Always Be Testing

In this episode, Ben Edelman shares insights from his years studying the intersection of economics, digital marketing, and consumer protection. He and the host dive deep into the evolution of affiliate marketing, the early days of web advertising, and how regulation and business incentives have shaped online behavior—both good and bad. Ben also reflects on ad fraud, deceptive affiliate practices,...

Bryant Garvin, a 20-year veteran of the digital marketing world, announced his new position as Operator in Residence at Triple Whale. This role leverages Triple Whale's massive data set (35,000+ stores, $55B+ GMP annually) to build better products for marketers and e-commerce operators. Garvin discussed his evolved perspective on attribution, emphasizing Triple Whale's holistic approach using AI a...

Sales expert Sam McKenna, Founder of Sam Sales, shares her journey from solo consultant to a thriving 20-person team with 250+ clients. The podcast discusses her unique sales strategies, including the "Expand the Sandbox" method for LinkedIn prospecting, which landed her a deal with Equifax. Key takeaways include the importance of building genuine rapport with clients (even discussing breakfast!),...

This Always Be Testing podcast features James Little, a UK affiliate marketing legend and key figure at TopCashback. The episode covers TopCashback's 20-year history, its unique 100% cashback model, and its global success without venture capital. Little discusses the challenges and rewards of operating in various markets, the importance of clear customer education around cashback, and the evolving...

The Performance Marketing Association (PMA) released its third triennial affiliate marketing survey, revealing a booming industry. Data from eight networks, 53 publishers, and over 20,000 brands showed ad spend skyrocketing from $6 billion to $13.63 billion (a 14.42% CAGR), exceeding e-commerce growth and contributing 10% to overall US e-commerce revenue. While cashback and coupon sites remain sig...

This podcast features Ryan Fitzgerald, an affiliate industry expert at AWIN, discussing various aspects of affiliate marketing. Key takeaways include the importance of initially working with all publisher types to build brand equity, AWIN's global reach and commitment to a publisher-centric approach, and Fitzgerald's sales leadership focusing on educating and mentoring SMBs. He emphasizes the need...

This podcast episode features Vinod Varma, founder and CEO of Creator Co., discussing the evolving landscape of social commerce. Varma defines social commerce as the next wave of influencer marketing, enabled by expired Amazon patents, and highlights TikTok Shop's leading role due to its seamless user experience. Creator Co. helps brands navigate this space by providing technical setup and access...

Jordan Koene , CEO & Founder of Previsible.io, breaks down how AI is reshaping the SEO landscape. As tools like ChatGPT provide direct answers, many websites are seeing noticeable drops in organic traffic—ranging from 10% to as much as 90%, depending on the industry and keyword. This shift is happening quickly and requires a thoughtful response. Jordan explains why it's important for brands to...

This podcast features a conversation between two performance marketing experts with 20+ years of experience, discussing the evolving landscape of digital marketing. Svet, with a background at Stanford, McKinsey, and Nextag, shares his insights on leveraging first-principle thinking and algorithmic understanding to optimize marketing campaigns across B2B, e-commerce, and local service businesses. K...

In this episode, Brendan Regan, Senior Director of Lifestyle/Lifecycle Marketing at Smartsheet, shares his strategic, multi-channel approach to engaging both enterprise and SaaS customers. He explains how Smartsheet blends digital programs with human touchpoints—such as customer success reps and account executives—to optimize acquisition, retention, and monetization. Brendan discusses key growth l...

This podcast features Kayla Hamilton, who is the affiliate marketing manager of Sage. The discussion centers on Sage's B2B SaaS affiliate marketing strategy within the FinTech vertical. Key topics include the challenges and successes of building a year-old affiliate program, targeting high-value executives, the importance of internal collaboration between marketing, sales, and PR teams, leveraging...

This podcast features Vanessa Lawrence, Chief Content Officer at Linkby, an ad tech platform connecting brands with premium publishers using a CPC model. Linkby operates globally and has recently expanded into Europe. The platform's success is attributed to its measurable approach, fast turnaround, and no upfront costs for brands. Linkbee complements existing publisher revenue streams (CPA, flat f...

In this episode, fintech affiliate marketing expert Lawrence Sarpong shares insights from years of hands-on experience in the space. He breaks down how fintech affiliate marketing stands apart from the broader industry — with a stronger focus on customer education and solving very specific financial needs. Lawrence dives into best practices for building a strong affiliate program, from choosing th...

This episode features Jason Fuentes, a seasoned affiliate marketer and active member of the Austin tech community, now working with Wildfire. Wildfire specializes in white-labeling loyalty and rewards platforms for businesses, particularly within the financial sector, helping them boost revenue and engagement through shopping companions like Capital One Shopping. These tools offer cashback, reward...

In this episode, Tye DeGrange is joined by Udi Ledergor to dive into Udi’s new book, "Courageous Marketing: The B2B Marketer's Playbook for Career Success," released on April 10th. Drawing from two decades of experience and insights from top CMOs, the book challenges traditional B2B marketing practices and encourages a bold, strategic mindset. The conversation covers key themes like overcoming “de...

In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Pitylak, VP of Growth at NinjaTrader, to talk about the evolving world of performance marketing and how AI is changing the game. We dive into the rise of Google Performance Max and how AI is reshaping ad platforms, why the creator economy and authentic influencer marketing are gaining momentum, and the biggest mistakes growth marketers make—especially when the...

In this episode, Nancy Harnett, Head of HubSpot’s Affiliate Marketing Program, shares how they transformed their strategy to achieve 2x ROI . By shifting from a broad partnership model to a highly personalized, one-on-one approach, HubSpot was able to build stronger collaborations and drive better performance. She highlights the importance of prioritizing key partners, offering tailored support, a...

In this episode, we talk with Sid Nagpal , Director, Customer & Field Marketing at PartnerStack, about the power of community in B2B SaaS marketing. Sid breaks down PartnerStack’s four pillars of customer marketing—expansion, engagement, education, and advocacy—highlighting how their thriving community drives success. He discusses the impact of the Stacked Conference and various meetups, empha...

This podcast features Jennifer Rhima , Apollo's Partnerships Lead, discussing strategies for building and scaling B2B SaaS partner programs. She emphasizes enabling partners beyond acquisition, tracking activation metrics, fostering internal collaboration, and leveraging PRM tools like PartnerStack for scalability. Rhima highlights the value of different partner types, the importance of data analy...

In this podcast episode, Pranav Piyush joins the conversation to discuss marketing measurement and incrementality, with a focus on affiliate and influencer marketing. The discussion highlights Media Mix Modeling (MMM) and its growing accessibility through open-source tools and lower costs, positioning it as a key attribution method in the coming decade. The episode explains the difference between...

🚀 In this episode of Always Be Testing , host Tye DeGrange sits down with Matt Hunter from impact.com and Philip Qiu from Henry Social to explore the future of AI, blockchain, and Web3 in partner marketing. Matt, a 25-year industry veteran, shares insights on innovations at impact.com, while Philip discusses his transition from VC to affiliate marketing and how Henry Social’s AI agents simplify s...

In this episode of Always Be Testing , host Tye DeGrange welcomes Dan Darcy, Chief Customer Officer at Qualified, for a deep dive into growth, performance marketing, and the evolving role of AI in sales and marketing. Dan shares insights from his time at Salesforce and how Qualified has transformed from a live chat tool into an AI-powered platform helping marketers convert website visitors into le...

We had an incredible conversation with Cornelius from Opinary, now part of Affinity, about the transformative power of AI in affiliate operations and the future of content monetization. 

In this episode of Always Be Testing , Ian Martins, Managing Director of Zenith, explores marketing fragmentation and the need for integrated, client-focused strategies. He discusses balancing brand building with performance marketing, the rise of D2C, and the shift toward hybrid in-housing models. Ian also highlights media trust, influencer marketing, and the challenge of attracting top talent. T...

In this episode of Always Be Testing , I sit down with Nate Ivey from Impact to talk about what’s working in partner marketing today. We cover why diversifying partners is key, how trust and authenticity drive better results, and what brands need to know about Google’s crackdown on-site reputation abuse. Nate also shares insights on the shift to performance-based influencer models and why consiste...