EPC (earnings per click) is the average amount an affiliate earns for every click sent to an offer, calculated as total commissions divided by total clicks. It combines conversion rate and payout into a single number, which makes it the standard way to compare offers with different payouts or commission models on the same traffic.
Formula
EPC = total commissions / total clicks
Some networks display it per 100 clicks (EPC × 100) to avoid small decimals, so check which version a dashboard shows before comparing.
Example
Example: an affiliate sends 2,000 clicks to a CPA offer paying $40. It converts at 1.5%, giving 30 approved conversions and $1,200 in commission.
EPC = $1,200 / 2,000 = $0.60
A second offer pays $90 CPA but converts at 0.5% on the same traffic: 10 conversions, $900, EPC $0.45. The offer with the lower payout earns more per click.
How to use it
- Compare against traffic cost. If you buy clicks at $0.50, the first offer is profitable and the second is not. EPC is the ceiling on what you can pay per click.
- Use approved commissions. EPC built on pending conversions overstates earnings if some are later rejected or reversed. Recalculate after the hold period.
- Segment it. A network-wide EPC averages everyone's traffic. Your own EPC by sub-ID, geo and device is what should drive decisions.
- Allow for RevShare lag. On revenue-share deals, commission keeps arriving for months, so early EPC understates the value of a click.
Why it matters
For affiliates, EPC is the fastest way to rank offers and decide where traffic goes. For brands, an EPC that is low compared with competing programs is a common reason affiliates move traffic elsewhere, even when the headline payout looks generous. Improving conversion rate often raises EPC more cheaply than raising the commission.
Related: conversion rate, CPA, RevShare, hold period.