The Affiliate Marketing Podcast

The diagnostic framework that 20 years of affiliate program management built - and why most programs are not broken, just badly diagnosed.
If your affiliate program is underperforming and you are not sure where to start, this episode will change how you think about the problem. No guest, no interview, just Lee-Ann, her two decades of affiliate marketing experience across e-commerce, SaaS, B2B, retail and iGaming, and the step-by-step framework she uses with clients to diagnose exactly what is wrong and what to fix first. This is one of those episodes you will want to listen to with a document open and a pen in hand.

Talking Points Include:
Why fixing everything at once is the fastest way to fix nothing -- the triage mindset borrowed from medicine that stops affiliate managers from burning through resources on the wrong problems at the wrong time
The five vital signs of an affiliate program and how to read them -- from active partner rate to communication cadence, the diagnostic checks that give you a clear picture of program health before you touch a single commission rate
The four root causes behind almost every underperforming affiliate program -- and why each one requires a completely different prescription

Listen to Find Out More About:
The efficiency logic behind why one focused priority per month beats a 20-point action plan every time
How to use conversion rate by partner type to spot traffic that looks good on paper but is costing you money
The void and reversal rate threshold that signals something is seriously wrong with either traffic quality or your returns process
Why tracking problems are the silent killer of affiliate programs, and the one test you should run this week if you cannot remember when you last did it
The three honest truths Lee-Ann shares at the end of the episode that rarely get said out loud in affiliate marketing

Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:
[01:00] Why most underperforming affiliate programs are not broken, just badly diagnosed, and the triage mindset that changes how you approach a fix
[04:14] The five vital signs of affiliate program health and how to read each one using data you already have access to
[13:25] The four root causes behind underperformance and the specific prescription for each one
[18:08] How to build a triage action plan using the one priority, one metric, four weeks rule
[21:49] The three hard truths about affiliate programs that do not get said often enough, and what acting on them actually looks like

Call to Action
If this episode gave you a clearer picture of what is holding your program back, the next step is making sure you have the right support around you. The KonverJ Agency works with affiliate program managers and brands who are ready to stop guessing and start building programs that perform. Find out how we can help at Konverj.io and start the conversation.
Send me a text with your questions

The coaching framework that helps affiliate managers navigate commercial conflict, set boundaries, and lead with confidence even when the conversation gets uncomfortable.
If you have ever walked into a partner meeting already dreading it, or sent a reactive email on a Friday evening and regretted it by Sunday, this episode is for you. Tara Alvarez Garcia, performance and leadership coach with over 15 years in marketing and commercial roles, joins Lee-Ann to break down why difficult conversations go wrong, and what you can do differently before you even open your mouth. From handling underperforming affiliates to managing burnout in a permanently switched-on industry, this is the practical coaching session affiliate managers rarely get.

Talking Points Include:
The one mindset shift that changes every difficult conversation -- why reframing from "you versus the problem" to "we versus the problem" transforms the tone before anyone has said a word, and how proper preparation makes difficult meetings far less daunting
Why being always on is not a strength, it is a liability -- how the pressure to respond instantly to Slack, WhatsApp, and emails is quietly eroding performance, and the practical techniques Tara uses with senior leaders to reclaim thinking space
The difference between managing and leading in affiliate marketing -- using the engine and the driver analogy, Tara and Lee-Ann unpack why technical competency gets you to manager level but an entirely different skill set is required to lead a team or a partner program effectively

Listen to Find Out More About:
Why Tara recommends using AI tools like ChatGPT to role-play difficult conversations before they happen, and exactly how to prompt it to push back on you
The three practical leadership principles Tara leaves listeners with, and why they apply at every level of the industry
What Tara does when a coaching client comes to her already at rock bottom, and why she gets better results from the ones who arrive before the crisis hits
The special offer Tara has put together exclusively for listeners of this episode, and the link where you can claim it
Why the affiliate manager skills most at risk from AI are not the ones people think, and which human capabilities are genuinely irreplaceable

Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:
[02:45] The managing versus leading distinction explained: the engine gets the car moving, but who decides where it goes?
[06:25] How to enter a difficult commercial conversation prepared, collaborative, and clear on the outcome you actually want
[08:40] What to do when the conversation heats up: the case for controlled silence and slowing down before reacting
[13:00] Why thinking time is not a luxury in a leadership role, it is the job, and how to carve it out in a reactive industry
[18:30] Tara's blueprint for handling any difficult conversation, walked through step by step

Call to Action
Thanks to Tara Alvarez Garcia for such a grounded and genuinely practical episode. Tara has put together an exclusive offer for listeners, including a free downloadable blueprint for handling difficult conversations and a limited number of discounted one-off coaching sessions. You can access both at tyscoaching.com/affiliate-marketing-podcast.
If your affiliate program needs more than a listening session, the KonverJ Agency team works directly with brands to build, audit, and scale affiliate programs. Find out how we can support you at Konverj.io
Send me a text with your questions

From Casino Dealer to iGaming Exit: What Hustle Actually Looks Like
You've heard people credit their success to luck. Karolina Pelc doesn't buy it. The founder of BeyondPlay, who built and sold her gaming software startup to FanDuel in 2024, traces every "fortunate" moment back to a decision, a risk, or a leap taken before she felt ready. In this episode, she joins Lee-Ann to talk about building a business in a male-dominated industry, the lessons that only come from failing, and her new book Her Play, which challenges the narrative that success is something that happens to you.

About Karolina Pelc
Karolina Pelc has spent over 20 years in gaming, starting as a casino dealer in Poland before working at London's most prestigious clubs and spending three years on cruise ships. She moved into online gaming as it was emerging, held roles across marketing, product, and business management, and was part of the LeoVegas team during its most exciting growth phase. She went on to found BeyondPlay, a software-as-a-service company specialising in multiplayer and jackpot products, which was acquired by FanDuel in February 2024. She now mentors early-stage founders and has channelled her journey into her debut book, Her Play, which publishes on 9 June in the UK & Europe and on 8th September in the USA & Canada.

Talking Points Include:
Why luck is a byproduct of motion, not a personality trait — the phrase at the heart of Her Play, and why Karolina developed it in response to a question she kept getting asked after the sale
What a cruise ship taught her about multiplayer gaming — and why the product idea she eventually built and sold wasn't random at all
The three moments she knew she had outgrown the room — from leaving a cruise ship job without a plan, to founding a startup in a 43-square-metre apartment during COVID lockdown
How failure compounds into advantage — why the jackpot product that got BeyondPlay acquired only existed because the original product wasn't getting traction fast enough
Building confidence in a male-dominated industry — Karolina's honest take on gender dynamics in gaming and the startup investment world, and why she sees her experience as a superpower rather than a disadvantage

Listen to Find Out More About:
What Karolina actually took away from her two visits to Necker Island, and how the experience shaped the book and her decision to mentor founders
How she navigated the identity crisis that came after selling BeyondPlay, and what helped her work out what she wanted to do next
The specific moment during COVID that convinced her to found the company rather than take a permanent job, despite every rational signal pointing the other way
Why she believes your past experience is never a liability, and how that thinking connects directly to what affiliate managers do every day
The five key takeaways Lee-Ann pulls from the conversation — including a fifth one Karolina adds herself, live on mic
Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:
[01:38] Karolina's introduction and the story behind HerPlay — from land-based casino dealer to iGaming exec to founder
[05:37] "Luck is a byproduct of motion" — where the phrase came from and what it actually means in practice
[18:15] The three defining leaps in Karolina's career, and what finally made her take each one
[25:00] Necker Island, Richard Branson, and the full-circle moment that launched the book
[32:00] Lee-Ann's four-point summary — and Karolina's fifth, which might be the best of all
Send me a text with your questions

Every major insight, turning point, and uncomfortable truth from the season that changed how the industry thinks about performance
If you missed any episode this season, or if you listened to all of them and want to make sense of where they connect, this is the one to come back to. Lee-Ann revisits every guest from Season 24 and draws out the thread that ran through every conversation: affiliate marketing is not evolving slowly anymore. It's shifting in real time, and the programs that are built on old assumptions are already falling behind.
Talking Points Include:
What our guests collectively confirmed -- the season's guests came from different corners of the industry, but they all arrived at the same conclusion
Why last-click attribution was already broken before AI made it worse -- the season built a steady, cumulative case against over-reliance on a single measurement model, and this episode pulls that argument together
The themes that surfaced again and again across eleven episodes -- zero-click search, compliance as a growth lever, open attribution, human relationships in an automated world, and what it really means to diversify a program in 2026
Listen to Find Out More About:
Why Lee-Ann opens the wrap-up by referencing what the season opener promised, and whether the season actually delivered on it
What Jon Ostler called "the great affiliate bypass" and why the structural shift he described is only going to accelerate from here
Stuart Miles's central lesson about low-friction partnerships and why it applies far beyond the tech and gadget publishing world he comes from
The moment in Lauryn Day's episode where the conversation about creator content and AI changes in search made clear that this is no longer a future concern
What Lee-Ann says she's taking into the next season, and the note of genuine optimism underneath a very clear-eyed summary of how much pressure the industry is under
Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:
[02:27] Ishtvan Torpoi revisited: the mega lag controversy and why disciplined monitoring beats partner volume every time
[06:20] Jon Ostler's great affiliate bypass: AI citations, publisher investment, and the attribution gap that last click can't explain
[18:47] Adam Ross on invisible revenue: how AWIN's Conversion Protection Initiative recovered $250 million in previously untracked value
[28:56] Alex Springer on open attribution: why collaboration across networks, publishers, and brands is now happening for the first time
[33:49] Lee-Ann's season close: what the industry learned, what still needs to change, and what Season 25 is already being built around

Stay Ahead with Affiverse
If Season 24 raised questions about how your program is structured for what's coming, the Affiverse newsletter is where Lee-Ann continues the conversation between seasons. You'll get the insights, industry commentary, and practical frameworks that don't wait for a new episode to drop.
Subscribe to the Affiverse newsletter and stay connected to the thinking that's shaping the next season of affiliate marketing strategy.
Send me a text with your questions

The E-Commerce Brand's Guide to Unified Performance Marketing in 2026
If your affiliate and influencer teams are still working in separate silos with separate budgets and separate tools, this episode will challenge everything about how you've structured your program. Lauryn Day, Director of Agency Partnerships at Levanta, joins Lee-Ann to explain why the lines between affiliate and creator marketing have blurred beyond the point of separate strategies, what a unified approach actually looks like in practice, and why the brands thriving right now are the ones that have stopped treating these two channels as competitors for budget.
This is a practical, no-nonsense conversation about how modern e-commerce brands are scaling creator and affiliate programs across Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart, and what the data tells us about where discovery and conversion are actually happening in 2026.

About Lauryn Day
Lauryn Day is Director of Agency Partnerships at Levanta, the leading affiliate marketing software for marketplace sellers. Having started her career on the brand side before moving into tech, she brings a practical, dual-perspective view to creator and affiliate strategy that is rare in this space.

Talking Points Include:
Why most affiliate infrastructure was built more than 20 years ago and no longer reflects how brands actually operate, and what a modern platform built for today's e-commerce reality looks like
How Levanta's one-click integration with Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart collapses what used to be a multi-tool, multi-spreadsheet operation into a single five-minute setup
What AI is actually doing to the shopper journey, and why the data shows less than 10% of consumers who use AI for product research convert through it
The product sampling tool that replaced a spreadsheet-and-email nightmare and why brands are calling it one of the most immediately impactful features they've adopted
How creator content is now serving two parts of the buying funnel at once: driving direct discovery and feeding the LLM recommendations that consumers use to shortlist products
The real cost of over-indexing on bottom-funnel partners like coupon and loyalty sites, and how to build a program that serves the full funnel
Key Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:
[01:46] What Levanta is, how it was built, and why most affiliate infrastructure was already out of date before the creator economy arrived
[10:24] How consolidating creator and affiliate data into one platform changes the quality of decisions brands can make, with real client context
[22:12] Why treating creator and affiliate as separate strategies is the most common and most costly mistake Lauryn sees, and how to fix it
[26:30] Lauryn's three actionable tips for brands getting their programs ready for 2026:
Consolidate your tech stack. Unify your creator, affiliate, and marketplace channels under one program so your team can focus on strategy rather than administration.
Invest in top-of-funnel creator content. UGC builds brand trust, drives direct discovery, and increasingly feeds the AI recommendations consumers use to shortlist products.
Stay nimble and test often. Whether it's trialling higher commissions for specific creators, experimenting with a hybrid compensation model, or testing a new content format, run short tests, look at the data, and be willing to pivot quickly.
A huge thank you to Lauryn Day for joining us and sharing her insights on where creator and affiliate marketing is heading. If you want to explore what Levanta can do for your program, you can connect with Lauryn directly on LinkedIn or reach out
Send me a text with your questions