The Opportunity Podcast

Ascending the Affiliate Ladder: From Marketer to Network Founder With Jason Akatiff

Feb 14, 2023

In this episode, Jason Akatiff, network founder and ambitious entrepreneur in the affiliate marketing industry, shares his unique insights into the industry. He discusses the challenges and successes he's experienced while scaling his affiliate network, A4D. Jason also reveals how pivoting away from the supplements niche into lead generation, mortgage, and insurance helped to save A4D. He outlines the characteristics affiliates need to make a name for themselves in the industry and discusses his passion for AI and how affiliates can use it to boost their businesses.

59:33

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Episode guests

Jason Akatiff

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Finding the right affiliate network is crucial for success in affiliate marketing, specializing in your niche and establishing trusted relationships with affiliates who treat it seriously.

The use of AI tools in affiliate marketing can greatly enhance creativity, efficiency, and scalability, allowing affiliates to generate more design ideas, explore new traffic sources, and achieve better results in a shorter timeframe.

Deep dives

The Importance of Finding the Right Affiliate Network

When starting out in affiliate marketing, it's crucial to find the right affiliate network that aligns with your goals and expertise. Look for networks that specialize in your niche and have a proven track record. Working with a referral from a trusted source can also provide credibility and reduce the risk of fraud. Additionally, consider hiring a consultant to navigate the landscape and avoid potential pitfalls. Focus on building relationships with affiliates who treat affiliate marketing as a serious business and show a strong work ethic.

Introduction

2min

Affiliate Marketing and Entrepreneurship Journey

20min

The Impact of Chad GPT on Low Skilled Writers and the Future of Highly Skilled Individuals

6min

What Makes a Good Affiliate for an Affiliate Network

20min

Analyzing Google Ads Campaigns and the Value of Low Intent Top of Funnel Traffic

2min

The Power of Compounding Advertising and Building Momentum

7min

Insights on the Online Business Industry and Affiliate Marketing

2min

The beauty of being an affiliate marketer is that you don’t have to deal with the hassle of product development, manufacturing, or customer support. You use your marketing and copywriting skills to promote other businesses and make a healthy profit while you’re at it.

This is what drew Jason Akatiff to affiliate marketing, but he didn’t stop there. He went on to create ambitious partnerships with other businesses, pooling his ideas and capital with their resources to execute some pretty impressive projects. As these projects started stacking up, Jason decided to consolidate his ideas into one business. And that's how A4D, his very own affiliate network, was born.

Thanks to Jason's reputation in forums and the affiliate community, A4D quickly gained traction and is now one of the biggest affiliate networks out there.

In this episode, Jason joins us to share his unique insights into the affiliate industry, and to discuss the challenges and successes he’s experienced while scaling A4D.

He reveals how customers who weren’t paying almost bankrupted the business, and how pivoting away from the supplements niche into lead generation, mortgage, and insurance helped to save A4D.

Jason paints a picture of an ideal affiliate partner and outlines the characteristics affiliates need to make a name a name for themselves in the industry. He also discusses his passion for AI and how affiliates can use it to boost their businesses. According to Jason,

“I think AI is going to create a massive wave of opportunity in the affiliate marketing world. Most affiliates just want to focus on being marketers and building an audience and a readership that they can monetize. They don’t want to have employees. AI can help them write their content, create graphics, or do video editing without having to use third parties or VAs.”

If you’re looking to join the affiliate industry or go one step further and start an affiliate network of your own, then don’t miss out on Jason’s expert advice and inside knowledge!

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

Jason reveals the origins of A4D as well as other projects he has worked on (02:13)

How Jason scaled A4D and the challenges he faced along the way (09:52)

How AI will impact affiliate marketing and how to use it to grow your skills quickly (21:17)

How Jason vets affiliates who want to join A4D (28:50)

Using affiliate commissions to monetize your email list with the help of AI (32:20)

The characteristics affiliates need to be successful (37:06)

The foundations you should have in place before becoming an affiliate (42:51)

How to structure the commission for your affiliate program (46:37)

The best way for brands to capitalize on top-of-funnel affiliate conversions (50:17)

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