What are ACC Bonus Commissions?
Creator Connections Bonus Commissions allow you to offer publishers and creators a higher commission rate than the standard Amazon Creator Connections (CC) rate. By offering a bonus on top of the base CC rate, your products become more competitive and are prioritized in publisher content across the Wayward network.
Wayward only bills you on the incremental difference between your bonus commission and the standard CC rate, not on total revenue.
How it works
When you set a bonus commission through Wayward, publishers in the network see an elevated rate for your products. The net bonus promoted to publishers is calculated as:
ACC Bonus Commission - Creator Connections Rate = Net Bonus Commission
Example:
Your ACC Bonus Commission: 15%
Standard Creator Connections Rate: 10%
Net bonus promoted to publishers (and billed by Wayward): 5%
Setting up your bonus commissions
Before setting bonus commissions, you'll need an active Creator Connections integration. If you haven't connected yet follow the step-by-step instructions.
Once connected, you can set bonus commissions directly in the ACC Bonus Commission column in the Products tab of your dashboard. You can update these rates at any time.
Publisher distribution
Bonus commissions are distributed across Wayward's publisher network, which includes 50+ leading media partners such as Dotdash Meredith, BuzzFeed, The Strategist, Centerfield, Brit + Co, and many more.
Brands that offer competitive bonus commissions are prioritized for placement in publisher shopping content, including boosted placements in content produced for partners like NBC, Reviewed, and Mashable. Brands that do not offer a bonus commission may see reduced placement, as creators and publishers prioritize higher-paying opportunities.
Fees and billing
You are only billed on revenue where Wayward facilitates a bonus commission above the standard CC rate. There are no fees for simply connecting your Creator Connections account or for revenue driven at the standard CC rate.
Monitoring performance
You can track campaign performance in your Wayward Creator Connections dashboard to see how bonus commissions are driving incremental sales. Additional analytics features are rolling out soon.
Managing individual creators
You have full control over which creators receive your bonus commission rate. To remove a creator from your bonus program, disable them in your Wayward dashboard. This only affects their bonus rate through Wayward and does not impact their standard Creator Connections commission.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Brand Referral Bonus apply to Creator Connections sales?
No. The Brand Referral Bonus only applies to Attribution-tracked sales, which cannot be combined with Amazon Associates (the program that powers Creator Connections tracking).
Can I run bonus commissions on both Wayward and another platform?
We recommend choosing one platform to manage ACC bonus commissions to avoid duplicate commissions and fees. The advantage of running through Wayward is lower fees, since you only pay on revenue where a bonus commission is facilitated, not on 100% of ACC revenue.
Can I still use Wayward for Amazon Attribution alongside other platforms?
Yes. Attribution tracking operates independently and is based on last-click to a specific link. There is no conflict or duplication risk when using both platforms for Attribution.
What is the recommended starting commission rate?
We typically recommend setting a 10% bonus commission when launching your first campaign. This matches the minimum Creator Connections rate and gives your products a base level of visibility across the network, while leaving room to increase rates for specific high-value partners.