The financial vertical in affiliate marketing is characterized by high demands for traffic quality and meticulous examination of the attracted audience. Achieving stable profits in this vertical requires finding the key to a high-quality combination.
I had a conversation with Sergey Ovseenko, a successful IOS app developer, discussing how affiliate marketing works in the mobile app niche, the merits of the white vertical, and whether it's worth investing in.
Explore more inspiring success stories in the money making sphere by visiting our Telegram channel.
We explored the prospects for the development of the financial vertical in 2024 and also discovered the channels through which Sergey directs his traffic. Let's dive in!
Can you tell us about the beginning of your journey?
I created my first apps about 10 years ago. At that time, I was studying foreign languages through a video course on the "Culture" TV channel called "Polyglot with Dmitry Petrov."
I found watching the videos inconvenient and thought it would be cool to create an app on that theme. There were 6-7 different languages, and I made a separate app for each. The first three lessons were free, and the rest around 2 dollars. It took off. At that time, my apps weighed about 1.5 gigabytes each because all the video lessons were directly in the archive. It's quite a funny story.
Do you have any new projects and expansion strategies for 2024?
In the new year, we want to focus again on the affiliate marketing direction. For the past few years, the focus has been on subscription white-label apps, and affiliate marketing has lagged behind.
The white vertical is doing well now, and we will continue to develop it, specifically the financial vertical. We aim to significantly increase volumes in the affiliate marketing ASO direction. New teams, niches, connections, brands, and GEOs have emerged that can be leveraged well this year. Our plans for 2024 are very ambitious. We will expand and gain momentum. Only forward!
How did you decide to delve into traffic affiliate marketing? Was it pure interest or another way to monetize apps more effectively?
I entered affiliate marketing 4.5 years ago, and time has flown since then. I came across an interview on YouTube where someone talked about doing affiliate marketing through ASO and mobile apps. I studied what they were doing, and it was much simpler than what I was doing. However, these guys were making much more money. So, I became interested in trying this direction, and I didn't regret it.
How is app development related to affiliate marketing?
We develop a mobile app, a so-called 'placeholder,' and show it to moderators in the App Store. However, none of the users will actually use this app. It's needed to pass the review.
Inside this app, we embed a browser, a so-called WebView. Once the app is in the store, we switch it, and the game or utility turns into a browser. It always opens the same link leading to the offer. After that, we move the app up in the App Store search results.
What is ASO, and how do you work with it to drive traffic?
ASO is like SEO but for mobile apps. It's optimizing for search within the App Store itself. The key factors for success in ASO are:
- Having an app indexed for the relevant keywords by including them in the keywords field in the App Store;
- You need compelling graphics, with the icon and screenshots optimized to make users want to download your app when they search.
- You should know how to use motivated or bot traffic. We have our bot farm, allowing us to reach the top and stand above those using regular motivated traffic.
The crucial thing is knowing the combination, GEO, brand, or key phrase you want to target. If someone simply creates a slot app, it will be challenging to rank for keywords like 'slots' or 'casino' in most GEOs. There may not be as much traffic as if you developed branded apps or an app for a specific game.
Have you noticed a trend where everyone is suddenly shifting to ASO and learning to drive traffic from this source?
People move back and forth. I know cases where someone shifts from Facebook to ASO and vice versa. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.
This approach isn't my style. I try to focus on one point and scale what already works. Currently, from my point of view, it's a more winning strategy. If Facebook or TikTok works well for you, look for approaches to make it provide more ROI and more volume.
How much money is needed to get into ASO?
To enter and test ASO, you don't need a lot of money. Taking everything at the minimum, it's approximately $650:
- $100 for an account;
- $150 for design;
- $400 for development.
This is relatively little to test. However, the situation is such that the first app may not take off at all. It's not guaranteed to pass the store review, and there's no guarantee that you'll catch the right combination. You'll need to conduct several tests and operations. Even then, success isn't guaranteed. It all depends on the person.
Some affiliate marketers believe that it's impossible to earn a lot in the white vertical. Do you agree with this opinion? Why?
No, that's not true. I believe you can earn a lot in the white direction. The question is over what timeframe. If you want to make money quickly, you should try affiliate marketing. If you want a substantial income, you should try something white. Because, taking a span of 5-10 years, I'm sure that on the white paths, you can earn much more than on the gray ones.
Do you engage in financial verticals? Is it also done through apps? How does it work, tell us more.
Since the beginning of this fall, we’ve started testing the financial vertical. Yes, it also happens through mobile apps. Most often, we use themes like debit cards, credit cards, and microloans.
Here's how it works: you create an app, embed WebView, write keywords like 'loans,' 'credit,' 'money,' and climb to the top in AppStore search results. The latest we had was microloans. We took the showcase, put it on top, and made a profit.
Is the competition in the financial niche significant?
In finance, there is much less competition than in other verticals, at least in ASO. It's easier to occupy the top positions here.
Tell us where you get offers? Do you collaborate with advertisers directly or through affiliate programs? Which affiliate program are you working with now?
Initially, we tried to get offers directly from advertisers, but it wasn't effective. It took a lot of time for communication, creative approvals, and so on. A few weeks after starting work in this vertical, we came across the Pampadu affiliate program. Since then, we've only been working through them.
Tell us why you chose Pampadu as the affiliate program for finance? What are the features and advantages compared to others?
We work exclusively through Pampadu because there's very fast support, quick approval, good rates upfront, fast payouts, and they operate in the white. Overall, it's much more convenient than dealing with ads directly.
What types of offers from Pampadu do you work with? Which financial products perform well in apps? Can this be seen in the reports on the affiliate program's website, or do you need third-party metrics?
We work with insurance, microloans, and credit cards. We use credit cards as an upsell in apps for microloans. You can easily see everything inside Pampadu; you don't even need to use a tracker.
For app monetization, Pampadu suggests using white-label, banners, or referral links to ad products. What do you use in apps?
We use referral links with subIds and offer showcases. By the way, Pampadu also provides showcases, so there's no need to design and layout them yourself.
How much can you earn in the financial vertical? How much do you personally earn exclusively in this vertical?
In the first month of operation, we generated around $56 000 in net profit, but this is far from the limit for this vertical. We will increase the volume and focus on the financial vertical.
What mistakes did you make when you were just getting into affiliate marketing? What should newcomers avoid?
Our main mistake at the start was trying to work with ads directly. Working through an affiliate program is much more convenient because communication is faster, approvals are quicker, and they give better rates right away, making payouts faster.
What do you think awaits the financial vertical in 2024? Are there prospects for development? What are they?
I see more teams paying attention to the financial vertical. I think 2024 will be excellent for those who decide to enter this vertical. The prospects are enormous, and I'm confident it will develop and may become overheated from an affiliate marketing perspective in 4-5 years.
What advice can you give to aspiring affiliate marketers?
Look for your unique combinations, don't give up in the face of failures, and sooner or later, things will work out for you. If everything is already working, build a structure, scale, and aim for the stars.
Conclusion
The financial vertical is expected to continue developing in 2024. Directing traffic to finance through apps is also a good perspective. All that's left is to test combinations, build a structure, and work hard, work hard, and work hard again.
To make your work easier and save your precious time, collaborate with affiliate programs. Pampadu has significantly eased Sergey's life in finding offers, coordinating creatives, and making payments.
Sergey Ovseenko has secured a favorable position in the ASO and affiliate marketing niche, bringing him stable and substantial profits. But beyond luck, Sergey's success is rooted in hard work, knowledge, and practice. Consider this before attributing your troubles to a single unsuccessful combination, and millions in profit will come!
