CPA networks also take care of the tracking and cash flow between the advertisers and the affiliates. They track which affiliates are earning what commissions and they get money from the advertiser for these leads and then payout the money to the affiliates. The CPA Networks make a small cut of each transaction, and that’s how they make their money. So, if Netflix is willing to pay $20 per lead, the CPA network may pay the affiliate $19 per lead and keep $1. You may be asking yourself, “Can the affiliate just bypass the CPA network, work directly with the advertiser, and negotiate a better commission, such as the full $20 instead of the $19?” The answer is both yes and no. If you are a super affiliate pushing a lot of traffic and leads, then the advertiser may work a private deal with you. But, if you are new or don’t have the ability to push a lot of traffic, advertisers won’t work with individual affiliates. Unless you are doing at least 4 figures a day for one advertiser, you should take the traditional route and run through the CPA network.

Another important point to remember is that there are literally hundreds of CPA networks out there, but many of the smaller networks have far fewer offers and may be less reliable and more risky. It would really be a bummer to earn $5,000 in commissions and the network decides they don’t want to pay you or the network goes out of business before paying you. This doesn’t happen often, but it can happen. With the development of software platforms in recent years, it is extremely simple to set up a CPA Network, so many pop up all the time. Your best bet is to stick with the larger, more established networks we have provided at the end of this report. They have become large and successful because they do things the right and honest way.