I first published a version of this article in 2006 at PokerAffiliateWorld.com. Since then I have spoken about it at conferences, and it has been republished in several of the industries largest print publications and magazines. Not enough can be said about acting in good faith and being in honest with your affiliate managers.

I’ve never been an affiliate manager myself, but many of my good friends in this industry are AM’s. It’s actually quite comical too, as long as I have been doing this, it always seems that some affiliates want to become affiliate managers, and affiliate managers want to become super affiliates. With that said, I think it goes to show that we work in the best industry in the world and we all envy each other.

Back on topic though, the expectations of affiliate managers can vary depending on if you have negotiated any special rate or promotion. At the end of the day however, affiliate managers want affiliates who are loyal, ethical, and perform for them. Make no mistake, just like we get paid for performance, most of our AM’s do too. Affiliate managers want to see you be successful just as much as you do, if not more. From the friends I have talked to on the other side of the industry, nothing is more satisfying to an affiliate manager than seeing one of his or her affiliates have a record month.

But here is the problem, and I think any affiliate manager reading this will agree. The affiliates who are driving the lion share of the revenue are usually the lowest maintenance and easiest affiliate accounts to manage. Yet the affiliates who can’t seem to send a single real money player are the ones taking up all their time. But don’t fret or be embarrassed if this is you, affiliate managers love working with new affiliates and coaching them to be successful. But as professional poker affiliates we must realize that an AM’s job usually entails dealing with thousands of affiliates and issues. If the AM hasn’t responded to your email in 30 minutes, it’s usually not intentional. Below are a few key topics we should discuss in respect to our poker affiliate managers.

UnderPromise & OverDeliver

How many times a week does an affiliate manager get an email from an affiliate that sounds something like this:

“Dear Mr. Affiliate Manager, my partners and I are starting this brand new site and we are confident it is going to be the biggest poker site on the internet. We are going to have a forum and give special deals, we’ve already submitted to every search engine and we are hoping to bring 500 players to you next month alone. So we need a splash page, we’ll need custom banners and multiple trackers, a $200 weekly freeroll, oh and last but not least we need a $200 CPA.”

Then the AM visits the site and it is a poorly put together 5 page website with no google rankings or even any on page SEO. You may laugh, (and when most affiliate managers read this, they do! But this happens every single day. So when approaching a new AM about your affiliate business or a new promotion, just be realistic. If you think you can send 10 players next month, tell them honestly, “I’m promoting you along side 3 other rooms, but I think with a couple private tournaments and some premium placement, I can bring you 10-15 new depositing players.”

Your affiliate manager will have much more respect for you and be more willing to go the extra mile for you since you are being straight with him or her from the beginning.” If you end up sending double that number, then you’re both happy and you will be seen as someone who surpassed your goals instead of fell short.

Cash Added Freerolls

For new affiliates (and read this carefully): Unless you can send an equivalent amount of gross rake your first month, don’t ask for them. Trust me, it’s just bad business and makes for a very bad first impression. And as a super affiliate myself, I can tell you, these small prizepool freerolls are literally a waste of your time. No long term small to large value player is ever going to play in a freeroll tournament to win $7.96 for first place

From the AM’s I have talked to, the new affiliates to their programs that beg for cash added freerolls are usually the ones that don’t send any RMP’s (real money players). Remember, the player value of a habitual freeroller is $0. If you convince an AM to drop $200 from his monthly budget into your event and you don’t produce a single RMP, this is not a good way to start the business relationship.

If you’re a seasoned affiliate and you’re sending a fair amount of players who produce even a moderate amount of rake each month, the AM’s will usually do this for you with no questions asked. The point is you have to prove yourself before you can demand free money from the sites. Whenever I host freerolls, I typically request to have the funds deducted from my current or future affiliate earnings. This shows the affiliate manager that you are serious about bringing in player who have potential to produce rake and profit.

Keep in mind, freerolls are nice but they will not make you rich, nor will they attract the types of players that will allow you to quit your full time job and make thousands of dollars each month as a poker affiliate.

Become Friends With Your Poker Affiliate Manager

The benefits of this cannot be overstated. As mentioned earlier, some of my best friends in this industry are my affiliate managers. Often the only time affiliates contact their affiliate manager is when they have a problem or they need something. Sometimes a nice simple email saying something to the effect of, “Thanks for the early payment this month” or “The new banners look awesome” can go a long way. Remember, affiliate managers have flexibility in what they pay you, regardless of what performance level you’re at. Also, most AM’s would rather see you at one of the industry conventions or on messenger, and consider you a friend versus an affiliate who only contacts them with “issues”.

One of the best ways to develop solid rapport with your poker affiliate manager is to attend one of the various gaming conventions, whether offline or online at least once a year. Don’t be shy about setting up several meetings either, this is your chance to shine and to negotiate deals with existing programs as well as new programs. Likewise if you’re friends with your affiliate managers, it makes it a lot easier to ask for special favors or even forgiveness when you do something stupid.

Loyalty

Poker Affiliate Managers realize that you are going to promote more than just their room. However if you are able to secure a higher commission or get a cash added event, by all means show some loyalty. Nothing is worse for an AM than committing money or resources to you and then 30 days later, they’re no where to be found on your site.

Posting Negative Remarks in Forums

Often times you see posts being made at the various webmaster affiliate communities in sponsored forums that are negative. I suppose there is a time and place for this, but usually there is no reason to call out an affiliate manager in a public forum. In ten years I have never seen an AM call out an affiliate in a public forum! So 90% of the time this is inappropriate for us to do to them. Also it should be noted that often times the negative poster, or the person complaining about a player not being tracked is an affiliate who has sent maybe one real money player in the last 6 months.

The bottom line is that most issues can be settled via email, skype, messenger, or phone. Also keep in mind that all affiliate managers read all the forums. If they see you posting negative remarks about other AM’s, they will be less likely to want to work with you or the sites you promote. Just use common sense when posting in poker affiliate forums.

I’m sure there is more I could write about this, but to answer the original question regarding expectation; poker affiliate managers want affiliates who are loyal, ethical, and perform for them.

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