sales-skills/sales-performcb

Perform[cb] Platform Help

Help the user with Perform[cb] platform questions — from Outcome Engine campaigns and PerformSHIELD compliance through partner API integration, reporting, and payout management.

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. What's your role with Perform[cb]?

   • A) Marketer/advertiser — running campaigns to acquire users
   • B) Affiliate partner — promoting offers and monetizing traffic
   • C) Developer — integrating via the Partner API
   • D) Agency — managing campaigns for clients
   • E) Evaluating Perform[cb] — deciding whether to join
   • F) Other

2. What area do you need help with?

   • A) Campaigns — creating, managing, or optimizing CPA/CPS/CPL/CPC campaigns
   • B) PerformSHIELD — compliance, fraud detection, traffic quality audits
   • C) Reporting — dashboards, lead rating, value-based payouts, segmentation
   • D) Partner tools — tracking links, suppression lists, offer discovery
   • E) API — Partner API integration, campaign automation, report pulling
   • F) Payouts — payment schedules, minimum thresholds, commission structures
   • G) Integrations — MMP connections (Branch, Adjust, AppsFlyer, Kochava, Singular)
   • H) Getting started — application, approval process, first campaign setup
   • I) Something else

3. What's your specific question or goal?

If the user's request already provides context, skip directly to the relevant section. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the request maps to a specialized skill, route:

• Affiliate program design / commission strategy → /sales-affiliate-program
• Email deliverability → /sales-deliverability
• Building prospect lists → /sales-prospect-list
• Contact enrichment → /sales-enrich
• Retargeting strategy → /sales-retargeting

Otherwise, answer directly using the reference below.

Step 3 — Perform[cb] platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — platform overview, the Outcome Engine, PerformSHIELD fraud detection, campaign management, reporting, partner payout structure, MMP integrations, and key terminology.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Based on the user's role and question, provide step-by-step guidance.

For new marketers:

1. Submit your campaign brief to your Account Manager
2. Define your target CPA/CPL and daily budget cap
3. Upload approved creative assets and landing page URLs
4. Set lead rating criteria if using value-based payouts
5. Launch with a test budget; review PerformSHIELD reports after 48 hours
6. Scale spend on high-quality traffic sources; pause underperformers

For new affiliates:

1. Apply at login.performcb.com — include your traffic sources and experience
2. Once approved, browse campaigns matching your traffic type
3. Generate tracking links via dashboard or API
4. Set up postback URLs for server-to-server conversion tracking
5. Start with a small test; monitor EPC and conversion rates
6. Scale winners; use the API to automate campaign discovery and link generation

For developers integrating the API:

1. Get your API Key and Account ID from the platform — click the three vertical dots next to your name (top-right)
2. Call the single base endpoint https://login.performcb.com/api/v7/performcb_api with get=findMyApprovedCampaigns to discover available offers. Auth params are api_key and user_id (the user_id param carries your Account ID value — NOT a param literally named account_id)
3. Filter campaigns with status, campaign_type (e.g. cpi,cpe), trackinglink_traffic_type, and shape the response with contain[]
4. Generate tracking links programmatically; append sub-IDs (subid1–subid5, creative_id) or app params (source_id, google_aid, ios_ifa)
5. Pull reports and suppression lists via the same API; the API can also pause campaigns and change rates
6. Set up postback URLs for real-time conversion notifications and whitelist Perform[cb]'s postback IP 52.4.177.89

Gotchas

Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.

1. Approval isn't instant — Perform[cb] reviews all partner applications manually. Include detailed traffic source information and past performance data in your application to speed approval.
2. Traffic type restrictions vary by campaign — each campaign specifies allowed and blocked traffic types. Sending traffic from a restricted source can result in reversed commissions and account warnings.
3. PerformSHIELD audits happen continuously — unlike networks that only review traffic after payout, Perform[cb] audits in real-time. Low-quality traffic gets flagged fast. This is a feature, not a bug — it protects both advertisers and affiliates.
4. API docs require login — the full API reference at login.performcb.com is behind authentication. You must have an active account to access complete endpoint documentation.
5. Lead rating affects your effective payout — if a marketer uses value-based payouts, your actual earnings per lead depend on the quality score your leads receive, not just the listed payout rate.
6. $50 minimum payout — earnings below $50 roll over to the next payment cycle. Factor this into your testing budget.
7. API auth param is user_id, not account_id — the v7 Partner API passes credentials as query params api_key and user_id, where user_id carries your Account ID value. Sending it as account_id will fail auth. The endpoint is a single base URL (/api/v7/performcb_api) with the operation chosen via get= (e.g. get=findMyApprovedCampaigns).
8. Whitelist the postback IP 52.4.177.89 — Perform[cb] postbacks come from this IP; whitelist it in your tracking platform or conversions can be silently dropped.

• Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to references/learnings.md with today's date.

Related Skills

• /sales-affiliate-program — Design affiliate programs, commission structures, recruitment strategies, and payout optimization
• /sales-retargeting — Retargeting strategy for driving users back after initial exposure
• /sales-integration — Connect Perform[cb] with your CRM, analytics, or automation tools
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do

Examples

Example 1: Marketer launching their first CPA campaign

User: "I want to run a CPA campaign for my health & wellness brand on Perform[cb]. Where do I start?"

Approach: Walk through the marketer launch checklist. Start with defining the desired action (purchase, signup, trial) and target CPA. Recommend starting with a test budget of $500-$1,000 to establish baseline performance. Emphasize setting up lead rating early so you can differentiate high-value conversions from low-quality ones. Suggest scheduling a kickoff with their assigned Account Manager to align on creative guidelines and traffic source preferences.

Example 2: Affiliate integrating the Partner API

User: "I want to automatically pull my approved campaigns and generate tracking links via the API."

Approach: Walk through the API setup: get API Key and Account ID (three-dots menu by your name), call the base endpoint with get=findMyApprovedCampaigns&api_key=...&user_id=... (the user_id param carries the Account ID — not a literal account_id param) plus page/paginate_by pagination, parse campaign data (click URL, payout, restrictions), and store locally. Show how to filter by status, trackinglink_traffic_type, and campaign_type, and use contain[] to shape fields. Note that the API supports both JSON and XML — recommend JSON for modern integrations. Suggest caching campaign data and refreshing daily rather than on every request.

Example 3: Evaluating Perform[cb] vs other CPA networks

User: "Should I join Perform[cb] or MaxBounty as my first CPA network?"

Approach: Compare key factors: Perform[cb] is ranked #1 CPA network (mThink) with AI-powered optimization and strong fraud protection via PerformSHIELD. MaxBounty is known for easier approval and wider offer variety for beginners. Perform[cb]'s 90% non-Facebook/Google traffic is unique — better for affiliates not dependent on social/search. Recommend joining both if possible — each network has exclusive offers. Key questions: What's your traffic type? What vertical are you in? How much traffic volume can you drive?

Troubleshooting

Application got rejected

Perform[cb] has a selective approval process. Common rejection reasons: insufficient traffic volume details in application, no proven track record, or traffic sources that don't align with current campaign needs. Reapply with specific data — monthly traffic volume, top geos, past network earnings screenshots, and which verticals you specialize in. Reach out to the Partner Development Team directly with your application details.

Conversions not tracking

Check three things: (1) Your tracking link is the correct click URL from the campaign, not a modified or cached version. (2) Your postback URL is set up correctly with the right macros for conversion ID and payout. (3) The campaign's allowed traffic types match your actual traffic source. If using an MMP (Branch, Adjust, etc.), verify the integration is passing the correct attribution parameters. Check the API for conversion event definitions — some campaigns require specific events beyond the initial click.

Low EPC compared to listed payout

If your EPC is significantly lower than the campaign's listed payout, the issue is conversion rate, not payout manipulation. Check: (1) Traffic quality — are you sending the right audience? (2) Landing page match — does your pre-lander set correct expectations? (3) Geo mismatch — the campaign may convert better in specific countries. (4) Device targeting — some offers convert better on mobile vs desktop. Use the reporting dashboard to segment by device, geo, and day-of-week to identify patterns.