Determining how much to spend on tests is a complex and individual issue with no clear-cut answers. Even within the same vertical, testing costs can vary widely from one offer to another. Many affiliates find themselves scratching their heads, unsure of how much to budget to find that winning campaign.
In this article, we’ll share some insights from seasoned affiliates to give you a ballpark idea of what push notifications and pop ads tests might cost and how long they typically take. While we won’t provide exact figures, since the specifics can vary greatly – even within the same vertical, one offer might need $50, while another could require $150. Instead, we’ll go through the principles that can help you set a budget that works for you.
For gambling, many affiliates recommend budgeting for tests at a value equal to several payments per lead—usually about 2-3 times the lead cost, depending on the offer. Other verticals have different cost structures: for dating, it might be 2-3 times the lead cost, whereas for utilities, it could be as high as 100 times the lead cost in some cases.
For example, an affiliate marketer notes:
“If you're running push notification ads, you can usually test out an offer in one country for the cost of about 3-10 leads – unless the payout is super low, like $0.001. But don't bother testing offers with complicated steps or high conversion requirements. Testing on Facebook is especially tough because the platform is hard on affiliates.”
Offer tests are the most expensive and complex part of the process. Working with an unfamiliar offer can be tricky because you don’t know what to expect. This is where MyBid managers can be helpful – they can advise on which offers are likely to perform well with push notifications and which ones might not.
When running push notification campaigns, your testing costs will depend on factors like reach, bid, and traffic quality. Based on our experience, targeting a Tier-1 audience could cost more than $50 on the first day. Generally, cheaper traffic sources lead to cheaper tests.
In terms of volumes, it’s common to test different variations of creatives and hypotheses. However, testing more than five different campaigns simultaneously can be overwhelming. It’s better to focus on a couple of approaches at a time, based on geo and creatives. MyBid managers can help evaluate your ad creatives and suggest changes you should make. This saves you time and stops you from wasting your budget on ads that don't work.
In this article, we’ll share some insights from seasoned affiliates to give you a ballpark idea of what push notifications and pop ads tests might cost and how long they typically take. While we won’t provide exact figures, since the specifics can vary greatly – even within the same vertical, one offer might need $50, while another could require $150. Instead, we’ll go through the principles that can help you set a budget that works for you.
Vertical
When it comes to determining your test budget, the vertical and the specific offer play a big role. From experience, finding a winning campaign in dating typically costs less than in gambling. Generating leads for gambling is more challenging; you need to spend several days tracking initial deposits to gauge the offer’s performance.For gambling, many affiliates recommend budgeting for tests at a value equal to several payments per lead—usually about 2-3 times the lead cost, depending on the offer. Other verticals have different cost structures: for dating, it might be 2-3 times the lead cost, whereas for utilities, it could be as high as 100 times the lead cost in some cases.
For example, an affiliate marketer notes:
“If you're running push notification ads, you can usually test out an offer in one country for the cost of about 3-10 leads – unless the payout is super low, like $0.001. But don't bother testing offers with complicated steps or high conversion requirements. Testing on Facebook is especially tough because the platform is hard on affiliates.”
Offer tests are the most expensive and complex part of the process. Working with an unfamiliar offer can be tricky because you don’t know what to expect. This is where MyBid managers can be helpful – they can advise on which offers are likely to perform well with push notifications and which ones might not.
Traffic source
Advertising costs can vary significantly depending on the source. Tests on platforms like Facebook and Google Ads tend to be more expensive than those on popunder networks. For instance, affiliate marketer FreakPunk spent $50 on Facebook before finding a successful funnel for the Pearl Cream nutra offer. In contrast, the Adsterra team found a winning campaign after spending just $15 when testing gambling offers with popunder ads.When running push notification campaigns, your testing costs will depend on factors like reach, bid, and traffic quality. Based on our experience, targeting a Tier-1 audience could cost more than $50 on the first day. Generally, cheaper traffic sources lead to cheaper tests.
Volumes and duration of tests
Most affiliates agree that tests should run for no more than three days. One day is typically too short for trackers to update statistics, making it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions. By the second or third day, the campaign’s performance usually becomes clearer.
When to stop testing
Many affiliates believe that all tests should run for exactly three days. Some argue that a campaign doing well on the first day might fail on the second, while another might only start performing on the second day. However, our experience shows that this isn't always true. The key is to stop the test as soon as you find an approach that delivers a 100% ROI. At that point, you should drop other approaches and focus on scaling the successful one.
Conclusion
There's no single "right" answer for how much budget you should set aside for testing. Some affiliates say you should spend up to 10x the payout per lead, while others think 2-3x is enough. Here are a few general guidelines that can help in most situations:- Test duration: Don't test for too long. Usually 2-3 days is enough to see how well an offer does and if it's worth investing more.
- Budget based on the offer: Start with the offer itself. Testing utility offers through push ads might only need $5, but that wouldn't be enough for gambling or crypto offers.
