Interview with a Pro Affiliate: DEADZ

kaminari
Like (a more personal example) I think for myself, it would be "unfair" (in so many ways, & that's eventhough I'm also paying member, like everyone else) for me to participate in a contest
Quick point: I think everyone would LOVE for you to participate in a contest even if it means they're going to lose some potential prize money to you. It'd be worth it just to see your process.

Also, I don't think this has ever come up, but Community Leaders also pay for their membership if they do not already have a lifetime membership. I've required Community Leaders pay for their memberships since the beginning. At this point, I think @jimmyvanilla is the only one still paying affLIFT monthly, but he does it just like you :)
 
MGID
Every time I read a DEADZ post I get something out of it, even if it's the second, third or fourth time. Just as beneficial!
 
Thank you @DEADZ & @Luke for taking the time for the interview and for all the precious information you gave us.

I have like a chrome window open only for DEADZ's posts with like 20 +/- tabs and notes & printed pages on my desk, each time I go through his infos I get new insights.
Amazing interview, thank you so, so much πŸ™

And ENTJ here ✌️:)

haha, I agree. I had another epiphany the other day and I was like "WHY HAVEN'T I INTERVIEWED DEADZ YET?!??!!"

Who should be next?
@jimmyvanilla 🀩
 
The thing I am most grateful for is the links. Without the links, I doubt I would have visited these sites/videos/books etc. So a massive thanks to Deadz for taking the time to include them.(y)

I'm glad to hear that the links help. πŸ”₯

To Deadz - you are now my unofficial Mentor. Most respect.πŸ§‘β€πŸŽ“

Namaste. πŸ™

Ps. Deadz - there is no need for brackets in your writing - they disrupt the flow of the reader and hinder getting your message across.
I don't mean to lecture my 'Unofficial Mentor', but if you remove them it reads better. We (writers) ;) tend to add brackets when we want to clarify something specific, but your writing is so succinct it doesn't require them. There you go - constructive criticism and a compliment for balance!

Means a lot, sir!

And thanks for the advice on brackets - I agree. That would be the next level for me, if/when I'm able to get my thoughts & words to flow in a certain way & still actually be able to deliver what I'm trying to say. Like, some of my favorite writers (Seth, Julian, Steven, etc). But at the same time (since it is a forum setting), I allow myself to write "how" the thoughts are happening in my head + In copywriting, some believe that in some cases, you have to throw away rules of writing to get certain effects on the reader (like if I want people to put in more effort, re-read and/or remember, etc). Eitherway; Thank you. It's mucho appreciated, & I'll keep it in mind.

Please don't attack me later if/when you see me still spamming brackets in every sentence though, kind sir. πŸ˜‚πŸ˜­

Namaste. πŸ™

Great interview! I've read every post from Deadz in Afflift, too.
Every time I read a DEADZ post I get something out of it, even if it's the second, third or fourth time. Just as beneficial!
Thank you @DEADZ & @Luke for taking the time for the interview and for all the precious information you gave us.

I have like a chrome window open only for DEADZ's posts with like 20 +/- tabs and notes & printed pages on my desk, each time I go through his infos I get new insights.
Amazing interview, thank you so, so much πŸ™

Thank you, guys! I'm glad if it helps.

Quick point: I think everyone would LOVE for you to participate in a contest even if it means they're going to lose some potential prize money to you. It'd be worth it just to see your process.

Thank you.

But I also have to say (& speaking for myself) - But then I would just do a normal follow along/case study & not participate in a contest.

The contests are easy to game. For example, (what a lot of people might not know/realize is) I can use the "DEADZ brand" to get "VIP Treatment", like access to private offers, reserved caps, specific/stolen/managed campaigns, sponsors for posting (which I do get & turn down, all the time), etc - making it (even) easier for me to win, while also adding more opportunities to my plate - but am I really a "Media Buyer"/"Super Affiliate", then? or just a good promoter/forum marketer/blogger?

Like if we look at s*mforum (& that whole generation), (I believe) it's setup in a way where all the attention goes to certain members only (like no new member can get into the "top posters" ranking, etc). And a lot of the top follow along threads are just sponsored (a.k.a. network/traffic source paid 2k-5k+, or funded & managed the campaign, etc). And some "Super Affiliates" are still getting these deals today (years later), even after they've fallen off & quit runnning their own campaigns. And that does a lot more damage than good (for the little guy/gal), when you look at the fact that multiple tens of thousands of members will be following the thread and that the average beginner spends hundreds to thousands on "bad campaigns". I know I personally wasted a lot of my time & efforts (in the beginning) by following these "Super Affiliates".

I think affLIFT has been & remained different from the start (& let us not forget this thread, which would've been normal on other forums). And from the start (at least from my observation), the focus was on the "little guy/gal", hence why I said "I think it adds to the USP/Value Prop". The "unfair advantage" starts even when one contest participant can say "I'm a community leader on affLIFT", and another can not - and even if they don't; Networks & Traffic Sources can always give more "special" attention to one vs the other (especially when it's their Network/Traffic Source's contest - and what's this Network/Traffic Source's endgoal with the contest?). And I'm not saying this is what's happening or anything, I'm saying (& again speaking for myself): If I can think it, that means others can think it. And in that "moment of doubt" is where you lose certain people - and that could be the next success story, community leader, value add, etc that the forum needed to get to the next level.

And it all ties back to the initial question "What is 1 thing we can add to affLIFT to make it better?" - Like if we look at the replies on the poll thread, most people are more worried about community leaders not posting/adding value anymore, but that has nothing to do with if they should win prizes or not. If you're a community leader aren't you supposed to post/add value either way? Aren't we essentially talking about (paid) Staff/Mod members here? And isn't it @Luke 's job to compensate & incentivize the community leaders enough so that they do keep posting & adding value either way (vs members having to worry about it & give up their prizes & opportunities for it)? It might be a "sacrifice" for them, but there's also "benefits" in being (able to "leverage" your position as) a community leader on affLIFT.

P.S. This is just my (personal & opinionated) answer on how to make affLIFT better. It's already great, as it is. So it's 100% just a suggestion.
+ @Luke said it himself:

@DEADZ keep challenging us!
 
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The contests are easy to game. For example, (what a lot of people might not know/realize is) I can use the "DEADZ brand" to get "VIP Treatment", like access to private offers, reserved caps, specific/stolen/managed campaigns, sponsors for posting (which I do get & turn down, all the time), etc - making it (even) easier for me to win, while also adding more opportunities to my plate - but am I really a "Media Buyer"/"Super Affiliate", then? or just a good promoter/forum marketer/blogger?

Like if we look at s*mforum (& that whole generation), (I believe) it's setup in a way where all the attention goes to certain members only (like no new member can get into the "top posters" ranking, etc). And a lot of the top follow along threads are just sponsored (a.k.a. network/traffic source paid 2k-5k+, or funded & managed the campaign, etc). And some "Super Affiliates" are still getting these deals today (years later), even after they've fallen off & quit runnning their own campaigns. And that does a lot more damage than good (for the little guy/gal), when you look at the fact that multiple tens of thousands of members will be following the thread and that the average beginner spends hundreds to thousands on "bad campaigns". I know I personally wasted a lot of my time & efforts (in the beginning) by following these "Super Affiliates".

I think affLIFT has been & remained different from the start (& let us not forget this thread, which would've been normal on other forums). And from the start (at least from my observation), the focus was on the "little guy/gal", hence why I said "I think it adds to the USP/Value Prop". The "unfair advantage" starts even when one contest participant can say "I'm a community leader on affLIFT", and another can not - and even if they don't; Networks & Traffic Sources can always give more "special" attention to one vs the other (especially when it's their Network/Traffic Source's contest - and what's this Network/Traffic Source's endgoal with the contest?). And I'm not saying this is what's happening or anything, I'm saying (& again speaking for myself): If I can think it, that means others can think it. And in that "moment of doubt" is where you lose certain people - and that could be the next success story, community leader, value add, etc that the forum needed to get to the next level.

And it all ties back to the initial question "What is 1 thing we can add to affLIFT to make it better?" - Like if we look at the answers on the poll, most people are worried about community leaders not posting/adding value anymore, but that has nothing to do with if they should win prizes or not. If you're a community leader aren't you supposed to post/add value either way? Aren't we essentially talking about (paid) Staff/Mod members here? And isn't it @Luke 's job to compensate & incentivize the community leaders enough so that they do keep posting & adding value either way (vs members having to worry about it & give up their prizes & opportunities for it)? It might be a "sacrifice" for them, but there's also "benefits" in being (able to "leverage" your position as) a community leader on affLIFT.
I agree with about 99% of the things you said here. Time for a little story:

About a month ago, my friend John Lemp reached out to me to catch up. He recently sold RevContent and he has some ideas for new projects. During our call, one of the things we discussed was what I consider one of the biggest pain points in the affiliate industry: it's very hard for new people to get a fair chance at being successful. Sure, one of the things we love about affiliate marketing is that there are HUGE opportunities and anyone from any country in pretty much any situation can give it a try. But, there are hurdles. The VIP treatment you mentioned is one of them. Some affiliate networks are not interested in working with affiliates from certain countries. Most of the top networks with the best offers are not interested in working with newbies.

I believe we're helping create a progression for those newbies here at affLIFT. I'm seeing our Partner networks approving members who otherwise might have had a harder time getting approved. We're giving newbies access to some really great information (the type of content I wish would have been available when I worked at PeerFly) that is really helping them and we're able to do it at an affordable rate.

Anyway, not trying to toot our horn here, but my discussion with John kind of cemented my thoughts on that and your mention of it (even at the next level of being a highly regarded affiliate compared to a "normal" affiliate) and I think we're doing a great job of building the platform that the industry needs.

It makes me happy that so many members value the Community Leaders content as much as I do. I think we're all leaning in the same direction now and I'm sure they will continue to produce it not only because they're being paid to, but because they know it's actually beneficial to the community πŸ‘
 
Hi @DEADZ ! :giggle:

It's amazing how valuable your content is! πŸ‘‘ I get to reread your posts every 2-3 months and I learn new things every time! Incredible! 🀩

For anyone that might be interested in my private content - I'm actually planning on releasing the majority of my private content (for free) + adding more content (that include my unfiltered advice - on mindset, frameworks, and specific strategies - that I wish I could've had during my own journey), within the next few months (I'm aiming to release around December/January). And I'll do a proper announcement when that's done. So if anyone was/is interesting in getting access to (just) my private content, I'd advise them to wait (& keep an eye out) for the free version to come out.
By the way, I was wondering if you are still considering doing this :love:πŸ‘... or if you've changed your mind.πŸ₯²βœŒοΈ

I'm sure that like me, there are many people here interested in getting every nugget of gold you offer us with every contribution! πŸ₯°
 
It's amazing how valuable your content is! πŸ‘‘ I get to reread your posts every 2-3 months and I learn new things every time! Incredible! 🀩

Thank you, @viccarterann ! Glad to hear, and I'm also glad if it helps! 😍

By the way, I was wondering if you are still considering doing this :love:πŸ‘... or if you've changed your mind.πŸ₯²βœŒοΈ

I'm sure that like me, there are many people here interested in getting every nugget of gold you offer us with every contribution! πŸ₯°

Yes, I am. And you're right, quite a few people keep asking me about it :cry:.
According to my plans for now, I should be releasing (at least something) by the end of May or June.

I'll keep you posted. πŸ”₯
 
Yes, I am. And you're right, quite a few people keep asking me about it :cry:.
According to my plans for now, I should be releasing (at least something) by the end of May or June.
Glad to see this! :love:

Take as much time as you need! I'm sure it's top quality content. πŸ”πŸ‘‘

I'll be looking forward to it! πŸ‘€

 
Glad to see this! :love:

Take as much time as you need! I'm sure it's top quality content. πŸ”πŸ‘‘

I'll be looking forward to it! πŸ‘€

@DEADZ I'll be waiting for your content as well!

Guys, a bit late(r), but here's the preview.

I'll make a more proper announcement once everything is done, but as it is now: It's still rough & still has errors, etc, but I hope (even as it is now) that it will help in any way. I'll continue to update & improve it daily from here on out.

Your support is (always) mucho appreciated.
 
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Guys, a bit late(r), but here's the preview.

I'll make a more proper announcement once everything is done, but as it is now: It's still rough & still has errors, etc, but I hope (even as it is) now that it will help in any way. I'll continue to update & improve it daily from here on out.

Your support is (always) mucho appreciated.
Will be spending part of my day going through this :)
 
Guys, a bit late(r), but here's the preview.

I'll make a more proper announcement once everything is done, but as it is now: It's still rough & still has errors, etc, but I hope (even as it is) now that it will help in any way. I'll continue to update & improve it daily from here on out.

Your support is (always) mucho appreciated.
Hey DEADZ ! 😜

It's here! It was worth the wait.... 🀀 From what little I've been able to see so far, it looks really good!πŸ”₯

I plan to study in detail every word written in ADMYTHIC (I like the logo! πŸ‘Œ). I think for me, this content will be a before and after in the way I see this business, the turning point in the right direction. I'm sure it will be helpful to many people who are just starting out or are stuck or even for the pros.

I'm getting down to work!πŸ’‘

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! I really appreciate it ! πŸ™Œ

P.S. - I hope you enjoy my coffee! :coffee:😜
 
@DEADZ thank you so much for your update!
It's great to see moe of your super high quality content here too!
Will read it all today!
 
Anything Darnel writes is well worth every minute of reading and studying. So glad to have met someone with so much enthusiasm and knowledge to share in this business.

@DEADZ - thanks for taking the time and effort to do this. I can't wait to start reading!

PS - I would have missed this great news if I hadn't received @Luke's email this morning, so very glad to get them on a regular basis.
 
Guys, a bit late(r), but here's the preview.

I'll make a more proper announcement once everything is done, but as it is now: It's still rough & still has errors, etc, but I hope (even as it is) now that it will help in any way. I'll continue to update & improve it daily from here on out.

Your support is (always) mucho appreciated.
Damn! Thanks for the feature, sir!
 
Just read this today. (Actually, studied would be a better way to put it.) A truly informative article.
Tons of excellent resources and psychology. Some of the books mentioned are on my shelf.

The keys to success are still just plain-ole hard work and a belief in yourself to make it happen.

KUDOS!!
 
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