The Affiliate Marketing Podcast

What happens when the biggest threat to your publishing business is also buried inside the data you're not looking at? Jorge Barbosa of wecantrack, joins Lee-Ann to talk about what is actually happening to publishers right now, why most of them are flying blind without realising it, and what the ones who are thriving are doing differently. The conversation covers HCU updates, AI overviews cannibalising traffic, the overlooked relationship between affiliate managers and publishers, and why EPC broken down by traffic source might be the most important number in your business that you're not tracking. Talking Points Include: Listen to Find Out More About: Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct: Call to Action A big thank you to Jorge for being so generous with what he's seen on the ground. If this episode has made you think differently about the data sitting inside your publishing business or program, that is worth acting on sooner rather than later. Have a look at their Affiliate Dashboard or book a demo if this episode has sparked your interest. KonverJ works with brands and affiliate managers to build publisher relationships and program strategies that are grounded in what the data actually shows. If you want to stop guessing and start making decisions that compound, get in touch with the team here. Rate, Review and Subscribe on Send me a text with your questions

What happens when your affiliate publisher is a sleep-deprived new mum with 45,000 verified users, a Dragon's Den deal, and strong opinions about how brands treat people? You listen. Olivia Davson is the co-founder of Cubbi, the UK's first discount platform built specifically for verified new and expecting parents. She launched it eight weeks after having her first child, built the first version of the app with her sister who had zero coding experience, onboarded over 30 brands before launch, and pitched her business live on BBC's Dragon's Den at nine months pregnant. She walked out with a 50,000 pound investment. In this episode, Lee-Ann talks with Olivia about what it actually feels like to enter the affiliate industry as a new publisher, why most affiliate managers missed the opportunity she represented early on, and what brands who did show up early gained because of it. The conversation covers the mechanics of Cubbi's verification model, why the parent demographic is unlike any other in consumer marketing, and what the affiliate channel still gets wrong about the publisher relationship. Talking Points Include: Listen to Find Out More About: Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct: [07:25] The scrappy startup reality: a thousand outreach messages, thirty brand partners, and what the ones who said yes understood that the others missed [13:00] How Cubbi verifies users, why the verification model matters to brands, and the difference between targeted reach and spray-and-pray traffic [15:37] Dragon's Den: why Olivia went on the show at nine months pregnant, what happened when the episode aired, and what a nationwide audience spike looks like on a growth map [19:00] What the industry gets wrong about new publishers and why the affiliate channel is more transactional than it needs to be Call to Action A big thank you to Olivia for sharing her story so openly. If this episode has made you think differently about how your program handles early-stage publishers, that instinct is worth acting on. KonverJ works with brands and affiliate managers to audit partner recruitment and relationship strategies from the ground up. If you want to build a program that attracts the next Cubbi before th Send me a text with your questions

The rules of discovery are being rewritten in real time. Here is what affiliate managers need to understand before the market moves on without them. If you have been half-listening to conversations about AI search and hoping it will settle down before you have to do anything about it, this episode is your wake-up call. Reza Moaiandin, co-founder of SALT.agency, has spent 25 years watching the internet evolve from static HTML to generative AI. He joins Lee-Ann to cut through the noise on SEO, AEO and GEO, explain what the data from his clients is actually showing about shifting user behaviour, and give affiliate managers a clear-headed diagnostic for where to focus right now. Talking Points Include: Listen to Find Out More About: Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct: [05:06] Reza breaks down the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO in plain language, and explains why confusing them leads affiliate managers to make the wrong budget decisions [11:00] How the traditional customer funnel is collapsing inside a single AI interaction, illustrated with the running shoe example that makes the shift impossible to ignore [20:40] The diagnostic Reza would run on any affiliate program today: where to start, what to fix first, and why fixing AEO and GEO before your SEO foundations are solid is a waste of time and budget [24:44] The server log technique that tells you exactly which pages AI platforms are pulling from your site and your affiliates' content, and why most affiliate managers are not looking at this data Call to Action A big thank you to Reza for sharing his research and his thinking so generously. If this episode has made you question whether your current partner segmentation still reflects how your customers actually find you, that instinct is worth following up on. KonverJ works with brands and affiliate managers to audit and rebuild partner strategies that are built for where the market is heading, not where it has been. If that conversation is timely for your program, get in touch with the team here. Send me a text with your questions

The diagnostic framework that 20 years of affiliate program management built - and why most programs are not broken, just badly diagnosed. If your affiliate program is underperforming and you are not sure where to start, this episode will change how you think about the problem. No guest, no interview, just Lee-Ann, her two decades of affiliate marketing experience across e-commerce, SaaS, B2B, retail and iGaming, and the step-by-step framework she uses with clients to diagnose exactly what is wrong and what to fix first. This is one of those episodes you will want to listen to with a document open and a pen in hand. Talking Points Include: Listen to Find Out More About: Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct: [01:00] Why most underperforming affiliate programs are not broken, just badly diagnosed, and the triage mindset that changes how you approach a fix [04:14] The five vital signs of affiliate program health and how to read each one using data you already have access to [13:25] The four root causes behind underperformance and the specific prescription for each one [18:08] How to build a triage action plan using the one priority, one metric, four weeks rule [21:49] The three hard truths about affiliate programs that do not get said often enough, and what acting on them actually looks like Call to Action If this episode gave you a clearer picture of what is holding your program back, the next step is making sure you have the right support around you. The KonverJ Agency works with affiliate program managers and brands who are ready to stop guessing and start building programs that perform. Find out how we can help at Konverj.io and start the conversation. Send me a text with your questions

The coaching framework that helps affiliate managers navigate commercial conflict, set boundaries, and lead with confidence even when the conversation gets uncomfortable. If you have ever walked into a partner meeting already dreading it, or sent a reactive email on a Friday evening and regretted it by Sunday, this episode is for you. Tara Alvarez Garcia, performance and leadership coach with over 15 years in marketing and commercial roles, joins Lee-Ann to break down why difficult conversations go wrong, and what you can do differently before you even open your mouth. From handling underperforming affiliates to managing burnout in a permanently switched-on industry, this is the practical coaching session affiliate managers rarely get. Talking Points Include: Listen to Find Out More About: Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct: [02:45] The managing versus leading distinction explained: the engine gets the car moving, but who decides where it goes? [06:25] How to enter a difficult commercial conversation prepared, collaborative, and clear on the outcome you actually want [08:40] What to do when the conversation heats up: the case for controlled silence and slowing down before reacting [13:00] Why thinking time is not a luxury in a leadership role, it is the job, and how to carve it out in a reactive industry [18:30] Tara's blueprint for handling any difficult conversation, walked through step by step Call to Action Thanks to Tara Alvarez Garcia for such a grounded and genuinely practical episode. Tara has put together an exclusive offer for listeners, including a free downloadable blueprint for handling difficult conversations and a limited number of discounted one-off coaching sessions. You can access both at tyscoaching.com/affiliate-marketing-podcast. If your affiliate program needs more than a listening session, the KonverJ Agency team works directly with brands to build, audit, and scale affiliate programs. Find out how we can support you at Konverj.io Send me a text with your questions

From Casino Dealer to iGaming Exit: What Hustle Actually Looks Like You'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 Pelc Karolina 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: Listen to Find Out More About: Key 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 all Send me a text with your questions

Every major insight, turning point, and uncomfortable truth from the season that changed how the industry thinks about performance If 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: Listen to Find Out More About: Key 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 around Stay Ahead with Affiverse If 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 2026 If 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 Day Lauryn 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: Key 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: 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 Linke Send me a text with your questions

Why Every Affiliate Manager Needs to Understand What's Happening to Search Right Now Search 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: Listen to Find Out More About: Key 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 it Ready 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: Key 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 before Call to Action A 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 fi Send 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: Key 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 program Call to Action A 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: Listen to Find Out More About: 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

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: Listen to Find Out More About: 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

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: Listen to Find Out More About: Open Attribution 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

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: Listen to Find Out More About: Call 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

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: LinkedIn research 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

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: Listen to Find Out More About: 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

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 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: Key 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

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: 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

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: Listen to Find Out More About: Key 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 decision Call to Action Huge 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