Seeking Help Is this still the right option in 2024? Down Bad So Far (help appreciated)

[jareddewey]

I joined a paid affiliate forum and followed a guide to making $ as a beginner in pop ads. I have made small revenue in doing this I'm negative 90% ROI on 6 offers. I feel like I'm wasting my money and not learning anything because the stats aren't showing much data whatsoever (especially on PopAds). The guide is 4yrs old and I've learned affiliate marketing changes quick so I'm unsure if this is still something a beginner should be doing.

I don't mind losing money it as long as I'm learning but have been using networks like PropAds and PopAds to which I don't feel like I'm learning much of anything. I'm not creating any of the landers or able to view where these ads are being placed to make adjustments. I've just been going to Mobipum and Zeydoo then running their top offers per instructions in foreign countries. Traffic isn't even THAT cheap, the cpms are in some cases like 15 dollars yet I'll pull back in like 2! People have to make money there right? Otherwise the networks like Mobipium and Zeydoo as well as the traffic sources like PopAds and Propeller Ads would be out of business otherwise.

Not looking for a get rich quick scheme but want something I will actually be able to learn from and scale so I'm not just wasting time and money. Call me out if I'm being arrogant or dumb here, I just want to learn. THANK YOU!!

 

[Graybeard]

I think you have to understand what you are selling and who you are trying to sell.
Also, does that offer have a real value and is it credible?

GEO and SiteID don't really help you with that perspective at all.
The offer needs to be affordable and believable too ...

 

[jareddewey]

I think you have to understand what you are selling and who you are trying to sell.
Also, does that offer have a real value and is it credible?

GEO and SiteID don't really help you with that perspective at all.
The offer needs to be affordable and believable too ...

Ok so you'd recommend just focusing on english offers?

 

[rosaurroz]

I joined a paid affiliate forum and followed a guide to making $ as a beginner in pop ads. I have made small revenue in doing this I'm negative 90% ROI on 6 offers. I feel like I'm wasting my money and not learning anything because the stats aren't showing much data whatsoever (especially on PopAds). The guide is 4yrs old and I've learned affiliate marketing changes quick so I'm unsure if this is still something a beginner should be doing.

I don't mind losing money it as long as I'm learning but have been using networks like PropAds and PopAds to which I don't feel like I'm learning much of anything. I'm not creating any of the landers or able to view where these ads are being placed to make adjustments. I've just been going to Mobipum and Zeydoo then running their top offers per instructions in foreign countries. Traffic isn't even THAT cheap, the cpms are in some cases like 15 dollars yet I'll pull back in like 2! People have to make money there right? Otherwise the networks like Mobipium and Zeydoo as well as the traffic sources like PopAds and Propeller Ads would be out of business otherwise.

Not looking for a get rich quick scheme but want something I will actually be able to learn from and scale so I'm not just wasting time and money. Call me out if I'm being arrogant or dumb here, I just want to learn. THANK YOU!!

You did not waste your money. You made revenue in pop ads. Change quick/invest the remainder of your money into what comes after pop ads (pop-ups, pop-unders) - which falls under the Web Banner Advertising category: floating ad, expanding ad, trick banners, and news feed ads come after pop ads.

 

[Graybeard]

Ok so you'd recommend just focusing on english offers?

You could try that. Or if you speak that language, or can consult with another that can. It's not just that --there are cultural attitudes to factor in --as well as the desires that may undermine cultural norms that may convert.

Let's say the offer is in Arabic or Hindu, as example: How would you be able to judge the offer's worth if you do not speak the language?
What type ads are you using and what creatives or text are you using? The ones that they give you?

I'm not creating any of the landers or able to view where these ads are being placed to make adjustments.

The quality of the funnel matters too. If the traffic source website is in a language that is not understood by you that knowledge would not make much of a difference.

My thinking would be: Can I improve this situation 9 times better just to break even?
However, it's worth mentioning that sales conversions are not linear --conversions on smaller volume samples will tend to be more sporadic.

The first conversion may take 600 engagements and the second conversion only 15 more engagements with the third conversion requiring another 500. These numbers are just an illustrative example.

 

[jareddewey]

You could try that. Or if you speak that language, or can consult with another that can. It's not just that --there are cultural attitudes to factor in --as well as the desires that may undermine cultural norms that may convert.

Let's say the offer is in Arabic or Hindu, as example: How would you be able to judge the offer's worth if you do not speak the language?
What type ads are you using and what creatives or text are you using? The ones that they give you?

The quality of the funnel matters too. If the traffic source website is in a language that is not understood by you that knowledge would not make much of a difference.

My thinking would be: Can I improve this situation 9 times better just to break even?
However, it's worth mentioning that sales conversions are not linear --conversions on smaller volume samples will tend to be more sporadic.

The first conversion may take 600 engagements and the second conversion only 15 more engagements with the third conversion requiring another 500. These numbers are just an illustrative example.

Yea as of now I'm just promoting the top 1 click conversion offers that have premade landing pages per recomendation. The admin who created this guide on a separate forum just said keep testing offers which I understand it is a numbers game but at the same time I'm only testing the top offers of these platforms and am getting the same bad results on all of them while even taking AM recomendations of carriers and device types. I wouldn't doubt the admins judgement it may have been the right strategy in 2020 at that time to run pop ads with then pricing but do you think it's still the first strategy I should be focusing on as a beginner? I don't mind the one that may take more money, time, and energy but I want the best bet so I can really scale being an affiliate full time.

 

[jareddewey]

You did not waste your money. You made revenue in pop ads. Change quick/invest the remainder of your money into what comes after pop ads (pop-ups, pop-unders) - which falls under the Web Banner Advertising category: floating ad, expanding ad, trick banners, and news feed ads come after pop ads.

Is there a profitable network you'd recommend using that's relevant today? Been hearing a lot of Taboola.

 

[rosaurroz]

Researching affiliate networks is where I get all of my information about affiliate networks, it is why I believe they are all profitable and relevant today. I can't try Taboola out because I just found out that joining an affiliate network means joining all of its affiliate programs' websites. I will not be getting one commission percentage for the network I joined but a commission percentage for every of its' websites that I am promoting and because of that I have four payout thresholds: Aug.2024, Nov.2024 and May 2025 and Nov.2025. After that I will try out writing book reviews.

 

[Graybeard]

Yea as of now I'm just promoting the top 1 click conversion offers that have premade landing pages per recomendation.

Without seeing the real data on their books I would only be guessing. "Because I say so" does not cut it with me ...

You might look elsewhere however the the quandary is: You need to know what you are looking for besides some vague income goal.

 

[jareddewey]

Without seeing the real data on their books I would only be guessing. "Because I say so" does not cut it with me ...

You might look elsewhere however the the quandary is: You need to know what you are looking for besides some vague income goal.

Well what I'm kinda trying to figure out is what avenue should I take in the current market to eventually get to the top of the game.

Is pop ads the go-to or should I just skip ahead and go to facebook/meta/tiktok knowing it will take more time to master the game but will be the end all be all or is there another more optimal route targeted for beginners?

With how quickly affiliate marketing is changing some sources say media buying is the most important skill and others say media buying is dead because the systems are so good now and just be good at the creatives.

 

[Graybeard]

List your

1. Product/offer type with a detailed description
2. Your marketing strategy
3. The marketing tactics you will use
4. What your KPI indicators are
   
   You will not become a profitable player until you develop a plan. Making a profit is just an end goal --that a given for most business endeavors.

 

[T J Tutor]

Call me out if I'm being arrogant or dumb here, I just want to learn.

I'll address this first. You are alright! Take a deep breath and sit back and tell yourself you are not losing money. Beginners typically spend money without getting the returns they would like or expect. This is not a loss, but rather part of the "investment" in learning. Those of us with experience, and with stable earnings, still spend money we don't get back when we are testing our funnels, testing traffic sources for specific marketing methods, specific offers, etc., etc. The key is when you know that successful earnings are available for a specific structure of funnels, offers, traffic, but are not earning, that you must simply be testing the variations to find the right path for those specific structures, offers, and traffic sources.

I have written many times about my funnel failures, my offer promotions, my errors in keying in on the correct demographics, etc. It is a part of what we do. This industry requires loads and loads of testing variations to zero in on what structure of a promotion will work and may make many, many variations before zeroing in on the magic combination that swings big in a successful promotion. you may spend $500, $1000, or more to find one, but then when it hits and you massively scale you suddenly bringing in large scalable returns that earns back all you initially spent and then provides a great margin going forward until the structure begins to fade, as most structure and funnels eventually do.

A four year old "pop-ads" marketing manual will likely have some valuable info, I have some guides that are 20 years old that still provide great insight and guidance. however, the newer the material you can obtain, the better. Keep in mind that these manuals, guides, etc., are only meant to give you the basics about the practice. It takes much more. You have a learners permit right now, and you are working towards a drivers license. you MUST learn how to piece together funnels, select offers, research the demographics, and know when and where to promote them. For example, you say you are promoting in foreign lands . This requires using native translators for each of the geos. native translators are inexpensive and invaluable because they will translate the copy in the funnel to match the colloquial local languages. This is a must as it makes all of the difference in success with promotions.

All of us here have been through what you are going through. ALL OF US! Some of it will always be among your challenges.