The Other Side of Media Presence for Arbitrage Companies: Q&A with Rocket Traffic and PEKLO Teams
The buying business used to be a closed one. Nobody talked about which niches they were running, how many people were on staff, or what their average ROI looked like. In recent years, a major transformation has been underway, with many companies starting to actively talk about themselves on social media.
Today we're exploring not only the benefits affiliates gain from building a public presence, but also the flip side of the coin — together with the teams at Rocket Traffic and PEKLO.
What media presence gives affiliates
Media buying is often associated with shady dealings due to the niche's closed nature. When people outside the industry hear about affiliate arbitrage, they frequently assume the money is made illegally. Many affiliate companies are trying to dispel this myth, but so far none have managed to do so completely.
Some affiliate teams have stepped out of the shadows, yet many still don't understand what advantages a public presence can bring them. Some companies are still on the fence about whether they need to change their market strategy.
What media presence brings to the table:
- A boost in hiring. High-profile teams typically receive a large volume of job applications simply because they're well known.
- Exclusive offer terms. Advertisers are willing to offer higher payouts, expanded caps, and other perks — all of which positively impact the final ROI.
- Protection against scams. There are very few scam cases in the public space involving well-known teams.
Some team owners have openly shared in interviews that virtually all of their key employees came through the brand's media presence. The workload on recruiters increased significantly, but with the right filters in place, it's entirely realistic to build a team with top-tier talent.
Buying companies used to focus on staying under the radar, but the market is completely different now. Most teams try to stay visible — they create newsworthy content, speak at conferences, and aren't afraid to share case studies.
The downsides of brand building
Every phenomenon has its flip side. And those who are currently building an affiliate brand promotion strategy should take the time to analyze the risks. It might seem like there are very few — but that's not the case.
Unfortunately, there's no avoiding the pitfalls. Whether to pursue media visibility or not is each team's own choice. Some manage to stay in the spotlight, while others have had to pull back from active PR due to pressure from various external forces.
Affiliate espionage
High-profile teams tend to attract more "James Bonds" — people trying to extract confidential information. Some of them are well disguised, but most can be identified by a recruiter as early as the first interview.
Among the tools for protection against espionage are NDAs and polygraph tests. At larger companies, polygraph checks are conducted regularly — even for CEOs and department heads.
Some argue that a lie detector can be beaten, but it's unlikely that a "special agent" would actually be sent to infiltrate an affiliate team. That said, a polygraph can still serve as a solid barrier — some candidates will back out before the interview even happens.
Employee poaching
Some affiliate companies shy away from personal brand development due to aggressive headhunting. Nobody wants to lose key employees, as that directly impacts overall profit.
On the other hand, if an employee jumps at the first offer that comes along, their departure might actually be for the best. In the second episode of «Паливо», Denis Volosov shared that
prior to the poaching, one of his media buyers was doing just fine at Traffic Devils.
Media smear campaigns
Media presence comes in many forms, and if a company has chosen the path of public development, it needs to be prepared for attacks from so-called "journalists." For example, social media has recently seen a surge of supposed exposés labeling well-known affiliate teams as fraudsters.
In some cases, things don't stop at loud accusations. One public organization even filed a complaint with law enforcement to open a criminal investigation. Around 90% of the facts cited in the complaint were pulled out of thin air, and only high-profile teams made it onto the list.
Another unpleasant factor is the creation of fake pages impersonating well-known brands and solo arbitrageurs. Scammers extort money, charge for training, offer paid interviews, and use other money-extraction schemes. As a result, negative reviews about legitimate companies spread across the media space.
Attention from Various Authorities
One of the popular strategies for promoting affiliate brands is still tied to flaunting cash, luxury cars, parties, and other elements of a lavish lifestyle. Content in the format of "ATB cashier makes millions in affiliate marketing" also pops up periodically.
Such behavior attracts various authorities who mistakenly associate affiliate marketing with a money-printing machine. And some, without looking into it properly, slap on a fraud label. Yet the Ukrainian market has white-hat e-commerce, info products, licensed gambling operators, essay verticals, and many others.
Among recent examples, one can recall a member of parliament's visit to an affiliate meetup, which he described as a "bot mafia hangout." Nobody seems interested in the fact that the vast majority of media buying companies pay taxes and actively donate to charitable causes.
According to rumors, one of the most well-known Ukrainian teams — Traffbraza — is currently facing serious issues with law enforcement. They deleted their Instagram, YouTube, and completely shut down their PR department.
Recently, "Braza" underwent a large-scale rebrand and further strengthened their position in the affiliate market, but this ultimately led to negative consequences. We watch this case with sadness and wish Vira and Alex to resolve their issues and then make a comeback to the media space with twice the force.
Q&A with Rocket Traffic and PEKLO
When did you start investing in brand development: right after launch or after some time? What were the main factors that motivated you to move toward building a public presence?
Did you ever consider that it might be better to keep a low profile?
In your opinion, why does the affiliate community still rely on the "cars, easy money, parties" promotion format?
What has a recognizable brand given your company? Employees, new partners, revenue growth, etc?
Are you aware of low-profile affiliate companies that boost profit without any media presence? Is it possible to get exclusive advertiser terms without a strong brand?
Besides NDA and polygraph, what other methods exist to protect confidential information? How do you tell an affiliate spy from a legitimate candidate?
What do you consider the worst downsides of public visibility? Talent poaching, reputational attacks, etc?
Have you ever faced any problems directly caused by your public visibility?
3 key tips for affiliate companies looking to invest in media presence.
Media presence in the affiliate market brings real benefits, but it can put operational stability at risk if you rely on typical promotional strategies built around a luxury lifestyle narrative. Buying projects should move away from cookie-cutter templates and focus on expertise instead.
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