Interview: Brian Pennell (1st Class CPA)

We're very excited to present our 46th interview with Brian Pennell of 1st Class CPA. Brian Pennell is the Ownerr /CEO of 1st Class CPA. 1st Class CPA was built with the goal of helping you grow your business and drive revenue. We are truly only successful when you are successful.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you?

Im 39 years old, i live in Poplar Bluff Missouri, I am a proud father.

2. How long have you been in affiliate marketing and how did you get involved?

I’ve been in the Affiliate Marketing industry for a little bit over a year now, after about a year i got tired of working for them and wanted to start my own network that was for the publishers and not so much advertisers.

3. How long was it before you realized you could live off your affiliate income?

Instantly, I knew from the start this is something i could make a living off of, that wasn't the question. Being new to the industry the question was will these actually pay.

4. What has been your biggest success to date?

Well i would always put my son above all else, but financially my biggest success was when i ran into a site called link bucks as i needed to change my life, that is where i fount CPALEAD, first couple months i thought this wasnt gonna work then i discovered bigger and better networks and begin making massive amounts of income monthly.

5. What was the biggest mistake you made when you first started doing Affiliate Marketing?

When i first started i did not know much about Affiliate Marketing so i did not invest much time into it and would have to say this was my biggest mistake.

6. Tell us a little bit about 1st Class CPA and what you do over there?

1st Class CPA is the leader in performance-based marketing and is an interactive advertising agency, We are a easy and effective source for making cash from your website, We came up with 1st Class CPA for the Publishers, Being a Publisher my self there are things i noticed that i would like as a publisher and this will be described better below.

7. There are already so many CPA affiliate networks out there. What makes 1st Class CPA different?

One i notice with pretty much all networks, The tend to favor the advertiser over the publisher, to a point this is understandable. But there are so many other ways to get advertisers to the point i would rather lose one advertiser then a Publisher, So many advertisers look for any loop hole to get out of paying and giving the situation i would stand up for a affiliate even if it cost me a advertiser, Example i ran a incentive offer Bingoliner and i used incent, well they were not happy no one purchased anything and i ended up losing all my commission for that offer. Here at 1st Class CPA i would fight for my publishers and inform the advertiser the ad was ran the way they required and would take legal action if necessary.

8. Do you offer biweekly, weekly or even daily payment? If so, how much does one have to make to qualify?

Yes, we start every one out at NET-30, There is way to much fraud in the industry today and to not require a probational period is unheard of, After this time if quality is okay they will be moved to bi-weekly, As far as weekly same apply if there making over $1k week.

9. Do you have any exclusive offers that other networks don't have?

We have a few yes, But being new we of course plan on getting a lot more exclusives.

10. Which offers are performing well on your network?

Thus far on our network Dating is Preforming the best, we see action from all the categories but i would definitely say dating.

11. Which traffic sources prove to be the most effective for your top earning affiliates - E-mail, PPC, PPV, Facebook, Media Buying or any others?

Our top performing affiliates uses email, but we see all sources being successful.

12. Do you offer online training for new affiliates?

Our support is one of the best, we will assist anyone who needs helps, tips or whatever, as of direct training not at this time, However this is something we will be adding in the future.

13. I see you are using HasOffers as your affiliate tracking platform. What made you pick them instead of choosing LinkTrust, DirectTrack, Cake Marketing or HitPath etc.? Do you have a plan to create your own tracking platform?

I wanted to use Cake Marketing but they were slow to get back to me, and i feel for the price they were asking this was not very helpful, I like hasoffer as i believe they get a bad rep from there free trial, But overall is a very complete and stable Platform. I would like to tracking platform in the future, but this is something that would be down the road.

14. What are the criteria for a marketer to be accepted at 1st Class CPA? How does 1st Class CPA prevent and handle fraud?

Honesty, We will look into all info on a application, The one thing that will prevent you from being accepted into our network is an invalid mailing address, email address or phone number.

15. For those who are interested in working with you and your affiliate network - What's the best way/time to reach you?

I am available anytime, Just email me at support@1stclasscpa.net or AIM me at bqpennell429.

16. In your opinion, what are the best places for a new affiliate to learn affiliate marketing? What advice would you give for them?

AffPaying.com is a great source, Do your research before joining any network, there are to many networks now that have one sole purpose get your money and run.

17. What are the keys to building successful relationships between Affiliates and Affiliate Networks? What are some of the challenges of being an Affiliate Manager/Owner?

Communication is Key. keeping in touch with your affiliates is crucial to there success and ours.

18. If you could change one thing about the affiliate industry, what would it be?

The one thing i would change is the lean way most networks give advertisers, when a advertiser gives a offer and puts there restrictions on there i feel its the networks job to assure the advertiser goes by it and not try and sneak there way out.

19. What are your goals in 2011?

To be the only network you will ever need.

Many thanks to Brian for sharing your time with us and for sharing some great insight tips here! If you have any experience with 1st Class CPA, please write a review for them on the 1st Class CPA Review page. PS. If you are an affiliate marketer, AM or Network owner and are interested in answering a few questions about you, your network and affiliate marketing, please drop us a message.