The Affiliate Marketing Podcast

• The Future is Agentic: How to Prepare for AI in Affiliate Marketing

  Guest: Katie King, Author of AI Strategy for Sales and Marketing: Connecting Marketing, Sales and Customer ExperienceIf you've been treating AI like a search engine or worrying you're falling behind, this episode cuts through the noise. Katie King, who's been tracking AI developments since 2019 and advises major brands like O2, Arsenal, and Virgin, joins Lee-Ann Johnstone to reveal why 80% of AI success depends on people, not tools. She shares the strategic frameworks that turn scattered experiments into measurable business impact, explains why board-level resistance creates organizational AI imposter syndrome, and demonstrates how affiliate marketers can build competitive advantage through ethical implementation and agile adoption.Talking Points Include:Why AI projects fail without frameworks – how creating AI champion groups, weekly strategy meetings, and clear codes of conduct transforms random tool adoption into systematic competitive advantageThe ethics gap that threatens customer trust – why transparency, attribution clarity, and responsible governance must be designed into affiliate programs before regulation forces itStrategic agility over early adoption – how building continuous learning and due diligence into your operations prepares you for agentic AI and quantum computing without burning out your teamListen to Find Out More About:The exact prompt engineering techniques that teach AI your brand voice without requiring technical skills or expensive custom modelsWhy Circle and Mighty Networks platforms fail for community building while simple weekly Zoom calls succeed, and how this same principle applies to AI tool selectionThe six-month AI implementation roadmap Katie uses with clients that balances quick wins with sustainable capability buildingHow affiliate marketers should approach AI differently than other marketing channels because of the trust dynamics and partnership relationships at stakeWhy China leads in AI patents, Europe leads in ethical frameworks, and what that geopolitical split means for international affiliate programsThe specific metrics beyond sales that reveal whether your AI adoption creates genuine business value or just impressive-looking dashboardsKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[12:35] Why you don't need technical skills for AI success, and the hospitality management principles that make AI adoption feel natural instead of overwhelming[18:51] The reality check on organizational AI maturity: why even brands with impressive case studies struggle with board-level adoption and what that reveals about implementation gaps[27:42] Ethical AI requirements for affiliate marketing specifically, including transparency obligations, attribution clarity, and avoiding black-box decisioning that erodes partner trust[34:20] Katie's final advice for marketers who haven't started their AI journey: why strategic agility matters more than early adoption, and how to build frameworks that prepare you for what comes nextSend me a text with your questions

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• The Power of Building Community Around your Affiliate Program

  If your affiliate program has hundreds of inactive partners gathering dust, this episode reveals exactly how to bring them back. Alex Hitt, an affiliate marketer who built thriving communities of hundreds of active members, shares the hotel management principles he uses to create loyalty that goes far beyond commission payments. Lee-Ann and Alex discuss why most programs accidentally kill engagement, how to scale personalisation without burning out, and why one 30-minute weekly call does more for retention than any email campaign.Talking Points Include:The hospitality industry secret that made one hotel number one in the world – and how offering affiliates something valuable for free at exactly the right moment transforms transactional relationships into genuine partnershipsWhy community platforms often fail but weekly Zoom calls succeed – where real engagement actually happens and how to structure drop-in events that affiliates want to attendThe white-glove onboarding process that keeps new affiliates active – from putting the calendar invite directly in their hand to following up before their first eventListen to Find Out More About:Why Alex refuses most one-on-one meeting requests and what he offers instead that closes more deals with less pressureThe exact metrics Alex tracks to identify super-inviters versus super-producers in his community (and why these are two different people)How to enforce group chat boundaries without alienating members when conversations drift into birthday wishes and grocery shopping updatesThe six critical mistakes that kill affiliate communities before they launch, and how to plan strategically before investing time and resourcesWhy getting each affiliate to refer just 1.1 other people creates exponential program growth over timeHow to scale personalization by using mass email for announcements while reserving WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Facebook for genuine relationship buildingKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:15] How getting laid off from a dream hotel job in Hawaii on day one forced Alex into entrepreneurship and eventually affiliate marketing[18:55] The efficiency math explained: one 30-minute Zoom call with 50 people versus trying to schedule 50 separate one-on-one meetings[27:00] What Alex tracks to measure community health beyond sales: last login time, external business growth, and engagement patternsHuge thanks to Alex Hitt for sharing his community-building strategies with us. If this episode sparked ideas for transforming your own affiliate program, subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast so you never miss practical insights like these. Share this episode with another affiliate manager struggling with retention, and let's raise the standard for how we treat our partners.Rate, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts"I love the Affiliate Marketing Podcast." <– If that sounds like you, please give us a 5 Star rating here! Taking the time to do that helps us support more people in our community to access affiliate marketing insights, expert-led learnings, and allows us to share the latest tactics that help affiliate programs and businesses grow.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review."Send me a text with your questions

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• Beyond Google: Navigating the Multi-Channel Search Revolution

  In this episode of the Affiliate Marketing Podcast, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with search industry veteran Colin Jeavons to unpack one of the most significant shifts in digital commerce since Google's CPC revolution. With 25% of global search queries now bypassing Google in favour of AI-powered answer engines, affiliate managers and publishers face a crossroads: adapt to emerging channels or risk becoming obsolete. Colin, whose career spans from the Yellow Pages era through to building semantic search technology for defence and intelligence, brings rare historical perspective on what's actually changing—and what isn't. This episode is essential listening for affiliate managers questioning their channel strategy, publishers wondering if SEO is dead, and any e-commerce brand trying to understand where consumer discovery is headed.Talking points include:From Yellow Pages to Answer Engines: How search has evolved from browser distribution monopolies to AI-driven discovery, and why Google's 2002 business model is facing its BlackBerry moment.The 75/25 Rule: Why traditional search still commands three-quarters of queries despite rapid AI adoption, and how to balance legacy channels with emerging opportunities.Beyond Traditional Affiliates: How CPA models are expanding into apps, creators, influencers, and AI search—creating entirely new verticals for performance marketing.Listen to find out more about: How browser distribution, not search quality, created Google's monopoly—and why that same moat is now crumbling.The specific verticals where CPA commerce is experiencing explosive growth: apps, creators, influencers, and AI search.The "fail fast" philosophy that's kept Colin relevant through 25 years of continuous technological disruption.Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct: [11:45] The case for not abandoning traditional search.[13:57] The 10-month revolution: how AI answer engines captured 25% of search volume at unprecedented speed.[29:13] Colin's advice for publishers and affiliate managers: always ask for help and don't fear failure.Would you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.Never miss out on FREE insights and training! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.Send me a text with your questions

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• Why Human-Centred Marketing Beats Every Algorithm

  In this episode, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with Dennis Yu, CEO of BlitzMetrics and co-author of bestselling books on Facebook and TikTok advertising. With a billion dollars spent on social ads and clients including: Nike, Starbucks, and the Golden State Warriors, Dennis brings battle-tested insights on what actually works when technology threatens to commoditise every tactic. This conversation is essential listening for affiliate managers navigating the tension between bringing capabilities in-house and maintaining profitable partnerships, as well as performance marketers seeking sustainable competitive advantages in an AI-saturated marketplace.Talking points include:User-Generated Content as Affiliate Strategy: Why authentic customer content outperforms professional creative and how to activate non-traditional affiliatesThe Conversion API Advantage: How brands controlling conversion data can outperform traditional affiliates in paid social campaignsRelationship-Driven Marketing in an AI World: Why genuine connections represent the only defensible moat against algorithmic competitionListen to find out more about:How to identify and activate non-traditional affiliates from your existing customer base who create more authentic content than professional marketersWhy controlling conversion data through proper API implementation gives brands a decisive advantage over traditional affiliates in paid social campaignsWhat Dennis learned spending a billion dollars on social advertising for brands like Nike, Starbucks, and the Golden State WarriorsKey segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:[01:30] Dennis Yu's background: From Yahoo! search engine engineer to spending a billion dollars on Facebook ads[06:38] Why user-generated content from actual customers outperforms traditional influencer marketing[14:00] The uncomfortable truth about affiliate margins as AI and algorithms become more sophisticatedWould you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.Send me a text with your questions

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• Affiliate Story: From Side Hustle to Global Publisher Platform

  What happens when passion meets persistence in affiliate marketing? George Sullivan turned repeated program rejections into fuel for building The Sole Supplier—a content-first publisher that now drives millions in sales across Europe's biggest fashion retailers. In this candid conversation with host Lee-Ann Johnstone, George reveals the brutal early days of building an affiliate business, the moment everything changed, and why the industry's future belongs to publishers who can make people feel something.This episode is essential listening for affiliate managers who want to understand what life looks like on the other side of the partnership—and for aspiring publishers who need proof that starting with nothing but conviction can lead somewhere extraordinary.Talking points include: The psychological impact of program rejections on early-stage publishers (and how managers can turn gatekeeping into guidance)Why putting a human face to your brand remains the most powerful growth lever in an AI-saturated landscapeThe shift from siloed marketing departments to integrated teams—and what it means for partnership budgetsListen to find out more about: Why George believes purely transactional affiliate models face existential risk from AI—and where the sustainable opportunity liesThe specific moment when The Sole Supplier's revenue scaled beyond George's recruitment salary (and why he still waited to quit)How treating affiliate managers as friends rather than vendors creates compounding advantages over timeKey segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct: [03:03] The backstory: from ten failed jobs to founding The Sole Supplier at 22[13:28] The post-COVID shift that killed top-of-funnel budgets—and why brands are reversing course now[26:10] The five things every affiliate manager needs to hear about building genuine partnershipsWould you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.Send me a text with your questions

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