How to Choose a Poker Affiliate Program to Promote
Monday, Dec 21, 2009
Much of your success as a poker affiliate will be tied to the poker affiliate program you choose to promote, so take some time when you're getting started to ensure that you pick affiliate programs that are right for you.
Conversion
Different programs convert more or less successfully based on the type of traffic and visitors you have to your sites, and some affiliate programs offer payment options that may be better or worse for you, depending on your goals and financial situation.
US players allowed?
One very important detail to check when choosing a poker affiliate program is whether or not the site accepts US players. Many online gaming sites stopped accepting US players in the wake of legislation passed in the US in 2006, so if you plan on largely targeting US players with your sites, you'll need to pick a poker affiliate program that accepts US players.
Various other countries also have laws regarding online gaming that impacts their citizens from playing, so make sure that you pick affiliate programs that accept players from the countries that your sites will target.
Revenue Models
Another important factor with choosing a poker affiliate program is what revenue model options do they offer affiliates. Most programs (including the Party Poker affiliate program, the Full Tilt affiliates, and the Titan Poker affiliates) offer affiliates a choice between a flat fee for every player they refer who creates an account and deposits money (also called a cost-per-acquisition or CPA plan) or a revenue sharing plan, where an affiliate gets a set percentage of the profits produced by players they refer (typically in the range of 20-30%).
Which option you choose will depend on your goals and situation: if you need to make money quickly and want more immediate bang for your buck, choose the CPA model; if you like the idea of earning a steady stream of income over time (which can grow as you refer more and more players), choose the revenue-sharing option.
Marketing Tools
One other factor to consider is what tools and content do poker affiliate programs offer you, as far as supporting you in your efforts when building poker affiliate sites. Support here ranges from the minimal (a couple of banners and text links) to very robust tools and content including dynamic page generators, widgets for updated news and promotional content, the ability to run and host freeroll tournaments for your site members, and tools for creating your own custom banners.
Stats and Tracking Tools
Also consider what level of stats and tracking tools the poker affiliate program provides, as some offer just the very basic (essentially just showing you how much money you make each month) while others provide the option to get very detailed, granular stats that show what pages of your site are most successful, how often certain banners and links are clicked on your site, and other details that can help you sharpen and focus your efforts.
Payment Options
Last but not least, explore the various options the programs offer as far as receiving your payments, as some poker affiliate programs offer more options than others, some charge for checks and wire transfers while others don't, etc.
