The latest articles on DEV Community by Maxime Yao (@maximeyao). https://dev.to/maximeyao https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4218086%2F23ef433c-2c50-47d3-8421-3a2298103d08.png https://dev.to/maximeyao en Maxime Yao Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:36:52 +0000 https://dev.to/maximeyao/im-a-student-writing-my-dissertation-on-affiliate-programmes-so-i-built-the-software-i-wished-1jo2 https://dev.to/maximeyao/im-a-student-writing-my-dissertation-on-affiliate-programmes-so-i-built-the-software-i-wished-1jo2 <p>I'm Maxime, a final-year business student at Exeter. My dissertation is on what makes affiliate programmes grow, and I keep hearing the same thing from affiliate managers: a few "super affiliates" drive most of the revenue, and the tools charge £50 to £300 a month before a single sale comes in.</p> <p>So I built ViralPayouts.</p> <ul> <li> <strong>No monthly fee.</strong> You pay 3.5% of what you pay your partners. No affiliate sales means no bill.</li> <li> <strong>Affiliates recruit affiliates.</strong> Every partner gets a customer link and a recruit link. Recruiters earn a small override you set, two levels and never three, so it stays a referral programme and not a pyramid.</li> <li> <strong>Plugs into what you use:</strong> Stripe, Shopify, Whop, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, RevenueCat or a signed API call. You can import from Rewardful, FirstPromoter, Tapfiliate, PartnerStack or Impact.</li> <li> <strong>Fraud checks:</strong> it rejects brand-bidding and leaked-code sales, and flags AI-agent and bot clicks.</li> <li> <strong>Payouts:</strong> export files for PayPal, Wise, Revolut, Airwallex, UK banks or US ACH.</li> </ul> <p>There's a test network with test money, so you can try the whole flow before going live.</p> <p>It's early and I'd value blunt feedback, especially from anyone running an affiliate programme. What would make you switch?</p> <p><a href="https://viralpayouts.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://viralpayouts.com</a></p> affiliatemarketing saas startup showdev