You do not have to make every product in your shop. If you use and trust a course, a template or a tool that someone else sells, you can give it a product page of its own and send the visitor on to the seller to buy it. You add a link where you would normally upload a file. That is all an affiliate product is, and the same link can do several other jobs.
- Every product has an External URL box. Fill it in and the buy button goes to that link instead of your checkout.
- You upload no file and you need no payment set up for that product.
- An affiliate product is the best known use, but the link also works for free downloads, marketplace listings, courses, bookings, events and waitlists.
- Your own products and linked products sit side by side in the same shop.
What the External URL box does
A normal product in your shop has a file, a price and a buy button that takes the customer to your checkout. Stripe takes the payment, the order is recorded, and the download appears in the customer's account.
A product with an External URL has the same page, the same title, the same description and the same price display. The only change is the button. It no longer goes to your checkout. It goes to whatever link you pasted in, and you choose the words on the button.
If the External URL box is empty, the product sells through your own checkout. If it has a link in it, the button sends the visitor there. Each product decides for itself.
How to set up an affiliate product
An affiliate product is a recommendation with a link. You write about something you have used, the visitor reads your reasons, and the seller takes the payment. If the seller pays affiliates, the link they give you is what records your share of the sale.
- Get the linkSign up to the seller's affiliate scheme and copy your own link. If they have no scheme, use their normal product page.
- Add a productOpen Products in the admin and fill in the title, description, price and picture as you would for any product.
- Paste the linkPut it in the External URL box.
- Name the buttonType your own wording in the External button text box, for example "Get it on Gumroad".
- Publish and testClick the button yourself and check it lands on the right page.
The description is where you earn the click, so it is worth writing well. If you use an AI assistant, you can hand it the job:
Write a product page for [product name] by [seller]. Say who it is for, what the reader gets, and one honest reason I recommend it. Mention that the button is an affiliate link. Keep it under 300 words and write in plain, friendly sentences.
Seven other ways to use the link
The box holds any web address, so the button can send a visitor anywhere. Affiliate products are the obvious use. These are the others, and each one saves you from building something you do not need.
| Use | What you paste | Button text |
|---|---|---|
| Free download kept elsewhere | A shared link to the file | Download free |
| Product sold on another marketplace | Your listing on Gumroad, Etsy or Amazon | Get it on Gumroad |
| Course or membership on another site | The course sales page | Join the course |
| Booking or service | Your calendar booking page | Book a call |
| Event or webinar | The registration page | Save your seat |
| Pre-order or waitlist | The page where people sign up | Join the waitlist |
| A partner's or client's product | Their sales page | Visit their site |
A few of these deserve a closer look. A free download kept in a shared folder gives you a proper page in your shop, with a description and a picture, without moving the file. A product you already sell on a marketplace can sit in your own shop as a shop window, so your visitors see everything you offer in one place. A service such as a call or a workshop gets a page that explains it, with a button that goes straight to your booking calendar.
Link out or sell it yourself
Link out
- The product belongs to someone else
- The seller takes payment and delivers
- You earn a share only if the seller pays affiliates
- No file to upload, no checkout to test
Sell it yourself
- The product is yours
- Your checkout takes payment, with Stripe's fees only
- The download appears in the customer's account
- You keep the sale and the customer's details
Selling your own work through your own checkout is how you build an audience you own, because the customer becomes yours. Linking out suits everything else: things you recommend, things that live elsewhere, and things that are not downloads at all.
Keeping it honest with your readers
A linked product only works if your reader trusts you. Work through this before you publish one.
Before you publish a linked product
- Use the right linkYour affiliate link if you have one, otherwise the seller's product page.
- Write it in your own wordsSay who it is for and why you recommend it.
- Keep the price currentThe price on your page is what you type, so match the seller's.
- Say it is an affiliate linkTell the reader before they click.
- Click the button yourselfCheck it lands on the right page.
Links can change. Click through every few months and update any page whose link has gone.
Many countries expect you to tell readers when a link earns you money, and some sellers set their own rules for showing affiliate links. Check both before you publish.
See it working
The demo shop has a working example. The button on its page goes to a real product, so you can click it and see where it lands. This article was made with Djangify Content Blocks too: the stats bar, the contents list, the steps, the table, the checklist and the boxes you are reading are all blocks that an AI assistant adds to a page for you.
Plan your first linked product
- What do you already use and trust?Name one product or service you would be glad to put your name to.
- Who would it help?
- Where would the button send them?An affiliate link, a booking page, a free file or a waitlist.
Questions people ask
Do I need Stripe for a linked product?
No. The payment happens on the seller's page. You only need Stripe for the products you sell through your own checkout.
Can I mix linked products and my own products?
Yes. They appear in the same shop and the same categories. Only the button is different.
What do I put in the price box?
The price you want shown on your page. Match it to the seller's price so the visitor is not surprised when they arrive.
Selling digital products without platform fees
How the builder handles your own products from upload to delivery.
Read more →A complete tour of the eCommerce Builder
Everything that comes with the shop, from the page builder to the blog.
Read more →Self-hosted or managed hosting
Which way to run your shop, and what each choice includes.
Read more →- The External URL box turns any product page into a link to somewhere else.
- Affiliate products need a title, a description, a price and a link, and nothing to upload.
- The same link works for free downloads, marketplace listings, courses, bookings, events and waitlists.
- Link out for things that belong to someone else, and sell through your checkout for your own work.
- Tell readers when a link earns you money, and test every button.
Djangify Content Blocks Premium
Seven interactive blocks for articles, info pages and sales pages: a saved checklist, a guide, a writing box, a scorecard, a quiz, a version switch and a stats bar. This page was created using Djangify Content Blocks.
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