Affiliate marketing can be a minefield if you wander blindfolded, relying solely on your instincts. Yet all the mines can be safely defused with the help of a skilled sapper. Besides the right people, you need lots of insights to capitalize on and tap into profit quickly.
That’s where this very article comes into play. In fact, it’s an interview with Kate, a media buyer at RollerAds, where she provides actionable advice on how to avoid mistakes and manage risks when launching ad campaigns. Let’s turn the floor over to Kate.
Q: Kate hi! Can you first tell us a bit about yourself and your role at RollerAds?
Kate: Hi! Sure. My passion for affiliate marketing started years ago, and since then, I’ve launched tens of millions of ad campaigns—first as an amateur, and now as a professional media buyer at RollerAds. With almost 4 years of experience in the field, I’ve learned the ins and outs of campaign management and am happy to share with you some tips and tricks on dodging the risks.
Q: That’s great! Let’s get down to it then. What risks do affiliates face, and how can they deal with them?
Kate: The biggest risk that everyone fears is sending the campaign budget down the drain. And it happens more often than you think, even with skilled media buyers—sometimes simply due to casual negligence. In a hurry, you might add an extra “zero” to the cost and then step away for a cup of coffee, while the campaign burns through thousands of dollars in minutes. That’s why it’s crucial to keep an eye on all your campaign metrics, carefully set targets, enter bid-model costs, and track ad conversions from start to finish.
Picking the right tracking platform will also help mitigate your budget headache. They all serve different purposes, so you’ll need to try several services to find what works best for your campaigns.
Q: You say that you need to carefully control all the metrics to avoid mistakes and ensure your campaign starts driving profit. But can too much control also throw a wrench into your work?
Kate: Indeed, balance is everything. Over-controlling and excessive optimization can backfire. Every media buyer wants to run tests quickly and cut out every parameter that doesn’t deliver feasible results. But if we rush to switch off zones, OS versions, browsers, and other factors too early in a test, we risk missing conversions. Sometimes it’s better to let a campaign run at a loss for a little longer to gather more data. This will help you build a more accurate blacklist, and even if the campaign doesn’t convert, you’ll be able to make an informed decision to discard the data and move on to test other sources.
As for too much control—it is actually helpful when tracking the domain viability. The thing is that when launching an ad campaign, the offer landing page domain often fails. In this case, users won’t be able to visit the offer and take a target action. To avoid this, regularly check domains and track links for viruses and functionality. If you spot a problem, fix it right away, and it’s best to pause the campaign until it’s resolved to avoid burning through your budget.
Q: Well, control is definitely a double-edged sword—you have to be smart about it. But what seems beyond your control is an ad network auction, or is there a way to nudge things in your favor?
Kate: Yes, of course. There are several tricks to winning the auction, but the key is the information you can get from your personal manager. They can brief you on the best bid rates for each zone, giving you the insights needed to develop a strategy tailored to your offer. This includes selecting the right countries and deciding whether you need to bother with localization.
I’d also like to emphasize that despite being part of the advertising network team, we work under the same conditions as any other affiliate. As the media buying team, we don’t have direct access to clients’ creatives, which makes gathering information both within our network and from third-party sources essential. This very task is the cornerstone of success for any media buyer—those who excel at collecting and analyzing data are the ones who stay ahead.
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Finding the right affiliate networks and negotiating favorable rates is another crucial factor. To discover what works best for you, it’s essential to test multiple offers. Relying on just 1–3 networks with similar offers might not yield results, so expanding your options is often necessary. Attending affiliate conferences, staying connected with managers from various networks, researching the market, and keeping up with trends can all help broaden your opportunities.
Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of a personal touch in building relationships. Even small gestures like sharing memes can foster goodwill with your partners, potentially leading to better deals in the future.
Q: That makes sense. Sometimes we’re so focused on results that we forget to nurture our connections. However, being a media buyer seems to take blood, sweat, tears, and probably millions of nerve cells just to stay afloat. Do you have any advice for managing the stress that affiliates often face?
Kate: Yes, this job is demanding, and emotional stability is vital. Whenever you see a “red” tracker, negative ROI, or zero conversions despite countless tests, it can feel disheartening. My advice is simple—don’t take it too personally. Stay persistent and keep moving forward, but always approach tests thoughtfully and rationally. Even a $10 test can help find valuable connections.
On our platform, we offer a highly practical bidding model—CPA Goal—an “autopilot” that balances traffic costs and conversions. It’s worth trying offers with small payouts using this bid model. Once you’ve gathered a strong whitelist, you can switch to another model to scale up. Above all, don’t lose hope. Keep searching for that “golden traffic” that will make your campaign a success.
Q: That’s really inspiring and practical. Thank you for this insightful talk!
Kate: Thanks for having me!
We’d also like to remind everyone that we have a wealth of resources on our blog—covering topics like bidding models, targeting options, and much more. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out via the in-platform chat or contact our support team. And if you haven’t joined us yet, now’s the perfect time! RollerAds is where your ads take off, so hop on board—we’re excited to see you!
