The same traffic source with the right payout model can return higher profits from one’s investments. To put it simply, it all boils down to the choice between CPA and RevShare. In this article, we’ll go through RevShare affiliate marketing and answer the following questions:
- What are the payment differences from CPA?
- What are the pros and cons of RevShare?
- How to maximize revenue, while minimizing risks?
- What does a successful RevShare case look like?
- How to start working with it?
Ultimately, we’ll answer the frequently asked questions and explain why using RevShare with PIN-UP Partners is profitable.
What Is RevShare?
RevShare stands for Revenue Share, which is a payout model in affiliate marketing. The affiliate attracts some clients, who will, in turn, add to the advertiser’s revenue — business as usual. However, the affiliate is granted a percentage of the advertiser’s profit instead of a fixed commission.
Assume an affiliate attracts a client, who adds an additional $1,000 to the advertiser’s monthly revenue. With the RevShare of 20% and the lead attribution time of 12 months, the publisher will theoretically earn $2,400 annually: 0.2(1,000) × 12 = $2,400.
The percentage doesn’t always have to be fixed and can be dynamic, when its ultimate value depends on the number of leads and their spending. Sometimes referred to as the “ladder”, such a system involves stages, each granting a higher percent of income to the affiliate.
RevShare is the go-to model for online casinos and sports betting, since a single player can place bets repeatedly within a certain timespan, generating profit for the advertiser and the affiliate. On top of betting and gambling, Revenue Sharing works well for finances, gaming (not to be confused with iGaming), and various subscriptions.
Nuances of RevShare payouts
Unlike fixed payouts from Cost Per Action (CPA) and all its subtypes, RevShare is known for its dispersed income. You might meet both careful players and high rollers, which will influence your final income:
CPA ($200) | CPA ($200) | RevShare (20%) | |
Player bets in total | $100 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
Affiliate’s payout | $200 | $200 | $2,000 |
A single high roller can cover all the expenses incurred on a RevShare campaign, but there is no guarantee that such a player will appear. Furthermore, the total amount of bets rarely serves as the foundation for calculating one’s payout.
RevShare offers a percentage of the advertiser’s Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR). Like traditional revenue, GGR subtracts player’s winnings & bonuses from their sum of stakes. However, GGR also deduces the administrative fee (10%) and the fee for payments (10%) of the reduced player.
The same logic applies to our Hybrid model, which consists of two paid results:
- The first deposit made by the player
- The percentage of GGR, the amount of which pays back the amount of the first result by the cohort of players (min. period = a month)
Speaking of the administrative fee, typically, it includes the following items:
- Player bonuses
- Commission for payment systems
- Commission for gaming service providers
- Managerial costs for administrators and moderators
- Currency exchange losses
- Operational costs to support a call center and retention department
Continuing from our example above, let’s assume the admin fee is equal to 5% of the revenue. Then, the former $1,000 revenue from the player will turn into $950 income. This exact sum will serve as the foundation for the RevShare payout calculation: 0.2 × (1,000 — (1,000 × 0.05)) × 12 = $2,280.
At times, people perceive the admin fee as a disguised commission cuts, or shaving. PIN-UP keeps no secrets from our partners, which is why we display openly our formula for how we calculate the RevShare commission:
((SUMbet — SUMwin) * Y — (SUMdep * K)) * RSrate
Y — commission paid to the gaming providers (10%)
K — commission assigned to the payment providers (10%, the only exception is UA — 15%)
SUMbet — the sum of all bets
SUMwin — the sum of all the money withdrawn by the player
SUMdep — the sum of all the deposits made by the player
RSrate — RevShare percent (40%)
For more details, including RevShare payouts, contact your account manager in your dashboard.
When working with PIN-UP Partners via RevShare, you’ll get 40% of the advertiser’s profit. RevShare+ can boost that value up to 50%, but the percentage will be dynamic. Besides classic RevShare and CPA, we also have a Hybrid model, which combines the merits of both. Register today and profit big with a reliable affiliate network!
Advantages
RevShare is best suited for experienced affiliates and media buyers. The main advantages are as follows:
- ✅ Maximization of the customer Life-Time Value (LTV)
- ✅ Passive and regular payouts even after the campaign is over
- ✅ A wider selection of traffic sources
- ✅ A perfect fit for organic traffic
On top of that, PIN-UP Partners offers extra bonuses when using RevShare as the payout model:
- ✅ Perpetual player attribution to the affiliate
- ✅ One of the best average player LTV in the industry, thanks to regular usage of special offers, tournaments, trigger letters, SMS-newsletter, bonuses, promo, hot deals, call center support, in-app push notifications, and so on
- ✅ No hidden fees — as stated above, it’s clear-cut
- ✅ Transparent statistics and full accountability, removing the risk of fraudulence or shaving
Disadvantages
RevShare might not be the optimal choice for beginners with limited budgets. Here’s why:
- ❌ Gradual income accumulation over time
- ❌ Some affiliate programs limit the lead attribution time, e.g., by a year
- ❌ Some affiliate programs transfer a negative player balance, which means you’ll suffer the advertiser’s loss as well
- ❌ RevShare might be a nightmare for accountants, especially the ones in large media buying teams
How to Work with RevShare
First of all, the affiliate must consider their priorities. Revenue Share won’t bring an immediate profit: it’s a long-term investment into passive income. For quick returns, it’s better to go with CPA, or at least a hybrid model. Traditional fixed commission models follow a simple logic:
- Set up the campaign → generate traffic → get paid → repeat
RevShare is different in a way that the interactions with the manager remain even after the campaign is finished. That’s why you need a trustworthy affiliate program with good reviews and a long working history. Read the reviews online, ask the respective account managers about payout details, and get feedback from experienced affiliates.
We can’t stress enough the importance of figuring out the payout structure, as the admin fee might include anything, depending on the affiliate network policy. That’s why the RevShare of 60% might yield humbler returns than the one with 40%. There are no philanthropists in affiliate marketing, but there are partners, ready for long-term and mutually-beneficial collaboration.
When it comes to funnels, RevShare is not that different from CPA. The only thing to note is that the affiliate should understand that tricking the users into playing will not make them spend more over time. That’s why it’s so important to generate genuine users, preferably organic ones.
Be honest in your creatives and approaches; design them to retain the user and increase their LTV. Never promise a 100% chance of winning, as no casino works this way and at the end of the day is considered to be a misleading claim… which also applies to CPA.
In regards to PIN-UP Partners, there is only one limitation for RevShare traffic, and that is brand-bidding. Even mixing it up with other allowed types of traffic won’t do the trick, as our managers and algorithms will eventually spot the deception and will enforce the provisions from terms & conditions.
Our best suggestion, in order to succeed with RevShare, is to play fair and work honestly by crafting the ads you’d be pleased to receive yourself.
Minimizing the Risks of Working with RevShare
When picking a RevShare program, pay attention to criteria such as:
- Special offers for players and other bonuses from the casino to keep LTV high
- Terms of negative balance carryover
- Reasonable terms for storing cookies
- Attribution period – the longer the better
- No threshold on how much the user can spend
- Payment frequency
- Variability of gaming providers
- Diversity of payment methods, including cryptocurrencies
- The payout structure, keep in mind the aforementioned 40% vs. 60%
- A ladder-based system that penalizes any pauses in traffic generation
On top of having financial stability, it’s good to understand all the caveats of working with CPA. RevShare requires more than just getting a conversion — you need to persuade the client to keep on coming back for more.
Finally, keep in touch with your account manager to learn all the relevant details and keep the relationship strong. RevShare is a long-term strategy, which is more likely to pan out if you leave a good impression.
Examples of Successful RevShare Strategies
At PIN-UP Partners, we had a peculiar case when a solo affiliate required a CPA rate, which we couldn’t provide at that time. Our manager offered to try out RevShare instead.
One year later, the RevShare earnings outpaced the initially required CPA rate. Let’s not forget that both PIN-UP Bet and PIN-UP Casino continue to update and improve, so the old players keep on coming back, which is a boon for the affiliates’ income, provided they use RevShare.
For those of you willing to know how much exactly you can make on RevShare, here is the second case study from our partners, where they raked in $100,000 in six months. Of course, it involved more than just a RevShare payout model and combined influencer traffic, overhyped crash games, a synergy between media channels, elaborated content, and continuous optimization.
Yet, RevShare was essential for enabling such a big profit. Once again, CPA offers a fixed commission, which can handicap the performance of high-quality traffic. Since the campaign focus was on increasing LTV and attracting genuine players, choosing RevShare was only natural.
How to Start Working Under RevShare with PIN-UP Partners
Go to PIN-UP Partners‘ official website and press a large red button… there are three of them for your convenience.
Fill in your name, email, phone number, messenger data, and password. In half an hour or so a manager will contact you to finish the registration. The only exception is if you’re registering at night. In that case, you’ll have to wait till morning.
Having accessed the dashboard, you find a few buttons on your left, including the one leading to the creation of a new campaign:
- Click to create a new campaign
- Pick a RevShare offer
- Select your type of campaign
- Select the language and traffic type
- Get the link
- Set up postback (SubID) for tracking purposes (communicate with the AM)
- Check the new link in the section with all your campaigns
- Contact the AM and learn the trial conditions
All promotional materials are localized, including creatives, landing pages, and banners. With the help of AM, you can even order a custom promo. You’ll also find some apps to work with Google UAC, Facebook, and TikTok.
If needed, ask the AM for extra info and go field-testing your new approach.
Conclusion
RevShare is a solid pick for affiliates, certain in the quality of their traffic. And with PIN-UP Partners by your side, this can become a veritable gold mine, thanks to transparency and full accountability.
Just make sure to pick your offers carefully, test them, optimize your campaigns regularly, and maintain a sincere and trustworthy relationship with your affiliate network.
RevShare income takes time to snowball, requiring patience and attention. But with the right approach and competent specialists by your side, like from PIN-UP Partners, it can become a source of stable high income.
FAQ
We’ve prepared the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions for you when working with PIN-UP Partners under RevShare.
What Are the Benefits of Using RevShare on PIN-UP Partners?
While working with PIN-UP Partners, you’ll get a share of the advertiser’s Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) from every lead in perpetuity, provided the player continues to place bets and bring in profit to the casino. Thanks to the regular updates, we maintain the high interest of the already existing user base.
If you’ve been specializing in organic traffic, you can get the most out of your campaigns with a RevShare of up to 50%. We don’t have any hidden fees, all the statistics are displayed on your dashboard, and you can get all the extra details from your AM.
Our reputation is our main asset, and we keep it without reproach by paying regularly and in full, provided the terms and conditions are observed. Should any difficulties arise, we are always here to assist you and resolve any conflict of interest peacefully without ignoring our partners.
How to Track and Analyze the RevShare Earnings on PIN-UP Partners?
All the information, including bets, deposits, provider fees, and KPIs, can be found in your PIN-UP Partners dashboard. From there, go to your stats to see the data in general and on players, campaigns, and referrals. You will also find a cohort analysis there, along with financial data, and support information. All the subsections can be filtered and arranged for your convenience.
To find some specific patterns in user behavior, please consult your AM, as every case is unique and requires an individual approach.
Which Marketing Strategies Are the Most Efficient for RevShare on PIN-UP Partners?
Organic traffic fits RevShare like a glove, since the users come pre-engaged and contribute to your profit willingly. Now, when it comes to evoking organic interest, you need to understand the locals. The population of Tier-1 tends to play for pleasure and good time, while people from Tier-3 dream of becoming rich overnight.
Sure, this is a rough approximation and there are exceptions, but this rule of thumb can help in figuring out the right approach. Start monitoring the social media channels of the local influencers, paying close attention to the way they present their content. Borrow their ideas and approaches to use in your own funnels. Another way is to use the Country Comparison Tool, where the basic info of different cultures is accumulated.
Keep things real and never promise the impossible. In the best-case scenario, the user’s interest will plummet once the truth is revealed. Alternatively, the affiliate network will turn off the offer for misleading traffic.
Finally, you can always combine CPA with RevShare either by using a hybrid model or working with both types of offers. CPA will help to achieve quick return-on-investments, while RevShare will serve as a long-term investment strategy, gradually accumulating money over time.