We are proud to announce the releases of new, cleaner, easier-to-use “Generate Links” and “Find Partners” sections of Pepperjam Network – www.pepperjamnetwork.com

Let me give you a bit of background on our decision to “upgrade” these important sections of the Pepperjam Network interface.

First, when we launched Pepperjam Network our goal was to launch a hybrid “traditional revenue share affiliate network” (i.e. Commission Junction, Linkshare, Performics) and “CPA lead-based network” (i.e., Azoogle, CPA Empire, Hydra).

It’s important to point out that these two types of networks function quite differently – specifically, traditional networks focus almost exclusively on revenue share types of offers (think typical e-commerce like Wal-Mart), while CPA networks focus almost exclusively on flat payout, lead-based offers (think free credit reports, insurance quotes, etc. like FreeCreditReport.com and NetQuote).

In some cases, like on Commission Junction, there are both revenue share and lead based offers; however, CJ and the other traditional networks do not make it easy for affiliates to know the difference and to sort by “type of offer,” which is something we have an interest in doing for affiliates.

Step in Pepperjam Network.

In redesigning the generate links portion of our site our main goal was to make it easier for our affiliates to sort by offer type.  Here’s a screenshot:

The “Generate Links” section of Pepperjam Network allows affiliates to quickly and easily select a specific advertiser, sort by offer type (revenue share or CPA) by category, or search for specific offers.

This section also allows affiliates to grab banners, text ads, advanced links, and pepperjamADS.  pepperjamADS is Pepperjam’s own affiliate marketing widget that allows affiliates to mix and mash contextual ads from one or more merchant partners. This means that you can serve multiple ads from multiple merchants (your choice) all within one cool looking ad widget. Here’s a quick video tutorial of pepperjamADS if you haven’t seen or tried it yet and I’ve included a few screen shots below of what a pepperjamADS unit looks like once you create it:

Once you sort or search for a specific kind of offer you are presented with a list of advertisers. You can further sort by clicking the top heading of each category.  For instance, if you want to sort by Earnings Per Click (EPC), revenue share payout (high to low or low to high), or CPA payout (high to low or low to high) simply click the heading.  Note that the EPC shown is your personal EPC for the advertiser. See screenshot below (click HERE for larger jpg.):

The “Find Partners” section of Pepperjam Network functions in much te same way as the explanations I provide above.  There is one exception.  Since the Find Partners sections includes advertisers that you are NOT yet partnered with, the EPC is calculated network wide – this allows you to see how the offer is performing in general for other affiliates.

That’s it for now.

I’m confident that this new layout better represents our interest in providing you with an easy way to identify different types of offers, while also empowering you to quickly and easily sort based on important offer qualities, such as EPC and payout.

About the Free Credit Report 360 Affiliate Program:

“The Consumer gets a credit report and score from ALL 3 bureaus, not just Experian. Our form requires No SSN, no DOB, No Mother’s Maiden Name or Username Password to set up.”

Commission: $16.75
Cookie Duration: 45 days

About the Photacular.com Affiliate Program:

“Photacular lets you create fun, unique products from your photographs with safe, secure, 24/7 online access. Our range of great products includes T-shirts, mugs, coasters, jewelry, holiday ornaments, ceramic tiles, and more — all custom-made and printed right here in the USA.”

Commission: 10.00%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

Just wanted to let you know that you can now list eBay auctions on your Web site or Blog using Pepperjam Network links along with phpBay, a popular independent eBay store builder software.

With phpBay, when a user clicks on a product and places a winning bid on eBay, you receive a commission from Pepperjam Network.  You must be a member of the eBay affiliate program on Pepperjam Network and purchase the phpBay software (only $49) to participate.

To learn more about phpBay and to view a video tutorial please visit www.phpbay.com

Note that with phpBay Pro you can quickly and easily add rich keyword based content to your php driven website or Wordpress blog to compliment your existing content and encourage visitors to impulsively buy products from your site.

Working with phpBay is part of our effort to provide affiliates with as many solutions as possible to become a successful affiliate on Pepperjam Network – www.pepperjamnetwork.com

Please post any questions if you have them.

A special thanks to Wade Wells from phpBay for writing the script that allows phpBay to work with the eBay affiliate program on Pepperjam Network.  According to Wade, numerous existing phpBay members requested he make an update to his software to allow affiliates to list eBay auctions using Pepperjam Network links.

Thanks to Wade’s hard work phpBay is now available to you!

We are proud to announce the launch of several new affiliate programs on Pepperjam Network – www.pepperjamnetwork.com – including College Matching Service, IP Camera Supply, Need A Cash Advance, and VoIP Supply.

About the College Matching Service Affiliate Program:

“CollegeMatchingService.com brings thousands of colleges to your fingertips with one simple search. Get free information to help make the right decision for your education. CollegeMatchingService.com is for students or working adults seeking:

- Public or private 4-year universities, 2-year colleges, trade schools and more.
- Career training or continuing education opportunities.
- Classes or degrees offered online or through distance education.
- Advanced degrees.
- Non-degree opportunities, including self improvement, lifelong learning, and more.”

Commission: $16 per lead
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the IP Camera Supply Affiliate Program:

“We are a team of talented, dedicated people who are passionate about IP technologies. We all work together to deliver products and services that allow you to implement and deploy surveillance, CCTV and recording systems to protect your business. Simply put, we sell product and services online with an intense focus on remarkable customer service and support.”

Commission: Up to 10%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the Need A Cash Advance Affiliate Program:

“Send your traffic to NeedACashAdvance.com now and start seeing the commissions roll in! You will get paid $26.00 for every approved payday loan application. In addition to the fantastic payout, NeedACashAdvance.com has an extremely knowledgeable pro-active Affiliate Support Team. The Affiliate Support Team can be contacted via phone, email or on a variety of messengers to assist you with any questions or help you may need.

NeedACashAdvance.com is a proven winner with its unique look, quick and easy application form & amazing conversions. Sign up today and turn your traffic into cash with NeedACashAdvance.com!”

Commission: $26 per lead
Cookie Duration: 45 days 

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About the VoIP Supply Affiliate Program:

“VoIPSupply.com is the leading online retailer of Voice over IP hardware and software components. In addition to our online presence, VoIPSupply.com also maintains a call center of trained sales and engineering personnel to assist customers with their product selection.

The company was founded by Benjamin P. Sayers, CEO of VoIP Supply, and has emerged as the leading VAR (value added reseller) in the VoIP market space. The company currently occupies 20,000 square feet and employs 52 people and continues to hire talented individuals.”

Commission: Up to 10%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

Welcome to Week #5 of the Pepperjam Network “Meet the Affiliates” Interview Series!

This week I interview Zac Johnson.  Aside from being one of the most recognizable affiliate marketers because of his wildly popular blog – www.zacjohnson.com – as well as being a regular speaker at Affiliate Summit, Zac is one of the most open and transparent affiliate marketers in the biz!  Through his blog and speaking engagements Zac shares step-by-step how he has become a successful affiliate marketer.  At the same time Zac is a sincerely nice guy with an interest in making the affiliate marketing industry a better place to do business.

I am confident that you’ll enjoy Zac’s interview.  If you don’t already, I hope that you’ll follow Zac through his blog and allow him to become a resource that will help you make more money!

Here are the rules… 

The Pepperjam Network “Meet the Affiliates” Interview Series will feature an original up-close interview with an affiliate marketer every Friday.  Priority will be given to Pepperjam Network affiliates, but that is not a requirement to share your story.  If you’d be interested in being interviewed please submit your request here – please make sure to tell us why you think your story is especially entertaining or educational and worth sharing with our readers.

As the series progresses we will do our best to ask questions that both entertain and educate!  We encourage you to comment on each of the interviews, as well as ask follow-up questions of the interviewee.

Lastly, if you are a blogger or just someone with a network of likeminded affiliate marketing friends, we encourage you to share our interviews series with anyone who you think may benefit. Also, since you won’t want to miss an interview once it’s published I encourage you to join the Feedburner Pepperjam Network RSS Feed, which is located at the top of this page or by clicking here.

Well…let’s get on to the interview!

Meet the Affiliates: Interview #5 

Zac Johnson
Money Reign
ZacJohnson.com

Question #1

KRIS: Tell us the story of how and when your first got involved in affiliate marketing…

ZAC: I made my first “dollar” online when I was around the age of 14. At this time I was already playing around with some funny web sites I had created (on my free AOL web space) and also did some graphic designs for my pages. I was using AOL for internet access, and they had a chat room dedicated to people with web sites, called “The Web Diner”. Several people in the chat room had web sites, but didn’t know how to make graphics or anything, so I offered to make 468×60 banners for people for $1 each. I had a few people request banners here and there, and I would send them their banner and they would send me a dollar… well, sometimes they did. This was way before Paypal was around, so many people would never send payment. My first “dollar” made online, was actually a dollar that someone sent me in the mail!

I would eventually go on to join programs like AllAdvantage that would “pay you to surf”, and run the Pacific Coast pillow affiliate program banners on my sites (which paid only .01 per click, and a payment minimum of $100… so basically no one got paid . I even spent some time on web hosting affiliate programs, that I would pitch to companies in AOL Business Chat Rooms, which was successful! I would then go on to focus my efforts on the Amazon.com affiliate program and send them over $100,000 in sales, but only earn a low 5-15% commission on all sales. I did this by creating niche celebrity pages and sold books and movies relating to specific celebrities. As affiliate marketing kept expanding, so did my interest and dedication. After having made a decent amount of money in affiliate marketing, I decided to startup my own affiliate programs and merchant accounts with various networks, including Commission Junction. In 2000 I traveled across the country with my father to attend CJU 2000 and got my first real life networking experience. Not only did I get to finally meet all of the companies I had been working with for years, but it drove my dedication and passion that much more… and to this day I still love and focus on affiliate marketing.

Question #2

KRIS: Could you share Five (5) Tips for how to build readership and become a successful blogger…

ZAC: 1.) Be Personable: Everyone wants to see an real life success story. A face and personality gives so much more than a name or company logo.

2.) Be Different: So many people out there are doing the same thing, do something different to stand out of the crowd.

3.) Relate to Your Readers: Talk to your readers like you are having a regular conversation, and not trying to sell them something.

4.) Show Results & Examples: Anyone can proclaim to do anything… showing results and actual examples will help to inspire others.

5.) Communication is Key: Respond to readers comments, emails and try to network with other bloggers.

Question #3

KRIS: Where do you live?  Are you married?  Any children? Animals?

ZAC: I recently purchased a house in NJ and live with my beautiful girlfriend Reena, and our new dog Foxy.

Question #4

KRIS: One of the things you are known for is making $860,538.38 profit in 4 Months! Now that’s pretty awesome! Can you share for us the story behind how you made the money?

ZAC: My $860k profit story is pretty interesting to hear, but was even more amazing to live through it. For the longest time I knew there was a way to make money off the millions of people using MySpace everyday, but I just couldn’t figure out how. To make a long story short, I decided to create a new site which provided images and tools for people to use on their MySpace profile pages. The idea behind the site was to provide a service and resource to MySpace users and make it easy for others to add content to their pages. What started off as a couple hundred pages, turned into over 10,000 pages! (no programming at all I might add, all straight html!) I would host all of the content, create the sites, import content and tools for people to use… and the site would generate money from all of the page views and visitor interaction. Basically, the site went viral and as people kept grabbing content, it just kept getting bigger and bigger… to the point where the site was receiving over 180,000 unique visitors per day. (Full story at: http://zacjohnson.com/how-i-made-86053838-profit-in-4-months/)

Question #5

KRIS: Can you share at least three tips for how an average affiliate can become a super affiliate like you?

ZAC: An average affiliate can make the jump to super affiliate status by pushing themselves and dedicating themselves to their goal. Three quick tips to help improve your earnings are:

1.) Adjust with the times and not always stick with the same concept or idea. I would not be where I am today if I continually tried to promote the Amazon.com affiliate program or made banners for $1.

2.) Dedicate yourself to something you enjoy. If you are selling or promoting diamonds online, you can make good money… but if you have no interest in jewelry or diamonds, your full effort won’t be there. Focus on your passions and it will be that much easier.

3.) Networking. It sounds easy and it sounds cliché… but it’s the honest truth. Once you start networking and establish yourself with other well known marketers, not only will you have a group of people to bounce ideas off of, but also people to keep you motivated.

Question #6

KRIS: All things being equal, what is the easiest way for an affiliate to increase revenue? Bid on Trademarks?  Long-Tail PPC Arbitrage?  Build a Facebook Application? Or something else?

ZAC: I would recommend that a current affiliate steps back and looks at what they are doing to generate the current revenue that they have. Once doing so, they should try and target any open source they aren’t currently acting on. If you are focusing on only paid search marketing and sending traffic to advertisers landing pages, you could then focus efforts to SEO or building a web site that will continually earn revenue, without having to pay per click for traffic. In this same example, with that same web site, you could build up a newsletter list and follow up with related products or blog posts on the topic. There are so many different ways to advertise a web site or product, make sure you are targeting them all.

Question #7

KRIS: What are some of your favorite online resources for learning more about affiliate marketing?

ZAC: Lately I’ve been focusing on blogs and forums for ideas and motivation. There are a lot of people complaining that there are too many “make money blogs” out there, but even the newbies bring new ideas to the table. It’s the affiliate bloggers that present real examples and results that will weed themselves out from the rest. Not to “toot” my own horn… but the feedback and contacts I get from running my own blog, has been an amazing resource. I highly recommend everyone start their own blog, no matter what niche market you are in.

Question #8

KRIS: Share with us what a typical “Day in the Life” of Zac Johnson is like…

ZAC: Super Affiliate by Day… Super Hero at Night… just kidding.

My whole life I’ve been a night owl and worked non-stop through the night pushing out new sites and ideas. Since moving into my new home, it’s almost a complete flip. Now I usually wake up early during the week (and see Reena off to work) and sleep in on the weekends. I usually start out my day by going through email and checking out how my campaigns performed over night. When possible and inspired, I try and make a new post to my blog before noon… but it seems that rarely happens. Depending on my work level that day, I might head off to the local LA Fitness and play basketball for a few hours. Once I return I check my email and campaigns again and might write a blog post then, if I hadn’t already. During the course of the day I like to talk with my affiliate managers and friends on Instant Messenger and Twitter. I much prefer talking with people over AIM than on the phone, and it makes for much better multi-tasking. My business day usually starts around 9am and could go till 6pm… Of course it’s much more fun when it evolves 3-4 hours of basketball, but with each day you never know what will you might be working on! It’s great and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!

Question #9

KRIS: Have you ever had to overcome any obstacles that have helped define who you are as a person?  If so, could you please share the story and tell us how you were able to address a challenging situation and make yourself stronger…

ZAC: I wouldn’t say it’s an obstacle, but my presence in affiliate marketing over the years has given me the reputation of being very passionate in this industry, and I am. There’s nothing worse than having to work your life away to make someone else rich, and losing time with your family. If you had to ask others in the industry, I think they would describe me as very dedicated and passionate.

As for an obstacle… I’ve always done everything myself. Ever since I started making money online when I was 14, I’ve always done all of my own work and never had another company employee. I’ve always wondered what it would be like if I was to take it to the next level and hire a staff and become a huge marketing company or whatever… I always found that it was too hard to trust anyone else to get the job done right, or that would be in the same effort. However… in the end, I’m pretty happy with where I’m at now and not sure if a full time company and staff is something I would want anyway. My point is… taking the leap, learning to let go and expand/outsource areas of the company to other people.

Question #10

KRIS: Who is the most important person in your life and why?

ZAC: Instead of just one, I would have to say my girlfriend Reena and my family. Without them, none of this would matter… and I would never trade them for anything.

Next on deck for Meet the Affiliates: 15 Year Old Super Affiliate and World Traveler Harrison Gevirtz

Harrison’s interview will be published here on the Pepperjam Network Blog next Friday, June 13, 2008.

Make sure you don’t miss it!  Click Here to subscribe to the PJN Blog and have each interview delivered to your e-mail box.

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Read Previous “Meet the Affiliates” Interviews:

Week #1 – Sam Harrelson
Week #2 – Scott Hazard
Week #3 – Rosalind Gardner
Week #4 – Colin McDougal

We are proud to announce the launch of affiliate programs for YogaAccessories.com, PosterGods.com, DragonDoor.com, and Patchi on Pepperjam Network – www.pepperjamnetwork.com

About the YogaAccessories.com Affiliate Program:

“At YogaAccessories.com, you will find a friendly, customer-focused environment where you can purchase extremely high quality yoga accessories at the lowest prices on the internet. We have been selling high quality yoga accessories over the internet since 1998, longer than any of our competitors. During that time, not only have we acquired thousands of satisfied customers, but we have been able to find some of the highest quality, most affordable yoga supplies available. As a direct importer, we cut out the middleman and offer you great products at everyday low prices.”

Commission: 10%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the PosterGods.com Affiliate Program:

“Welcome to PosterGods.com, The Highest Paying Poster Affiliate Program on the web! This is another Superior Affiliate Management affiliate program, managed and monitored daily by J.P. Diaz, 707-478-4035 AIM: jpatsaminc

26%-29% Commission on Every Sale!
30 Day Cookie
OPEN SEARCH POLICY!
Incentivized traffic is allowed.
Downloadable Software is allowed.

New and Fresh Creative – Lots of Sizes and custom ones as well. Just call!
Full Product Datafeed. Over 50000 Products.
Proudly Parasite Free.
Strong, Tiered Performance Program

Email marketing is allowed as long as partners are CAN-SPAM Compliant. Email campaigns are allowed upon request. Please contact us for suppression lists and email creative. Any affiliate that runs mail campaigns without contacting us first is considered in violation of our terms and conditions.

Dedicated Program Management by J.P. Diaz with SAM, Superior Affiliate Management.”

Commission: Up to 29%
Cookie Duration: 30 days

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 About the DragonDoor.com Affiliate Program:

“We pay your commissions monthly & promptly by the 15th of every month for the previous month’s verified sales. Outstanding personalized service for you and your clients. Unique, proven products. No monthly minimums, you make ONE sale — we pay you either electronically or by check! Generous click-through tracking period of 180 days (six months) Even if your visitor doesn’t buy from us for 6 months after that first click — you’ll get paid!
Incentives paid for high volume producers on a case-by-case basis.”

Commissions: Up to 30%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the Patchi.us Affiliate Program:

“Patchi.us delivers to the North American consumers the world renowned Patchi brand experience. Patchi offers a wide variety of boxed chocolates, as well as a unique collection of hand wrapped and decorated chocolate lines — called Expressions — especially designed for those personal moments in gift giving. The Patchi menu includes dark and milk chocolates, plain or filled with pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, giandua, or other delectable fillings.

Receive 8% of every sale. With select items priced under $20, converting clicks into customers is easy. There is much potential for a customer to make a purchase in the amount of several hundred dollars which makes promoting Patchi an exceptional money maker!”

Commission: 8%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

We are proud to announce that DVD Avenue, Back Country Edge, ChristianCashAssistance.com, Google Gold Mine, WinYourCruise.com, First Universal Platinum, and GI Leads have launched affiliate programs on Pepperjam Network – www.pepperjamnetwork.com

About the DVD Avenue Affiliate Program:

“At DVDAvenue.com:
-Rent as many DVDs as you want.
-Keep them as long as you want.
-Over 50,000 DVD titles classics to new releases.
-We pay shipping both ways.
-No driving. No lines. No late fees.
-Plans starting as low as $9.99 per month.
-Various plans to suit your viewing habits.
-No commitments. Cancel anytime.”

Commission: Up to $16 per lead
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the Back Country Edge Affiliate Program:

“Backcountry Edge, Inc. is a family owned operation located in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna Valley. We’re a rapidly growing company specializing in quality hiking and backpacking gear. We’ve built our reputation on the highest standards of honesty and integrity. At Backcountry Edge, we take great pride in providing our customers with outstanding service. Earn up to 8% a sale!”

Commission: 8.00%
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the ChristianCashAssistance.com Affiliate Program:

“ChristianCashAssistance.com is not a lender of short term loans. We have agreements with independent, third party lenders, in which we attempt to match customers (based on the information provided) with lenders willing to lend them money. The process to receive a $200 to $1500 short-term loan is simple, and there are only few requirements to meet in order to receive the fast cash. Customers must be sure that they read the complete terms and conditions provided by the independent, third party company that receives their loan application.
Obtaining fast cash for a short term loan couldn’t be easier!

Sign up today and earn $20 for every qualified lead you send.”

Commission: $20.00
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the Google Gold Mine Affiliate Program:

“Work from home and make your own hours earning the money you need with Google Gold Mine’s software. Let Google Gold Mine do the work for you and reap the benefits while living your life! Earn up to $19.00 a Lead!”

Commission: $19.00 per lead
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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 About the WinYourCruise.com Affiliate Program:

“WinYourCruise.com is the only place to receive a Complimentary Bahamas Cruise Vacation from Imperial Majesty. Customers will only be responsible for port fees of $59 per person. All entertainment and meals are included. All affiliates will be paid $1.50 for every lead!”

Commission: $1.50
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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 About the First Universal Platinum Affiliate Program:

“First Universal Platinum is seeking to build a formidable customer base and to compete with the more established credit providers. First Universal Platinum makes it possible for you to “Get the credit you deserve today”! First Universal Platinum is approving all new applications with an initial unsecured credit line of $5,000-$10,000. First Universal Platinum proudly rolls out its First Universal Platinum membership. The First Universal Platinum membership is a revolving charge account with small minimum monthly payments and an interest rate of 0% APR for the first year. A revolving charge account gives you a $5,000-$10,000 line of credit and is ideal for poor credit history or no credit history. With First Universal Platinum, you are guaranteed credit approval; there’s no credit check and you cannot be turned down! Earn up to $22.30 a Lead.”

Commisson: $22.30 per lead
Cookie Duration: 45 days

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About the GI Leads Affiliate Program:

“Guaranteed Issue has created an affordable health insurance program available to those individuals caught in this health insurance crisis. Our number one priority is helping people save money on their Health Insurance while making available exceptional benefits and the best customer service possible. We take great pride in putting YOU first!”

Commission: $4.50
Cookie Duration: 45 days