UpPromote
UpPromote marketplace spam: how to screen applicants
UpPromote holds every new sign-up as pending until you approve it, unless you switch on Auto-activate affiliates. So the first defence is to leave that setting off. The second is the fraud settings, which UpPromote says are on every plan. The third is a short checklist you run on each applicant.
Brands do report junk. One reviewer wrote "I'm getting scam and trash affiliates" (UpPromote App Store review, 14 September 2026). It is one person's view, but the same complaint appears in other reviews of this app.
An affiliate is anyone who sends you buyers for a cut of each sale. A marketplace is a directory where affiliates browse brands and apply. Every setting below comes from UpPromote's own docs, read on 23 October 2026.
Why do brands report spam from the UpPromote marketplace?
Affiliates have to sign up or log in to apply. UpPromote's docs say affiliates "can freely browse available offers on the Marketplace and apply to the ones they find relevant" (UpPromote docs, checked 23 October 2026). You then review them. The listing page doesn't say UpPromote vets applicants first.
Reviewers describe the result. One wrote that the marketplace "sent us nothing but spam and scammer signups" (12 April 2026). Another said "3 were coupon or deal websites that appear to add no real value" (21 June 2026). A review the same day said "there is no quality control or relevance of affiliate applications" (UpPromote App Store reviews). A coupon or deal site is a site that lists discount codes and takes a commission when a shopper uses one. These are a few opinions. UpPromote's listing is rated 4.9 from 3,904 reviews (Shopify App Store).
How do I stop approving everyone?
Keep Auto-activate affiliates off. In UpPromote's words, "Whenever someone signs up to be your affiliate, their status will be pending so you can review their application manually" (UpPromote docs, checked 23 October 2026).
The setting is called Auto-activate affiliates. If it is on, new sign-ups are approved at once. You can limit it to chosen programmes (UpPromote docs). Check it today.
The marketplace listing page we read doesn't describe a way to ask applicants questions of their own, so use your sign-up form fields. You review people from the Affiliates tab. A green tick approves, a red cross denies, and a trash icon deletes. Deleting wipes the affiliate's history, coupons included, for good (UpPromote docs). Deny rather than delete when you are unsure.
Which UpPromote settings block fake sign-ups?
Fraud protection sits in Settings and is available on every plan (UpPromote docs, checked 23 October 2026). The sign-up page offers five tools (UpPromote docs):
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Multiple sign-ups from one IP | Flags several registrations from the same address in a period you set. You can drop the sign-up, or keep it as denied for review |
| Email blocklist | Stops chosen email addresses from joining. You can unblock later |
| Detect spam sign-ups | Checks for real user behaviour on the form and flags bots. You get an email each time |
| Regional limit | Only affiliates from the countries you pick can register |
| Hide the form from search engines | Keeps Google and Bing from showing your sign-up page |
The docs say these tools "block registration from all sources", and the list includes the Marketplace. One exception: a customer who already has an account with you. You can only block that person by email.
For flagged sign-ups, start by keeping them as denied. That leaves a record you can look at, with a warning mark by the name. Dropping the sign-up means it isn't saved in your affiliate list (UpPromote docs).
Can I shape who the marketplace sends me?
Partly. When you write your listing, UpPromote asks you to set limits that affiliates can read (UpPromote docs, checked 23 October 2026):
- Promotion channels. You must choose "Allow" or "Prohibit" for each traffic method.
- Target audience. You pick age groups, gender and up to 10 countries.
- Restrictions in the description. The docs suggest naming rules such as no trademark bidding or no spammy email.
These set expectations. They don't stop someone applying, so you still screen each applicant. The sign-up form fields and fraud settings above still apply to marketplace sign-ups, per the same docs.
How do I protect commission once someone is in?
Two more settings guard the money (UpPromote docs, checked 23 October 2026):
- Duplicate referrals from one IP. You can ignore the order, or record it with a flag.
- Block sales from an IP address. Block an address you know is behind suspect sales.
Referrals are pending by default, and you can only pay approved ones. The "Auto approve orders" setting has an optional delay. UpPromote's tip is to match it to your return window. Allow 30 days of returns? Set 30 days (UpPromote docs).
What should I check on each applicant?
Use five questions. They are our suggestion, not an UpPromote rule. Add fields on your sign-up page so the answers are there when you read it. UpPromote lets you add and require fields such as a website or social handle (UpPromote docs, checked 23 October 2026).
- Is there a real site or profile? Open the link. Is it a live page about something, with recent posts?
- Does it fit your product? A skincare brand wants a skincare reader, not a site about gadgets.
- Does it promote one brand at a time or hundreds? A page of codes for hundreds of shops is a coupon site.
- Does the email match the site? A free mail address for a business site is worth a second look.
- Did they say why they want to join? A one-line answer to "how will you promote us?" tells you a lot.
Approve people who pass at least four of the five. Note why you denied the rest, so you apply the same rule next time.
Is screening enough?
In our view, no. Screening protects the programme, but it doesn't fill it. If the people who apply are mostly junk, you spend your time saying no.
The other half is changing who applies. See how UpPromote and GoAffPro handle approvals side by side. A blog writer who already covers your kind of product, and who you emailed, has a reason to apply. That is our view, and the checklist above still applies to them. Our guide to getting good affiliates into UpPromote shows the steps. Our UpPromote alternatives page covers other apps. Our page for Shopify stores shows how RecruitAffiliates.ai works for them.
Here is what to expect from a list we built ourselves. Our scanner found these people for public Shopify brands. Some were not promoters at all.
We ran this · 22 October 2026
Our scan found noise among the people shown for 30 Shopify brands
- An AI model read 30 random shown rows by title and address, without opening the pages. 9 were not promoters at all (30%, about 17% to 48% at this sample size).
- The product also flags coupon and deal sites. That flag is too rough to quote. It was wrong on the one flagged row we checked, and we can't say how many it misses.
- The product hid 2,613 of 5,537 people found as a poor fit before these counts. These are people found for the brands, not applicants to a marketplace.
- So the shown list holds some noise, and some deal sites may be in it.
This was our scanner's first search on 30 public Shopify brands on 22 October 2026. It stopped at finding addresses and ran no email checks, which the product runs when a campaign starts (how). These are people found for the brands, not marketplace applicants. Full method and limits.
How does RecruitAffiliates.ai fit?
It works alongside UpPromote, with no integration. It finds websites, blogs, review sites, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, and Instagram and TikTok creators who promote your rivals. It looks for an email address for each person (what each result means) and sends a personal outreach sequence from your inbox. All you do is reply. Each email carries your own UpPromote registration link, so every applicant still lands in your approval queue. That holds while Auto-activate affiliates stays off. You decide who gets in. See our pricing. Launch costs $79 a month, and the trial is 7 days with no card.
Questions people ask
Does UpPromote approve affiliates for me?
No. New sign-ups are pending by default. UpPromote's docs say you review each one, unless you turn on Auto-activate affiliates.
Can I block a country in UpPromote?
Yes. The regional limit lets only affiliates from the countries you choose register. It applies to every source, including the marketplace.
How do I block a spam affiliate in UpPromote?
Deny them from the Affiliates tab. Add their email to the email blocklist so they can't register again. If you delete them, their history and coupons go too.
Is UpPromote's fraud protection free?
UpPromote's docs say fraud detection is available in all plans, and its pricing page lists it on the Free plan.
Will RecruitAffiliates.ai bring more spam?
It aims at people who appear to promote shops like yours. In an AI model's read of 30 shown rows, about 30% of the people shown were not promoters at all (about 17% to 48% at that sample size), so some noise gets through. They apply through your normal form, so your screening settings still apply.
Sources
All checked on 23 October 2026, apart from the review dates shown.
- UpPromote docs, marketplace listing, how affiliates apply and you approve.
- UpPromote docs, auto-activate affiliates, pending by default.
- UpPromote docs, approve, deny or delete an affiliate, actions and what delete wipes.
- UpPromote docs, fraud detection, all plans.
- UpPromote docs, signup fraud protection, the five tools.
- UpPromote docs, sales fraud protection, duplicate IP and blocklist.
- UpPromote docs, auto approve orders, delay tip.
- UpPromote docs, form fields, required fields.
- UpPromote, pricing, fraud detection on the Free plan.
- Shopify App Store, UpPromote, 4.9 from 3,904 reviews.
- Shopify App Store, UpPromote reviews, four quotes, dated in the text.