"Stories about how I beat Vulcan are a thing of the past."
Ekaterina, affiliate manager of the popular PoshFriends affiliate program, which includes JoyCasino, Casino X, and Champion Casino.
— Were you involved in affiliate programs? How did it all start?
— It started with the Swedish language. About 5 years ago, it was a top market where all casinos wanted to enter. HR specialists were frantically looking for employees with knowledge of Scandinavian languages.
— What are the main pros and cons of your profession and what inspires you the most?
— We started as no-names with a tiny stand at the first conference, and now we throw our own parties. Our projects are everywhere, people talk about us.
— But you can do something similar in other areas. Why a casino?
— Casinos are more honest. They tell you straight out: you can win or lose. Product affiliates often offer low-quality goods, and in the pharmaceutical industry — medicines and dietary supplements that are useless at best, and at worst have not been tested, certified, and are simply dangerous.
— What is a typical working day like?
— The whole team works in the office. The first part of the day is taken up with routine work, the second — long-term or creative tasks, meetings. The team has a distribution of roles by strategic areas: streams, foreign market, Russian market, etc. Nevertheless, each manager is oriented in the situation as a whole.
— What are the main differences in working with foreign partners?
— We worked closely with Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Ireland and Australia, and now we are focusing on Japan, so I can compare with these countries.
The Asian market is like a roller coaster: scary, fun and cool, but it’s better not to get involved with a weak vestibular apparatus. Affiliate marketing in Japan emerged much earlier than in Europe, but despite the development of high technologies, some questions affiliates may be stumped by. For example, how to take a screenshot or see your IP? Our Japanese manager even holds master classes on Japanese business ethics: how to properly present business cards and not get nervous when simple integration with an affiliate network takes more than six months.
— How much does a partner earn on average on CIS traffic and others?
— We consider 10K per month to be a good income on RU traffic. On European and Japanese traffic, the median amounts are higher, but the highest affiliate income is often on Russian traffic. It's all about the huge spread: from a minimum of $20 for payment to six-figure amounts.
— How easy is it to start? Does it make sense for a person without knowledge, but with an interest in gambling, to get involved in this profession?
— There is money in any niche. You can take up farming, raise geese and ducks, become the best in this business and earn a million. You can move from one hyped sphere to another, from crypto to 3D printing, and ultimately achieve success nowhere. It is easy to start, but it is more difficult to reach a high income. I will say this: to start in gambling, you need money and experience. Or a lot of luck. The times when you could raise a site and reach the top on your own with free traffic are gone. Now is the time of large teams. The exception is new unoccupied markets or new sources of traffic.
- So, one man is no warrior in the field?
— You can start alone, but you will soon understand that you cannot simultaneously churn out banners, create invoices, and write website code.
— What should be the first steps of a new affiliate?
— You can do it step by step. First. Find about 5 affiliate programs, read the FAQ, terms and conditions. Google unfamiliar terms. Second. Find about 10 top sites in the search results. See how everything works. Third. Read forums or aff-chats in Telegram. It’s better not to rush in from the cold: “Hi, I’m new, how can I make money here?”
Next, choose a traffic source, define goals and available resources. For example, you want to work in SEO and create a review site. The goal is to reach an income of $5,000. Let's say the average player on the RU market brings in $100 to the affiliate and plays for 1 year. The math is simple: how many new players should you bring in monthly?
Now resources. How much money can I invest in this and how much time can I devote? Who can help me and where can I get an expert opinion? Calculate all this as accurately as possible. Perhaps at this stage you will understand that it is better to open a coffee shop or a barber shop. If not, the next step is to start collaborating with PoshFriends.
— When and how can you demand exclusive conditions from an affiliate or casino?
— I’ll give you a working scheme: you register, pour 1000+ high-quality “first deposits” per month, the managers themselves write to you in admiration and you set your own conditions.
— What are the methods of fraud from affiliates and casinos? How do they deceive affiliates?
— All fraud is possible with non-transparent statistics. The more data the affiliate program provides, the easier it is to check and find discrepancies. Therefore, I recommend being wary of affiliate programs that only show deposits, payments, and income.
— How do affiliates manipulate traffic?
— Motivated traffic. Branded traffic is presented as general. Schemes. Playing by your own ref. Fraud by CPA.
— Which traffic acquisition channels are currently the most effective, and which have lost their leadership?
— High-quality SEO, arbitrage, and streams remain effective. I do not recommend mailings, push notifications, “schemes,” and “how I beat Vulkan” stories.
— Which channels will be most effective in 2021?
— The micro-influencer market is growing very quickly. These are people with a very small community, but they have a lot of weight there. It could be a telegram chat with only 800 subscribers, but they are all high rollers, ready to deposit into any casino. Or a tiny Skype conference with 30 affiliates, whose sites are at the top of the search results for all the main keywords. Mass advertising works worse than the advice of a person you trust.
— What advantages should an affiliate have to work effectively?
— Hard work and willingness to spend a lot of time on it. Analytical mindset. Understanding of the topic. Basic technical skills. Knowledge of English is a plus. Team management and budgeting skills will be added in the process. This is important for any affiliate — be it a streamer or an arbitrageur in Google Adwords.
If you don't have all of this, but you have the gift of the gab, you can become an influencer. However, it's hard to make money from this.
— What is considered unacceptable in the profession?
— Two bad ideas: disclosing your agreements with your affiliate and banning competitors’ websites.
— How high is the competition?
— Very high. About 50 new affiliates can register in the affiliate program per day. Of course, not all of them will start working.
— Are personal connections with affiliate and casino owners important in this profession?
— It doesn't affect earnings. You can be friends with an affiliate, have a great time at a bar and send birthday wishes to his cat, but the revshare will still depend on the number of "first deposits". Really cool affiliates can get exclusive conditions by simply writing in the affiliate messenger.
- What are the most incredible stories from the world of affiliate gambling that you have heard?
— Once, an affiliate caught a player who deposited more than 4 million bucks on penny adult traffic. And you know what's most incredible? This is not an isolated story. Yes, affiliate marketing is hard work, but there is room for luck and high rollers from a site with five unique visitors per day.
— Is there more negativity or positive emotions in your work? Routine or creativity?
— More positive emotions. People come to earn money, and we help them with this. Of course, it is more difficult to work in casino support. There is a lot of negativity and threats there. Fortunately, in general, it is calmer to work with partners.
The daily routine is greatly diluted by preparation for conferences and communication with partners. During interviews, I always ask candidates if they are ready for non-standard tasks? Find where to sew a dragon costume and how to send it to London? Create a menu for a party? Fly to another country on the next flight straight from the office to meet with a partner? To work here, you need a spirit of adventure and multitasking skills. But at least it’s not boring.
— What would you like to wish to new affiliates and people who are passionate about gambling?
— Affiliates should not give up, and players should remember that this is a game, not a way to make money.
If you bet on red in a casino and you're stubbornly unlucky, try betting on red!
