Getting started — from application to first link

This guide walks you through everything from submitting your application to having a working tracking link.

1. How to apply

Head to the affiliate application form on the MoonFactory site and tell us about yourself. The application asks for:

Your name and email — the email becomes your login, so use one you'll have long-term access to.
Display name — how you'd like to appear publicly (your name, your business name, your handle).
Your country — used to figure out which tax form will eventually apply.
A short pitch — how you'd promote MoonFactory and who in your network it's a fit for. A few sentences is plenty.
Where you'd promote — the channels you plan to use (blog, social, podcast, newsletter, in-person, etc.).

The form is short on purpose. We'd rather hear genuine context than wade through a CV.

The application form has a security check (to keep automated spam out) and rate limits to prevent abuse. As long as you're a real person filling it in normally, you'll never notice it.

2. The review process

After you submit, the application lands in our internal queue. The MoonFactory team reviews each application personally — we look at:

Whether your audience or platform is a sensible fit
Whether your existing content reads as honest and substantive
Whether you've signalled willingness to disclose properly

Most decisions land within a few business days. If we're slammed, it can take longer — please don't double-submit. If you've waited more than a week with no response, email us at hello@moonfactory.dev with the email you applied under.

3. Approval

If you're approved, you'll get an email from us with:

A confirmation that you're in
A "first sign-in" link that takes you to the affiliate portal at portal.moonfactory.dev/affiliate
A short note covering anything specific to your account

If you're not approved this round, we'll send a brief reason. Most rejections are about fit (your audience and MoonFactory's offering aren't aligned) or timing (we're not actively expanding the program). You're welcome to reapply in the future if circumstances change.

Affiliate sign-in works through secure, single-use links sent to your email — no passwords to remember.

When you visit portal.moonfactory.dev/affiliate/login:

Enter the email address you applied under.
We send a secure link to that email — it's good for 15 minutes and works once.
Click the link in the email. You're signed in.

From then on, sign-in is the same loop: visit the login page, enter your email, click the link in your inbox.

If the link expires before you click it, just request another. If your email isn't recognised, double-check that you're using the address you applied under — your login email is the one tied to your affiliate account.

5. Setting up two-factor authentication (required)

Before you can do anything else in the portal, you need to set up two-factor authentication. Your account holds tax information and is connected to where money goes, so we don't make this optional.

The setup happens at /affiliate/settings/security and takes about two minutes:

Step 1 — Get an authenticator app

If you don't already have one, install one of these on your phone:

Google Authenticator (free, iOS and Android)
Authy (free, iOS, Android, and desktop)
1Password (paid, integrates with the password manager)
Microsoft Authenticator (free, iOS and Android)

Any standard authenticator app will work. Pick whichever fits how you already manage logins.

Step 2 — Scan the code

The portal will show you a QR code. Open your authenticator app, hit "add account" (or the equivalent), and scan the code with your phone's camera. Your app will start showing a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds.

If you can't scan (using a desktop authenticator, for example), there's a written setup key you can copy and paste.

Step 3 — Confirm

Enter the current six-digit code from your app to prove the setup worked. You're done.

Important: Save your authenticator app in a way that survives losing your phone. Most apps offer cloud backup, an export, or a recovery option — turn it on. If you lose your authenticator entirely and have no backup, recovery requires identity verification with the MoonFactory team and takes a few business days. We deliberately keep that bar high because account takeovers usually start with reset attempts.

6. What you'll see in the portal

Once you've set up two-factor authentication, the rest of the affiliate portal opens up. The main sections are:

Dashboard (/affiliate) — your at-a-glance view: clicks, conversions, pending and cleared earnings, recent referrals, and your default tracking link.
Referrals (/affiliate/referrals) — the people who clicked your link, with attribution details and which ones converted.
Commissions (/affiliate/commissions) — every commission event in chronological order, exportable as a spreadsheet.
Payouts (/affiliate/payouts) — your payout history with batch references, fees, and net amounts.
Marketing kit (/affiliate/marketing-kit) — logos, social copy, banner ads, and email templates you can use, with your tracking link automatically substituted in.
Settings:
- Profile (/affiliate/settings/profile) — bio, display name, social links, locale, currency, timezone.
- Payout methods (/affiliate/settings/payout-methods) — connect your bank account through our secure payment partner.
- Tax forms (/affiliate/settings/tax-forms) — submit W-9 (US) or W-8BEN (international), download year-end 1099 copies.
- Security (/affiliate/settings/security) — manage two-factor authentication, sign out other sessions.
- Notifications (/affiliate/settings/notifications) — choose which events email you and which stay in-portal only.
- Data (/affiliate/settings/data) — export your data or request account deletion.

Take a few minutes to wander through. The dashboard is the right starting place.

What to do next

Grab your tracking link. The dashboard has a one-click copy button. Read the tracking guide for how it works and where to share it.
Set up your payout method. Your first commissions will start as soon as people click your link, but the actual money transfer waits until your payout method is set up. See the payouts guide.
Glance at the FTC compliance guide. Five minutes of reading now saves a non-compliance notice later. See the FTC compliance guide.

Need help? Email us at hello@moonfactory.dev or open a support request from your dashboard.