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The quick reference for anyone who already knows the setup. Pick a network, enter your tracking domain once, and copy the two things you need:
  • Affiliate network: the parameter to add to the offer URL, and the postback URL to place in the network.
  • Traffic source: the click ID macro in the campaign URL, and the postback URL to place in ClickFlare.
The values come from ClickFlare’s own affiliate network and traffic source templates, checked against each network’s documentation. Networks that closed are left out. A network marked as not confirmed publishes no macro documentation, so check it against your network dashboard.
The mirror to keep straight: in a URL you send to the network (offer URL, campaign URL), the parameter is theirs and the token is ClickFlare’s. In a postback URL, the parameter is the receiver’s and the macro is the sender’s. So an offer URL carries sub2={cf_click_id}, and the network’s postback returns it with click_id={sub2}.

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Affiliate networks: how the two values work

1

Add the click ID to the offer URL

Add the parameter to the offer URL in ClickFlare, for example https://network.com/offer?id=123&sub2={cf_click_id}. Use ? instead of & if the URL has no query string yet. When a visitor reaches the offer, ClickFlare replaces {cf_click_id} with the visit’s click ID and the network stores it in that sub ID.You can also turn on Append Click ID on the offer, after selecting the network’s template as its affiliate network. ClickFlare then adds the same parameter for you. Use one or the other, not both.
2

Place the postback in the network

Paste the postback URL into the network’s postback or S2S pixel setting. Some networks set it once for the account, others per offer. When a conversion happens, the network replaces its macros with the stored click ID, the payout and the transaction ID, and calls ClickFlare.
3

Test it

Click through your campaign to the offer, check that the network received a real click ID (not the literal text {cf_click_id}), then fire a test conversion. See Troubleshooting S2S Postback URL if it doesn’t show.

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What the postback parameters mean

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Your network isn’t in the list

Every network works with the generic postback. Find the sub ID your network uses for tracking (often sub1, sub2, aff_sub, s2 or subid) and its postback macros, then build:
The postback macro is usually the sub ID name in the network’s own syntax: {sub2} on Everflow and TUNE, #s2# on CAKE, [ml_sub1] on MyLead. See How to submit an S2S postback URL to an affiliate network.

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Traffic sources: how the two values work

  • Click ID macro. The traffic source template puts it in your campaign URL as the External ID row, for example click_id={click_id}. ClickFlare stores the value the network fills in. Some networks (Quora, X, AdRoll, ChatGPT, Nextdoor, Rumble) add their own click ID to every click, so the template only names the parameter and has no macro.
  • Postback URL. You place it in ClickFlare, on the traffic source, under Traffic source postback URL. ClickFlare replaces {external_id} with the stored click ID and {payout} with the conversion’s revenue when it fires. Replace the highlighted parts with your own account values from the network.
  • No postback. A few networks only accept conversions through their pixel or their Conversion API. The card says which.
The full guide for each traffic source covers the cost macro, every tracking field, the network-side settings and the common mistakes.

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FAQ

They point in opposite directions. The offer URL is read by the network, so it uses the network’s parameter name and ClickFlare’s token, which ClickFlare fills in before the visitor leaves. The postback is read by ClickFlare, so it uses ClickFlare’s parameter names (click_id, payout, txid) and the network’s macros, which the network fills in when it fires.
Yes. Use your own custom domain in the postback and the campaign URL. Shared domains get flagged by networks and blocked by browsers. The domain you type above is stored only in your browser.
Yes, as long as the offer URL and the postback use the same one. If you put the click ID in sub3, the postback must return {sub3} (in the network’s syntax). Mixing them is the most common reason a postback arrives with an empty or literal click ID.
Networks change their macros from time to time, and some let each account rename sub IDs. Your network’s dashboard wins. Tell ClickFlare support so the template and this page get fixed.

Postback to a network

Build and test the ClickFlare postback

Traffic source postback

Every token a traffic source postback can use