The last time I spoke about affiliate programs it was in the high-minded PowerPoint speak of someone explaining a concept. Terribly pretty, rigorously researched and less than 100% useful. Now I’ve spent a few months using a range of currently popular affiliate programs across a number of blogs, owned by me and others, I want to share some frank been-there-done-that (recently) feedback.
You can never tell how programs work until you try them, unless you have access to someone else’s numbers, so to that end, I’ve included a few of mine.
Though conversion rates are pretty stable across sites, the amount of clicks you can send is highly variable. A program with a lower conversion ratio might be more profitable than one with a high conversion ratio IF the program give you banner and content that people want to click on. For that reason don’t look at the conversion figures I’ve included as ’scripture’. My ad might be bad (are you mad!?) or perhaps they’re in the wrong place (right - I’ve had just about enough of this insubordination!)
Skin Video - Highly Recommended
Skin Video offers some of the most advanced webmaster tools I’ve seen, and the only weakness I can find is a difficulty making separate, trackable links to the same page (i.e. you might want to see how two text links with different wording perform). You can create custom banners, organize links from multiple sites and check your performance against other webmasters. Knowing where you stand vs. other advertisers is a real bonus if you think you’re having a bad week and want to see if everyone else is too, it also provides an idea of what you should be aiming for. You might be doing better, or worse, relative to the average affiliate, than you think.
There’s not much content, they don’t produce any and because most of the stuff posted to the newsgroups they provide access to is under someone else’s copyright. That’s limiting if you want to use their images to build ads of your own (I do - custom work, works better).
(NB: Some people hate Skin Video on principle - seeing them as profiting from piracy because they sell access to material on NewsGroups much of which is copyrighted. Personally I don’t see how they differ Google, who provide access (and cache on their server) masses of copyrighted material, or an ISP who provides access to the web. Blaming SkinVideo is shooting the messenger.
Average conversion: 1:700 (i.e. I make one sale on average for each 700 clicks I send)
Adult Webmaster Empire - Highly Recommended
AWE have sites which offer live video chat and the economics of that are significant. Most programs pay a percentage of what each user spends each month so, on a subscription site that tends to be from $5-$20. Video chat is billed by the minute, so a single customer can spend $100-$1,000 in a month and the biggest/most obsessive video-chat customers can spend $1,000 in a day. Obviously referring even one big spender can be worth a huge amount if you’re paid the right way.
They offer a lot of free content and highly advanced webmaster tools. Not only useful but a sure sign they take your business seriously.
Average conversion: 1:380
New Nude Cash - Recommended
Spectacular looking women photographed beautifully are the draw and these guys are very, very generous with content. The only thing stopping them from being ‘Highly Recommended’ is the softness of their material. Whatever people say, I always find more explicit ads out-perform softer ones. With such soft content, it can be hard to drive enough clicks if there’s harder material on the pages you’re using to promote their sites. Placement is everything.
Their webmaster tools are good and their affiliate site is as elegantly designed as their sites.
Average conversion: 1:600
AdBrite/AVN Ads - Neutral
If you leave AdBrite to set your advertising rates and don’t get many page-views it’s almost pointless joining the program.
Most ad buyers in their network will only know they can buy space on your site if you promote the fact. The fantasy that there’s a team of people working on your behalf is a fantasy unless you’re a significant site with serious traffic. In that case, you could probably sell your advertising direct anyway without AdBrite’s assistance or cut.
A lot of people like the simple, ‘Google style’ presentation of AdBrite’s ads but I find the javascript behind their links can be slow, making it’s placement near the head of a page risky. Anyone who follows Google knows that pay-per-click advertising is so vulnerable to fraud that many big advertisers have turned away from it entirely. Don’t bank on it paying for your retirement.
AdBrite are increasingly worthwhile as your site grows and work best if you actively promote your ad placements and adjust your prices to the market manually. Using AdBrite to handle the money, and selling the ads yourself is another option if you have a narrow enough audience to make that viable.
Average conversion: N/A
VideoBox - Questionable
Despite having a great website from a users point of view, VideoBox’s all-you-can-eat for $9.99 model hurts their affiliates. As an affiliate you only earn about $7 a sale, you’re onto a loser unless they convert twice as well as the competition and they don’t. Their stats have a nasty habit of showing you a gross figure and then a ‘processing fee’ which has been deducted. I don’t mind the fee but Jesus, why rub my nose in it?
Average conversion: 1:600
Friend Finder/Alt.com - Questionable
Probably the most advertised affiliate program online, mainly due to their programs age. It’s the unoriginal choice, kind of porn’s own ‘X10 Webcam’.
They offer a range of different payment schemes which change the bounty paid for each click or sale depending on a number of complicating factors. It’s confusing and makes their performance hard to predict. I suspect most people would prefer a lower fixed number than the ‘potential’ to earn $50 a sign-up but in fact earn a variable amount which changes seemingly at random.
Once again, the program’s biggest drawback is the low cost - as low as free - of signing up with their sites. That makes for a low average bounty and means your traffic is under exploited here relative to other, richer programs.
Average conversion: 1:700
I hope that bit of business exhibitionism’s useful. Got affiliate heroes? Horror stories? Let me know.