Affiliates are paid based on an action, whether that is a sign-up, lead and/or sale. The amount paid (commission) for each of these actions varies per program. Most programs offer one or many of the following commission structures: Cost Per Action (CPA): Also known as Pay-For-Performance or Cost Per Acquisition. This is a large part of the mainstream affiliate marketing industry. In a CPA program, affiliates are paid based on the action of a user. In a pay per action program, once a customer that has been referred to the merchant completes a predetermined transaction, the affiliate is paid. For instance, in eBook affiliate marketing, an affiliate might be paid $10 for each referred customer that purchases a new book. Cost Per Click (CPC): This is the actual amount of the click link that is being referenced. For instance, if you were researching a certain keyword to promote your new website, it would have a CPC associated with it; which would be the price that you would pay for a single click to your website. CPC is oftentimes used in a bidding environment, where the CPC that you are willing to pay is a maximum amount, and you can purchase clicks for a lower rate than what is published. Revenue Share (%): Revenue sharing programs are those that share a percentage of a transaction with the affiliate. These programs are extremely common in casino affiliate marketing. The affiliate will be paid a portion of the amount of money that a player deposits or loses (RevShare programs vary from program to program). The percentage of the transaction that the affiliate receives is disclosed ahead of time, and often is increased as the affiliate sends more or better quality traffic through the affiliate program. Affiliates can also be paid on Hybrid, which is a mix of different commission types. This is most commonly found in casino affiliate programs.