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Most affiliates fail because they pick the wrong offers.
Not because their traffic is bad. Not because their landing pages aren’t converting. Because they grabbed whatever looked good and started testing without doing any real research.
I’ve done this. I’ve burned budget on offers that looked great on paper but had broken mobile flows, impossible conversion requirements, or networks that scrubbed half my conversions.
After years of mistakes, I developed a research methodology that takes about 30 minutes with AI and saves thousands in wasted spend. This guide walks through exactly how to evaluate affiliate offers before you send a single click.
Quick Navigation
| Section | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|
| Why It Matters | The EPC calculation most affiliates ignore |
| The Research Methodology | Step-by-step with AI |
| Payouts vs Conversion | Why $30 offers beat $100 offers |
| Conversion Flow Analysis | Catch deal-breakers early |
| Network Reputation | Avoid getting burned |
| Working with AMs | Get insider info |
| AI Research Workflow | Exact prompts and process |
| Going Direct | When and how |
The Math That Actually Matters
Two affiliates. Same traffic source. Same budget. Same skill level.
Affiliate A picks an offer paying $50 with a 2% conversion rate.
Affiliate B picks an offer paying $30 with a 5% conversion rate.
The math:
Affiliate A: $50 x 2% = $1.00 per click
Affiliate B: $30 x 5% = $1.50 per click
Affiliate B makes 50% more money with the “lower” payout.
This is the calculation most affiliates skip. They see $50 vs $30 and grab the bigger number. Then they wonder why their campaigns don’t work.
EPC (Earnings Per Click) is the only number that matters. Everything else in this guide is about finding offers with realistic EPC potential for your traffic.
The 30-Minute Offer Research Process
Here’s the exact process I run before testing any offer.
Step 1: Match Offer to Traffic Source (5 minutes)
Different traffic types convert on different offers. This isn’t a suggestion. This is the foundation.
Search traffic - Users are actively looking for solutions. They’ll read long-form content, compare options, enter credit card info. Complex offers work here.
Social traffic - Users are scrolling, not searching. You have 3 seconds. Simple value props, emotional hooks, low-friction conversions.
Native traffic - Users expect editorial content. Advertorial angles dominate. They’ll read if it looks like a story, not an ad.
Push traffic - Users didn’t ask for your message. Simple offers, immediate benefit, one clear action.
Pop traffic - Users are annoyed. You have seconds. Sweepstakes, app installs, single-page flows.
A $200 B2B software trial doesn’t convert on push traffic. A sweepstakes offer doesn’t convert on branded search. If you mismatch, no amount of creative optimization will save you.
Start with: What traffic am I running? What do those users actually want?
If you haven’t picked a traffic source yet, check out our paid traffic guides.
Step 2: Research What’s Already Working (10 minutes)
Don’t guess. Look at what other affiliates are running.
Open AdPlexity (or whatever spy tool you use) and search your vertical + traffic type.
What to look for:
- Offers running for 30+ days = someone’s making money
- Multiple affiliates promoting the same offer = validated
- Creative patterns that keep repeating = working angles
- Offers that appear once and disappear = probably flopped
If an offer has been running for 6 months across multiple affiliates, it’s probably converting. That’s your shortlist.
Step 3: Compare Across Networks (5 minutes)
The same advertiser often works with multiple networks. Payouts can vary by $5-20 for identical offers.
Check OfferVault or Affpaying. Search for the offer name or advertiser.
Compare:
- Payouts
- Conversion caps
- Allowed traffic types
- Restrictions
I’ve found $15 differences on the same exact offer across networks. That’s $15 extra per conversion just for spending 5 minutes looking.
Step 4: Talk to Your AM (10 minutes)
This is the most underused resource in affiliate marketing.
Your affiliate manager knows:
- Which offers are converting right now
- What EPCs affiliates are actually hitting
- What traffic sources work for which offers
- What creatives and angles are working
They make money when you make money. They want to help.
Questions to ask:
- “What’s converting best for [your traffic source] right now?”
- “What EPC should I realistically expect for [offer]?”
- “What restrictions should I know about?”
- “Can you get me a higher payout if I hit X volume?”
Understanding EPC: The Only Number That Matters
Network EPC is helpful but imperfect. It averages all affiliates across all traffic types. Your results will be different.
Better approach: Ask your AM for EPC by traffic source.
“What EPC are affiliates hitting on this offer from Facebook traffic?”
That’s your realistic benchmark.
The Payout-Difficulty Tradeoff
Higher payouts = harder conversions. Here’s the general pattern:
Email submit: $1-5 payout, easy conversion
Single opt-in: $2-10 payout, simple flow
Double opt-in: $5-15 payout, requires email confirmation
CC Submit (trial): $20-50 payout, requires credit card
Sale: $50-200+ payout, requires purchase
Match conversion difficulty to your traffic quality.
Cold pop traffic won’t convert on a $200 purchase offer. But warm search traffic looking for product reviews? Different story.
Cap Limits
Many offers have daily conversion caps. A $50 offer with a 20/day cap limits your scale no matter how good your campaign is.
Ask upfront:
- What’s the daily cap?
- Can it be increased?
- Is it per affiliate or global?
If you’re planning to scale aggressively, caps become a real constraint.
Test the Flow Before You Spend
The offer page matters as much as the payout.
What I Check
Load time: If it takes more than 3 seconds on mobile, you’re losing conversions.
Mobile experience: Not just responsive. Actually optimized. Forms that work with thumbs. Buttons that are big enough to tap.
Steps to convert: Every extra step kills conversion rate. Count them.
Form fields: Excessive fields for the payout level = red flag.
Social proof: Testimonials, trust badges, reviews. Are they there?
How I Test
I go through the entire flow as a user. Click through, fill out forms with test data, complete the conversion if possible.
Time it. Note friction points. Check mobile specifically.
I’ve seen affiliates lose thousands because a form field was broken on mobile. The offer looked great on desktop. On phones, the submit button didn’t work.
Always test mobile first. Most traffic is mobile now.
Red Flags
- Slow loading (over 3 seconds)
- Broken elements on mobile
- Too many form fields for the payout level
- Unclear value proposition
- Aggressive upsells that kill completion
- Payment pages that look outdated or sketchy
If you’re confused or frustrated going through the flow, your traffic will be too.
Network Selection: Avoiding the Traps
Not all networks are reliable. Some scrub conversions. Some delay payments. Some disappear.
What to Check
Payment reliability: Do they pay on time? What’s the minimum payout? What’s the payment schedule?
Tracking accuracy: Do conversions track correctly? Is there significant discrepancy with your tracker?
Support quality: How responsive is your AM? Do they help solve problems?
How to Check
Search “[network name] reviews” on affiliate forums. Ask other affiliates in communities. Look for payment proof threads.
Start small. Don’t send $10,000 to a network you’ve never worked with. Run a small test. Get paid once. Then scale.
The cost of testing a network is cheap. The cost of not getting paid on a big month is brutal.
Offer Restrictions: Read Before You Run
Every offer has rules. Break them and you lose your conversions.
Common Restrictions
Traffic type: No incentivized traffic, no email unless approved, only specific platforms allowed.
Geo: US only, specific states excluded, international variations with different payouts.
Creative: No specific claims, must include disclaimers, pre-approval required.
Landing pages: Must use provided pages, or custom pages must be approved.
When you apply for an offer, read the terms. When you get approved, read them again. Ask your AM if anything is unclear.
“Can I run this on Facebook?”
“Can I use my own landing page?”
“Are there claims I need to avoid?”
Better to ask than to lose $5,000 in conversions because you violated terms you didn’t know existed.
Your Affiliate Manager is a Gold Mine
Your AM is your inside connection. Treat them right and they’ll help you make more money.
Building the Relationship
- Be professional and responsive
- Communicate your experience level honestly
- Share what traffic you’re planning to run
- Let them know your results
What to Ask For
Better payouts: Once you prove volume and quality, ask for bumps.
“I’m hitting 20 conversions per day consistently. Can we discuss a payout increase?”
Exclusive offers: Some offers aren’t on the public list.
“What offers do you have that aren’t publicly available?”
Intel: AMs see data across all affiliates.
“What’s the best performing angle right now?”
“Which traffic sources are hitting the best EPC?”
The AI Prompts I Actually Use
AI doesn’t replace relationships or judgment. But it makes research faster.
Offer Comparison Prompt
I use this when I’ve narrowed down to 2-3 offers and need to decide which to test first:
I'm evaluating these 3 affiliate offers in the [vertical] space:
Offer A: [name, payout, conversion type]
Offer B: [name, payout, conversion type]
Offer C: [name, payout, conversion type]
My traffic source is [traffic source].
Compare these offers on:
1. Realistic EPC potential for my traffic type
2. Conversion difficulty
3. Scalability (caps, competition)
4. Risk factors
Which would you recommend testing first and why?
Advertiser Research Prompt
Before promoting any offer, I research the advertiser:
Research [advertiser name] for affiliate marketing.
Find:
1. Company background and business model
2. How long they've been running affiliate offers
3. Any reputation issues (BBB complaints, affiliate forum mentions)
4. Their conversion funnel quality based on their public pages
5. Red flags I should consider
Offer Brief Prompt
Before testing any offer, I create an Offer Brief. This takes 15 minutes and prevents confusion later:
Create an Offer Brief for:
Offer: [name]
Network: [network]
Payout: [amount]
Conversion type: [type]
Vertical: [vertical]
Include:
1. Target audience profile
2. Pain points this offer solves
3. Key selling points from the offer page
4. Compliance considerations
5. 3 potential angles to test
6. Traffic source recommendations
7. Estimated EPC range (with reasoning)
8. Questions to ask the AM
For creative angles specifically, check our creative angles guide. That covers the complete process.
Seasonal Timing
Some offers are time-sensitive. Plan ahead.
Q4 (Oct-Dec): E-commerce explodes. Gift products. Holiday promos. CPMs rise.
Q1 (Jan-Mar): Weight loss. Fitness. Self-improvement. Finance and tax offers.
Summer: Travel. Outdoor products. “Summer body” health.
Event-driven: Sports betting around major games. Political offers around elections. Finance around tax deadlines.
If you’re running weight loss in December, you’re early. If you’re running it in March, you’re late.
Going Direct: Cutting Out the Middleman
As you scale, going direct becomes attractive.
Why Go Direct
Networks take 10-30% of the payout. When you go direct, that margin becomes yours.
Beyond money: you can negotiate caps and payment terms directly. Communication is faster. If you’re driving real volume, you can sometimes influence the offer page itself.
When to Go Direct
Go direct when you can offer:
- Consistent volume (50+ conversions/day)
- High quality traffic (low refund rates)
- Professional communication
Advertisers deal with networks because networks aggregate affiliates. If you’re big enough to matter on your own, you have leverage.
How to Approach
- Find the advertiser’s affiliate page on their website
- Reach out professionally with your traffic type and volume
- Provide proof of track record
- Propose terms that work for both sides
Or: Ask your network AM for an introduction. Many will facilitate if they take a small cut.
The Offer Selection Checklist
Use this before running any offer:
Research:
- Offer fits my traffic source
- Verified other affiliates running it
- Checked payout across networks
- Talked to AM about realistic EPC
- Created Offer Brief with AI
Evaluation:
- EPC math works for my traffic costs
- Tested conversion flow myself
- Tested on mobile specifically
- Page loads under 3 seconds
- Network reputation is solid
Compliance:
- Traffic type allowed
- Geo restrictions understood
- Creative restrictions reviewed
- Disclaimers ready
Logistics:
- Caps sufficient for planned volume
- Tracking set up and tested
- Postbacks firing correctly
Common Mistakes
Chasing highest payout. Focus on EPC, not payout. $30 at 5% beats $100 at 1%.
Skipping flow test. If you haven’t converted yourself, you don’t understand the offer.
Ignoring restrictions. Running non-compliant traffic = reversed conversions.
Sticking with losers. If it’s not working after reasonable testing, move on. There are thousands of offers.
Not using your AM. They have information you don’t. Use them.
What To Do Next
You now have a 30-minute research process for evaluating offers. Here’s how to use it:
If you have a traffic source picked: Run this process on 3 offers in your vertical today. Create Offer Briefs for each. Pick the one with the best EPC math and test it.
If you don’t have a traffic source yet: Start with our paid traffic guides to understand your options. Then come back here.
If you want creative angles for your offer: Check our creative angles guide for the complete process.
Offer selection is the foundation. The best traffic and creatives can’t save a bad offer. Do this research upfront and you’ll save thousands in wasted spend.
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