Renz Gonzales took an unconventional path into affiliate marketing. He moved through finance and sales before joining an in-app ad network in 2018. He’s been in AdTech ever since, and recently joined RollerAds as VP of Growth and Partnerships.
In this interview, we sit down with Renz to talk about how he got here, what the market still gets wrong, and why he judges a partnership by how it holds up on a bad week.
Interview on video
The full conversation
Q: Renz, welcome. Let’s start at the very beginning: how did you end up in affiliate marketing?
Renz: Oh wow, we’re going way back. Around 2015 and 2016, I was in the finance sector, in sales, on the sales floor at multiple trading companies. Right after that, I understood where my real strengths were: communication, building partnerships, and networking.
I was good at that partly because I used to be part of the food and beverage industry as well. I was a waiter, and I could understand immediately that I could connect with people in a very organic way, without pushing for it. That made me realize that perhaps I should join a different industry. I had a great experience in the financial sector, but I joined an in-app ad network in 2018, and the rest is history. I started as an account manager, and I loved it.
Q: And what made you stay for so long?
Renz: Connections, to be honest. That’s it. It sounds cliché to many, but it’s the connections. It’s having this network of friends and people you meet along the way, and learning a lot of things throughout those years.
It also rewards you like no other industry, in my opinion, when it comes to knowledge. And the financial aspect of it, of course. It’s a huge industry, but in a way it’s also quite a small community if you think about it. It rewards you for being true to yourself, being credible, and making a lot of friends along the way.
Q: Looking back, how has the industry changed since you started?
Renz: It’s changed for the better. When we started, there were many verticals that were pretty much dominant. Everything is a little bit evergreen if you think about it, but there are seasonalities. Years ago, there was mobile content that was really strong, and then it transitioned into utilities, for example, or e-commerce.
The way the industry works has evolved too. Everyone is much more knowledgeable and well-seasoned about how affiliate marketing actually works. So, diversification. And obviously, with AI in the mix, it has elevated the business models of different industries.
It’s an evergreen industry, it’s here to stay. It’s never really been in a downturn. It just happens that things are all about seasonality. One thing might work today; tomorrow it’s something else.
We’ve looked at some of those shifts in our own 2026 coverage too. Our 2026 trends round-up covers what our account managers are seeing move this year, and our GEO breakdown goes format by format, since a country that performs on Push often behaves differently on OnClick.
Q: With all these changes, what do you think people are still underestimating?
Renz: Two things. The first is the power of connection with your peers, making sure you’re connected and well networked. When it comes to getting offers from different networks, or through direct brands, and deciding where your paid media direction is, it’s really about getting that information from these companies so you can build your own portfolio of experience and verticals.
The second is tracking. It’s quite important that media buyers and affiliates are following the data. I’ve said this many times over the years, but media buying is not just about buying traffic blindly anymore. There are API integrations and connections with LLMs as well, and that gives real power to media buyers and affiliates. Tracking is still a little bit underestimated. There are a lot of trackers out there, but that’s one of the things I see should move forward more.
Q: With all these changes, what do you think people are still underestimating?
Renz: Two things. The first is the power of connection with your peers, making sure you’re connected and well networked. When it comes to getting offers from different networks, or through direct brands, and deciding where your paid media direction is, it’s really about getting that information from these companies so you can build your own portfolio of experience and verticals.
The second is tracking. It’s quite important that media buyers and affiliates are following the data. I’ve said this many times over the years, but media buying is not just about buying traffic blindly anymore. There are API integrations and connections with LLMs as well, and that gives real power to media buyers and affiliates. Tracking is still a little bit underestimated. There are a lot of trackers out there, but that’s one of the things I see should move forward more.
Q: Makes sense. And what’s changing right now that you’re watching most closely?
Renz: The relationship between offer owners and affiliates. For offer owners, and that could be a direct brand with an affiliate program, or CPA and affiliate networks, there’s the idea that we, the affiliates and media buyers, are just focused on the CPA and that’s it. I think they need to be a bit more transparent in the way they share information and the way they could motivate affiliates to bring in more traffic and, subsequently, conversions.
Bottom line, affiliates and media buyers want to work with an offer that provides the bigger payout at the end of the day. But it’s that connection and transparency between both ends. Affiliate networks also want affiliates that generate quality conversions, whatever that conversion might be. So that has changed, and I think it should evolve further.
Q: There are lots of assumptions about this business. That it comes down to finding the offer with the highest payout, or that you can only earn with a huge audience. What’s the one thing people get wrong?
Renz: That you cannot join it. That the ship has sailed. There’s always a way to enter this market. There’s just so much more information nowadays online, and even with AI you can gather everything you need to understand what affiliate marketing is. By all means, I’m not saying that it is easy.
So many affiliates and friends I know have struggled throughout the years and have also pivoted. But the idea is that you’re flexible and that you really accumulate a lot of information, even from peers. This is why conferences for me are a melting pot of different kinds of people who can share insights with each other. People nowadays really value authenticity and transparency. So that’s the misconception: that you cannot join affiliate marketing. There always is a way.
If you are at that starting point right now, we put together a beginner’s guide to how affiliate marketing works: where the money actually comes from, what a first campaign looks like, and the mistakes our account managers see most often.
Q: With all your experience, what makes a really strong business partnership?
Renz: Here’s how I see it. When everything is great, we define it as a great partnership. But when things go south, that’s where the partnership really flourishes and builds a good foundation.
I’ve dealt with many instances where we’ve had issues with traffic quality, or with conversions not firing, or other scenarios that would make or break a partnership. That’s when everything becomes aligned: the way you handle yourself as a traffic provider, or as the offer owner in this case. That’s where you make sure you work together in solving those challenges.
In everything, even in relationships, it’s when the hardships occur that you understand who your friends are, who your family truly is, and in our business, who your partners actually are. So it’s really about solving the problems hand in hand. For us at RollerAds, the main goal is to provide assistance for our clients from A to Z, and to make sure we’re there with them, facing those challenges together.
Traffic quality is the example Renz reaches for, and it is one of the topics we get asked about often. Two things worth reading if that is your concern: how ad networks fight ad fraud and a practical guide to protecting your campaigns from invalid traffic.
Q: You’ve just started a new chapter here. What was it about RollerAds that made you think, this is where I want to be next?
Renz: The growth prospects. It’s a great company with a great culture. People are really helpful inside, and authentically want to support each other. And things move fast. I love it when decisions are made in one, two, three steps and then we go into action. That excites me about the company’s values and its vision for the future.
Q: You’d known the market from the outside for years. What’s it like to see RollerAds from the inside?
Renz: I’ve known RollerAds for many years and have friends in the company. That’s one of the things I try to keep myself aligned with: being authentically friendly with the industry peers we have. As I said, it’s a small industry.
But now, being on the inside, I see a company that values fast decisions that are still discussed and analyzed. It’s also a young crowd, and there’s a lot of energy in the rooms. Whenever we have discussions together, that kind of enthusiasm really excites me. It fuels my motivation to perform. The goal for me is to provide more value, strength, knowledge, and experience that I can pass on to the team itself.
Q: Let’s talk about the new role. What will your main focus be?
Renz: Making RollerAds the best ad network in our space. That’s a mission that is 100% attainable.
My role is a bit more diversified. I’m heading the business development team, and we aim to grow the portfolio of partners we onboard, and of course the visibility of the brand and our representation within the sphere itself. With our network and company friends within this industry, that’s what’s going to help us elevate the brand. But the primary goal is to boost our revenues with new partnerships, built on top of the long-term networks we’ve built before.
Q: You’re talking to partners every day. What would you like new partners to know about the way you work?
Renz: I work with efficiency, but I work with the aim of understanding the pains that each client has, and how we can bridge the gap between those pains and the solutions we have on our side. That’s how I work, and that’s how the team works. Understanding the pains, what challenges the client is facing, and what value we can offer them.
When our clients see performance and quality, that’s what makes them stick around longer. That’s how we naturally build these long-term partnerships. And of course, we’re focusing on different directions. Stay tuned, there are plans.
Q: Last one. After so many years in a fast-moving industry, what helps you switch off?
Renz: There’s one thing I really like doing. I love to just drive after a day’s work. It switches my mind off. For some people that might be too annoying, but living in Cyprus, with our great highways and mountain ranges, it’s always fun to do that. Other than that, I’ve been leaning on my musical talents for the past few months. That relaxes me, having that musical background, singing and all that. And living on an island definitely has that chill vibe that really helps.
But work does not end. You either are okay with that and cope with it, or you try to balance things out and figure out something that really excites you. I believe in work-life harmony. Balance could be a little too challenging to attain. So: harmony. Find things that excite you outside of work and make sure you get back energized.
Q: Renz, thank you. It was great talking to you.
Renz: Thank you.
Want to talk to Renz or the business development team about a partnership? Sign up for RollerAds and get in touch with our team through the in-platform chat.
