The To-Do List
Starting with his first item on the list, he reads some tips on how to get accepted into an affiliate network.
He read that it can get tricky to get accepted if there is no previous experience in the industry or no one can refer you.
But he thinks “if am honest in my application and explain that I’ve no experience but am willing and eager to make this work, I should be ok.”
He also read that after the application it’s better not to wait for them to get back to him. But get in touch first with the person in the email in regards to his application.
Most networks rejected him due to lack of experience and no people to vouch for him (he’s new). But, he’s managed to get accepted into a couple of them.
His next move was to read/find out how to select an offer to promote.
Selecting an offer to promote
He read that he can start the process of finding a good offer in many different ways…
Like, taking a look at the “marketplace” or “opportunity wall” inside his affiliate network for top offers.
Or that he can start by looking at the countries that have the highest revenue in the last 7 days or so.
Or he can start with some “insider” tips from his Affiliate Manager (AM). He thinks this is the easiest thing to do for now.
“After all it’s in their best interest for me to make money as they will make money off of me.” He thinks.
So he gets in touch with the AM over Skype. The first thing after some pleasantries the AM asks him what GEO is his traffic suitable for.
He’s no idea.
Then the AM asks for the vertical he wants to promote.
He’s no idea either.
(He later finds out that GEO means the country and vertical is about the offer being either in the mainstream or in the adult space)
He remembers “Just make sure to select an offer with a reasonable payout and high EPC (Earnings Per Click)”
Kevin also remembers someone saying that more often than not, it’s not the highest payout that matters when selecting an offer.
And that smaller payout offers convert easier and thus could make him more money.
He’s not 100% sure on what that EPC thing means but he looks at his notes about it…
Earnings Per Clicks (EPC)
“Something to do with the important metrics to track. This one gives an indication of how the offer will do for every 100 clicks I sent to it”…
“…so an offer with an EPC of $1.5, means that sending 100 clicks to that offer would, in theory, make me $150 USD”
He later finds out that EPC for offers on most CPA affiliate networks is indicated on a per 1000 clicks earnings…
So if an offer shows an EPC of $1.5, in theory, that means, sending 1000 clicks would make $150 USD.
Anyhoo, his AM sends him a couple of offers via email. He also asks Kevin to ensure he’s got the postback URL set up inside his account.
And when ready to let him know so they do a test conversion.
He’s not sure what all this means.
“It’s time to get a tracker”, he thinks.
“As otherwise, I won’t be able to see what’s working or not and I’d be wasting money.”