Every member in Buzzbassador belongs to a program (also called a tier). The program defines which codes the member gets, whether they have an affiliate link and what type, and what reward rate (if any) they earn on referred sales. Each section of the program editor can be turned on or off independently.
To edit a program, go to Programs in the left side menu, then click Edit on the program's row. To create a new program, click Add Program from the Programs page.
[ SCREENSHOT: Programs page showing Edit and Add Program buttons ]
Section 1: General Information
Give the program a title and description for internal use. Your members do not see this. Use the title to identify the program in your admin (e.g., "VIP Influencers" or "Brand Ambassadors"). Use the description to note its purpose, who belongs in it, or any internal context.
Section 2: Discount Code
This section controls the shared discount code that all members in the program can use for their own personal purchases from your store. Toggle this section off if members in this program should not get a personal discount.
When enabled, you can configure:
Discount type: Percentage, Fixed Amount, or Free Shipping.
Discount value: the amount of the discount.
Discount code: the code itself (e.g., TEAM20).
Product eligibility: all products, certain collections, or certain products.
Usage limit options: limit total uses, limit to one use per customer.
Restrict to Members Only: when enabled, members must use the same email at checkout as they used on their application form.
Restrict to Members Only setting is highly recommended to be turned on to prevent your member-exclusive perks from being shared around.
[ SCREENSHOT: Discount Code section in program editor ]
[ LINK: Referral codes vs. discount codes: understanding the difference ]
Section 3: Referral Codes
This section controls the unique referral codes each member gets to share with their audience. Toggle this section off if members in this program should not have a referral code (for example, a discount-only program for VIP customers, or an affiliate-only program where members only share UTM links).
When enabled, you can configure:
Discount type: Percentage, Fixed Amount, or Free Shipping.
Discount value: the amount the customer receives when using a referral code.
Referral rule title: the name of the discount rule in your Shopify Discounts list (e.g., "Program 1 referral codes").
Product eligibility: all products, certain collections, or certain products.
Usage limit options: limit total uses per code, limit to one use per customer.
[ SCREENSHOT: Referral Codes section in program editor ]
[ LINK: Referral codes: how they're created, found, and edited ]
Section 4: Affiliate Links
This section controls whether members get an affiliate link and what type. Toggle this section off if your program does not need affiliate links (for example, if members only share their referral code at checkout).
[ LINK: Affiliate Links: how they work and how members use them ]
When enabled, you choose between three link types: BuzzLinks (recommended), UTM Affiliate Links, or Referral Code Links.
BuzzLinks: each click generates a unique single-use code at checkout. Works independently of Section 3, so you can enable BuzzLinks even if referral codes are turned off.
UTM Affiliate Links: a UTM-tagged URL that tracks via cookie. There is an optional auto-apply code sub-setting that auto-applies the member's referral code at checkout; turning that on requires Section 3 (Referral Codes) to be enabled. With auto-apply off, UTM links work independently of Section 3.
Referral Code Links: a direct link in the format yourstore.com/discount/MEMBERCODE that auto-applies the member's referral code at checkout. Requires Section 3 (Referral Codes) to be enabled, since the link is built from the member's referral code. If Section 3 is off, this link type cannot be used.
You can also configure cookie duration for cookie-based link types. Cookie duration applies to BuzzLinks and UTM Affiliate Links; Referral Code Links do not use a cookie because the referral code itself carries attribution at checkout.
[ LINK: How cookie tracking works for affiliate links and BuzzLinks ]
If BuzzLinks is enabled, you will also need to configure the settings for the unique codes that are created for each BuzzLink session. These are separate from and independent of the referral codes you configured in the above section.
[ LINK: What are BuzzLinks and how do they work? ]
[ SCREENSHOT: Affiliate Links section in program editor ]
Section 5: Rewards
This section controls whether members earn a commission for the sales they refer. Toggle this section off for programs that do not pay commission (gifted-product programs, employee programs, or pure discount-code-sharing arrangements).
When enabled, you can configure:
Reward type: Percentage, Fixed Amount Per Order, or Fixed Amount Per Item.
Reward amount: the rate or dollar amount of the reward.
Included costs: whether to include discounts, taxes, and shipping in the reward calculation.
Restrict reward eligibility to certain shipping destinations: limit rewards to orders shipping to specific countries or regions.
Automatically decline rewards for self-placed orders: prevent members from earning rewards on orders they place themselves.
Automatically decline rewards for self-placed orders setting is highly recommended to be turned on as it prevents commission leakage to members who - whether intentionally or unintentionally - order with their own referral code and/or affiliate link.
[ SCREENSHOT: Rewards section in program editor ]
[ LINK: How commission calculations and refunds work in Buzzbassador ]
Save the program
Click Save Program at the top right of the editor. All changes sync to Shopify automatically; existing members' codes update immediately.
If you change the affiliate link type on a program, existing members' affiliate links regenerate to the new format on save. If you change a discount code, the new code replaces the old one in Shopify. If you turn off a section that was previously on, the related codes or links are deactivated for members in that program.
Notes:
Saving changes to a program triggers the "Your settings changed" email to all members in that program (if that email is turned on). If you want to customize that email first, do so before saving your program changes.
[ LINK: How to edit email templates ]
If you have multiple programs, repeat these steps for each one.
Sections can be toggled in any combination: rewards on with referrals off, affiliate links on with discounts off, and so on.
The default program is where new members are assigned automatically; make sure it is configured before you start accepting applicants.