Some of the issues we discussed included:

• Kris’ affiliate wishlist for CPA (cost-per-action/cost-per-acquisition) networks
• His top picks of CPA networks (including the top 2 – Convert2Media and Market Leverage)
• CPA offer databases (including CashTactic’s new branded offer database in conjunction with Offers202)
• How to get the most out of your relationship with your affiliate manager
• His recommendations for affiliate campaign management software (Tracking202 and Prosper202)
• CashTactics’ plans for Affiliate Summit East
• A teaser for his upcoming project with Ian Fernando

Check out the podcast below:

Links:

• Kris on Twitter
• CashTactics
• Convert2Media affiliate network
• Market Leverage affiliate network
• Kris’ previous appearance on the Friday Podcast

While promoting ebooks or digital products is one of the first options that new marketers will choose to follow, especially if they’ve bought the same ebook themselves, it can be a fairly difficult tasks to compete against other new and experienced marketers who have the same idea.

Focusing on lead generation or CPA affiliate marketing (cost per action) can be an alternative to entering pay-per-sale affiliate marketing.

I’ve compiled a list of the CPA networks I’ve worked with in a new section “Affiliate Marketing Review” which I’ll be updating when necessary.

If you’ve other questions regarding CPA marketing, or affiliate marketing, you can post them in the comments below.

Check out: Affiliate Network Review

In fact, with the scarce information available on PPV techniques, Josh has quietly been the go to guy for such information for many marketers.

Although some may loosely associated PPV with PPC or even media buyinig, there’re a number of differences and Josh came on the Friday Podcast to give specific tips on PPV. He also talked about:

• What is PPV and how does it work
• PPV traffic networks explained
• The 2 recommended PPV networks for new marketers
• Top mistakes when using PPV and how to deal with it
• Offer selection and optimization with PPV traffic
• PPV tracking and analystics
• The 365AdSolutions network

Check out the Friday Podcast below:

Links:

• Josh’s blog
• Josh on twitter

Uppdate: Josh has since left 365 AdSolutions and has started his own CPA network, TriFoxMedia.

You can also check out a recent interview on CPA offer promotion strategies.

Along with showing a couple of “tasks” posted on outsource boards with payout ranging from $5 to $100 per successful application (and part 2). What’s surprising/alarming is the number of “big name” affiliate networks on the list.

Ruck also opens up his affiliate application records showing a number of such seedy operations originating from less developed countries such as China (and part 2), Ruck has made it a personal mandate to expose fradulent affiliate applications, which ultimately hurt the networks, merchants and affiliates in their pocket.

What has impressed me about Ruck’s approach to business is that he pulls no punches and goes for the jugular every time.

–

On other news, Convert2Media has gone off the DirectTrack platform to its own proprietory platform, which should increase earnings for affiliates.

Also the coaching programs which they were to have launched earlier (mentioned in the podcast) have been rolled back a couple of weeks till after Ad:Tech SF.

Stay tuned.

Links:

• Friday Podcast with Ruck
• Become a Convert2Media affiliate

A presence on multiple internet marketing and affiliate marketing forums, Ruck is a warehouse of knowledge, having been in the affiliate marketing trenches and having seen the good and bad parts of the industry.

Ruck’s known for his brutally frank, no-BS approach to speaking his mind. You either love his honesty, or in the same breath, hate him for showing the ugly side of things.

I’d been looking forward to talking to Ruck for some time and got him to share his thoughts during our call.

We talked about:

• How he got started in internet marketing
• His role in participating in forums and starting the CashTactics blog (now operated by Kris Trujillo)
• His views on the affiliate industry, especially on the recent FTC press conference
• How to look for hot niches to promote in affiliate marketing
• How to build your affiliate business
• Convert2Media’s recent adjustment in sub-affiliate recruitment incentives
• Important facts every affiliate needs to know about scrubbing and shaving
• Convert2Media’s upcoming coaching programs for affiliates
• C2M’s next evolution as a full service internet marketing agency

Check out the podcast below:

Links:

• Convert2Media
• Convert2Media on twitter
• Convert2Media blog

Andrew’s in stealth mode and hasn’t given many public talks yet, though he’s certainly an affiliate marketer to watch.

Starting his PPC campaigns in Oct 2007, he generated over $1,000 in commissions in 4 days and has continued using PPC in his marketing campaigns.

I got him in for a Friday Podcast session, where we talked about:

• His start in internet marketing in the area of search engine optimization
• How he made the switch to PPC and some of the tips he’s picked up along the way
• An overview of the PPC case study
• Tips to optimize your landing page
• Key techniques you should use to maximize the success of new campaigns
• How to keep yourself continually motivated and achieving your goals
• Andrew’s preferred affiliate and CPA networks

Check out the Friday Podcast below:

Links:

• CashTactics blog
• PPC Case Study

Market Leverage ranks as one of the networks which effectively uses its marketing and branding budget to devastating effect. By contrast, I work with several networks with great affiliates managers, and one corp comm/PR person who isn’t really empowered to do much and/or doesn’t have any real budget to work with.

As networks see affiliate acquisition as part of the affiliate management success formula, doubtless there’ll be more resources channeled towards building a quality affiliate base.

I appreciated Market Leverage’s Digital Media Relations specialist Debby Phillips arranging a discussion with Market Leverage’s founder and CEO Mike Jenkins.

Mike’s certainly savvier than the average network owner (who’s typically a successful affiliate marketer turned network owner). Conducting some research, I’ve found that Mike has been involved in the business management aspects for a number of pretty large listed firms too.

I especially like how he’s constructed a holistic business ecosystem under his PrecisionPlayMedia group – with 3 components – DigitalLeads (an in-house offer production/packaging subsidiary), Market Leverage (the CPA network arm) and InboxBeyond (an email publishing arm) – which is how the top tier CPA networks structure their business.

During the discussion, we also touched on, but haven’t fully resolved the issue of whether the community-building /relationship-building approaches of social marketing via blogs,video will eventually clash head-on with the current incarnation of affiliate marketing, with the mostly shorter emphasis on one-off lead acquisition payout.

It’ll also be interesting to track Market Leverage’s upcoming announcements in the next 2-3 months.

Check out the Friday Podcast below:

For sign up as an affiliate, visit:

–> Market Leverage

Jason’s one of the super affiliates that I’ve learned a number of techniques from and he’s also one of the partners at CPA network Millnic Media.

I had a chance to talk to Jason and he’s mentioned that he’s spending lots of time monetizing the Facebook social network through the applications.

If you’re still wondering about the financial viability of developing a Facebook App, Jason talks about how a particular app generated $1 MILLION in a week (did I get your attention?), and how the arbitrage mechanics work on Facebook.

In fact, to get an insight, you might want to check out the presentation he gave at a Facebook Developer’s Garage in Vancouver last October.

Check these videos out:

As a bonus and if you’re new to CPA marketing, Jason also explains the mechanics of how zip/email submits work and what happens to the data collected by the network.

As Millnic’s set up by a group of affiliates who’ve created an affiliate-focused network, you can expect their offers to incorporate affiliate-friendly features.

If you’re interested, you can sign up for the:

–> Millnic Media CPA Network

UPDATE: Check out:

–> $uper Rewards Facebook Monetization Service

Sam covers topics like:

• How to select which affiliate/CPA offer to promote, especially if there might be 10 or 15 in the same vertical
• Demographic and conversion data for the offers she mentions on the call
• How to get great value of the your relationship with your affiliate manager

If you’re new or already working with a CPA/affiliate network, you’ll pick up great tips from this episode.

Check out:

–> NeverBlueAds CPA Affiliate Network

The audio recording is accessible below:

32 Mins | 7 MB