One of the biggest things to plague me since I been online are people who want something for nothing. I’ve dedicated my business and personality to helping as many people as I can, whenever I can. Why? Because the more people I help, the larger my own business grows. It’s simple economics in my business. The more publishers I help, the more money I make. However, for people who dont know me, some things tend to get overlooked. I think the mindset of affiliate managers telling publishers to go run some offer they dont know anything about has seriously diluted the quality of relationships in this business. I saw it as a publisher and I see it even more now. Managers take note, dont rub shit off onto your publishers for the sake of trying to get traffic to a campaign. I know there is a certain protocol to follow in each CPA Network but you are only harming yourself, especially if you cost the publisher money.
Now that the quality of relationships ARE diluted to a degree, there is a crop of publishers who come to CPA Networks flat-out demanding they be told what is hot, where it’s working, and how it’s working. On this past Saturday, I was told to go f#ck myself because I refuse to provide sample landing pages on a specific campaign. Good lord people, it aint that hard.
Do you want the secret formula for launching an offer?
Here it is, in all of its glory.
Take keywords related to your offer and put them into a search engine. Look at your competition. Dont copy them because that shit is seriously lame and the more this happens, the more our lack of creativity sinks to a level where people outside of Affiliate Marketing refer to us as “scumbags”. Look at your competition, analyze them. What are they doing that you could do better? Find that out about them, and do it.
The lesson here is this. Nobody is going to give you shit. Nobody owes you shit. If you think anyone in this industry owes you anything, you need a serious wake up call. Unfortunately for you, that wake come call will probably come later than sooner. Take what little pieces of info you can get from anyone giving it and use this to start testing on your own. There are plenty of guys and gals out there giving a little bit back here and there but if you want the real answer it is coming from those who are giving these tips. The answer is that tips are being given, so that you will figure this out on your own. Sure, we are going to help with almost anything you ask but the truth is that if you do not get this down for yourself, you are always going to be relying on others to help you.
When you are in business for yourself, reliance is an issue that can break a business overnight. Dont do it.
11 Comments Received
May 18th, 2009 @11:32 am
Right on, Ruck. There’s a constant stream of freeloading n00bs flowing into the industry every month. Good thing for the rest of us - most don’t have the patience or understanding to withstand the business for the long haul.
May 18th, 2009 @11:44 am
True fact about ams trying to get you to run offers that you have no idea about - esp if you are a noob.
May 18th, 2009 @5:03 pm
“I think the mindset of affiliate managers telling publishers to go run some offer they don’t know anything about has seriously diluted the quality of relationships in this business.”
Can’t agree more!
When I started half a year ago, doing several hundred dollars per day, my AM asked me to run this and that offer, telling me high epc. My each test failed. Then I read the truth on wickedfire all offers don’t convert(we are talking about ringtones). He wasted me hundreds of dollars and my time. And the fail hit my self-confidence at my beginning of affiliate.
Currently I am doing several thousand dollars per day, and he works for a new affiliate network now. He wants me to join and gives me the highest payout which is much higher than my current ones. But I don’t trust him anymore! I won’t work with him anymore.
May 18th, 2009 @5:38 pm
Great post Ruck. I’m glad that you are not like some other networks who just dish out that copy and paste mentality.
~JV
May 19th, 2009 @1:46 pm
I found this article offensive.
May 20th, 2009 @11:53 am
Great point at the end of the day affiliate marketing is still a people business. Relationships are the only thing that will help you continue to grow.
Also… Network epc’s can be so deceiving that unless an AM has more info than that then they are pretty worthless.
May 21st, 2009 @12:06 am
Thank His Holy Noodliness this was said. Good shit, great article. If only we could get more new guys following this mindset - and more networks.
May 23rd, 2009 @10:21 pm
The reason why I found Aff Marketing so great are the many business models to success. I tell all new pubs this…find what works best for you and attack. You will see that once you start doing your “thing” so many “a-ha” moments will come. Don’t force feed yourself thinking it will help you more, when it really just makes for more frustration and confusion. I know this is cliche…but don’t try to re-invent the wheel either.
Great post Ruck!
June 3rd, 2009 @3:04 pm
Ruck, your advice is straight to the the point and is pretty much on the money, our paths have crossed several times in the past few years and l am pleased to say that you are a stand up guy who tells the truth even if folks are too dim to realise it or can’t take the honesty pill. regards nicho
September 7th, 2009 @8:32 am
With any relationship there is give and take. I think if you express specific business goals and state clearly defined intentions then you should expect an Affiliate Manager to match to the offer you are looking for.
Some markets require huge capital to break into and telling someone with a limited budget the money they might make if they get in knowing it costs a ton of money to enter is misleading. Yeah, an offer can pay out a lot after you spend XYZ amount of money to find a way to make it convert.
Eben Pagan said marketing is like drilling for oil and to expect 80% failure on everything you do. While I don’t believe that 100% I think a good affiliate manager that senses a publisher with good intentions should be able to point them in the right direction and take off some of that percentage.
Too many affiliate networks are hiring cutesy managers and come off sounding like coming soon to a theater near you offers with no real data or direction, just hype and this is wrong. That’s why I joined you guys because I feel you provide lots of value.
October 9th, 2009 @3:08 pm
This is a good quote…
“However, for people who dont know me, some things tend to get overlooked. I think the mindset of affiliate managers telling publishers to go run some offer they dont know anything about has seriously diluted the quality of relationships in this business.”
… and I have some advice for publishers on this one. Whenever you’re too the point of dreading certain numbers calling your phone because you know they are your Affiliate Managers calling you to - “get some volume” to that “awesome new offer” they got in their system… here is what you say:
(you don’t have to be rude, it’s quite surprising actually)
“Oh, thank you for telling me about this, if you don’t mind shooting me an email later about what methods of promotion you think would work the best that would be very helpful.”
This puts a little more burden attached to that often disruptive offer-push phone call, and should make any AM think twice about making it so quickly, and often. Phone calls from AMs are fine, but phone calls from AMs that don’t have any advice other than “run this offer” don’t actually help anyone.
My humble opinion.
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