What does it take to run an affiliate conference for 50 shows? 🎉
At Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, the event’s 50th show with 6,000-something attendees, I sat down with Shawn Collins, co-founder and CEO of Affiliate Summit. It was my first time in the US. 🇺🇸
He has been in affiliate marketing since 1997. Here’s what he’s learned. 💡
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🚀 Starting in 1997 with Amazon’s program
- 🔍 Learning SEO from Danny Sullivan
- 🤝 Building Affiliate Summit with Missy Ward
- 🧰 How he runs his affiliate sites today
- 💥 The cheap-hosting disaster
- 🎯 Patience, persistence and networking
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🚀 Starting in 1997 With Amazon’s Program
Shawn came across Amazon’s affiliate program in 1997, when Amazon was still new. He didn’t know how to program, so he learned HTML, JavaScript and ColdFusion from tutorials. 🚀
His traffic came almost entirely from SEO. He couldn’t afford PPC, so he churned out content in his own voice, which was naturally keyword rich. ✍️
🔍 Learning SEO From Danny Sullivan
Around 1999–2000, Shawn worked at Internet.com, which acquired Danny Sullivan’s Search Engine Strategies. Danny sent a 12-part SEO series to the whole company, and Shawn devoured it. 🔍
That was before Google was big, when Yahoo charged for inclusion. 📜
🤝 Building Affiliate Summit With Missy Ward
Shawn met Missy Ward at a conference. Neither had money or event experience, but they launched Affiliate Summit in 2003. 🤝
Their talents and ambitions gelled, and they naturally split the work. They later sold the business. At the time, Affiliate Summit ran four big shows: Las Vegas (the biggest), New York, Singapore and Amsterdam. 🌍
He has known Gary Vee since before he was famous; Gary spoke on a panel around 2007 before becoming a keynote. For my earlier chat with Shawn, read my first Shawn Collins interview. 🔗
🧰 How He Runs His Affiliate Sites Today
His affiliate sites now are mostly a hobby, like a fan site for Austin FC that sells jerseys and gear via Amazon and Fanatics. He doesn’t share income figures. ⚽
He writes everything himself in WordPress and uses Yoast for on-page SEO instead of paid tool subscriptions. He uses ShareASale, CJ and Rakuten as utilities, with no favorite. 🧰
His best way to get higher commissions: meet advertisers in person at events and pitch your vision. For hosting reviews, he’d target long-tail keywords with human-language tutorials. For more on Yoast, read Jono Alderson on Yoast. 🔗
💥 The Cheap-Hosting Disaster
Years ago, his affiliate manager forum ran on about $5/month hosting with roughly seven years of archives. It was hacked, everything was deleted, and the host’s daily backup had already copied the hacked version. 💥
Lesson: never use cheap hosting. He now uses WP Engine for reliability. If you’re new and must go cheap, run separate backups constantly. He also recommends Pingdom for downtime alerts. 🛡️
🎯 Patience, Persistence and Networking
His advice for beginners: the two Ps, patience and persistence. Unless you do paid search, nothing is quick. 🎯
He works with big brands, even if they pay in 60 days, rather than risky offers that may never pay. 🏢
At events, get off your phone. He recommends Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone: meet strangers at every coffee and meal. I closed a profitable six-figure deal from this conference. For more from affiliate events, read Tim, founder of Addays. 🤝
📝 Key Takeaways From the Shawn Collins Interview
- 🚀 Shawn started in 1997 with Amazon’s program and SEO
- 🤝 A conference friendship became Affiliate Summit
- 🛡️ Cheap hosting can cost you everything; back up
- 🤝 Meet advertisers face to face for better rates
- 🎯 Patience and persistence beat get-rich-quick
- 📵 At events, put your phone away and network
❓ FAQs About Shawn Collins
When did Shawn Collins start affiliate marketing?
In 1997, through Amazon’s affiliate program, using SEO for traffic.
When did Affiliate Summit start?
In 2003, co-founded by Shawn Collins and Missy Ward.
What hosting does Shawn Collins recommend?
He uses WP Engine and warns against cheap hosting after losing a forum to a hack.
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- Chai With Kj #4:From Rags to Riches: How Jitendra Vaswani Earns 6 Figures in Affiliate Marketing!
- How Daren Low Successfully Launched Web Hosting Review Site BitCatcha
- 🚀 Eman Pulis CEO of SiGMA Group : The Story Behind MultiMillion Dollar Brand
What’s one connection you’ll make at your next event? Share this with an affiliate friend. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.
I watched this interview and it’s very inspiring for me, i am trying to making money from affiliate, got some sales but looking foreword to increase my sales
This is so inspiring! Affiliate marketing is something I currently do but I clearly do not know enough about it! I obviously need to do more homework! Thank you for such a brilliant post!
I watched this meeting and it’s motivating for me, I am attempting to bringing in cash from subsidiary, got a few deals yet looking foreword to build my deals
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