Shawn Collins' Blog

Affiliate marketing and other stuff from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

About Shawn Collins

Shawn Collins has been an affiliate marketer since 1997. He is a Co-founder of Affiliate Summit, the leading global conference and tradeshow for the affiliate marketing industry, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine.

He has authored the books “Affiliate Manager Boot Camp“, “Extra Money Answer“, “How to Get the Most from Exhibiting at Conferences”, “How to Get the Most Out of Attending a Conference”, “How to Become a Successful Conference Speaker“, and “Successful Affiliate Marketing for Merchants“. Also, he co-publishes the annual AffStat affiliate marketing benchmark reports.

Shawn blogs at AffiliateTip.com. Additionally, Shawn has been quoted in numerous publications, including Entrepreneur Magazine, Internet Retailer, Inc. Magazine, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

How to Promote Affiliate Products Without Risking a Dime from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled How to Promote Affiliate Products Without Risking a Dime at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Russell Brunson at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Russell Brunson, CEO, ClickFunnels

Session description:
Tired of losing money promoting affiliate products. I will share our 3 favorite affiliate funnels that will help you profitably promote any affiliate’s product without ever risking a dime of your own money.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher, Merchant/Advertiser
Niche/Vertical: Online Sales Funnels

Slides: How to Promote Affiliate Products Without Risking a Dime

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Heather Havenwood on People Watching, Bodybuilding, and ACL as a VIP

by

Heather Havenwood, CEO of LIKE A BOSS Digital Media, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Heather Havenwood

I wanted to learn more about the real Heather, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • Why she got a Bachelors in Applied Science
  • People watching at the Whole Foods in downtown Austin
  • Being a Dallas Cowboys fan
  • Her books on dating for men
  • Becoming a bodybuilder
  • Scoring VIP for ACL this year

Links from this episode

If you enjoyed this episode of This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins, please share it.

This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins is focused on the people behind the affiliate management/OPM companies, advertisers/merchants, affiliates/publishers, and affiliate networks.

On each episode, Shawn interviews a new guest related to the industry, so you can learn more about the people of affiliate marketing.

After all, affiliate marketing is about the people; not the companies.

Asian Affiliate Market: How to Crack the Billion Dollar Nut from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled Asian Affiliate Market: How to Crack the Billion Dollar Nut at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Max Pepe at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Max Pepe, Global Business Development & Marketing Director, Mozoo

Session description:
The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has been experiencing tremendous growth within digital and affiliate marketing in the past years. Let’s look at the market, and successful case studies.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher, Merchant/Advertiser, Network
Niche/Vertical: APAC

Slides: Asian Affiliate Market: How to Crack the Billion Dollar Nut

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Conference and Travel Hacks

by

Do you remember how you felt on the first day at a new school? If you were like me, it was equal parts anxiety, dread, and disorientation. Lots of people milling around, and they all seemed to know each other, but I didn’t know any of them.

View this post on Instagram

Are we there yet? #ASAPAC

A post shared by Missy Ward (@missyward) on

It was similar the first time I went to a conference. I was rushed through the check-in line, given my badge and attendee bag, and just pushed on to figure things out. I didn’t know who was who – it was a blur of nametags racing by me.

But where were they all going? I had no idea. I felt like I was a stranger in a strange land.

One big problem was that I went into the whole thing without a plan. I just showed up and expected I’d just magically get it. My lack of advance planning made the time spent there, as well as the money for the trip, into a big waste.

When I got back to the office, I told the boss how lame it was, and how I wouldn’t recommend returning next year.

The next time I was sent to a conference, I made sure to do some homework in advance to figure out who I might want to meet, as well as educational sessions that might benefit me. It was a far more worthwhile use of my time.

Over the years, I’ve worked up lots of strategies and learned things from other folks to get the maximum value from attending conferences.

And the result is ConferenceHack.com – an ongoing blog of conference and travel advice. Some of it has been sitting in my head and other stuff is being shared as I think of it.

How Big Brands Handle FTC Demands from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled How Big Brands Handle FTC Demands at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Session at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Julia Pavone, Sales Manager, BrandVerity

Session description:
In the eyes of the FTC, brands are directly responsible for affiliate activities. What regulatory risks do your affiliates pose and what are smart marketing organizations doing to maintain compliance?

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher, Merchant/Advertiser, Network
Niche/Vertical: Compliance

Slides: How Big Brands Handle FTC Demands

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

10 Cardinal Sins of Affiliate Marketing from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled 10 Cardinal Sins of Affiliate Marketing at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Educational session at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Liliana Chan Ventura, Director of Key Accounts, Acceleration Partners

Session description:
Advertisers, avoid these 5 things to operate a successful affiliate marketing program. Publishers, prevent these 5 things for a productive and profitable relationship with top advertisers.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher, Merchant/Advertiser
Niche/Vertical: Optimization

Slides: 10 Cardinal Sins of Affiliate Marketing

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Michael Pomposello on Twenty One Pilots, Tuna at Panera, and First Class on Acela

by

Michael Pomposello, Managing Partner at Blue Polo Interactive and Influencer Connect, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Michael Pomposello

I wanted to learn more about the real Michael, so I asked him a variety of questions I figured he had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • Does Panera really have the best tuna in the world
  • The band Twenty One Pilots
  • Delayed flight on Southwest Airlines
  • Origin of his company name
  • Riding the Acela train in first class
  • His first job

Links from this episode

If you enjoyed this episode of This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins, please share it.

This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins is focused on the people behind the affiliate management/OPM companies, advertisers/merchants, affiliates/publishers, and affiliate networks.

On each episode, Shawn interviews a new guest related to the industry, so you can learn more about the people of affiliate marketing.

After all, affiliate marketing is about the people; not the companies.

Your Links are Broken! Maximizing Sales in Fragmented Stores from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled Your Links are Broken! Maximizing Sales in Fragmented Stores at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Educational session at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Jesse Lakes, Co-Founder, Geniuslink

Session description:
Are you monetizing all your traffic? Most publishers’ traffic is global but not all affiliate programs are. Dive into what “geo-fragmentation” means and how to earn more from your existing audience.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher
Niche/Vertical: Global

Slides: Your Links are Broken! Maximizing Sales in Fragmented Stores

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Attribution and Affiliate Marketing: Where are We Now? from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled Attribution and Affiliate Marketing: Where are We Now? at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Paul Schroader, Todd Crawford, Chad Waite, and Sarah Hohman at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Chad Waite, Marketing Manager, AvantLink
  • Paul Schroader, President, PS Web Solutions Inc.
  • Sarah Hohman, Affiliate Senior Specialist, Cabela’s
  • Todd Crawford, VP Strategic Initiatives, Impact Radius

Session description:
Nearly 5 years after our initial discussions about attribution and affiliate marketing, we’ll look at what we’ve learned. What mistakes have been made and what would now be considered best practices.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher, Merchant/Advertiser, Network
Niche/Vertical: Attribution

Slides: Attribution and Affiliate Marketing: Where are We Now?

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

How Affiliate Industry Giants are Building for the Future from Affiliate Summit West 2017

by

This was a conference session titled How Affiliate Industry Giants are Building for the Future at Affiliate Summit West 2017, which took place January 15-17, 2017 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Keith Posehn, John Toskey, and Jelle Oskam at Affiliate Summit West 2017

Session speaker:

  • Jelle Oskam, Global Affiliate Manager, Adidas
  • John Toskey, Director, eBay Partner Network
  • Keith Posehn, Head of Performance Partnerships, Uber
  • Robert Glazer, Managing Director, Acceleration Partners

Session description:
Join Jelle Oskam (adidas), Keith Posehn (Uber), John Toskey (Ebay Partner Network), and Robert Glazer (Acceleration Partners) as they shed light on big changes and growth opportunities in the affiliate marketing channel.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser
Niche/Vertical: Growth

Slides: How Affiliate Industry Giants are Building for the Future

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.