LearnDash × Affiliate program
Run an affiliate program on LearnDash
Pay partners for the LearnDash course sales they refer. Siren tracks referral links and reads purchase events on the same WordPress site, whether students pay through LearnDash checkout or WooCommerce.
Start free with the Course Affiliate Program recipe on Siren Lite.
Can you run an affiliate program on LearnDash?
Yes. Install the Course Affiliate Program recipe on the WordPress site where LearnDash runs. Siren listens for LearnDash purchases directly and also supports courses sold through WooCommerce, so affiliates can earn a percentage commission on referred enrollments. The recipe starts free on Siren Lite.
“Robust, flexible, and built by someone who understands real-world affiliate program complexity.” Julian Foster · Digital Strategist
How affiliate program runs on LearnDash
The same recipe everywhere. Here is the path a referral takes through LearnDash.
A partner shares a referral link
The link can send prospective students to your course catalog or a specific offer.
The student buys a course
The purchase can run through LearnDash checkout or WooCommerce without sending the student to a separate affiliate platform.
Siren attributes the enrollment
Referral-link attribution uses last touch, so the most recently clicked affiliate link receives credit.
The affiliate earns a commission
Siren calculates the configured flat or percentage reward. Automatic real-money payouts through Stripe Connect are available on Plus.
What is specific to LearnDash
The LearnDash details that change how this program runs.
Checkout
Works with either LearnDash or WooCommerce
Siren reads LearnDash transaction events directly and can also track course purchases routed through WooCommerce.
Course catalog
Match rates to individual offers
Set per-course rules when a flagship certification and an introductory course need different commission rates.
Completions
Use learning progress in other program designs
Siren also tracks LearnDash course and lesson completions, which can support completion rewards or engagement-based revenue sharing.
What you can reward, and what counts
The reward options and the LearnDash events that trigger them for this program.
Ways to reward
- Flat or percentage commissions
- Different commission rates for individual courses
- Recurring commissions on WooCommerce-routed renewals
- Automatic real-money payouts through Stripe Connect on Plus
What counts on LearnDash
- Course purchase through LearnDash or WooCommerce
- Course completion
- Lesson completion
- Refund or clawback reversal for WooCommerce-routed sales
Real ways teams run it
Course launches
Recruit partners to acquire students
Give educators, creators, or industry partners referral links and pay them when their audiences enroll. For help choosing partners and defining the commercial arrangement, <a href='/blog/course-creator-joint-venture-student-acquisition'>plan a course-creator joint venture</a>.
Offer mix
Use rates that reflect each course
A high-ticket certification can carry a different commission from a low-priced introductory course.
Multiple roles
Keep acquisition and authorship distinct
Affiliates earn for bringing in students, while instructors can earn through a separate royalty program for creating the course. Because the programs evaluate independently, both rewards can apply to the same sale.
Course Affiliate Program
A percentage commission on every referred LearnDash course enrollment, with automatic attribution.
The exact configuration. Install it on your LearnDash site in one click.
What you need
To run this on LearnDash
- A WordPress site with LearnDash active.
- Siren installed on the same site as LearnDash.
- The free Lite tier for the Course Affiliate Program recipe.
- Plus if partners should self-onboard and receive automatic real-money payouts through Stripe Connect.
Affiliate program on LearnDash questions answered
Does Siren track LearnDash checkout or only WooCommerce?
Both. Siren listens to LearnDash transaction events directly, so it can attribute a referred enrollment completed through LearnDash checkout. It also tracks course purchases routed through WooCommerce.
How does LearnDash affiliate attribution work?
Each affiliate shares a referral link. Siren records the visit and uses last-touch attribution: if a student clicks links from two affiliates before buying, the most recent referrer receives credit. You can also assign credit manually when needed.
Can I set different commission rates for different courses?
Yes. Per-course commission rules let you align each payout with the price and margin of the offer instead of applying one rate across the catalog. The <a href='/recipes/course-affiliate-program'>Course Affiliate Program recipe</a> is the starting point for configuration.
Can an affiliate and an instructor earn from the same sale?
Yes. Affiliate and instructor royalty programs reward different contributions and evaluate the transaction independently. The affiliate can earn for referring the student while the instructor earns a royalty for the course they created. Instructor royalties require Essentials.
Can I reward course or lesson completion?
Yes. Siren tracks LearnDash course and lesson completion events. You can use them for completion rewards or, with the Distributor feature on Essentials, engagement-based instructor revenue sharing.
What happens when a student receives a refund?
Commissions begin in a pending state, so you can hold approval until the refund window closes. Native LearnDash checkout does not expose a refund event to Siren and therefore uses this review process. Refunds on WooCommerce-routed orders are tracked automatically.
Other programs on LearnDash
Same platform, different reward shape. Each has its own page and recipe.