agreement.

The importance of an agreement

An affiliate agreement is, legally, the contract between you and the company paying you. The agreement outlines the duties and responsibilities of both you and the advertiser, and this includes quite a few items that will affect your long-term relationship with that advertiser. The agreement also outlines exactly how you can advertise the company’s product or service and exactly how you cannot. The agreement also outlines payment terms and, often, conflict resolution terms. If you have a question, a conflict or a concern about your affiliate relationship, it is likely covered in the agreement.

So read the agreement

Yes, affiliate agreements can be dry, long documents that can be difficult to read. Yes, reading legalese is not necessarily fun. However, not reading affiliate agreements can create negative experiences for you and for your affiliate advertisers. If you are approaching affiliate marketing as the job it is, you should read the agreements to make sure you aren’t on your way to losing the job before you even start.

The statistics cited here, and many more interesting affiliate statistics, are available in the Affiliate Summit AffStat Report