PeerFly has Shut Down

[Luke]

I am sad to announce that PeerFly is shutting down.

I’ve copied the email that all publishers received from our CEO below, but I want to talk about a few things.

I started working for PeerFly in October of 2009, about 10 months after it was launched by founder (and CEO), Chad French.

When I started at PeerFly, there were 2 other employees. Corey and Travis. We made about $74 profit on my first day.

I worked for PeerFly from my college apartment. I was the only Affiliate Manager and answered emails on my iPhone going to and from class (and sometimes during class if things got boring). Those were really exciting times. PeerFly was growing every month and it was easy to see our hard work was paying off.

During my senior year of college, Chad told me he wanted to open a PeerFly office in Florida. I was going to college in Illinois and he wanted me to move 1000 miles from my family to help take PeerFly to the next level.

I graduated from college, got married, and then moved to Florida all within the span of about 2 months.

We opened the first PeerFly office in August 2011 and by January 2012 we had 6 full-time employees.

I loved the office. It was my first (and only) real job. I would walk to the office every morning with my dog, Hazel, because it was literally down the street from the apartment my wife and I rented. Hazel would lay at my feet all day while I worked to try to help my affiliates make more money.

PeerFly had some great years. We outgrew our first little office and got a bigger space across the street. I hired my first employee, Lauren. Many of you have probably worked with Lauren. She was a fantastic Affiliate Manager and a ton of fun to work with.

At one point we had about 20 employees in that office. I believe my team was 4-5 Affiliate Managers.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last as long as we’d hoped.

PeerFly has been maintaining for a few years now. We had to lay people off and shrink our team, but overall things weren’t as concerning as our announcement today.

Unfortunately, this is simply what had to be done.

I enjoyed my 10 years at PeerFly. I learned a tremendous amount about both business and life. I built a family and recently, this community.

I have no regrets. I am happy we are all here.

PeerFly has been good to me like it had to tens of thousands of others all over the world.

I am excited for the next chapter and I am excited for affLIFT.

This industry is a rollercoaster. We’re all here because we enjoy the ride.

Onward and upward

Chad’s official announcement email

Hello Luke,

After nearly eleven wonderful years, PeerFly will be discontinuing normal operations on Wednesday, July 31st and will be closing the PeerFly Affiliate Network.

While this was a hard decision to make, we wanted to do it while we still had the opportunity to exit with the respect of our thousands of affiliates and clients.

Please pause traffic by midnight on July 31st.Any traffic sent after that time will not be paid for. Net30s will proceed like normal and everyone that has met the threshold by the 31st will be paid on the regular schedule.

PeerFly might be saying goodbye, but the team who successfully managed PeerFly over the years still has a lot to contribute to the online marketing world, so stay tuned for future announcements.

We outlined questions that you may have below so you don’t have to spend the time contacting support:

Why is PeerFly closing?

Affiliate marketing is alive and well. However, the particular model that PeerFly was built on no longer represents the most efficient or cost-effective method for generating new sales and leads for advertisers. Over the years, many advancements in online marketing have created new low barriers of entry for businesses who want to control their marketing internally. Platforms like Facebook have dominated the ability to precisely target an audience and have made it incredibly easy to scale. Combined with a great economy, where businesses are okay risking marketing dollars to find the right audience, the model of the “Affiliate Network” is one that doesn’t work nearly as well in 2019 as it did just 5 years earlier.

When do I need to pause my PeerFly links?

Please do so by midnight on July 31st. Any traffic sent after midnight on July 31st will not be paid for.

Will I still get paid out my current balance?

We’ve made over 50,000 individual payments to affiliates since PeerFly started and we’ll continue to do so until everyone who’s owed is paid. As long as you’ve met the required $50 threshold by Wednesday, July 31st, you will receive payment on the regular net30 schedule.

What’s next in store for the PeerFly team?

We’ll be sure to keep you updated at [your email] on our future internet marketing ventures.

Who should I contact if I have further questions?

Please direct all questions to [email protected] and we’ll be there to assist you!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support over the last 11 years. You helped make PeerFly the best affiliate network in the world.

UPDATE (October 1, 2020):

PeerFly has been shut down for over a year now and there is no expectation that the network will reopen. If you are looking for an alternative to PeerFly, then I recommend you take a look through our list of affiliate networks here on affLIFT:

Affiliate Networks

If you are looking for affiliate networks to join, we have a list of recommendations for you! These networks have thousands of affiliate offers available, so you're sure to find something that's a good fit for your site. Plus, they are all well-established networks with a good reputation, so you...

afflift.com

Specifically, these networks are very newbie friendly and my favorites I have had the most success with over the past year.

PeerFly Alternatives

Monetizer
Mobidea
MOBIPIUM
Zeydoo
Traffic Company

 

[Luke]

To be clear: affLIFT is independently owned (by me) and is not directly affiliated with PeerFly Inc.

affLIFT is not going anywhere but up

I’m happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[senorpablo]

Thanks for the update Luke.

 

[Taylor]

Sad to see them go. But @Luke you have affLIFT and us. You gonna be alright. If not better.

 

[Luke]

Sad to see them go. But @Luke you have affLIFT and us. You gonna be alright. If not better.

Appreciate your kind words, Taylor. We definitely have an amazing and supportive community here. I appreciate that every single day, but today even more.

 

[afiq]

I don't see this coming. Since PF changed their tracking to Tune less than a month ago, I thought everything doing better. Luke, since when you know about this?

 

[Luke]

I don't see this coming. Since PF changed their tracking to Tune less than a month ago, I thought everything doing better. Luke, since when you know about this?

i was told on Friday that this was a possibility. I had a meeting with our leadership team this morning when it was decided.

As I mentioned, we’ve been trying to make the changes necessary (like the move to TUNE), but we were unsuccessful.

 

[mukil]

PeerFly was great for me. Really sad to see it go.

 

[servandosilva]

Times change and we adapt.
I like how open you're being about it compared to other networks that end up disappearing overnight without paying.

What's important is we all learn from our past and use that knowledge for new projects!

 

[rogergogogo]

Sorry to see Peerfly closed...

 

[superwarrior]

aw man , thats sad but im glad tat Luke n afflift is still here

 

[samueleto1]

Am still sad to be sincere. Peerfly was the only network that accepted my application despite with no or enough knowledge on CPA marketing. I learnt alot from peerfly..

I'll really miss you guys.

 

[gaurabdas]

One of the best network is closing down is indeed very very sad.

 

[nitin]

Sad to see peerfly go. Peerfly was the network I made my first affiliate marketing $.

 

[TONIC.]

So sorry to hear such sad news. :-(

 

[mazigri]

I can't believe that after this suscceful long journey .

 

[AdMaven]

Hey Man, Sorry to hear. After 11 years a place of work is no longer a place of work, it's a full-time family. You get connected to people and these people have been to your weddings, were there when you had you first child and how absurd as it may sound, these people are the ones you see every day and are there for you.
It's always sad to let these things pass, but every ending is the start of something new

 

[meannn]

It was my and many other's first network. Sad news. So in a nutshell can we say like "advertisers" now no need publishers and they do advertise themselves on facebook ?

 

[Workb3nch]

Sorry to hear this news but what a great chapter Luke.

PeerFly was synonymous with CPA marketing to me, Luke's PF content marketing & info on his blog has been a great influence. Alas businesses do change and some have to inevitably fold. I'm certain something new will be born of it and we'll be the first to know about it when it does on here.

I'm pleased to have joined this community from the start last year and to have had Luke as my AM at PF. It's great that affLIFT exists for us to continue connecting with Luke & all on board here.

@Luke At the start of the email Chad says that 'affiliate marketing is alive and well', however he goes on to say this:

the model of the “Affiliate Network” is one that doesn’t work nearly as well in 2019 as it did just 5 years earlier.

Question
Luke - If you wouldn't mind, perhaps this could be a good opportunity for you as the marketing head of PF to expand a little on this comment. Industries evolve of course, but this comment is slightly unnerving to those of us who are investing a lot into learning and applying on CPA affiliate networks at this moment in time, and equally the unexpected closure of PF is of concern if it is an indication of market conditions.

What are you thoughts on the current state of CPA affiliate marketing, its foreseeable future and in particular the future of traditional affiliate networks?

Thanks,
Rich.

 

[therealkrob]

I am sad to announce that PeerFly is shutting down.

I’ve copied the email that all publishers received from our CEO below, but I want to talk about a few things.

I started working for PeerFly in October of 2009, about 10 months after it was launched by founder (and CEO), Chad French.

When I started at PeerFly, there were 2 other employees. Corey and Travis. We made about $74 profit on my first day.

I worked for PeerFly from my college apartment. I was the only Affiliate Manager and answered emails on my iPhone going to and from class (and sometimes during class if things got boring). Those were really exciting times. PeerFly was growing every month and it was easy to see our hard work was paying off.

During my senior year of college, Chad told me he wanted to open a PeerFly office in Florida. I was going to college in Illinois and he wanted me to move 1000 miles from my family to help take PeerFly to the next level.

I graduated from college, got married, and then moved to Florida all within the span of about 2 months.

We opened the first PeerFly office in August 2011 and by January 2012 we had 6 full-time employees.

I loved the office. It was my first (and only) real job. I would walk to the office every morning with my dog, Hazel, because it was literally down the street from the apartment my wife and I rented. Hazel would lay at my feet all day while I worked to try to help my affiliates make more money.

PeerFly had some great years. We outgrew our first little office and got a bigger space across the street. I hired my first employee, Lauren. Many of you have probably worked with Lauren. She was a fantastic Affiliate Manager and a ton of fun to work with.

At one point we had about 20 employees in that office. I believe my team was 4-5 Affiliate Managers.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last as long as we’d hoped.

PeerFly has been maintaining for a few years now. We had to lay people off and shrink our team, but overall things weren’t as concerning as our announcement today.

Unfortunately, this is simply what had to be done.

I enjoyed my 10 years at PeerFly. I learned a tremendous amount about both business and life. I built a family and recently, this community.

I have no regrets. I am happy we are all here.

PeerFly has been good to me like it had to tens of thousands of others all over the world.

I am excited for the next chapter and I am excited for affLIFT.

This industry is a rollercoaster. We’re all here because we enjoy the ride.

Onward and upward



Chad’s official announcement email

Hello Luke,

After nearly eleven wonderful years, PeerFly will be discontinuing normal operations on Wednesday, July 31st and will be closing the PeerFly Affiliate Network.

While this was a hard decision to make, we wanted to do it while we still had the opportunity to exit with the respect of our thousands of affiliates and clients.

Please pause traffic by midnight on July 31st.Any traffic sent after that time will not be paid for. Net30s will proceed like normal and everyone that has met the threshold by the 31st will be paid on the regular schedule.

PeerFly might be saying goodbye, but the team who successfully managed PeerFly over the years still has a lot to contribute to the online marketing world, so stay tuned for future announcements.

We outlined questions that you may have below so you don’t have to spend the time contacting support:

Why is PeerFly closing?

Affiliate marketing is alive and well. However, the particular model that PeerFly was built on no longer represents the most efficient or cost-effective method for generating new sales and leads for advertisers. Over the years, many advancements in online marketing have created new low barriers of entry for businesses who want to control their marketing internally. Platforms like Facebook have dominated the ability to precisely target an audience and have made it incredibly easy to scale. Combined with a great economy, where businesses are okay risking marketing dollars to find the right audience, the model of the “Affiliate Network” is one that doesn’t work nearly as well in 2019 as it did just 5 years earlier.

When do I need to pause my PeerFly links?

Please do so by midnight on July 31st. Any traffic sent after midnight on July 31st will not be paid for.

Will I still get paid out my current balance?

We’ve made over 50,000 individual payments to affiliates since PeerFly started and we’ll continue to do so until everyone who’s owed is paid. As long as you’ve met the required $50 threshold by Wednesday, July 31st, you will receive payment on the regular net30 schedule.

What’s next in store for the PeerFly team?

We’ll be sure to keep you updated at [your email] on our future internet marketing ventures.

Who should I contact if I have further questions?

Please direct all questions to [email protected] and we’ll be there to assist you!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support over the last 11 years. You helped make PeerFly the best affiliate network in the world.

Wow another one bites the dust. It seems like this been a trend for the last few months. I must say they always paid me on time.