A discount code does two jobs at once. For the buyer it is a price cut. For the brand it is attribution: a code that only one creator shares tells the store who caused the order, no cookie needed. Codes work where links fail, in a spoken video, on a different device, days later, and in a checkout that never saw the click.
The trade is that the discount comes out of the order. A 10 % code on a $50 cart means the brand collects $45, and the commission is computed on whichever base the campaign terms name.
Example. A creator’s code gives 10 % off and pays 15 % commission on the discounted total. A viewer buys a $50 item, pays $45, and the creator receives $6.75. If the same brand computed commission on the pre-discount price, the creator would receive $7.50. Over 100 orders the difference is $75. Example numbers.
When brands use it. The pain this answers: “I have no idea which creator actually drove sales.” Codes are the standard companion to links in share-of-sales deals. The usual rules: one unique code per creator, no stacking with site-wide sales, and a stated base for the commission. Brands watch for leakage, where a code ends up on coupon sites and credits the creator for orders their content did not cause. Many solve that with a code that is only valid at the creator’s own price, or by reconciling against link clicks.
The creator’s view. A code is a material connection. The FTC’s FAQ treats a code that gives the creator something of value the same as a payment, so the post needs a clear disclosure (FTC). A creator should also ask whether the commission is on the discounted or full price, and whether the code is unique to them.
On HourlyUGC. When HourlyUGC counts sales itself, creator links and codes are the attribution, read from a connected Shopify store or HourlyUGC‘s pixel, last touch within 7 days.