The Affiliate Marketing Podcast

Lee-Ann Johnstone - Founder of Affiverse
  • 4.7 (12)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

We're on a quest to help the world do affiliate marketing, better. Join your host Lee-Ann Johnstone, CEO of Affiverse an award winning Agency and Top 50 UK Affiliate Agency Owner as voted in The Drum Agency Census 2021 and listen to her podcast series all about Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Learn from an array of digital marketing veterans, business entrepreneurs, SaaS product providers and more to discover how digital and affiliate marketing is constantly changing. Hear how brands are building successful affiliate programs and driving consistent partner referrals and sales. Subscribe to hear exactly what it takes to launch, scale and grow a successful affiliate program in this fast moving digital age. Enjoying what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe for more thought-provoking insights and industry-leading content delivered straight to your inbox. Visit https://www.affiversemedia.com/newsletter-sign-up/ to get started. Visit www.affiversemedia.com for more great content or discover our AMPP (Affiliate Manager Performance Program) training program for affiliate  program  managers who want to launch, scale or grow affiliate marketing programs in under 90 days! Need help with your Affiliate Program? Want to launch an affiliate program successfully? Talk to our agency team and find out how our consulting and account management services and how we  can help you drive consistent sales for your business! >> Book a free call HERE: https://affiversemedia.com/contact/

  1. 6D AGO

    Awin's Adam Ross: Why Affiliate Still Wins! Two Decades Distilled in One Episode

    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 value Listen 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 base Key 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 simplification Call to Action Master 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 Affilia Send me a text with your questions

    32 min

  2. FEB 5

    Beyond Discounts: Zilch Reveals What Actually Influences UK Purchases Today

    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 browsing Key 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 past Call to Action The 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

    25 min

  3. JAN 29

    Conversations with a Pinnacle of the Affiliate Industry

    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 wave Listen 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 LLMs Key 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 disruption Send me a text with your questions

    32 min

  4. JAN 22

    Why Human Approaches to Building Affiliate Partnerships Still Work

    The OG Publisher's Blueprint for Building Partnerships That Actually Last Your 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 Action Ready 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

    36 min

  5. JAN 15

    The Great Affiliate Bypass: Understanding the Impact of AEO in 2026

    Why Your Affiliate Program Might Be Losing Traffic Without You Realising It When 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 expertise Why 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 clicks Listen 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 value Ready 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

    33 min

  6. JAN 8

    Honey, We Have a Problem? Navigating the Affiliate Channel in 2026

    Why Auto-Approving Affiliates in 2026 Is Like Leaving Your Front Door Wide Open If 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 emerge Listen 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 patterns Key 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 problems Call to Action Huge 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

    33 min

  7. JAN 1

    New Year, New Season: Affiliate Marketing Review and What's to Come

    The Year Affiliate Marketing Proved Its Power While Rewriting All the Rules If 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 2026 Call to Action This 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

    33 min

  8. 12/25/2025

    A Christmas Wrap-Up: The Conversations That Shaped This Season

    A Christmas Day Special Celebrating the Insights, Breakthroughs, and Bold Conversations That Defined Our Season Welcome 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 Action Season 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

    36 min
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About

We're on a quest to help the world do affiliate marketing, better. Join your host Lee-Ann Johnstone, CEO of Affiverse an award winning Agency and Top 50 UK Affiliate Agency Owner as voted in The Drum Agency Census 2021 and listen to her podcast series all about Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Learn from an array of digital marketing veterans, business entrepreneurs, SaaS product providers and more to discover how digital and affiliate marketing is constantly changing. Hear how brands are building successful affiliate programs and driving consistent partner referrals and sales. Subscribe to hear exactly what it takes to launch, scale and grow a successful affiliate program in this fast moving digital age. Enjoying what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe for more thought-provoking insights and industry-leading content delivered straight to your inbox. Visit https://www.affiversemedia.com/newsletter-sign-up/ to get started. Visit www.affiversemedia.com for more great content or discover our AMPP (Affiliate Manager Performance Program) training program for affiliate  program  managers who want to launch, scale or grow affiliate marketing programs in under 90 days! Need help with your Affiliate Program? Want to launch an affiliate program successfully? Talk to our agency team and find out how our consulting and account management services and how we  can help you drive consistent sales for your business! >> Book a free call HERE: https://affiversemedia.com/contact/

Information

  • Creator
    Lee-Ann Johnstone - Founder of Affiverse
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    278
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 AffliateInsider Limited - T/A Affiverse Media
  • Show Website
    The Affiliate Marketing Podcast