In this episode of the Affiliate Marketing Podcast, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with search industry veteran Colin Jeavons to unpack one of the most significant shifts in digital commerce since Google's CPC revolution.

With 25% of global search queries now bypassing Google in favour of AI-powered answer engines, affiliate managers and publishers face a crossroads: adapt to emerging channels or risk becoming obsolete. Colin, whose career spans from the Yellow Pages era through to building semantic search technology for defence and intelligence, brings rare historical perspective on what's actually changing—and what isn't.

This episode is essential listening for affiliate managers questioning their channel strategy, publishers wondering if SEO is dead, and any e-commerce brand trying to understand where consumer discovery is headed.

Talking points include:

• From Yellow Pages to Answer Engines: How search has evolved from browser distribution monopolies to AI-driven discovery, and why Google's 2002 business model is facing its BlackBerry moment.
• The 75/25 Rule: Why traditional search still commands three-quarters of queries despite rapid AI adoption, and how to balance legacy channels with emerging opportunities.

Beyond Traditional Affiliates: How CPA models are expanding into apps, creators, influencers, and AI search—creating entirely new verticals for performance marketing.

Listen to find out more about:

• How browser distribution, not search quality, created Google's monopoly—and why that same moat is now crumbling.
• The specific verticals where CPA commerce is experiencing explosive growth: apps, creators, influencers, and AI search.
• The "fail fast" philosophy that's kept Colin relevant through 25 years of continuous technological disruption.

Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:

[11:45] The case for not abandoning traditional search.

[13:57] The 10-month revolution: how AI answer engines captured 25% of search volume at unprecedented speed.

[29:13] Colin's advice for publishers and affiliate managers: always ask for help and don't fear failure.

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In this episode, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with Dennis Yu, CEO of BlitzMetrics and co-author of bestselling books on Facebook and TikTok advertising. With a billion dollars spent on social ads and clients including: Nike, Starbucks, and the Golden State Warriors, Dennis brings battle-tested insights on what actually works when technology threatens to commoditise every tactic.

This conversation is essential listening for affiliate managers navigating the tension between bringing capabilities in-house and maintaining profitable partnerships, as well as performance marketers seeking sustainable competitive advantages in an AI-saturated marketplace.

Talking points include:

• User-Generated Content as Affiliate Strategy: Why authentic customer content outperforms professional creative and how to activate non-traditional affiliates
• The Conversion API Advantage: How brands controlling conversion data can outperform traditional affiliates in paid social campaigns
• Relationship-Driven Marketing in an AI World: Why genuine connections represent the only defensible moat against algorithmic competition

Listen to find out more about:

• How to identify and activate non-traditional affiliates from your existing customer base who create more authentic content than professional marketers
• Why controlling conversion data through proper API implementation gives brands a decisive advantage over traditional affiliates in paid social campaigns
• What Dennis learned spending a billion dollars on social advertising for brands like Nike, Starbucks, and the Golden State Warriors

Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:

• [01:30] Dennis Yu's background: From Yahoo! search engine engineer to spending a billion dollars on Facebook ads
• [06:38] Why user-generated content from actual customers outperforms traditional influencer marketing
• [14:00] The uncomfortable truth about affiliate margins as AI and algorithms become more sophisticated

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What happens when passion meets persistence in affiliate marketing?

George Sullivan turned repeated program rejections into fuel for building The Sole Supplier—a content-first publisher that now drives millions in sales across Europe's biggest fashion retailers. In this candid conversation with host Lee-Ann Johnstone, George reveals the brutal early days of building an affiliate business, the moment everything changed, and why the industry's future belongs to publishers who can make people feel something.

This episode is essential listening for affiliate managers who want to understand what life looks like on the other side of the partnership—and for aspiring publishers who need proof that starting with nothing but conviction can lead somewhere extraordinary.

Talking points include:

• The psychological impact of program rejections on early-stage publishers (and how managers can turn gatekeeping into guidance)
• Why putting a human face to your brand remains the most powerful growth lever in an AI-saturated landscape
• The shift from siloed marketing departments to integrated teams—and what it means for partnership budgets

Listen to find out more about:

• Why George believes purely transactional affiliate models face existential risk from AI—and where the sustainable opportunity lies
• The specific moment when The Sole Supplier's revenue scaled beyond George's recruitment salary (and why he still waited to quit)
• How treating affiliate managers as friends rather than vendors creates compounding advantages over time

Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:

[03:03] The backstory: from ten failed jobs to founding The Sole Supplier at 22

[13:28] The post-COVID shift that killed top-of-funnel budgets—and why brands are reversing course now

[26:10] The five things every affiliate manager needs to hear about building genuine partnerships

Would you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.

Send me a text with your questions