New to PartnerStack: Best practices for partner onboarding?

Hey everyone, I'm a new SaaS founder and have been really digging into different growth strategies lately. Affiliate marketing seems like a fantastic way to scale, especially for a bootstrapped startup like mine. After some research, PartnerStack kept coming up as the go-to platform for managing an affiliate program, so I decided to jump in. I'm completely new to the platform, though, and feeling a bit overwhelmed.

My main challenge right now is getting the initial partner onboarding flow right. I'm finding it a bit confusing to figure out the correct workflow for inviting partners, ensuring their tracking links are set up properly, and then activating them efficiently. It feels like there are so many settings and options, and I'm worried about missing a critical step that could mess up tracking or commissions down the line.

I've spent a good chunk of time going through PartnerStack's knowledge base, watching their introductory videos, and even tried to configure a basic program structure. I've been trying to set up custom tracking links for different partner types and understand how to properly define varying commission structures. For instance, I want to offer different rates for content creators vs. integrators, but mapping that out in the platform feels more complex than I anticipated.

One specific hurdle I ran into was when trying to automate some partner data retrieval via their API. I was attempting to fetch details for newly signed-up partners, and kept getting an error. It looks something like this when I try to run a simple GET request to retrieve partner info:

[2023-11-15 14:22:01] ERROR: PartnerStack API returned 400 Bad Request - Missing 'program_id' parameter in request payload.
Request URL: https://api.partnerstack.com/v1/partners
Expected Payload: {"program_id": "YOUR_PROGRAM_ID", "status": "active"}

I'm pretty sure I'm including the program ID in my actual request, so I'm not sure if it's a formatting issue or if I'm hitting the wrong endpoint for what I'm trying to do. It's making me wonder if my entire approach to integrating our CRM with PartnerStack is flawed from the start.

So, I'd really appreciate any guidance on best practices for PartnerStack partner onboarding. What are the common pitfalls that beginners often fall into? Are there any essential configurations I absolutely need to nail down for a smooth launch? Any tips for optimizing the partner experience right from day one, so they feel supported and motivated?

Anyone faced similar challenges when starting out with PartnerStack, or have pro tips for a beginner trying to set up their first affiliate program management system? Your insights would be incredibly valuable!