What does a "good affiliate manager" even mean to you?

[Oldschool]

We hear it constantly – affiliates want a manager who actually helps. But "help" means wildly different things depending on who you ask.
Some people want someone proactive, pinging them about new offers and optimizations. Others just want a manager who answers fast and gets out of the way. Some want strategy talks, some want pure logistics.
On our side, we try to read what each partner actually wants instead of forcing one style on everyone, but we're genuinely curious how the room feels about it.

So: what makes a manager actually useful to you, and what's an instant red flag?

Visit our site:

OldSchool

oldschool-partners.com

 

[Alkis]

To put it simply, a good affiliate manager knows what the affiliate needs, before even the affiliate asks for it.
But since this is pretty rare, honesty is the number one thing. Then comes the response time.

Red flag is easy, everything that comes with a delay is a red flag.

Nice question btw!

 

[Oldschool]

To put it simply, a good affiliate manager knows what the affiliate needs, before even the affiliate asks for it.
But since this is pretty rare, honesty is the number one thing. Then comes the response time.

Red flag is easy, everything that comes with a delay is a red flag.

Nice question btw!

Solid take – honesty and response time are non-negotiable. Curious where everyone draws the line on response time though: same-day is obvious, but is a few hours fine, or does anything over 30 min already feel like you're being ghosted?

 

[FreeSpins]

1. Honest.
2. Communicative.
3. Responsive.

 

[Alkis]

Solid take – honesty and response time are non-negotiable. Curious where everyone draws the line on response time though: same-day is obvious, but is a few hours fine, or does anything over 30 min already feel like you're being ghosted?

Even next day is fine, what is more important is the answer itself. If the answer covers the question, then no issues.
If it doesn't and its just an answer to get rid off the affiliate, then you have to ask the same thing multiple times

 

[NDG]

When an affiliate contacts you, don't guide them down a path that doesn't address what the affiliate wants or needs.
It still amazes me when we contact some affiliate managers, and they try to turn the conversation to what they want,
or they setup unrealistic goals that need to be met before they will be able to do whatever we ask.

 

[FreeSpins]

When an affiliate contacts you, don't guide them down a path that doesn't address what the affiliate wants or needs.
It still amazes me when we contact some affiliate managers, and they try to turn the conversation to what they want,
or they setup unrealistic goals that need to be met before they will be able to do whatever we ask.

In worse cases, they start using soft blackmail… for example, by reducing your commission if you don't deliver a certain number of leads…

This is an example of a lazy manager who thinks this will put pressure on the partner to achieve their own benefits.

By the way, most managers receive a fixed minimum salary plus a bonus based on the number of leads generated by the partner they manage.

In conclusion, don't be intimidated. Demand a contract or email confirmation. From my experience, it's best to have a hard copy in case of a dispute.