The flow is the list of steps a user has to complete before you get paid: type an email, confirm it, enter a card, make a deposit. Short flows convert often and pay little; long flows convert rarely and pay a lot. Knowing the flow tells you what kind of traffic you need and what the conversion rate can realistically be.
In an affiliate offer, the flow describes the user journey from the landing page to the payable conversion, and what each step requires. Networks label common flows with shorthand. SOI (single opt-in): a form submit pays. DOI (double opt-in): the user must also confirm by email or code. CC-submit: the user enters credit-card details, usually for a free or low-cost trial that converts to a recurring charge. Trial: a paid or free trial period precedes the real sale. Pin-submit: the user confirms a mobile subscription with a code sent by SMS and is billed by the carrier. Deposit or FTD (first-time deposit): money must be put into an account, typical in finance and trading. Install plus event: an app must be installed and a defined action completed.
Flow length is the main driver of both conversion rate and payout. Each added step filters users, so a longer flow converts less often but produces a more committed user with a higher value to the advertiser, which is why a DOI lead pays more than an SOI lead and a deposit pays more than a registration. Reading the flow next to the payout turns a headline number into an expectation: a 2 USD SOI dating offer and a 40 USD deposit offer can have the same EPC on the same traffic.
The flow also tells you which traffic fits. Push, pop and redirect traffic convert on short flows with simple intent; search, content and email traffic can carry users through long flows because they arrive with intent and trust. Some flows carry regulatory weight of their own: CC-submit trials are subject to the FTC’s rules on negative-option marketing and must disclose the recurring charge clearly before the card is entered; pin-submit is regulated by carriers and national authorities; financial deposit flows fall under financial promotion rules in many markets.
Finally, the flow defines where tracking can break. Every step is a potential point where the click ID gets lost, a form fails on one device or a confirmation email lands in spam. When a campaign converts far below the network average, walking the flow yourself on a phone in the target GEO is the fastest diagnosis available.
One dating advertiser offers the same product under four flows. Your push traffic costs 0.10 USD per click, 1,000 USD for 10,000 clicks.
| Flow | Payout | Conversion rate | Approval | Revenue | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOI | 1.50 USD | 12% | 80% | 1,440 USD | +440 USD |
| DOI | 4.00 USD | 5% | 95% | 1,900 USD | +900 USD |
| CC-submit trial | 28 USD | 0.6% | 85% | 1,428 USD | +428 USD |
| Paid membership | 60 USD | 0.15% | 95% | 855 USD | −145 USD |
On cold push traffic the mid-length DOI flow earns the most; the longest flow loses money because almost nobody arriving from a push notification completes a purchase. Send warm email traffic instead and the paid-membership flow would likely top the table. The flow is never the best or worst in itself, only the best or worst for the intent your traffic carries. Numbers are illustrative.
Every field on an offer page — payout, cap, GEO, flow, KPIs, hold — decides how you get paid or get burned.
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The steps a user has to complete before the conversion is counted and paid, described with labels such as SOI, DOI, CC-submit, trial, pin-submit or deposit. It tells you how hard the conversion is and which traffic can realistically complete it.
An offer where the payable action is entering credit-card details, usually for a trial that later converts to a recurring charge. It pays well, converts rarely and carries strict disclosure requirements about the recurring billing.
A mobile subscription flow in which the user confirms with a code sent by SMS and is billed through the phone carrier. It needs mobile traffic in the right GEO and carrier, and it is regulated locally.
A short one, SOI or DOI, on a source whose users want the thing being offered. Short flows give fast feedback and cheap tests; move to CC-submit or deposit flows once you have traffic with intent and understand approval rates.
References are listed as plain text on purpose; look them up by title and publisher. Updated: 2026-10-05.
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