Worst Referral Programs?

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tacoX

tacoX

is RYAN EAGLE
Sep 1, 2008
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Chicago, IL
www.ewanetwork.com
I personally don't whore my blog out with referral links or paid posts - but I do refer friends into programs. I still refer my friends into programs, by far the most pitiful referral system award goes to HydraNetwork.

Congratulations HydraNetwork!, you are complete asshats. Thank you very much for your 5% commission of your margins. Are there any other shitty ones? Tell.
 


I rather the networks spend $ and give it back to the affiliates in form of rewards. Hydra has a shit referral program but has one of the best reward programs, an AMEX gift card every month based on volume.

But yea Hydra's program sucks, ask Gopher what he thinks about it lol.
 
mapguy said:
Azoogle stops giving any referral commission after 6 months.
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Actually they stop giving commissions out after 0 months. I signed up under my buddy from high school's link and he still hasn't got jack shit.

I love the networks that give you $50 gift cards for every $500,000 you earn. Come on, let's be serious.
 
tacoX said:
I personally don't whore my blog out with referral links or paid posts - but I do refer friends into programs. I still refer my friends into programs, by far the most pitiful referral system award goes to HydraNetwork.

Congratulations HydraNetwork!, you are complete asshats. Thank you very much for your 5% commission of your margins. Are there any other shitty ones? Tell.
Click to expand...


Hydra's ref program sucks so bad it isn't even funny. WTF were they thinking when they made it?

I guess Hydra does beat all the networks out there that don't have one though...
 
I'd actually prefer to work with a network that has no referral system and no bonus system. If they don't spend any money on that BS they probably are also frugal in other ways and are able to offer more competitive payouts to their affiliates.
 
andyt said:
I'd actually prefer to work with a network that has no referral system and no bonus system. If they don't spend any money on that BS they probably are also frugal in other ways and are able to offer more competitive payouts to their affiliates.
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But a network which spends a little extra money aquiring more and more affiliates generates more revenue, and if correctly executed that equals more profit which means they are more available to give me larger payouts. Just a thought ... but i have a feeling we can go back and fourth on this topic all day
 
I was making anywhere from $800 to $1,900 per month on my copeac referrals, not anymore.

Because COPEAC chose to give the affiliates (making me the bank) payouts of >90%, they decided I wasn't worthy of my measly 2% anymore.

I've since removed every single link pointing to copeac. I will not refer new affiliates to them anymore, nor will I do business with them.

Their slow servers among other things ruin it for them.

Hey I've got an idea - If you're not making enough off your affiliates...

Why not... let's see.... NOT be throwing extravagant parties in Las Vegas with strippers and booze.....etc

Don't cut commissions out from beneath those who brought you the business (affiliates) in the first place.

/rant
 
I'd say all the CPM networks that take a 50% margin, but still do not believe in referral programs. Just waiting for the day a company comes in there and messes up the CPM market by only taking 20%.
 
jamman said:
I was making anywhere from $800 to $1,900 per month on my copeac referrals, not anymore.

Because COPEAC chose to give the affiliates (making me the bank) payouts of >90%, they decided I wasn't worthy of my measly 2% anymore.

I've since removed every single link pointing to copeac. I will not refer new affiliates to them anymore, nor will I do business with them.

Their slow servers among other things ruin it for them.

Hey I've got an idea - If you're not making enough off your affiliates...

Why not... let's see.... NOT be throwing extravagant parties in Las Vegas with strippers and booze.....etc

Don't cut commissions out from beneath those who brought you the business (affiliates) in the first place.

/rant
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That's exactly how I feel. Why make a referral program if you can't afford it and make your affiliates pay? I would love to hear what Smax and Mike have to say about that one..
 
nachoninja said:
@ jamman I certainly hope that's not the truth, if you referred an affiliate they need to keep up their end of the deal, the 2%
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We reduced the affiliates payout on the referred link, the affiliate signed up for a new account to get the 2% we reduced him back. The AM should have never gave the payout they gave because of the referral on the account. It was definitely our error

Referrals have an impact on payout an affiliate gets. There is only so much of the pie to payout. Since our percentage is on what we get and if we pay out 90% then give 2% that leaves 8% to cover costs, which is low.

We did pay anyone for referrals in their accounts. If the referrals stopped its because the person you referred decided to resign up for an account without a referrer

If may not sound right, but in the end the referrals are abused and many people sign up for accounts then refer themselves.

Would you rather a referral program or a competitive payout?
 
mapguy said:
Azoogle stops giving any referral commission after 6 months.
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*contemplates changing sig*

Seriously, at least they make that known up front. I chose for my sig them simply because they worked for me as a n00b, so I thought I'd throw them some linkage.

Does Hydra (or any other) network try to change the deal on someone after they've scored a ref? Now that would upset me. A lot.
 
Dr_Ngo said:
I rather the networks spend $ and give it back to the affiliates in form of rewards. Hydra has a shit referral program but has one of the best reward programs, an AMEX gift card every month based on volume.

But yea Hydra's program sucks, ask Gopher what he thinks about it lol.
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+1....
 
mkrongel said:
There is only so much of the pie to payout ... if we pay out 90% then give 2% that leaves 8% to cover costs, which is low.

Would you rather a referral program or a competitive payout?
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I don't think 2% is enough to even be considered when talking about a competitive payout ... It's definitely not a deal breaker. It's only 1.5 cents on a zip or $1 on a $50 payout. If the margin for error is really that small the affiliate should go niche shopping .... or they are insanely greedy.

I understand the fraud that happens with self referrers, surely there is something you can do to prevent this like setting up some minimums before the referral payouts start, matching up background information or both.

Leaving a big ass loophole here only sets you up for a black eye.
 
coglethorpe said:
Does Hydra (or any other) network try to change the deal on someone after they've scored a ref? Now that would upset me. A lot.
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Yep. I got pretty mad that azoogle didn't grandfather the referrals from before their rule change. I had one referral that was just earning me a couple hundred a month, then right after rule change/dropping payout on him his rankings improved and earnings went up tenfold and I got $0.
 
i love hydra but their ref program does suck ass.

they should get rid of it all together and just give out better monthly rewards
 
mkrongel said:
We did pay anyone for referrals in their accounts. If the referrals stopped its because the person you referred decided to resign up for an account without a referrer
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This is rediculous and exactly why I will never use copeac again. The people I referred to your company should not be given a chance to screw me out of a deal that was made between YOUR COMPANY and I - I was offered 2% to bring you business, you cut it out from under my feet. My referrals were getting me $800-$1900 per month. Thats a lot (to me at least) and now its just gone.

I would seriously think twice about doing business with copeac.
 
The key for the referral programs to work properly is factored around the margins that the networks are taking. A network running off of slim margins passes that extra earning onto the affiliates. While 2% my not seem to be a large number at fist glance when broken down for the lifetime of the referred publisher there is a nice opportunity to make some serious money.
 
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