The Amazing World of Affiliate Marketing With PPC Ads – Exclusive Interview With iAmAttila

iAmAttila first touched affiliate marketing in the 1990s without knowing what it was. He made over $1000 as a 15-year-old by placing a Cyber Thrill Casino banner ad on his websites that he built on Geocities.

Then he gave up computers for a while and went to work at Netnation. That wasn’t an easy job to get. He remembers, being 17, he faxed his resume every single day until the VP by the name of George called to see who is this guy.

If that isn’t persistence, we don’t know what is!    One thing is for certain, Attila O’dree was always determined to achieve his goals, no matter what.   He went full-time in the wonderful industry of affiliate marketing in 2008.

First started in SEO, and later switched to PPC ads after hummingbird and Google Panda hit HARD in 2013. That’s when he established his legendary affiliate marketing blog that has helped thousands.

People looking to master the art of affiliate marketing with PPC ads can learn a lot from his detailed case studies,  tutorials, and quick tips.  I am Attila continues to update his blog regularly,  help people through his private community and run paid ads campaigns in lead gen and ecom.

Could you please tell our readers a brief background about yourself and how you started your business?

I got into affiliate marketing to make ends meet. It was either this or moving back to Canada and getting a 9-5 job.

My wife didn’t want to leave her family and wanted us to stay so she recommended I look into what my buddy Konrad from Mechbunnymedia does online to earn money. That’s how I found the kick-ass forum owned by Panos named GFY and the rest is history.

Where did the idea for your blog iAmAttila come from?

I have a very common name in Hungary – Attila. However, in Canada, I was pretty much the only Attila among my peers and age group, and even the school district for that matter.

I combined the words Internet Marketing Attila (IM ATTILA) and then had a light bulb moment.  If I call it I AM ATTILA, it sounds cool, it says who I am, and also it has what I do in the name.   Internet Affiliate Marketing Attila, so that’s how the name was born.

What are you currently doing to keep up with all the rapid changes in the industry?

It’s no secret that affiliate marketing changes on a dime.  New policies are being added every other day, Facebook keeps making new updates, and Google is getting smarter at detecting affiliates.

It seems like the world is against the industry, however as old methods and opportunities dwindle, new ones are created. I am constantly learning, and educating myself so I can stay on top of the industry I love so much.

As an entrepreneur, what is it that actually motivates and drives you?

Making something work is what drives me, I feel it’s like a game, and money is just a way to keep score. I remember when I lost everything organizing EDM festivals with my wife Dora,  it was super hard to scrape together $50.

Nowadays,  I can throw together 5 different campaigns, and in 2-3 days I’ll have one making $50 a day pretty much on auto on a low budget. Experience and knowledge make that possible.

What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness and why?

I use Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Facebook gives me the best reach and exposure because they let me link out to direct posts on my blog, and cool resources, and also engage with the audience.

I tried Instagram in the past but deleted it because they have this 1 link per profile policy which is absurd.

What is your main tactic when it comes to making more people aware of your brand and engaging your customers? How did your business stand out?

I share things in the affiliate marketing industry that actually is valid, and works. So if someone wants to test it, they will see that that’s how it is.  I like to be blunt and to the point.

I refuse to sell a course or become a guru like many have done because that wouldn’t give me excitement.  I love being in the trenches, fighting with my fellow affiliate marketers, and battling people like Zucc head-on!

What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?

I decided to invest heavily into extending my team instead of buying a Ferrari. This was the best decision yet because finding the right people to work with is the key to success.  We’ve got such an awesome team, the ‘IAM team’ now,  it’s better than ever and makes getting shit done easy.

What money mistakes have you made along the way that others can learn from (or something you’d do differently)?

When I was young (in my early 20s) I organized dance events in Canada on the line of credit for my company. When the Vancouver city commission and Richmond banned all-night dance events, I decided to come to Europe (Serbia) and organize them there.

What I didn’t know, being the naive young me was that the market was WAY different.  Less purchasing power, and huge demand for big things without the ability to pay the ticket prices accordingly.   So, I lost a shit ton of money and went into 50k debt.

Since then, I never ever took any loans, or don’t even have a mortgage.  I built my empire on cash, and only buy things for cash, never for credit.   Why?  Because You Never Know What the future holds.

Where did your first seven figures of profit come from?

Promoting App Install Campaigns back in 2014. DU Speed Booster, and Clean master.  Hitting every GEO in the known world.   For guys in the CPI field,  these app names will bring back great memories for sure!

What excites you most about your industry? Where do you see it heading in the near future?

I enjoy the community aspect of our industry, so many cultures, and so many different people.  We all work online, from anywhere, when we want, and then meet at conferences and party it up like friends that know each other for years and years.

Love it!  The best industry in the world is affiliate marketing. REAL affiliate marketing with paid ads.

I believe the industry is heading toward maturity where scammy offers are being minimized and affiliate marketers are becoming masters of performance. Giving businesses the lowest cost leads and lowest cost conversions by leveraging their experience in optimizing paid ads campaigns and coming up with genius (but compliant) ads and creatives.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

The FREE Microsoft To-Do List (formerly Wunderlist). Now I tried Trello, Monday.com,  and many many other Task Management software.  For me, with my crazy ADHD,  Microsoft To-Do List worked wonders. It does everything, it’s SIMPLE. Love it.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

For anyone looking to learn affiliate marketing with paid ads, I recommend picking up my book for $5 on Amazon (or $9.95 for the physical book). It teaches affiliate marketing with PPC ads from scratch –  From Zero to Super Affiliate is the title.  Search for it on Amazon!    For more advanced affiliate marketing tutorials,  check out the iAmAffiliate forum.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

As cliché as it sounds, “KEEP ON TESTING CREATIVES MAAAAN”  by Tuan 🙂

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Expect to fail.  Entrepreneurship is all about failing, getting up, and trying again and again until you find your way.  I know I’ve tried a ton of stuff, and I enjoyed the journey.  Young entrepreneurs, true entrepreneurs will enjoy the journey.  That’s what it’s all about.