This week, Lee-Ann Johnstone welcomes Alanas Ivšinas, iGaming Affiliate Marketing Expert, to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast for an insightful deep-dive into what truly makes partnerships thrive in one of the most competitive sectors of affiliate marketing.
With over a decade of experience working across both sides of the table – from affiliate networks to major operators like GG Group Media – Alanas brings a rare perspective on deal-making, negotiation psychology, and the art of building lasting commercial relationships.
Whether you're struggling with partner retention, looking to structure better deals, or want to understand how industry veterans navigate complex negotiations, this episode delivers actionable wisdom from someone who's seen it all. Essential listening for affiliate managers, network professionals, and anyone serious about elevating their partnership game.
Talking points include:
- The psychology of win-win deal-making and why most partnerships fail before they start.
- Real world case studies of deals gone wrong and the expensive lessons learned.
- How Google updates and AI are reshaping affiliate relationship strategies.
The Foundation of Lasting Partnerships: Trust Over Transactions
Alanas cuts straight to the heart of successful affiliate relationships, emphasising that sustainable partnerships must be built on mutual benefit rather than zero-sum thinking. “Affiliate marketing is about a win-win situation for both sides. It's just sometimes brands and affiliates forget that we have costs. That's the reality, in general, of any business,” he explains. This mindset shift from competitive negotiation to collaborative problem-solving becomes the cornerstone of partnerships that survive market volatility and deliver consistent results over time.
Learning from Expensive Mistakes: When Big Deals Go Bad
The conversation takes a candid turn as both Alanas and Lee-Ann share stories from deals that went spectacularly wrong. Alanas recounts a streaming partnership that generated 700 deposits with an average value of just 30-40 euros, creating a massive negative ROI situation. The key lesson? “It was lesson number one, put caps all the time. Try to put the cap in the beginning of the collaboration.” These failures, while costly, provide invaluable frameworks for structuring future deals with proper safeguards and clearer expectations.
Navigating Industry Uncertainty: AI, Google, and the Future of Affiliate Marketing
Looking ahead, Alanas addresses the seismic shifts affecting the iGaming affiliate landscape, particularly Google's algorithm updates and the rise of AI-driven search behaviour. This evolving digital ecosystem demands more sophisticated partnership strategies and greater emphasis on relationship quality over purely transactional arrangements.
Listen to find out more about:
- Why the “thin line between bluff and lie” can make or break your reputation in affiliate marketing.
- The specific deal structure that cost one major partnership hundreds of thousands in negative ROI.
- How industry veterans are adapting their partnership strategies for an AI-dominated search landscape.
Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:
[05:40] The essential elements that separate successful partnerships from costly failures.
[10:20] A detailed breakdown of a streaming deal gone wrong and the expensive lessons learned
[21:52] Industry trends including Google updates, AI impact, and what's coming next for affiliate partnerships.
Our thanks go to Mate Affiliates as this season's sponsor. Would you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.
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