Interview: Jonathan Gies (Amped Media)

We're very excited to present our 30th interview with Jonathan Gies of Amped Media. Jonathan Gies is the President and CEO of Amped Media Inc, a leading performance based Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) Affiliate Network. With his roots as a publisher, Jonathan initiated Amped Media to establish a better solution for Affiliate Publishers and Advertisers. Since the Network’s establishment in 2006, with the help of his dedicated staff, Jonathan has grown Amped Media to service an abundance of prominent Affiliates and a variety of key Advertisers. Amped Media strives to earn and keep their clients business by providing the best payouts, on-time commission payments, and an elite collection of quality pre-tested campaigns.

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

Originally I am from San Diego, California. Currently I reside in Palm Bay, Florida. I am 26 and married with two awesome kids. I enjoy the Affiliate Marketing industry and can call it one of my official hobbies.

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

I have been in Affiliate Marketing for roughly six years now. In the beginning I never imagined that I would grow a hobby into a full time business. In early 2004 while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps I was playing around on the internet, building my own websites. I was never focused on any specific topic, but I enjoyed creating websites. As my knowledge of Web Design and Internet Marketing grew, I started to notice everyone’s beloved e-mail submit and lead generation campaigns. As time went by, I learned more about CPA campaigns and how incredibly popular (and profitable) they are. My first affiliate account was with the old Websponsors, even before they became ValueClick. They had plenty of CPA campaigns which allowed me to learn and test several promotion methods. While testing I found my first extremely profitable campaign, the BowFlex lead generation campaign. It was from that point on I knew that Internet Marketing was where it was at.

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

As I continued to play with several types of CPA campaigns, my daily income seemed to steadily incline as I mastered new optimization techniques. I then realized that my Affiliate Marketing efforts were providing me a steady stream of income that I could potentially live off of. The only problem, I was still on Active Duty. With the aggressive training schedule and varying hours of the Marine Corps, I was limited in the amount of time I could spend growing my campaigns. But, by the time my service was complete I had a substantial savings I could rely on as I grew my marketing efforts.

4. What has been your biggest success to date?

When I started Amped Media, the goal was to create an Affiliate Network that I would trust. A network that carried the types of campaigns I would look for, at the rates I deserved. My biggest success would have to be accomplishing all of these goals. Amped Media has provided a great place for me to Network and grow with the industry, while passing all of the great campaign finds and other beneficial features on to my clients. Another corresponding and underlying success has been creating something that others have become a success as a result of.

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

Coming into the industry when the industry itself was young, I was allowed the opportunity to grow and learn with the industry. When I first started doing Affiliate Marketing I was focused on instant paid traffic. I was very impatient and did not take the time I should have to develop properties organically.

6. Tell us a little bit about Amped Media and what you do over there?

Amped Media is first and foremost a CPA Affiliate Network. Our primary goal is to represent and cater to the needs of our Publishers and Advertisers. By providing a mediating solution, Advertisers have access to thousands of quality Publishers while Publishers have access to hundreds of quality campaigns. Secondly, Amped Media is an agency that works with advertisers to create and develop their own internet marketing ventures. By working with new advertisers and building new and exciting campaigns, Amped Media becomes the exclusive source of such campaigns.

7. There are already so many CPA affiliate networks out there. What makes Amped Media different?

Publishers are literally “bombarded” with a new Affiliate Network almost on a daily basis. Although variety causes competition between the networks, there has been a huge influx of low-quality fly-by-night networks that don’t honor their obligations. Sure, they may have a flashy logo or a unique tagline, but what is that company really going to do for their Publishers and Advertisers? The difference lies in our ability to serve our clients in a professional and ethical manner, as we should. With years of industry experience, Amped Media works to ensure we are competitive, friendly and dedicated to your success.

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

Amped Media does offer accelerated payment options. After a review of quality and consistent distribution, we allow both weekly and biweekly options. Commonly, the minimum threshold required for weekly or biweekly payouts is roughly $1k per week. However, we do not have a set threshold as we work with the general needs of our publishers on an individual basis.

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

Amped Media carries a very diverse publisher population. What works beautifully for one publisher not always works as good for the next. But, Amped Media is very strong in the PPC, PPV, Social, Display verticals. We also carry an abundance of Publishers that promote via website, and newsletter.

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

When we initiated in 2006, most of the known tracking platforms were nonexistent. At the time, DirectTrack was one of the most widely used affiliate tracking platforms used. As time went by and new solutions emerged, it was hard to justify a complete changeover to a new solution. Without a solid date to announce, Amped Media will be rolling out a proprietary solution. The new system will be loaded with new and exciting features that will help our Publishers earn even more.

11. What are the criteria for a marketer to be accepted at Amped Media? How does Amped Media prevent and handle fraud?

Acceptance into Amped Media is very simple if you are a legitimate publisher whom plans to use our service for all ethical behavior. We have a very strong anti-fraud system in place that prevents fraudulent publishers. Every application on Amped Media is initially investigated to ensure the information submitted on the application is accurate. When passed, the application is passed to our Account Managers for a manual review. During this manual review, it is required that publishers entertain a simple phone call. During this phone call, our Account Managers will verify account information and ask specific questions to ensure compatibility with our program. Once complete, the Publisher will be approved and they can begin marketing our campaigns. By having a strong anti-fraud system, Publishers are guaranteed the highest quality campaigns at the payout they deserve.

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

If interested in working with Amped Media, simply submit an application to begin the review process. Should you have questions before signup, you can contact us via our website. We would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

In closing I would like to thank Affiliatepaying for conducting this interview. It is great to answer questions regarding our company and the beneficial features in which we provide. I personally invite all Publishers to sign up at Amped Media. Expect the highest level of quality, customer service, and of course payouts. Every new publisher is eligible for our free $25 bonus on their first commission check as a thank you for giving our service a diligent trial.

Many thanks to Jonathan for sharing your time with us and for sharing some great insight tips here! If you have any experience with Amped Media Affiliate Network, please write a review for them on the Amped Media 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.