Interview with a Broleads Representative

Today we have an interview with Alexander Shashkov, a representative of the Broleads affiliate program. It turned out to be a great conversation — Alexander shared a lot of useful and interesting information. Enjoy the read!

Hey, glad you agreed to the interview. Tell us about yourself and about Broleads.com.
Hey, thanks for having me!
I’m not even sure where to start — this project has been a real source of inspiration for me personally. When I got a call from FIX.ru asking me to come in for an interview, I didn’t yet grasp the full scale of what this project would become. Among our founders are people who are deeply involved in telemarketing across all of Europe and the US — TV shopping. That’s where we started, then we moved into the online space using the CPA model. FIX.ru was looking for someone with experience building CPA marketing from scratch.
Since I’ve been working in affiliate marketing since 2013 and have handled mobile marketing, gaming, and e-commerce niches, this was an exciting opportunity for my own professional growth.

We already did a review of Broleads.com, but give us a quick overview — what GEOs and verticals do you work with?
Right now we only work with the continental parts of Spain and Portugal. We focus on white-label physical products — the kind of things that do well on TV or that webmasters specifically request.

Tell us about those countries and their audiences — we already covered Spain, but I think you know these GEOs better than most.
Spaniards and Portuguese are a laid-back bunch — that’s something you need to factor in when working these GEOs.
They’ll never say no to taking it easy. They’re active online, but extremely reluctant to talk to a call center on their days off.
On weekdays, they’ll happily answer the phone just to avoid doing actual work. During national holidays, their online activity drops to almost nothing — they’re spending time with family or relaxing, away from their phones too.

Are you planning to launch new GEOs?
Yes, we’re actively working on expanding our coverage. Right now we’re negotiating with courier services that can handle deliveries from our Spanish warehouse to Greece, France, and Italy.
We’re also keen on covering the island territories of Spain and Portugal.

What about new offers — anything in the pipeline? And which offers are performing best right now?
It depends a lot on the season and traffic type. On Facebook, EMS stimulators were big in the summer. Garden projector lights did very well before New Year’s. Right now, slimming pants and tops are performing strongly.
For spring, we’re preparing umbrella offers, automotive accessories, garden tools, and similar items. EMS stimulators might see a second wind too.
For push traffic, adult offers like Big King and RXB Male are evergreen — they convert year-round. There’s also some exclusive data on offers that are only being run by specific webmasters who requested them. Adjustable diopter glasses and magnifying glasses are doing well there.
But I can’t say any random webmaster could just pick those up and start running them — those require skilled hands and the right approach, which is different for everyone. So I’ll stick to talking about offers that are publicly available.

What’s the main traffic source people use with you right now? Push, Facebook, or something else?
Push traffic is still underrated, and right now it’s just us and one female affiliate running significant volume from it. Everyone else is running purely from Facebook.

How many people work at Broleads?
The core decision-making team is 7 people, including me.
About 10 people are permanently involved in development from fix.ru — programmers and designers.
15 people work in Spain handling warehouse and logistics.
30 operators, all native Spanish and Portuguese speakers.
And then finance, accounting, HR — another 6 people.

What would you recommend to beginner affiliate marketers? What GEOs and offers should they start with?
For beginners, it’s definitely better to work with CIS-market offers first, since working with international markets requires experience — from localizing your ads to warming up Facebook accounts.
We do have affiliates who come to us with case studies from CIS campaigns, and we match them with offers similar to what they already know.
Remember: knowing the path and walking it are two very different things.

What do you think the market looks like in the future? Which traffic sources will dominate? Which verticals will survive and which will disappear?
I think the market will stay roughly the same for the next 5 years — nothing will change dramatically.
Facebook will remain the primary traffic source in the product niche.
Smart TV advertising might develop further.
Personally, I’m waiting for the era of augmented reality — it’ll arrive suddenly and permeate every part of daily life.
That’s when things will really get interesting.

Share a life hack or tip — something you think is really relevant right now.
Get friendly with your manager — you’ll always be in the loop about what’s happening inside the affiliate programs you work with.
Cold, formal business communication has no place here. Be easy, casual, and stay in touch often.
Your manager is the person who represents your interests within the affiliate program.

Thanks for the interview — it turned out to be really interesting and useful. The whole MADCPA team wishes you and Broleads continued success!