# Running a Promoter Program That Gets Your Summit Speakers Sharing

> Give speakers tracked links, VIP pass commissions, ready swipe copy and a visible leaderboard, and they'll share your summit. Here's how to set it up.

URL: https://virtualsummits.com/join-our-summit-influencer-program
Author: Steve Eriksen (https://eventraptor.com/about-steve)
Publisher: EventRaptor (https://eventraptor.com)
Published: 2026-05-20
Updated: 2026-11-01
Section: Product News

A summit promoter program gets your speakers and partners actively sharing your event. Each person gets a tracked link and a commission on any VIP pass sales they bring in. You give them swipe copy they can paste straight in, and a leaderboard shows everyone's results, with a few prizes for the people at the top.

This guide is for coaches, therapists and healing practitioners who are hosting their own summit and want the people they invite to help fill it. If you came here looking for an affiliate program to join, we don't run one. What you'll find here is how to run one for your own summit.

Jennie and I rely on this. More than 5,000 people on the EventRaptor list found us because other speakers promoted our summits. Our own posts didn't bring those people in. They came through other people's lists.

## Key Takeaways

- Give every speaker and partner their own promoter link before promotion starts, so you know who brought in each registrant and each VIP buyer.
- Set your VIP pass commission before you invite anyone, and put it in the speaker agreement so nobody is guessing later.
- Send speakers swipe copy written for their session, including short PS lines they can add to emails they're already sending.
- Post a leaderboard at the same time every day, and attach minimums to prizes so a quiet promotion doesn't cost you a fortune.
- If you're a licensed therapist, check your board's rules on paid referrals and advertising before you offer or accept commissions.

## Why Do Speakers and Partners Promote a Summit?

Speakers say yes for the stage. Whether they promote depends on how easy you make it and what's in it for them.

The usual reasons are simple. Their session puts them in front of new people. A free offer in their talk can grow their own list. A commission pays them for the effort. And the friendships with you and the other speakers often last well beyond the event.

Eden Fried, founder of Rebel Boss University, made every speaker on her summits an affiliate. She gave them all their resources in one place, emailed them regularly, tracked affiliate stats and held people to their word. None of that is clever. It's consistent, and consistency is what gets that second and third email sent.

## The Five Parts of a Summit Promoter Program

| Part | What it does | What you decide |
|---|---|---|
| Promoter link | Credits each registration and VIP sale to the right person | Who gets a link: speakers, sponsors, partners, past attendees |
| VIP pass commission | Pays promoters for the sales they bring in | The percentage, and whether contributors earn more |
| Swipe copy | Takes the writing work off your speakers | Which emails, social posts, PS lines and images |
| Leaderboard | Shows everyone how the promotion is going | Leads, sales, or both |
| Prizes | Rewards your top promoters | Cash or gifts, how many places, and minimums |

### Promoter Links

Every promoter gets a unique link. When someone registers or buys the VIP pass through it, that person gets the credit. Without links you're left guessing, and guessing about money damages relationships quickly.

### Commissions on the VIP Pass

Destini Copp used a tiered commission on her summit's all access pass. Any affiliate earned 40%. Speakers who also added a premium resource to the pass earned 50%. That's a fair way to reward the people who put the most into the event.

When she looked back, she said she'd have speakers sign a contract next time. Write the commission rate, the promotion dates and when you'll pay into the speaker agreement.

For therapists and practitioners, this is the part to check carefully. Some licensing boards have rules about referral fees and how you advertise, so read yours before you build commissions into the program.

### Swipe Copy That's Ready to Paste

Andrea Jones, host of the Savvy Social Podcast, said the hosts she loves speaking for write swipe copy for her session specifically. The ones she doesn't love send generic copy with "insert your session here" in it. She also valued getting images in different sizes so she could pick one that fit her own feed.

Another podcast guest found a smart workaround for speakers who won't send a whole email about someone else's event. She gave them PS lines to add to emails they were already sending. A line like "PS, I'm speaking at the summit next month, and you can join free here" asks very little of a busy speaker.

Timing matters too. Speaker Trena Little said she likes six to eight weeks' notice so she can fit the summit into her promotion calendar. Copy that turns up the day before promotion starts usually doesn't get used, so track it on a [speaker promotion dashboard](/summit-planning/build-speaker-promotion-dashboard-summit-momentum).

### A Leaderboard Everyone Can See

Post the rankings at the same time each day and make the cutoff time clear. Some speakers will send one last email to move up a place.

If results are low, you can show rankings without the numbers and tell each speaker their own figures privately. You can run a leads contest before the summit and a sales contest while it's live. If you only run one, make it sales.

### Prizes Worth Chasing

Modest cash prizes often feel smaller than a well-chosen gift, such as a microphone, a camera or a teleprompter for filming. Let winners choose between two or three prizes of similar value, and include a cash option.

Always set a minimum. A minimum means a prize is only paid if the winner reaches a set number of sales or leads, so you never pay a big prize for a small result. Lots of speakers are just as happy to be named and thanked in front of everyone. And if this is [your first summit](/summit-planning/first-virtual-summit-small-list-90-days), keep the contest small, or leave it out until you've run the event once.

## How to Set It Up Step by Step

1. Decide on your VIP pass and commission rate before you [invite your first speaker](/summit-planning/summit-speaker-recruitment).
2. Add the promotion expectations and the commission terms to the speaker agreement.
3. Create a promoter link for every speaker and partner.
4. Write swipe copy for each session: emails, social posts, PS lines and images.
5. Send everything early, along with the promotion dates.
6. Post the leaderboard daily. If sales slow in the middle of the summit, add a small surprise bonus, like a gift card for the most sales that day.
7. Pay commissions and prizes on the day you promised, and thank everyone publicly.

## What EventRaptor Takes Off Your Plate

On EventRaptor, every promoter gets their own link. Your registrant list shows who each person came through and whether they bought VIP. The affiliate leaderboard ranks your promoters for you, so nobody has to rebuild a spreadsheet every morning. When it's time to pay, you export the promoter performance report to CSV and work out what each person earned.

Speakers sign agreements with e-signatures inside the platform, and the event setup has a place for your swipe copy link, so speakers can find their materials easily. Registrants sync to GHL/CRMRaptor with tags, and that includes promoter attribution across events. We don't take ticket fees on summit sales either, which matters when you're sharing VIP revenue with promoters. You can see how that affects your numbers in [what a virtual summit really costs to run](/pricing-plans).

If we're producing the summit for you, our team writes the swipe copy, session descriptions and speaker introductions. Your job is to teach, host and make the offer. The [full list of EventRaptor summit features](/features) covers the rest.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What Commission Should I Offer Speakers on My VIP Pass?

There isn't one right number, but it has to be big enough to be worth a speaker's email. One summit host offered 40% to every affiliate and 50% to speakers who also contributed a premium resource to the pass. Whatever you choose, decide before you invite anyone and put it in writing.

### Do I Need a Leaderboard Contest for My First Summit?

No. A leaderboard contest adds momentum, but it also adds work and costs money. On a first summit, a simple leaderboard with small prizes and clear minimums is plenty, or you can skip prizes until you've run the event once.

### What If My Speakers Don't Promote?

Make promotion easier before you ask harder. Send swipe copy written for their session, short PS lines and images well ahead of time. Then follow up personally, and remind them of what they agreed to in the speaker agreement.

### Can Therapists Run an Affiliate Program for a Summit?

Often, yes, but check your licensing board's rules on referral fees and advertising first, because they vary. Keep your promotion focused on education and your summit's topic, and never use client stories or testimonials. A simple thank-you and public recognition can sit alongside commissions or replace them.

### Does EventRaptor Have an Affiliate Program I Can Join?

No. EventRaptor gives you the tools to run a promoter program for your own summit: promoter links, a leaderboard, promoter reports and CRM sync. The commissions, prizes and promoters are all yours.

## Your Next Step

Before you invite your first speaker, write down two things: your VIP pass commission and one PS line a speaker could paste into their next email. If you can't write them yet, your offer probably needs a bit more shape, and that's useful to know early. It's also worth reading about [getting your virtual summit found](/feature-your-virtual-summit) beyond your speakers' lists.

If you'd like help planning the commission, the prizes and the speaker lineup together, [Book your Client Attraction Planning Call](/planning-call). We'll look at your summit idea and work out how promotion and follow-up fit around it.