Has anyone had a good or bad experience with merchants/advertisers who run their own affiliate program in house ? Ive always been a little hesistant with similiar programs.
I would venture to say that you are safe as long as you are dealing with an established well trusted company. Personally I would be hesitant if they are new, small, or just don't appear very professional. Ask them for some current affiliates so that you can contact them. Also ask them for their last week's and month's CPM, and how much their high paying affiliates make per month.
Sure, in fact I know many affiliates that prefer "indies" over network programs, due to parasite and ad blocking issue as well as that fact that there is less competition from other affiliates and usually higher payouts. The main concern is will they pay, but most merchants are honest and eithical. You just need to do your due diligence.
I've had a few duds but Id didn't loose much money. Just set your minimum payment low until you trust them. One interesting tip, I find some companies who are on CJ, Linkshare, etc have their own in house affiliate program as well and sometimes those in house programs give out better commission.
I focus on the quality of the product or service being offered and I have had good success with the independent affiliate programs I have signed up for. Some that have worked well include: Perry Marshall's Definitive Guide to Google Adwords. The Second Tier Affiliate Training Both are run by experienced Internet marketers who pay promptly.
Just started to promote an affiliate program using their in-house software. They pay 35% per sale and I just got my first sale last week after only few days running it (about $35). I promote it with google adsense and it works fine. I went with a big software company so I'm not too afraid of not getting paid.
Indy pros: better commission rates easier to negotiate less competition Indy cons: poorer reporting payments not always as stable all of your stats not in one place
I earn money from a few of these. The best ones to go with are the ones that pay you per sale and not per click or lead. This is because these are the ones that are most likely to be none fraudulent.