Affiliate Nerd Out

Dustin Howes hosts Affiliate Nerd Out with guest Brook Schaaf of FMTC to explain why an affiliate coupon API matters for publishers and what opportunity cost sites face without it. Brook describes FMTC, founded in 2007, as a coupon and deal feed (plus product feeds and merchant services like Affistash) that powers many large coupon and rewards sites by ingesting offers from 20+ networks and thousands of merchants, then testing, normalizing, and distributing clean, structured data.

They compare FMTC to raw network feeds and scraped coupon sources, noting common issues like broken links, incorrect fields, time zone errors, expired or invented codes, and the resulting poor user experience and lost clicks. The episode highlights faster integration, centralized deal management, validated offers available via API/UI in multiple formats, and how clean deal data can improve conversions and support business development.

00:00 Coupon API Opportunity Cost
00:20 Show Intro And Guest
01:21 What FMTC Does
02:14 Coupon API Explained
03:11 Why Data Quality Matters
04:56 Conversion And Shopper Behavior
06:06 FMTC Setup Walkthrough
08:59 Integration Speed And Use Cases
10:34 Future Of Coupon APIs
11:34 Final Takeaways And Outro

Start your 14-day FMTC free trial to see how much time you can save. https://www.dustinhowes.com/fmtc

Subscribe to this channel for more affiliate program growth tactics.

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Stop wasting hours manually updating expired coupons and broken links that frustrate your customers. Pushing traffic to dead deals is a losing game for affiliate managers and publishers alike. Most teams try to manage this chaos with messy spreadsheets and dozens of network logins, but there is a better way to handle your data. You can replace that manual work with a clean affiliate coupon API that does the heavy lifting for you.

In this video, I'll show you how FMTC acts as a central hub for your entire affiliate operation. This tool validates and standardizes offers from over 20 networks and 19,000 merchants into one reliable feed. You can finally stop the constant cleanup and focus on scaling your revenue instead. I'll walk you through the setup process and show you how to access verified deals that are ready to post immediately.

Start your 14-day FMTC free trial to see how much time you can save. https://www.dustinhowes.com/fmtc

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Dustin Howes and Christen Evans discuss the hidden costs of siloed marketing teams and the messy reality of affiliate management in this episode of Real Talk Friday. They explain why separating your influencer and affiliate divisions limits growth and causes major communication gaps with creators.

You'll hear about common industry headaches like broken SKU-level reporting and the struggle of backtracking through massive spreadsheets to fix commission errors. Dustin shares a raw story about a Little League meltdown that disrupted his week, while Christen offers practical advice for managing burnout. They also explore how to use AI tools for complex data tasks and the future of creator monetization.

0:00 Weekly check-in and Little League drama 
5:25 Fixing broken SKU level reporting 
7:05 The dangers of siloing influencer and affiliate teams 
9:55 Using Claude and AI for spreadsheet automation 
12:30 Building content creator partnerships in the food space 
14:55 Starting a YouTube channel for the next generation
Subscribe to this channel for more affiliate program growth tactics.

💡 If you’re enjoying these candid convos, make sure to give this video a thumbs up, hit that subscribe button, and click the bell to stay in the loop for future episodes. 

🌟 Need help with your affiliate program? Dustin will find you the help you are looking for in a 15 minute call. Book your call now here: http://dustinhowes.com/explore

📩 Connect with Dustin Howes on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhowes

#AffiliateMarketing #affiliatemanager #affiliatenerdout #realtalkfriday #brandinfluencer #MarketingTalk #ContentCreation #CreatorEconomy #InfluencerMarketing #MarketingLife

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Most brands make decisions about influencer marketing based on vibes and gut feelings; however, that approach usually leads to wasted budgets and messy data.

I recently spoke with Tammy Pham, MBA from Inflektion about why tracking performance feels so broken for most e-commerce companies. One brand they work with had a complex funnel where they only paid affiliates after a customer completed a blood test.

Most platforms can't handle that level of detail, so the brand struggled to see where people dropped off.

Tammy explained how event-based tracking solves this by following every step of the customer journey (even the weird ones).
She also shared a tactic that boosted conversion rates by over 200% for Oura Ring.

Topic Highlights:

1. Moving from gut feelings to data-driven decisions
2. Using event-based tracking for complex customer journeys
3. Boosting conversion rates by 200% with co-branded landing pages
4. Why micro-influencers often outperform big names
5. Keeping creator trust alive through the checkout process

Tammy says event-based tracking maps the whole journey. Oura Ring grew by using landing pages with creator photos and quotes. This keeps trust high through the checkout process.

Even micro-influencers with 5,000 followers can beat big names with the right tools.

What is your biggest ROI challenge? Is it coupon leaks or bad data? Let's talk in the comments.

#influencermarketing #affiliatemarketing #ecommercegrowth

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Stop wasting your budget on affiliate programs that sit untouched. Discover how a deep-dive audit can turn a stagnant channel into a massive revenue driver. This week, we're talking about the raw reality of managing big brands and why your best employees should probably have a side hustle.

We break down the exact checklist for a professional affiliate audit, from tracking failures to competitor analysis. You'll see why the "publisher perspective" is the missing piece in most strategies. Plus, we tackle the controversial topic of moonlighting. It's not about losing focus; it's about gaining the skills and perspective that your primary job could never provide. If you want to scale your program or your career, you can't afford to miss these insights.

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Many affiliate programs fail because they treat partners like a list of names rather than a human community. Most brands chase big influencers with massive fees, but they often ignore the organic fans already talking about them. Real growth in the health and wellness space happens when you stop buying reach and start building TRUST.

I recently sat with Mark Jacobs from AirDoctor to discuss how they scaled their affiliate success. They focus on science and third-party validation to win over skeptical consumers.

The most important lessons from their approach are:

1. Look for the people already using your product before you try to recruit new ones.
2. Use gifting programs to let creators test the quality for themselves before they sign on.
3. Focus on partners who have a real connection to health and wellness practices.
4. Monitor social content to ensure partners make safe, compliant claims about your product.
5. High-trust micro-influencers often drive better long-term results than one-off celebrity posts.
6. Attend niche events to meet your community and find emerging creators in person.

Treat your program like a partnership where both sides share the same values.
Managing an affiliate program acts like a bridge between a brand and its most vocal fans. When you provide the right tools and scientific proof, your partners can speak with more authority. This works because people buy from those they trust, especially when it comes to the air they breathe or the water they drink.

How do you keep your creators on track with brand compliance without stifling their voice? Do you prefer working with a few large creators or a big network of smaller ones?


#affiliatemarketing  #influencermarketing  #affiliatenerdout  #healthandwellness #brandgrowth  #airdoctor #digitalmarketing

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Most B2B companies fall into the trap of hiring creators based on follower counts alone. A person might have 100,000 subscribers, but if those people aren't your ideal customers, you're just throwing money at a megaphone. The real challenge is finding the niche experts who hold the attention of the exact decision-makers you need to reach.

I recently sat down with Sam Cassman from Toksta to discuss how SaaS Creator Stacks are changing the way we identify and vet partners. We explored how moving away from manual keyword searches saves weeks of time.

Here are the key shifts happening in B2B influencer marketing right now:

1. Prioritize audience composition over total follower count.
2. Use automated vetting to see where an influencer's audience actually works.
3. Look for consistent engagement in the comments rather than just likes.
4. Verify that a creator's recent content stays within your specific niche.
5. Focus on LinkedIn for high-intent professional data.
6. Enrich profile data to see real-time performance metrics before reaching out.

Think of a modern SaaS creator stack like a high-powered filter for a gold mine. Instead of panning through the entire river by hand, you're using a system that instantly flags the real nuggets. This approach ensures you only spend your budget on people who can actually move the needle for your brand.

It transforms the process from a guessing game into a data-driven strategy. You no longer have to wonder if a creator's audience matches your ICP because you have the proof in front of you.

How do you currently vet potential partners for your B2B campaigns? Do you find that LinkedIn creators provide better results than those on other platforms?

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Most brands have no idea what their affiliates are actually saying in their videos. They spend thousands on partnerships but leave the actual content to chance because manual monitoring is a massive time sink. Watching every TikTok, Reel, and YouTube mention feels like a losing battle.

I recently sat down with Haafiz Dossa from Inflektion to discuss how AI is changing the way we handle social listening. We looked at how typical affiliate managers miss out on recruitment and compliance because they can't see the full picture in real time.

What we talked about:

• How Inflektion generates one-paragraph summaries to save you time.
• How it flags brand risk levels using your safety and script guidelines.
• How it identifies fans mentioning your brand who aren’t yet in your program.
• How it monitors competitor hashtags and mentions to stay ahead of trends.
• How it uses creator audience data to automatically tailor landing pages for better conversion.
• How it quickly identifies top-performing content to give creators actionable video strategy feedback.

This tool acts like a digital filter for your brand, cutting through the noise so you can focus on relationships and content that truly move the needle.

Instead of guessing if partners follow the rules, you get a clear dashboard of every mention, organized by risk and relevance. This shift from reactive to proactive management saves time, protects your brand, and helps you spot the next big influencer before competitors do.

Get a demo with Inflektion here: https://dustinhowes.com/inf

How much time does your team spend manually checking affiliate or influencer content? What’s your biggest compliance headache with video creators today?


#AffiliateMarketing #Inflektion  #SocialListening  #CreatorEconomy #InfluencerMarketing  #MarketingTechnology #PartnershipAutomation

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Being a solo consultant means you are the CEO, the CFO, and the HR department. Christen Evans (she/her) I shared our best tips for handling the isolation and financial stress that come with the job.

Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gdeWre4G and learn how to build a safety net and stay sane while working for yourself.

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com

Las Vegas conferences are unique, often leaving attendees drained and distracted. This video offers a comprehensive survival guide with actionable tips on early booking, scheduling, essential gear, professionalism, alcohol management, and maximizing networking opportunities. Learn how to balance professional boundaries and personal health to make the most out of your Las Vegas conference experience. Prepare to go home exhausted but victorious!

00:00 Introduction: Surviving Las Vegas Conferences
00:27 The Unique Challenges of Las Vegas Conferences
01:03 Preparation Tips: Booking and Scheduling
03:08 Essential Gear for Conference Success
04:32 Staying Focused and Professional
05:17 Managing Alcohol and Social Situations
06:57 Handling the Aftermath and Recovery
07:35 Final Thoughts and Networking Goals

Affiliate Manager Mastermind:
https://www.skool.com/affiliatemastery

The ultimate affiliate manager toolkit:
https://dustinhowes.com/the-ultimate-list-of-affiliate-management-tools/

Connect with Dustin Howes on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhowes

Alfie: https://dustinhowes.com/alfie and use code DUSTIN30 for 30% off your first month

For more tips on how to scale your affiliate program, check out https://performancemarketingmanager.com