An affiliate company (also known as a merchant, advertiser, retailer, or brand) is any company willing to pay commissions to affiliates who promote their products. These companies partner with affiliates to generate more leads and sales.
Affiliate programs can use different payment terms. You need to be familiar with the three main types to get a better idea of how commissions work.

As ethical content creators, we’re constrained in the products we choose to represent in one of two ways: Either we’re limited by our experience to products that we’ve used and liked, that have affiliate programs and that are a good fit for our audience, or We’re constrained by the products we can get access to in order to evaluate them, either by buying them outright or getting a free sample or trial.
Brands select either an affiliate network or a SaaS platform as their technology partner, not both. For greater insight into networks and SaaS platforms and the types of companies that fall under each type, download our free Quick Guide to Affiliate Networks and SaaS Platforms. Oversee and manage the day-to-day operations, and strategy of a program on behalf of brands, including partner relationships, partner recruiting, activation and optimization. They work directly with affiliates and with the affiliate network or SaaS platform that services the technological needs of the program. The audience that affiliates look to influence to make a purchase, submit a lead form, sign up for a newsletter, test out a service, become a new customer, etc.