One of the main reasons online poker networks often struggle with finding new players is the fact that most users (including some poker enthusiasts) don’t really know how the system works.
Poker players just don’t involve themselves as much as they could and probably should.
The fact that many poker players have almost no idea how the affiliate business works is, in our opinion - indeed a great pity.
If they knew how this thing worked and involved themselves, active poker players and poker coaches could make a real difference not only to the success of a particular poker network but also to their own financial success.
We at PAW think poker players and poker coaches would make the best poker affiliates!
So, in this article, we will try to explain the basic connections between poker rooms, affiliates and new players coming into the world of online poker.
Hopefully, this clarification will serve as a motivating factor for poker players and coaches to join the poker affiliate business, enrich their poker community with fresh new players and finally – make more money for themselves.
So, how does the poker affiliate business work?
There are several “players” involved so; lets first introduce them:
- Online Poker networks (containing different poker rooms and poker brands)
- Online Poker players (coming into poker rooms by themselves or via poker affiliates)
- Poker affiliates (directing traffic to poker rooms, finding new players and signing than to good deals)
- Poker affiliate networks (helping poker affiliates do a good job, offering them exclusive deals)
- Potential online poker players (the ones poker affiliates are looking for)
Where do I fit in?
Let us state an obvious fact you should know from the start:
Poker networks, poker rooms and poker room brands often struggle to find fresh new customers, new players that are ready to deposit money and play in their respected network.
This is where you come in!
As a poker affiliate, it would be your job to help the poker room find these new players.This does not mean that the poker room is your boss (or your employer). In fact, you are an independent entity that is free to work with as many poker rooms (or other types of companies) as you wish.
The more players you sign, the more money you earn.
What’s in it for me?
Well, in order to acquire new customers, poker rooms are ready to share all the potential profit with the people that help them in this task.
Basically, if you promise to get a new player in the poker rooms’ player pool, they will promise to give you a percentage of the profit they make. It is that simple!
It is a good solution because, in the end - it gives up a bit of power and a bit of money to the user, the player, the affiliate.
Everyone in the scenario wins – the poker network gets new players, the players get some of their money back with good rakeback deals and finally - affiliates get their earned commission.
So, what is the job of an affiliate marketer?
Even though it might not sound like it at first, if you do manage to understand it - the job of an affiliate is simple.
Their job is to send traffic to the poker room brands of their choice (usually the ones that offer the best and most lucrative deals).
They basically work for themselves, for the players they represent and for the poker rooms they supply players to.
Some affiliates are real freelancers who make deals directly with companies that own the products while most are part of affiliate networks.
For a more valuable view on this topic, check out our earlier article on the same subject
A QUICK GUIDE TO THE REALITY OF AFFILIATE MARKETING - HOW TO START AND WHAT (NOT) TO EXPECT
What do affiliate networks do?
Affiliate networks are organizations with a lot of experience in the industry.Their primary role is to create and maintain a growing community of successful affiliate marketers.
Affiliate networks are usually built by successful affiliate marketers and just like the affiliates themselves - they earn commission on their users’ success. This is the reason they exist and why their mission is to help members succeed in any way they can. For example, to help you lure new players in - they will offer you their exclusive deals and share their promotional material with you.
To make sure you are successful, they will sometimes provide you with guidance, help and assistance.
So, to do your job, you as an affiliate not only have the promotional material from a professionally branded business, you also have exclusive deals that provide your players with exceptional conditions very different to the players that do not come to the site in the same way.
This is the trick. This is the advantage you have.
Bear in mind that this is not a new thing at all. As anyone with the slightest knowledge of the poker business knows, poker rooms have been doing this from the very beginning.
Are there any more important things I should know?
Yes. There are many.
Becoming an affiliate is like any other job – you get better as you learn and go along. Here are some other important points you should know:
There are many types of player and affiliate deals and you should know what they are about and which one you should choose.
The two main types of deals are CPA and Revenue Share.
CPA means – cost per action and this means that you get a previously agreed upon sum of money on the moment your players meets the required conditions.
Revenue Share deals are deals where the affiliate gets a certain percentage of the traffic their particular player generates. This means that an affiliate is rewarded for all the traffic his or her player generates.
This means you are paid as long as the player plays and it is in your best interest to keep them playing (and winning).
In this way, the poker room shares its profit with the affiliates that help it to thrive and grow as a community.
Conclusion
So, if you are already a poker player or even better, a poker coach, becoming an affiliate is the only logical way to go.
Along with the passing of knowledge and improving skill, why not also recommend your students the best poker room of your choice? Why also not to collect a portion of the earnings the poker room gets?!
So, waste no time and get involved!
Use the knowledge of the systems workings to bring yourself in on the action. You will be helping everyone, from the poker community to the player and ultimately – yourself.
If you are interested, please follow this link to sign up to become a PAW affiliate.
For further reference and information on how the poker affiliate business works, please check out these articles:
5 GREAT REASONS WHY POKER PLAYERS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY START THEIR OWN AFFILIATE BUSINESS
4 COMMON AFFILIATE MARKETING MISTAKES YOU CAN EASILY AVOID
ANSWERS TO 5 MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT ONLINE POKER AFFILIATION
TOP 5 POKER AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
WORKING FROM HOME - WHAT IS IT, WHERE IS IT GOING AND HOW TO DO IT RIGHT
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