The Affiliate Marketing Podcast

From Casino Dealer to iGaming Exit: What Hustle Actually Looks LikeYou've heard people credit their success to luck. Karolina Pelc doesn't buy it. The founder of BeyondPlay, who built and sold her gaming software startup to FanDuel in 2024, traces every "fortunate" moment back to a decision, a risk, or a leap taken before she felt ready. In this episode, she joins Lee-Ann to talk about building a business in a male-dominated industry, the lessons that only come from failing, and her new book Her Play, which challenges the narrative that success is something that happens to you.About Karolina PelcKarolina Pelc has spent over 20 years in gaming, starting as a casino dealer in Poland before working at London's most prestigious clubs and spending three years on cruise ships. She moved into online gaming as it was emerging, held roles across marketing, product, and business management, and was part of the LeoVegas team during its most exciting growth phase. She went on to found BeyondPlay, a software-as-a-service company specialising in multiplayer and jackpot products, which was acquired by FanDuel in February 2024. She now mentors early-stage founders and has channelled her journey into her debut book, Her Play, which publishes on 9 June in the UK & Europe and on 8th September in the USA & Canada.Talking Points Include:Why luck is a byproduct of motion, not a personality trait — the phrase at the heart of Her Play, and why Karolina developed it in response to a question she kept getting asked after the saleWhat a cruise ship taught her about multiplayer gaming — and why the product idea she eventually built and sold wasn't random at allThe three moments she knew she had outgrown the room — from leaving a cruise ship job without a plan, to founding a startup in a 43-square-metre apartment during COVID lockdownHow failure compounds into advantage — why the jackpot product that got BeyondPlay acquired only existed because the original product wasn't getting traction fast enoughBuilding confidence in a male-dominated industry — Karolina's honest take on gender dynamics in gaming and the startup investment world, and why she sees her experience as a superpower rather than a disadvantageListen to Find Out More About:What Karolina actually took away from her two visits to Necker Island, and how the experience shaped the book and her decision to mentor foundersHow she navigated the identity crisis that came after selling BeyondPlay, and what helped her work out what she wanted to do nextThe specific moment during COVID that convinced her to found the company rather than take a permanent job, despite every rational signal pointing the other wayWhy she believes your past experience is never a liability, and how that thinking connects directly to what affiliate managers do every dayThe five key takeaways Lee-Ann pulls from the conversation — including a fifth one Karolina adds herself, live on micKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:38] Karolina's introduction and the story behind HerPlay — from land-based casino dealer to iGaming exec to founder[05:37] "Luck is a byproduct of motion" — where the phrase came from and what it actually means in practice[18:15] The three defining leaps in Karolina's career, and what finally made her take each one[25:00] Necker Island, Richard Branson, and the full-circle moment that launched the book[32:00] Lee-Ann's four-point summary — and Karolina's fifth, which might be the best of allSend me a text with your questions

Every major insight, turning point, and uncomfortable truth from the season that changed how the industry thinks about performanceIf you missed any episode this season, or if you listened to all of them and want to make sense of where they connect, this is the one to come back to. Lee-Ann revisits every guest from Season 24 and draws out the thread that ran through every conversation: affiliate marketing is not evolving slowly anymore. It's shifting in real time, and the programs that are built on old assumptions are already falling behind.Talking Points Include:What our guests collectively confirmed -- the season's guests came from different corners of the industry, but they all arrived at the same conclusionWhy last-click attribution was already broken before AI made it worse -- the season built a steady, cumulative case against over-reliance on a single measurement model, and this episode pulls that argument togetherThe themes that surfaced again and again across eleven episodes -- zero-click search, compliance as a growth lever, open attribution, human relationships in an automated world, and what it really means to diversify a program in 2026Listen to Find Out More About:Why Lee-Ann opens the wrap-up by referencing what the season opener promised, and whether the season actually delivered on itWhat Jon Ostler called "the great affiliate bypass" and why the structural shift he described is only going to accelerate from hereStuart Miles's central lesson about low-friction partnerships and why it applies far beyond the tech and gadget publishing world he comes fromThe moment in Lauryn Day's episode where the conversation about creator content and AI changes in search made clear that this is no longer a future concernWhat Lee-Ann says she's taking into the next season, and the note of genuine optimism underneath a very clear-eyed summary of how much pressure the industry is underKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[02:27] Ishtvan Torpoi revisited: the mega lag controversy and why disciplined monitoring beats partner volume every time[06:20] Jon Ostler's great affiliate bypass: AI citations, publisher investment, and the attribution gap that last click can't explain[18:47] Adam Ross on invisible revenue: how AWIN's Conversion Protection Initiative recovered $250 million in previously untracked value[28:56] Alex Springer on open attribution: why collaboration across networks, publishers, and brands is now happening for the first time[33:49] Lee-Ann's season close: what the industry learned, what still needs to change, and what Season 25 is already being built aroundStay Ahead with AffiverseIf Season 24 raised questions about how your program is structured for what's coming, the Affiverse newsletter is where Lee-Ann continues the conversation between seasons. You'll get the insights, industry commentary, and practical frameworks that don't wait for a new episode to drop.Subscribe to the Affiverse newsletter and stay connected to the thinking that's shaping the next season of affiliate marketing strategy.Send me a text with your questions

The E-Commerce Brand's Guide to Unified Performance Marketing in 2026If your affiliate and influencer teams are still working in separate silos with separate budgets and separate tools, this episode will challenge everything about how you've structured your program. Lauryn Day, Director of Agency Partnerships at Levanta, joins Lee-Ann to explain why the lines between affiliate and creator marketing have blurred beyond the point of separate strategies, what a unified approach actually looks like in practice, and why the brands thriving right now are the ones that have stopped treating these two channels as competitors for budget.This is a practical, no-nonsense conversation about how modern e-commerce brands are scaling creator and affiliate programs across Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart, and what the data tells us about where discovery and conversion are actually happening in 2026.About Lauryn DayLauryn Day is Director of Agency Partnerships at Levanta, the leading affiliate marketing software for marketplace sellers. Having started her career on the brand side before moving into tech, she brings a practical, dual-perspective view to creator and affiliate strategy that is rare in this space.Talking Points Include:Why most affiliate infrastructure was built more than 20 years ago and no longer reflects how brands actually operate, and what a modern platform built for today's e-commerce reality looks likeHow Levanta's one-click integration with Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart collapses what used to be a multi-tool, multi-spreadsheet operation into a single five-minute setupWhat AI is actually doing to the shopper journey, and why the data shows less than 10% of consumers who use AI for product research convert through itThe product sampling tool that replaced a spreadsheet-and-email nightmare and why brands are calling it one of the most immediately impactful features they've adoptedHow creator content is now serving two parts of the buying funnel at once: driving direct discovery and feeding the LLM recommendations that consumers use to shortlist productsThe real cost of over-indexing on bottom-funnel partners like coupon and loyalty sites, and how to build a program that serves the full funnelKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:46] What Levanta is, how it was built, and why most affiliate infrastructure was already out of date before the creator economy arrived[10:24] How consolidating creator and affiliate data into one platform changes the quality of decisions brands can make, with real client context[22:12] Why treating creator and affiliate as separate strategies is the most common and most costly mistake Lauryn sees, and how to fix it[26:30] Lauryn's three actionable tips for brands getting their programs ready for 2026:Consolidate your tech stack. Unify your creator, affiliate, and marketplace channels under one program so your team can focus on strategy rather than administration.Invest in top-of-funnel creator content. UGC builds brand trust, drives direct discovery, and increasingly feeds the AI recommendations consumers use to shortlist products.Stay nimble and test often. Whether it's trialling higher commissions for specific creators, experimenting with a hybrid compensation model, or testing a new content format, run short tests, look at the data, and be willing to pivot quickly.A huge thank you to Lauryn Day for joining us and sharing her insights on where creator and affiliate marketing is heading. If you want to explore what Levanta can do for your program, you can connect with Lauryn directly on LinkedIn or reach out Send me a text with your questions

Why Every Affiliate Manager Needs to Understand What's Happening to Search Right NowSearch is changing faster than most programs can adapt. AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are absorbing customer journeys that used to generate trackable clicks, and the content that influences purchasing decisions is increasingly going unrecognised and unpaid.In this episode, Lee-Ann sits down with Alex Springer, Director at openattribution.org, and Leanna Klyne, Head of Agency at KonverJ, to unpack what open attribution actually means, why last-click attribution was already broken before AI arrived, and what the industry is doing about it together, many of them for the very first time.If you work with publishers, run an affiliate program, or depend on content-driven traffic to generate sales, this conversation will reshape how you think about measurement, value, and what comes next.Talking Points Include:Why content creators are producing value they will never be paid for and what needs to change before the affiliate industry loses its commercial foundation entirelyThe difference between how people shop and how AI thinks people buy and why that gap is exactly where affiliate marketing's future opportunity livesWhy last click was always a fiction and why the shift to AI-assisted search is finally forcing the industry to confront itWhat Open Attribution actually is and why it starts with something as simple as a list of URLs that changed everythingListen to Find Out More About:What the agentic commerce protocols from OpenAI and Google actually do, and why the contributions Open Attribution is making to them matter for every publisher and brand in performance marketingWhy some of the highest-quality publisher content has been deliberately removed from AI training sets, and what that means for the accuracy of AI recommendations right nowThe early warning signs that brands and affiliate managers should be watching for as AI-generated content starts to game LLM visibility the same way SEO was gamed in the early days of GoogleHow the SPUR initiative and the APMA AI task force connect to what Open Attribution is building, and where compliance and governance conversations are actually happeningWhy Alex believes websites are not going away in five years, and what types of purchases will continue to require the kind of considered, content-led journeys that affiliate publishers are built to supportKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[02:47] Alex introduces Open Attribution, his decade in performance marketing, and why he shifted focus from AI as a technology to AI as an industry actor[05:45] Why last click was already broken before AI, and what transparency and usage auditability actually mean for content owners and brands[27:05] The CPA debate: whether cost-per-acquisition still makes sense, what influence really means now, and why the shopping journey has always been more complex than the model we used to measure itReady to Build a Smarter Affiliate Program?If this episode raised questions about how your program is measuring influence, attributing value, or preparing for an AI-first customer journey, the KonverJ team can help. We work with brands and publishers to build affiliate strategies that are built for where performance marketing is heading, not just where it has been.Get in touch with the KonverJ team to find out how we can help you build a program that performs in the new landscape.Send me a text with your questions

How treating compliance as a marketing function rather than a legal checkbox can protect your program, your brand, and your bottom line.If compliance makes your eyes glaze over, this episode is worth pushing through. Sarafina Wolde Gabriel, CEO of Rightlander and a 20-year veteran of affiliate marketing, joins Lee-Ann to make the case that compliance is not a legal formality but a direct driver of revenue. They get into why the biggest programs are still leaving massive blind spots unchecked, what AI-generated content is doing to risk exposure, why a large affiliate is not automatically a compliant one, and the practical steps any affiliate manager can take today to audit their program before a regulator does it for them.Listen to Find Out More About:Why even a compliant, long-standing affiliate in your program can still be exposing your brand through content they published years ago and have forgotten aboutHow the Honey browser extension scandal is a preview of the tracking integrity challenges that are coming for affiliate programs this yearWhat Sarafina would prioritise in the first week of managing a new affiliate program to put the right compliance foundations in place from day oneWhy proving to a regulator that you had systems and monitoring in place before a problem occurred can be the difference between a warning and a fineHow to split compliance responsibilities across your team so it does not all sit on one person and quietly fall off the priority list during busy periodsThe one piece of advice Sarafina would give any affiliate manager building a program from scratch, and why knowing your affiliates is still the most important thing in this industry after 20 yearsKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[03:05] Why the foundations of affiliate marketing have not fundamentally changed in 20 years, and what that means for how you should still be operating today[05:09] What actually happens to revenue when compliance fails, and the moment a customer walks away because your affiliate's promotional content did not match reality[06:38] Rightlander's core function explained: scanning, risk scoring, and giving affiliate managers an action step rather than just a data dump[21:58] The two compliance trends coming in the next two to three years that most programs are not yet preparing for[23:26] The five-point compliance checklist Sarafina recommends for any affiliate manager who has never formally audited their program beforeCall to ActionA big thank you to Sarafina Wolde Gabriel for joining us this week and for making compliance feel like something worth paying attention to rather than something to hand off to legal. You can connect with Sarafina on LinkedIn and find out more about what Rightlander does at rightlander.com.If you want more practical insight like this delivered directly to you, sign up for the Affiverse newsletter at affiversemedia.com. We cover the latest in affiliate marketing strategy, industry news, and program growth every week, and it is one of the simplest ways to stay ahead without having to go looking for it yourself.Rate, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts"I love the Affiliate Marketing Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please give us a 5 Star rating here! Taking the time to do that helps us support more people in our community to access affiliate marketing insights, expert-led learnings, and allows us to share the latest tactics that help affiliate programs and businesses grow.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and selSend me a text with your questions

Why personalised affiliate recruitment still outperforms automation (and what the best affiliate managers do differently)If your affiliate recruitment is generating lists but not conversations, this episode is your reset. Frederic Jean-Bart, founder of Performance Partners, has spent 17 years building relationships across every side of this industry: affiliate networks, brand-side program management, and as an affiliate himself. Lee-Ann and Fred get into why the era of AI-generated outreach is actually making human connection more valuable, not less, how deal making with high-quality affiliates is where real program growth happens, and what separates elite affiliate managers from everyone else hitting send on the same mass email.Listen to Find Out More About:The exact communication gap between what affiliate managers send and what top publishers actually need to see before they say yesWhy media buyers are among the best affiliates for scale but require a completely different recruitment and relationship strategy than any other partner typeHow AEO and brand citation are starting to change where affiliate influence happens in the customer journey, and what that means for program strategyWhy Fred's advice to his 2009 self comes down to one word and what that means practically for anyone building a career in this industryThe rapid fire breakdown on CPA versus revenue share, the one book Fred says every agency owner should read, and why boring operations beat exciting chaos every single timeWhat trust actually looks like in practice with high-value affiliate partners, and why paying on time is as much a relationship signal as any personal outreachKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:51] Fred introduces his 17-year career spanning network, brand, and affiliate sides of the industry and why building Performance Partners came out of working with nine-figure e-commerce brands[05:05] Lee-Ann shares the exact outreach emails she receives that get deleted instantly, and what three pieces of information every affiliate needs before they'll respond[09:35] The case for getting on video calls with key partners and why the human ability to convey excitement and credibility over a call still closes deals that email cannot[15:30] Why media buyers are the most powerful affiliate type for scale but also the most burnt out by programs that overpromise, and what building genuine trust with them requires[17:40] Partner diversification as risk management, why brands default to influencers and coupon sites, and how Fred approaches segmentation from day one of a new programCall to ActionA huge thank you to Frederic Jean-Bart for joining us this week. If this episode has made you rethink how you're recruiting affiliates and managing partner relationships, KonverJ works with brands at exactly this level, building programs that are built on strategy, not spray and pray. Find out how we work with brands here.And if you want conversations like this one landing in your feed every week, subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you never miss an episode. Share this one with an affiliate manager you know who's still relying on volume over quality. It might be the nudge they need.Send me a text with your questions

Why tracking everything your affiliates do matters more now than ever before (and what conversion protection tells us about lost revenue)If your affiliate program isn't tracking properly, you could be losing millions without realising it. Adam Ross, CEO of Awin and 21-year industry veteran, reveals exactly how AI-powered search is fragmenting the customer journey, why deterministic tracking alone won't survive the next five years, and how Awin's Conversion Protection Initiative has already recovered over $250 million in previously untracked revenue. Lee-Ann and Adam discuss his leadership approach, why probabilistic tracking methods are becoming essential, and what the convergence of influencer and affiliate marketing means for program growth.Talking Points Include:The seismic shift happening in content attribution – how LLMs are citing publisher content to answer consumer queries, why this value currently goes unrewarded, and the new tracking signals needed to expose itWhy different traffic deserves different tracking methods – different traffic has different value and possibly needs different tracking methods and different reward mechanisms, ending the era of treating all affiliate partnerships equallyThe conversion protection wake-up call – how forcing tracking upgrades revealed $16 million in additional commission and what this tells us about invisible program valueListen to Find Out More About:Why Awin does quarterly seasonal product releases to bring meaningful improvements to advertiser and publisher experiences, with the winter release focused on simplifying what is still an incredibly complex channel to help everyone get much more value out of the spaceHow the new platform aims to get smaller advertisers to money-making partnerships as quickly as possible without needing account management support, using 25 years of data to know which partnerships work, what rates to pay, and how to increase active partnershipsWhy Adam is extremely bullish about affiliate's future, noting that while this disruption is probably going to be much bigger than past changes, affiliate is a wonderful monetisation infrastructure that can be quite agnostic about how end user experiences evolveThe exciting new influx of AI startups connecting at scale with multiple brands looking for ways to monetise, where the CPA model works very well for AI recommendations based on personalisationWhy the convergence of influencer and affiliate marketing continues accelerating and why people will always want to buy from other people, even when using AI for researchWhat it means that there's got to be an acceptance that in a lot of cases, the old ways of tracking from a technical perspective are no longer going to work, whilst deterministic tracking remains super important as the baseKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:15] The unlikely journey from dentistry student to affiliate marketing through a recruiter who saw potential beyond experience[18:55] Why different affiliate traffic has different value and needs different tracking methods and reward mechanisms[27:00] How Awin's seasonal product releases bring quarterly improvements and what the winter release means for platform simplificationCall to ActionMaster the tracking evolution that's reshaping affiliate marketing success. Adam's insights into probabilistic measurement, AI disruption, and conversion protection reveal exactly why upgrading your technical infrastructure isn't optional anymore. [Subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing PodcSend me a text with your questions

If you're running an affiliate program based purely on last-click attribution, you're missing the complete picture of how customers actually buy. Phil Thompson, Partnerships Manager at fintech publisher Zilch, shares insights from their platform's 5 million UK customers to reveal shopping behaviours that challenge everything affiliate managers assume about consumer loyalty, price sensitivity, and partner value. Lee-Ann and Phil discuss why traditional cookie tracking leaves critical gaps, how to leverage first-party data without expensive integrations, and why the grocery shopper who seems loyal to one brand is simultaneously spending three times more with competitors.Talking Points Include:The affiliate channel's unique negotiation problem that happens after the sale instead of before, and why payment processing data fills gaps that cookie consent leaves behindHow Zilch's fee-free credit model converts competitor customers by offsetting the cost of interest-free installments through merchant commissions rather than charging consumers late fees or interestWhy price-led marketing is lazy marketing and what Valentine's Day dinner-for-two campaigns teach us about emotional storytelling that actually changes consumer behavior.Listen to Find Out More About:The exact moment UK consumers became willing to abandon brand loyalty for fee-free payment flexibility, and what this reveals about post-peak shopping psychologyWhy Phil refuses to position Zilch campaigns as integration-heavy when they run on standard Visa rails, and how this changes the barrier to entry for testing new publisher typesHow Intelligent Commerce tracking uses merchant ID data to close attribution gaps that cookie-based models leave wide openThe demographic shift that took Zilch from Gen Z fintech app to cross-generational payment tool, and why cost-of-living pressures create opportunities for value-focused affiliate partnershipsWhy diversification matters more than ever when clicks still exist but shopping behavior fragments across devices, apps, and privacy-conscious browsingKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[09:05] How Intelligent Commerce works: using merchant ID and payment processing data to fill attribution gaps that traditional cookie tracking misses[13:16] The consistent age-group patterns Zilch sees in 2025 spending data, and why everyone hunts for value right now, not just younger demographics[22:22] Why one-month campaigns don't typically move consumer behaviour needles, and the longer timeline required to shift shopping habits permanently[25:07] Phil's call for affiliate managers to stay open to testing and learning, even after being burned by publisher types in the pastCall to ActionThe affiliate programs that thrive this year won't be the ones clinging to 2019 playbooks. They'll be the managers who embrace data partnerships, extend attribution visibility beyond cookie tracking, and recognize that publishers deliver value across the entire funnel, not just at conversion. Ready to build a program that leverages first-party shopping intelligence? Work with the KonverJ team to audit your current partner mix and identify the data gaps costing you revenue. We'll help you move beyond last-click thinking and build partnerships that capture the complete customer journey.Send me a text with your questions

When Tricia Meyer's name was called as this year's Pinnacle Award winner at Affiliate Summit West, there was a moment of silence. Not because the room disagreed, but because Tricia herself didn't believe it. After two decades of watching her heroes receive that same recognition, the publisher-turned-executive director of the Performance Marketing Association finally earned the industry's most prestigious honor. This conversation explores what it actually takes to reach the top without losing yourself, why being kind isn't a weakness in business negotiations, and how staying curious about industry changes for 20 years reveals patterns that help you stop panicking about AI, zero-click search, and whatever disruption comes next.Talking Points Include:The attorney who left law for affiliate marketing when she realized publishers could earn more than lawyers and built a 20-year career that started with mom blogs and evolved into executive leadershipWhy community platforms fail but weekly calls succeed isn't just about affiliates – the same principles apply to how industry associations create genuine connection versus performative membershipThe shocking truth about affiliate marketing's growth that most brands miss – independent studies prove the channel is outpacing e-commerce itself, not just riding the online shopping waveListen to Find Out More About:Why Tricia created custom tracking tools using AI to solve AI-caused attribution problems, and how small publishers can do the same with vibe coding platforms like LovableThe critical section being added to PMA's retailer agreement guide about AI usage, plagiarism, and disclosure requirements in affiliate terms and conditionsHow Google's constant testing of citations in Gemini (from detailed paragraph attribution to zero citations to YouTube video insertions) reveals nobody knows what's coming nextWhy publishers might strategically rewrite content to feature competitors if brands don't properly value their contribution to LLM-driven trafficThe new AI Council launching to address both publisher optimization for LLMs and technology solutions for brands dealing with compliance and trackingHow fintech and B2B affiliate marketing represent massive industry segments the PMA is finally addressing with dedicated resourcesWhy analyzing five years of industry study data would reveal cyclical patterns that help predict where apparent disruptions actually leadHow Open Attribution is creating free membership opportunities to discuss citation tracking and publisher rewards in the age of LLMsKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[06:02] Working from the bottom of PMA working groups to executive director, and why being an attorney made Tricia the perfect fit for part-time leadership[[19:54] Three critical areas where affiliates need preparation for 2025: LLM optimization, proving publisher worth through journey tracking, and staying educated on rapid changes[27:00] Why affiliate program terms and conditions need AI clauses now, covering content generation, plagiarism, and disclosure requirements[30:11] The five-year prediction: fundamentally everything stays the same but with different technical details, just like the last 20 years of disruptionSend me a text with your questions

The OG Publisher's Blueprint for Building Partnerships That Actually LastYour affiliate program has hundreds of approved publishers, but only a handful are actively promoting you. Sound familiar? Stuart Miles, founder of Squirrel and former owner of Pocket-lint (which he grew to 12.5 million monthly readers before exiting), reveals why most affiliate managers are accidentally destroying publisher relationships before they even begin. Lee-Ann and Stuart discuss why product feeds matter more than commission rates, and the six tactical shifts that separate transactional affiliate programs from genuine partnerships that drive consistent revenue.Talking Points Include:The relevance test every affiliate manager fails – how understanding audience profiles transforms your outreach from spam into valuable partnership opportunitiesWhy making it harder for publishers to link to you kills conversions – the 15-minute friction point that costs you thousands in lost sales, and how removing barriers between story ideas and affiliate links changes everythingThe coffee shop approach to publisher relationships – why the best partnerships happen outside of product launches and promotional cycles, and what real-life relationship building looks like in 2026Listen to Find Out More About:Why standardised product feeds matter more than you think, and how retailers without them are losing visibility across major publisher platformsThe exact moment Stuart realised Pocket-lint competitors were stealing his affiliate links, and what Amazon's phone call revealed about attribution trackingHow international audience expansion forced Pocket-lint to build automated localisation, and why showing UK readers US pricing destroys conversion ratesThe pub test Stuart used with new journalists to determine if a story was actually worth publishing, and how this filter led to explosive audience growthWhy retailers that can't beat Amazon on price can still win publisher placements through customer service ratings and relevance scoringWhat happened when Stuart's team spent more time finding affiliate links than writing stories, and the efficiency breakthrough that led to Squirrel's creationCall to ActionReady to transform how you work with publisher partners? The strategies Stuart shared didn't come from theory – they came from two decades in the trenches building one of the world's most successful consumer technology publications. If you're serious about moving beyond transactional affiliate relationships into genuine partnerships that drive consistent revenue, subscribe to Affiverse's Affiliate Marketing newsletter for weekly insights that help you stay ahead of industry shifts. Our team translates complex partnership strategies into actionable frameworks you can implement immediately.Rate, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts"I love the Affiliate Marketing Podcast." If that sounds like you, please give us a 5 Star rating here! Taking the time to do that helps us support more people in our community to access affiliate marketing insights, expert-led learnings, and allows us to share the latest tactics that help affiliate programs and businesses grow.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review."Send me a text with your questions

Why Your Affiliate Program Might Be Losing Traffic Without You Realising ItWhen 62% of AI citations reference affiliate sources but only 20% link to direct providers, something fundamental has shifted in how consumers discover financial products. Jon Ostler, CEO of finder.com and digital marketing veteran since 1997, reveals research that should worry every affiliate program manager: AI is scraping content from publishers, summarising their expert analysis, then sending consumers directly to providers while cutting out the affiliates who created that value. Lee-Ann and Jon discuss what this means for content publishers who've invested millions in editorial teams, how the performance model needs to evolve beyond last-click attribution, and why the publishers who survive will be those who understand their true value isn't just traffic anymore.Talking Points Include:The research findings that sparked this conversation - Jon analysed best-for-finance product searches across AI engines and discovered AI overwhelmingly cites affiliate content while bypassing affiliate links, fundamentally disrupting how publishers monetise their expertiseWhy this isn't plagiarism in the traditional sense - AI doesn't reason from first principles but delivers consensus answers by absorbing content investment from publishers, raising urgent questions about compensation models when your editorial work powers AI responses but generates zero clicksListen to Find Out More About:Jon's LinkedIn research that quantified exactly how AI citations reference affiliate content while bypassing affiliate monetisationWhy branded search and direct traffic increases often mask AI influence you're not being compensated for under current attribution modelsThe specific vulnerability AI systems share with early search engines and why chasing short-term exploitation breaks long-term brand buildingHow Google's antitrust position creates pressure to maintain ad revenue growth even as AI overviews reduce organic click-through ratesWhy Reddit strategies and multimedia affiliate approaches create the consensus signals AI relies on when formulating answersThe exact metrics Jon tracks beyond sales figures to understand genuine community health and identify which publishers drive sustainable valueReady to Master the Next Evolution of Performance Marketing?If this conversation with Jon Ostler revealed gaps in your current affiliate strategy, Affiverse Agency can help you navigate this transition with confidence. Our team specialises in helping affiliate program managers rebuild their partner ecosystems for an AI-influenced world, from identifying which publishers bring genuine value beyond last-click attribution to structuring commercial models that reward upstream influence. Whether you need strategic partner segmentation, innovative attribution frameworks, or simply expert guidance on what deserves your budget investment right now, we've worked with programs at every stage of this evolution. Visit Affiverse Agency to explore how our consulting services can transform uncertainty into competitive advantage, or reach out directly to discuss your specific program challenges. The publishers and program managers who thrive won't be those who mastered yesterday's best practices but those who understood tomorrow's fundamentals before their competitors did.Send me a text with your questions

Why Auto-Approving Affiliates in 2026 Is Like Leaving Your Front Door Wide OpenIf you're still auto-approving affiliate applications or letting every partner type into your program without a clear strategy, this episode explains exactly why that approach will cost you this year. Ishtvan Torpoi, known industry-wide as "that affiliate guy," joins Lee-Ann to unpack the MegaLag controversy, distinguish between coupon browser extensions and cashback models, and reveal why the vast majority of affiliate management work happens after launch, not before. This conversation delivers the strategic framework you need to build programs that actually drive incremental value rather than just revenue on paper.Talking Points Include:The browser extension distinction that most managers miss including why cashback browser extensions operate fundamentally differently than coupon extensions and how to set different commission structures for eachWhy more affiliates doesn't equal more conversions and how one wellness brand caught an 800-install fraud farm within 24 hours by watching data like a hawk during new partner launchesThe three non-negotiables for 2026 from monitoring performance data properly to changing default payout models based on customer lifetime value to implementing compliance monitoring before problems emergeListen to Find Out More About:Why European brands lag behind US brands in customer lifetime value thinking and how that affects willingness to pay higher initial commissions for quality partnersThe exact process for testing whether browser extensions actually improve cart abandonment rates or any other claimed metric before committing to partnershipsHow to structure commission differences between browser extension triggers and website-initiated traffic to reward genuine customer journey startsWhy reading affiliate sales pitches isn't enough and how to test partners as actual users to understand their real impact on your funnelThe data infrastructure investments that separate £30 million brands still doing manual analysis from brands with five data scientists building proper warehousesHow to spot bot farms and fraud attempts within 24 hours of new partner launches by monitoring specific conversion ratio patternsKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[12:10] How to determine which of the 18-19 affiliate types make sense for new program launches based on internal marketing capabilities and desired speed to revenue[22:00] Why brands at every size from startups to £30 million operations struggle with data aggregation and proper tooling investments[27:45] The three non-negotiables for 2026: watching data like a hawk, changing default payout models, and implementing compliance monitoring[30:50] Quality control processes that prevent fraud, including conversion validation checks and why auto-approval creates cleanup work rather than preventing problemsCall to ActionHuge thanks to Ishtvan Torpoi for sharing the frameworks he implements across diverse client programs at every stage of maturity. If this episode clarified where your program strategy needs adjustment, subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you catch every tactical insight that helps you build programs delivering genuine incremental value. Join us at the ELEVATE Summit in July 2026 in London, where strategic conversations happen between sessions and partnerships form that transform programs. Early bird tickets launch in January.Send me a text with your questions

The Year Affiliate Marketing Proved Its Power While Rewriting All the RulesIf you thought affiliate marketing was mature, predictable, or figured out, this year proved you spectacularly wrong. Lee-Ann Johnstone takes you inside the most transformative year our industry has ever experienced, where UK brands delivered £16 for every £1 invested while simultaneously watching 60% of searches end without a single click. This isn't just a recap of what happened. It's a master class in how the smartest operators adapted when zero-click search, AI integration, and algorithm chaos threatened to upend everything we thought we knew about performance marketing.Talking Points Include:The shocking numbers that prove affiliate marketing dominates digital marketing with £19 billion in UK basket revenue, $113 billion in US e-commerce sales, and ROI figures that make other channels look obsoleteWhy 60% of searches now end without clicks and what the smartest publishers did differently when AI Overviews decimated traffic by up to 89%The three business lessons that changed how Lee-Ann runs Affiverse including why saying no to clients actually increased demand and how community building became the antidote to algorithm dependency.Listen to Find Out More About:Why independent bloggers overtook major media outlets in content affiliate spend for the first time, and what this shift reveals about authentic voices versus corporate content farmsThe exact community building strategies that made some programs resilient when algorithm changes devastated others, and why owning your audience relationships transcends platform dependencyHow Affiverse reached nearly a million podcast downloads, trained over 3,000 practitioners globally, and launched the ELEVATE Summit and RAV Awards while doubling agency clientsThe innovation that genuinely worked this year, from community-led programs building true partnerships to video-first publishers seeing engagement rates that dwarfed traditional contentWhy data privacy will define winners and losers, and what first-party data strategies look like for brands that excel at collection and leverageThe specific metrics proving affiliate marketing delivers ROI other channels can't match, with sector-by-sector breakdowns showing 11:1 to 21:1 returnsKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[10:30] The UK and US industry numbers that prove affiliate marketing delivers ROI other channels can't match, with specific sector breakdowns[35:45] The three business lessons that changed how Lee-Ann approaches agency work, event planning, and community building[56:00] What's coming in 2026 and 2027, including specialized roles, attribution evolution, and data privacy defining winners[1:02:15] Affiverse milestones across media, agency, and community impact, plus what's launching in 2026Call to ActionThis episode captures the year that separated operators who adapt from those who wait for best practices to emerge. If these insights sparked ideas for how you'll approach affiliate marketing differently in 2026, subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you never miss the strategic frameworks that help you stay ahead. Join us at the ELEVATE Summit in July 2026 in London, where the industry comes together not just to learn, but to actually move forward. Early bird tickets launch in January.Send me a text with your questions

A Christmas Day Special Celebrating the Insights, Breakthroughs, and Bold Conversations That Defined Our SeasonWelcome to this very special Christmas Day edition of the Affiliate Marketing Podcast. Throughout Season 23, we dug deep into the engines behind impactful content, questioned the role of SEO and AI algorithms in a world that still craves human connection, and spotlighted the evolution of affiliate marketing from community-driven growth to loyalty-first strategies and consumer discovery beyond the usual channels. Today's episode is a moment to look back on all we shared this season, appreciate how far we've come together, and celebrate the insights we gathered along the way. Grab a cup of something warm, settle in, and enjoy this Christmas Day Special as we wind up the season that's past and get ready for an even bigger one ahead.What You'll Hear in This Episode:The 6:1 content ratio that's reshaping digital marketing as Saurabh Singh reveals why educational content consistently outperforms promotional posts and how trust has become the new currency in affiliate marketingWhy most affiliate programs stall before they ever hit momentum with Florin Simovici's operational insights from 15 years of hands-on experience building scalable, sustainable programsThe harsh reality of building a content-first publisher from scratch as George Sullivan opens up about facing rejection after rejection and what affiliate managers misunderstand about the publisher's journeyWhy user-generated content is now the most powerful lever in affiliate growth from Dennis Yu's billion-dollar ad spend experience with brands like Nike and StarbucksHow AI-powered answer engines are capturing a quarter of global queries and what Colin Jeavons says this disruption really means for affiliate managers navigating an uncertain futureThe loyalty-building principles that turn silent affiliates into thriving communities as Alex Hitt shares why genuine connection, not higher commissions, truly drives retentionWhy most organisations stall on AI adoption with Katie King's roadmap for building strategic frameworks and embedding responsible governance before regulation arrivesHow daily payouts became the most powerful micro trust signal as the Exness team reveals their journey scaling from 18 to more than 100 countries with human-centric logicWhy platforms like Reddit are suddenly outranking traditional reviews and how Ewen Finser steered more than 100 websites through Google's volatility into the AI-driven landscapeHow to run your affiliate program ethically in the age of AI as Leanna Klyne and Lee-Ann discuss automation that stays human and what regulation might mean for your partner management.Call to ActionSeason 23 gave you the frameworks, now it's time to implement them. Whether you're rebuilding your onboarding process using Alex's white-glove approach, restructuring your content strategy around Saurabh's 6:1 ratio, or preparing your team for AI adoption using Katie's governance roadmap, the insights from this season only create value when you put them into action. Subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you're ready when Season 24 launches on New Year's Day with bold predictions for 2026 and conversations that push the boundaries of where affiliate and performance marketing are headed. DM Lee-Ann on LinkedIn and share what you're struggling with or want to know more about, and she'll find the right expert to get on the mic and talk us through it.Send me a text with your questions

When Automation Becomes Dehumanisation (And How to Stop It Before You Lose Your Best Partners)If you're using AI to manage your affiliate program but wondering why engagement keeps dropping, this episode explains exactly what's going wrong. Leanna Klyne, Affiverse's Agency Director with 18 years in the trenches, joins Lee-Ann to dissect the hidden cost of over-automation. They explore why AI-approved partners sometimes include your competitors, how content creators are being misrepresented by tools that don't understand context, and why the human touch still drives the partnerships that actually convert. This conversation offers practical guardrails for using AI responsibly without sacrificing the relationships that make affiliate marketing work.Talking Points Include:The approval automation trap that declined a top publisher because AI couldn't distinguish between a media buyer and a content site, costing the program a valuable winter sports partner during summer dormancyWhy segmented outreach beats mass emails every time and how investing four extra hours monthly to tailor content by partner type builds the micro-trust relationships that drive long-term revenueThe compliance blind spot that could make you legally liable when faceless accounts and user-generated content creators slip through automated vetting without legitimate contact detailsListen to Find Out More About:Why being transparent about AI use in outreach emails actually increases response rates and adds humor that builds rapport instead of destroying trustThe specific data you should never put into public AI tools like ChatGPT because it becomes open source and violates client confidentialityHow to write program terms that clearly define acceptable AI usage for partners while protecting your brand from deepfakes and unauthorised voice replicationThe exact compliance risks that emerge when automated approvals let unverifiable partners into regulated verticals without legitimate contact informationWhy boring consistency often outperforms fancy AI implementation, and how simple calendar reminders maintain partner relationships better than sophisticated automationLee-Ann's personal policy on LinkedIn messages and why every response comes from her, not a chatbot pretending to be herKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[18:08] The segmentation strategy that achieves industry-leading open rates by speaking directly to six or seven partner types instead of mass-blasting generic content[27:00] How to use AI for trend spotting within partner data to identify optimal booking windows that increase performance 7% above industry mean while cutting wasted spend[37:09] The essential ethical guardrails that preserve humanity while enabling innovation, including the perspective shift that changes how you evaluate every AI decisionCall to ActionHuge thanks to Leanna Klyne for sharing the real-world AI frameworks she implements daily across Affiverse's agency clients. If this episode helped you see where automation enhances relationships versus where it destroys them, subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you catch every practical insight that helps you build programs partners actually want to join. Share this with another affiliate manager wrestling with AI adoption, and let's raise the standard for ethical partnership management across the entire industry.Send me a text with your questions

Why Your Clicks Are Down But Your Impact Might Be UpIf your affiliate traffic feels fragmented and you're wondering whether to panic about AI search, this episode cuts through the noise. Ewen Finser, CEO of ScaleVisible, shares battle-tested insights from managing over 100 websites through Google's algorithm upheavals and into the AI era. Lee-Ann and Ewen discuss why Reddit threads now outrank traditional reviews, how zero-click searches create hidden value for brands, and why YouTube might be your smartest investment right now. This conversation reveals a counterintuitive truth: the scariest disruptions often create the biggest opportunities for those willing to adapt strategically.Talking Points Include:The payment partnership that signals where AI search is heading and why PayPal's integration with Perplexity matters more than most affiliate managers realise for the future of attributionWhy your editorial placements are already providing AI value and the exact framework for describing citation impact to justify budgets when traditional clicks declineThe three-platform strategy that influences multiple AI engines simultaneously from YouTube rankings in ChatGPT to Reddit dominance in Google's AI OverviewsListen to Find Out More About:Why some de-indexed spam blogs are suddenly ranking in ChatGPT and what that means for content strategy in the short term versus long termThe exact correlation overlap between top 10 Google rankings and ChatGPT citations (hint: it's shockingly low at around 15 percent)How ReddVisible pivoted from affiliate publishing to Reddit reputation management to AI visibility strategy through three distinct market disruptionsWhy query fan-out matters more than individual keywords when optimizing for AI search engines that personalize every responseThe specific metrics Ewen tracks to demonstrate AI visibility impact when traditional attribution falls shortHow trust signals accumulate across Reddit, YouTube, and third-party blogs to influence AI recommendations without generating direct clicksKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[16:03] The real-world shopping journey example that illustrates search fragmentation across Which, Google, YouTube, ChatGPT, and Amazon[20:43] Why PayPal's Perplexity partnership signals the zero-click future and what affiliate managers should watch for next[32:39] Original content versus AI-generated spam: what works now versus what will work as AI engines develop their own web spam teamsRate, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts"I love the Affiliate Marketing Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please give us a 5 Star rating here! Taking the time to do that helps us support more people in our community to access affiliate marketing insights, expert-led learnings, and allows us to share the latest tactics that help affiliate programs and businesses grow.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review."Send me a text with your questions

Why Trading Programs That Move Fast Break Everything (And How Slow Growth Built a 115-Country Empire)If your affiliate program chases explosive growth with aggressive spend and flashy campaigns, this episode reveals why you might be building on sand. Yana Ivanova and Nir Iter from Exness share how they scaled from 18 to 115 countries not through brute force marketing, but through something radical in trading: patience. Lee-Ann and her guests discuss why daily payouts matter more than commission rates, how localisation means hiring humans who actually understand regional nuances, and why the Latin American market demands emotional connection before transactional relationships. This conversation reveals a counterintuitive truth: sometimes slow and steady really does win the race.Talking Points Include:The payment infrastructure breakthrough that built trust faster than any marketing campaign and why waiting until month-end to pay affiliates destroys credibility in emerging marketsWhy treating LATAM as a single homogeneous market is the fastest path to failure and the exact localisation strategy that transformed passive content into community engagement across culturally distinct countriesThe team structure that prevents cannibalisation when 11 account managers chase global traffic and how individual KPIs combined with team goals create collaboration instead of internal competitionListen to Find Out More About:How Exness structures team KPIs to prevent account managers from fighting over global affiliates while maintaining healthy competitionThe buddy program that integrates new team members without creating hierarchical friction in an 11-person global teamWhy the company prioritises quality over quantity now, deliberately slowing growth to ensure sustainable partnershipsThe specific data points Exness analyses constantly to identify which markets deserve localised attention versus broad global treatmentHow mobile measurement platforms become essential tools for LATAM affiliates where phone traffic dominatesThe real reason trading affiliate programs traditionally used CPA models and how Exness diversified beyond that constraintKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[08:17] The long-term mindset explained through hotel guest analogies and why three-year plans beat quarterly targets[16:29] Daily payment implementation and the risk mitigation strategy that made it viable without enabling fraud[20:34] Team scaling from a handful to 11 professionals and how specialisation by region prevents global chaos[33:03] Honest advice for newcomers: pick your niche, build community, trust your dataLatin America: The Opportunity AheadFor affiliates considering Latin America in 2026, both guests offered clear direction. Yana's focus centres on local communities, as the region values authentic, community-driven marketing over impersonal automation. Nir emphasised mobile optimisation, noting that with young, mobile-first audiences, ensuring your tracking, creatives, and user experience are optimised for phones is non-negotiable. Tools like AppsFlyer or other mobile measurement platforms are essential.Send me a text with your questions

Guest: Katie King, Author of AI Strategy for Sales and Marketing: Connecting Marketing, Sales and Customer ExperienceIf you've been treating AI like a search engine or worrying you're falling behind, this episode cuts through the noise. Katie King, who's been tracking AI developments since 2019 and advises major brands like O2, Arsenal, and Virgin, joins Lee-Ann Johnstone to reveal why 80% of AI success depends on people, not tools. She shares the strategic frameworks that turn scattered experiments into measurable business impact, explains why board-level resistance creates organizational AI imposter syndrome, and demonstrates how affiliate marketers can build competitive advantage through ethical implementation and agile adoption.Talking Points Include:Why AI projects fail without frameworks – how creating AI champion groups, weekly strategy meetings, and clear codes of conduct transforms random tool adoption into systematic competitive advantageThe ethics gap that threatens customer trust – why transparency, attribution clarity, and responsible governance must be designed into affiliate programs before regulation forces itStrategic agility over early adoption – how building continuous learning and due diligence into your operations prepares you for agentic AI and quantum computing without burning out your teamListen to Find Out More About:The exact prompt engineering techniques that teach AI your brand voice without requiring technical skills or expensive custom modelsWhy Circle and Mighty Networks platforms fail for community building while simple weekly Zoom calls succeed, and how this same principle applies to AI tool selectionThe six-month AI implementation roadmap Katie uses with clients that balances quick wins with sustainable capability buildingHow affiliate marketers should approach AI differently than other marketing channels because of the trust dynamics and partnership relationships at stakeWhy China leads in AI patents, Europe leads in ethical frameworks, and what that geopolitical split means for international affiliate programsThe specific metrics beyond sales that reveal whether your AI adoption creates genuine business value or just impressive-looking dashboardsKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[12:35] Why you don't need technical skills for AI success, and the hospitality management principles that make AI adoption feel natural instead of overwhelming[18:51] The reality check on organizational AI maturity: why even brands with impressive case studies struggle with board-level adoption and what that reveals about implementation gaps[27:42] Ethical AI requirements for affiliate marketing specifically, including transparency obligations, attribution clarity, and avoiding black-box decisioning that erodes partner trust[34:20] Katie's final advice for marketers who haven't started their AI journey: why strategic agility matters more than early adoption, and how to build frameworks that prepare you for what comes nextSend me a text with your questions

If your affiliate program has hundreds of inactive partners gathering dust, this episode reveals exactly how to bring them back. Alex Hitt, an affiliate marketer who built thriving communities of hundreds of active members, shares the hotel management principles he uses to create loyalty that goes far beyond commission payments. Lee-Ann and Alex discuss why most programs accidentally kill engagement, how to scale personalisation without burning out, and why one 30-minute weekly call does more for retention than any email campaign.Talking Points Include:The hospitality industry secret that made one hotel number one in the world – and how offering affiliates something valuable for free at exactly the right moment transforms transactional relationships into genuine partnershipsWhy community platforms often fail but weekly Zoom calls succeed – where real engagement actually happens and how to structure drop-in events that affiliates want to attendThe white-glove onboarding process that keeps new affiliates active – from putting the calendar invite directly in their hand to following up before their first eventListen to Find Out More About:Why Alex refuses most one-on-one meeting requests and what he offers instead that closes more deals with less pressureThe exact metrics Alex tracks to identify super-inviters versus super-producers in his community (and why these are two different people)How to enforce group chat boundaries without alienating members when conversations drift into birthday wishes and grocery shopping updatesThe six critical mistakes that kill affiliate communities before they launch, and how to plan strategically before investing time and resourcesWhy getting each affiliate to refer just 1.1 other people creates exponential program growth over timeHow to scale personalization by using mass email for announcements while reserving WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Facebook for genuine relationship buildingKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:15] How getting laid off from a dream hotel job in Hawaii on day one forced Alex into entrepreneurship and eventually affiliate marketing[18:55] The efficiency math explained: one 30-minute Zoom call with 50 people versus trying to schedule 50 separate one-on-one meetings[27:00] What Alex tracks to measure community health beyond sales: last login time, external business growth, and engagement patternsHuge thanks to Alex Hitt for sharing his community-building strategies with us. If this episode sparked ideas for transforming your own affiliate program, subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you never miss practical insights like these. Share this episode with another affiliate manager struggling with retention, and let's raise the standard for how we treat our partners.Rate, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts"I love the Affiliate Marketing Podcast." <– If that sounds like you, please give us a 5 Star rating here! Taking the time to do that helps us support more people in our community to access affiliate marketing insights, expert-led learnings, and allows us to share the latest tactics that help affiliate programs and businesses grow.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review."Send me a text with your questions

In this episode of the Affiliate Marketing Podcast, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with search industry veteran Colin Jeavons to unpack one of the most significant shifts in digital commerce since Google's CPC revolution. With 25% of global search queries now bypassing Google in favour of AI-powered answer engines, affiliate managers and publishers face a crossroads: adapt to emerging channels or risk becoming obsolete. Colin, whose career spans from the Yellow Pages era through to building semantic search technology for defence and intelligence, brings rare historical perspective on what's actually changing—and what isn't. This episode is essential listening for affiliate managers questioning their channel strategy, publishers wondering if SEO is dead, and any e-commerce brand trying to understand where consumer discovery is headed.Talking points include:From Yellow Pages to Answer Engines: How search has evolved from browser distribution monopolies to AI-driven discovery, and why Google's 2002 business model is facing its BlackBerry moment.The 75/25 Rule: Why traditional search still commands three-quarters of queries despite rapid AI adoption, and how to balance legacy channels with emerging opportunities.Beyond Traditional Affiliates: How CPA models are expanding into apps, creators, influencers, and AI search—creating entirely new verticals for performance marketing.Listen to find out more about: How browser distribution, not search quality, created Google's monopoly—and why that same moat is now crumbling.The specific verticals where CPA commerce is experiencing explosive growth: apps, creators, influencers, and AI search.The "fail fast" philosophy that's kept Colin relevant through 25 years of continuous technological disruption.Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct: [11:45] The case for not abandoning traditional search.[13:57] The 10-month revolution: how AI answer engines captured 25% of search volume at unprecedented speed.[29:13] Colin's advice for publishers and affiliate managers: always ask for help and don't fear failure.Would you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.Never miss out on FREE insights and training! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.Send me a text with your questions