Affiliate Nerd Out

Dustin Howes
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Partnership marketing enthusiasts and affiliate marketing gurus are sharing their best strategies for affiliate program growth. New guests every week will come to discuss hot topics in the industry and what latest growth hacks working right now.

  1. 1d ago

    Stop Playing Small: How Affiliate Managers Can Become Industry Leaders with Lee Ann

    Waited until her mid-40s to start her own business. Now she's telling every affiliate manager to stop waiting. Lee-Ann Johnstone built KonverJ from 22 years in affiliate, starting back when it wasn't even called affiliate marketing. 1. Commercial negotiation is half the battle. Learn it early and everything else gets easier. 2. When you stop learning every day, you start falling behind. She's treating AI like a brand new skill despite two decades in the industry. 3. Planning and strategy should lead the program forward, not be the afterthought after the execution. She also dropped the two questions she asks herself about everything she reads. They change how you process information entirely. Watch the full episode to see why. #AffiliateMarketing #AffiliateManager #DigitalMarketing #CareerGrowth #AffiliateNerdOut Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    Stop Playing Small: How Affiliate Managers Can Become Industry Leaders with Lee Ann

  2. 5d ago

    The Affiliate Fraud Scandal Everyone Is Talking About

    The networks know who the bad actors are. They make money off of them. Christen Evans (she/her) is back for Real Talk Friday. She's a rule follower, and she wants to know why the industry keeps gatekeeping in 2026. Here's what we got into:   1. The networks kinda wanna sweep it under the rug and stay quiet. 2. At my first job, publishers had hundreds of fraud tickets against them. Still in the network. Because they were making CJ too much money. 3. Nobody has the balls to do it. Or legally, they're terrified. We also get into who should be housing all of this and why it's not a 15-minute flash. 👇 Watch the full episode to see why. Ever dealt with a fraudulent partner? Drop it in the comments. #affiliatemarketing #affiliatefraud #performancemarketing #affiliatenerdout #digitalmarketing Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    The Affiliate Fraud Scandal Everyone Is Talking About

  3. Aug 11

    The AI Ranking Strategy Brands Are Using to Dominate with Farzad Rashidi

    ChatGPT is scraping sources to build its answers. The question is whether your brand is one of them. Sat down with Farzad Rashidi, CEO of Respona, to break down how brands are getting cited by LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews. Systematically. Here's what we covered: 1. How Respona builds high-authority citations through targeted listicles, comparison guides, and product reviews 2. Why human editors review every piece of content. No AI filler, guaranteed placements. 3. How agencies are using bulk discounts to resell this as a service at a profit We also get into pay-per-article pricing, API access, and why waiting around for organic mentions is not a strategy anymore. Watch the full episode and drop a comment: is AI visibility part of your 2026 plan? Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    The AI Ranking Strategy Brands Are Using to Dominate with Farzad Rashidi

  4. Aug 10

    DEEP DIVE: Affiliate Management 2.0: The Innovations Winning in 2026

    Want to know what is actually working in the affiliate industry right now? I hosted a live panel with Fred Jean-Barrel from Performance Partners, Mark Goco from All Inclusive Marketing, and Josh Kennedy from Imagine Marketing to break down how to scale programs without relying on tired tactics. We talked about smarter outreach, AI research, and what it takes to win in performance marketing today. If you are trying to figure out how to recruit affiliates who actually move the needle, this conversation is packed with real examples. Forget generic email pitches and spamming coupon sites. We dug into how to soft-pitch premium publishers like Wire Cutter, why paid search is wildly underrated, and how to use data-backed insights to build trust. Watch the full chat to get the exact strategies these agency founders use to scale eight and nine-figure brands. If you want to speed up your process, check out Alfie (https://www.alfie.io/) to automate your outreach and find niche content partners in minutes. Connect with me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhowes) and let's keep the conversation going. Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month Go to https://dustinhowes.com/alfie to set up your account with a 30-day money-back guarantee  For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    DEEP DIVE: Affiliate Management 2.0: The Innovations Winning in 2026

  5. Aug 6

    The Secret Marketing Skill That Takes You From AM to CMO with David Vogelpohl

    My all-time favorite boss told me something once that changed my entire career. "Dustin, you're the best network marketer I've ever met." That's David Vogelpohl. He started by cold-calling computer shops in the late '90s to set up referral agreements. That was his first accidental entry into affiliate marketing. His take on where most affiliate managers go wrong: 1. You're running a business within a business. Most just don't see it that way. 2. The fastest path to leadership is to volunteer. 3. If you're pigeonholed, it's because you're not asking enough questions. This one's for every affiliate manager who's ever wondered where this career can actually take them. We also get into why David calls affiliate marketing the E=MC² of marketing and why you should never be ashamed of what you do for a living. Watch the full episode to see why, and drop a comment if this resonates. Subscribe to this channel for more affiliate program growth tactics. Start your 7-day free trial and see how Alfie can transform your affiliate recruitment process today! https://www.alfie.io/ Connect with Dustin Howes on LinkedIn: /dustinhowes  #AffiliateMarketing #CareerGrowth #AffiliateManager #DigitalMarketing #MarketingLeadership Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    The Secret Marketing Skill That Takes You From AM to CMO with David Vogelpohl

  6. Aug 3

    The Future of AI Search: How Brands Can Dominate ChatGPT & Reddit with Ewen Finser

    Someone sees your ad on Meta. They Google your brand. They find a Reddit post from Joey323 saying your brand sucks. That's your entire paid spend strategy gone. Ewen Finser, CEO of ScaleVisible, calls this the villain archetype. And it's more common than most brands want to admit. On this episode of Affiliate Nerd Out, Ewen joins me in to break down how brands can win in the age of AI search, Reddit, and ChatGPT. One of his clients has 2% market share against QuickBooks. They now have 50% parity in AI search. It's becoming one of their top customer acquisition channels. The play? Reddit, YouTube, and tier-two media. Three legs. Build clusters. Build consensus. Get AI to say nice things about you across multiple surfaces. For brands still coasting on old KPIs, watch out. It's death by a thousand paper cuts. You may not even know it's happening yet. If you're running an affiliate program or managing a brand's online presence, this one is worth your time.  Watch the full episode and let me know where your brand falls: ghost, villain, challenger, or defender? #AffiliateMarketing #AISearch  #RedditMarketing  #B2BMarketing  #DigitalMarketing  #ScaleVisible Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    The Future of AI Search: How Brands Can Dominate ChatGPT & Reddit with Ewen Finser

  7. Jul 30

    How to Build a B2B Affiliate Program from Scratch

    Dustin Howes hosts a panel with Nancy Harnett (Instantly.ai, ex-HubSpot), Victor Moen (Affilial.com), and Ed Ceballos (EverFlow) on scaling B2B SaaS affiliate programs. Nancy emphasizes auditing existing partners and analyzing funnel data before expanding recruitment. Victor shares strategies for removing low-quality affiliates, reactivating dormant partners, and scaling targeted outreach. Ed highlights building referral programs around loyal customers, using meaningful rewards, and tracking influence beyond last-click revenue. The panel also explores commission structures, ecosystem partnerships, creator payments, and effective affiliate activation strategies. Subscribe to this channel for more affiliate program growth tactics. Start your 7-day free trial and see how Alfie can transform your affiliate recruitment process today! https://www.alfie.io/ Want to recruit more affiliates? https://affistash.com Connect with Dustin Howes on Linkedin:   / dustinhowes  #B2BAffiliateMarketing #SaaSAffiliateMarketing #AffiliateMarketing #PartnerMarketing #AffiliateProgram #B2BMarketing #GrowthPartnerships #AffiliateRecruitment #SaaSGrowth #ReferralMarketing #AffiliateStrategy #PerformanceMarketing #AffiliateNerdOut Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month Go to https://dustinhowes.com/alfie to set up your account with a 30-day money-back guarantee  For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    How to Build a B2B Affiliate Program from Scratch

  8. Jul 16

    Affiliate Marketing Drama: Cookie Stuffing, Budget Cuts & Industry Chaos

    In this Real Talk Friday episode of Affiliate Nerd Out, Dustin Howes and Cristen Evans break down the latest affiliate marketing trends, including industry drama over fraud accusations, the impact of cutting affiliate commissions, and why protecting partner relationships matters. They also share updates on Alfie, AI automation, affiliate program migrations, and an upcoming webinar on modern affiliate strategies. The episode wraps up with a reminder that building relationships starts by saying yes to the conversation. 00:00 Loyalty App Warning Shot 00:44 Show Intro And Banter 01:55 Top Hat Giveaway Stories 03:36 Affiliate Drama And Tattling 05:54 Budget Cuts Hurt Partners 08:54 Alfie Updates And Webinars 11:00 Cristen Work And Automation 12:49 Always Take The Call 14:46 Wrap Up And Sign Off Subscribe to this channel for more affiliate program growth tactics. Start your 7-day free trial and see how Alfie can transform your affiliate recruitment process today! https://www.alfie.io/ Connect with Dustin Howes on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhowes #AffiliateMarketing #AffiliateNerdOut #RealTalkFriday #AffiliateProgram #PartnerMarketing #DigitalMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #AffiliateStrategy #AIAutomation #MarketingPodcast #CookieStuffing #ImpactDotCom #ChristenEvans Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

    Affiliate Marketing Drama: Cookie Stuffing, Budget Cuts & Industry Chaos
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Partnership marketing enthusiasts and affiliate marketing gurus are sharing their best strategies for affiliate program growth. New guests every week will come to discuss hot topics in the industry and what latest growth hacks working right now.

Information

  • Creator
    Dustin Howes
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    182
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Affiliate Nerd Out
  • Show Website
    Affiliate Nerd Out