How To Create A Better Affiliate-Operator Partnership

There is a perception in the industry that the affiliate holds the most power in the “affiliate-operator” relationship and to some extent this is true. The operator does need affiliate traffic in order to reach financial goals. However, at the same time, the operator might hold the idea that he has the most power in the relationship due to the economic dependency that the affiliate has on him.
Both sides have an equally strong position and one could say that this connection is held by a very thin string that neither side should attempt to cut. We should keep in mind that this industry works with certain ethical values and rules, so retaining a balanced affiliate-operator relationship should not be that difficult after all!
Registration – The Small Letters
So, you have registered to the affiliate program that seemed to fit your business needs and you are now ready to start earning some cash! Although filling in your registration details should not take you longer than five minutes, you should take your time to read the T&C. The most common reason for an affiliate falling out with an operator is his commission calculation.
Most revenue share deals are based on net revenue, but do you know exactly what this represents? The most common net revenue formula used for commission calculation is Total bets – Total wins – Bonus cost – Chargebacks – Progressive contribution – a handling fee that some operators charge. The amount that comes from this formula is then multiplied by the commission deal you have agreed on.
If you have signed up for a CPA deal, then what you really should be careful of is what deposit baseline is needed to be made by a player in order to trigger your CPA commission. Although you are right to think that the best deals are the CPA ones with no or a very low baseline, no operator will invest money on your business unless you can prove your players’ quality. A test CPA campaign of 20 registrations is very often the best way to assess players’ quality but also the conversion rate of the gaming product that you advertise.
Deal-Breakers
What kills an affiliate-operator partnership is very often payment faults. Late payments or mistaken commission calculations are what frustrate affiliates. To avoid such upsets, make sure you have understood what commission formula the operator is using to calculate commission. Also, if you are on CPA, you need to know what the baseline of CPA deal is and if there are any wagering conditions! Ask your affiliate manager when the payment date is.
Remember, to play fair you need to make sure that you do not have any personal player account linked to your affiliate account. Also, do not attempt to finance your players’ first deposit in order to get the CPA fees. Both cases are against most of the affiliate programs’ T&C, breaching them gives the operator the right to refuse to pay your commission.
Make And Keep Contact
Keeping in touch with the operator’s representative is essential. Make sure the contact details you have entered on registration are correct and always up to date. A valid email address (check twice when registering for any typos) and a phone number are the least you should offer. The affiliate manager should always be able to contact you with any questions he/she might have. To give you an example, a typo in your payment details might lead into you not receiving your commission. If the affiliate cannot reach you to ask you to update your details, then your commission cannot be paid.
Social media is another good way to connect to either your affiliate managers or the affiliate programs you have signed up for. Most of them have at least a Tweeter and Facebook account so why not join them!?
Finally, make sure that you read the emails that your affiliate manager sends you. Even the affiliate program newsletters are important to read if you want to keep up to date. It is a very competitive world and you need to make sure your webpage content is always up to date!
About the Author:
Konstantinos Veletas started his career in iGaming in 2002 when he successfully built an affiliate network, primarily consisted by sports webpages and forums targeting the markets of central and eastern Europe. In 2010, he moved to the other side of the industry helping with Club Gold Casino project management and eventually became the marketing manager of the brand.