N1 Faces: Victoria Sokolenko — The Art of Alignment

Why do some partnerships grow for years, while others fall apart at the first sign of trouble? A high payout may be a reason to start working together, but it does not guarantee a long-term partnership on its own.

In the latest edition of N1 Faces, Victoria Sokolenko, Affiliate Manager at N1 Partners, shares how her experience in a CPA network and in media buying shaped her approach to partnerships, what matters to affiliates today, and why Tier-1 requires flexibility.

You have seen the industry from different sides: first as a BizDev in a CPA network, in media buying and later in affiliate management on the product side. How has this experience changed the way you approach working with partners?

Experience in CPA network and media buying helped me understand the internal logic of partners: how they evaluate an offer, plan budgets, test combinations, and make decisions about scaling. When working with traffic acquisition on your own, you start to understand the cost of each test, importance of feedback speed, transparent conditions, and product stability especially well.

On the product side, I was able to look at the collaboration even deeper: to see how decisions affect analytics, the funnel, player behavior, and final metrics. If a combination doesn’t yield the expected result, I don’t look for one “culprit,” but I analyze the entire chain: the product, the source, the creative, the GEO, the payment methods, and the launch logic. 

My expertise in buying allows me to speak the same language as my partners and offer solutions that take into account the economics of both sides.

How have partners and the role of an Affiliate Manager changed during your work in the industry?

From what I have seen, strong partners have become much more focused on the economics of a partnership. Today, teams are not looking at the payout alone. They assess the product, transparency of the terms, speed of communication, and potential for scaling.

As a result, the role of an Affiliate Manager has changed as well. It is no longer enough to simply share an offer and stay available. The manager needs to understand traffic, be comfortable with the numbers, help affiliates identify growth opportunities, and spot potential issues in time.

Is it true that strong partners leave only because they find better terms elsewhere?

I do not agree. The payout matters, but if a setup delivers consistent results and the partnership itself works smoothly, a small difference in CPA is not necessarily enough to make a partner switch.

For me, long-term partnerships are built on trust and predictability. Affiliates need to understand what is happening with their traffic, receive honest feedback, and see that the program is interested not only in volume, but also in the overall efficiency of the cooperation.

You work extensively with Tier-1. What is the advice you give partners most often when scaling in these markets?

Do not scale a setup before its performance has been validated. Traffic costs are higher and competition is tougher in Tier-1, while quality requirements are stricter. The first step is to understand what works for a specific GEO, audience, and product – and only then increase the volume.

When performance starts to decline, I do not draw conclusions from a single metric. I look at Reg2Dep, LTV, and repeat activity, then check the traffic source, creatives, and tracking. Only after that do we decide what needs to change: the product or the way it is presented, whether to test another GEO, or whether to pause the setup.

One strategy cannot simply be replicated across different markets. In Tier-1, localization, payment habits, player behavior, and creative requirements can vary significantly from one region to another.

How do you assess a partner’s potential after a weak start?

I look not only at the initial performance, but also at how the webmaster responds to it.

A promising partner knows their metrics and audience, is open to communication, and is willing to test hypotheses. .

For me, a good sign is when a webmaster can explain exactly where the funnel underperformed after a weak test and suggest what should be changed. It shows that the team knows how to manage traffic rather than simply waiting for a different result.

Which changes in affiliate marketing over the past year have surprised you the most?

What has surprised me most is how quickly decisions now have to be made. You can no longer keep a weak setup running for too long in the hope that things will improve on their own.

More and more often, you need to identify the cause, test several hypotheses, and decide whether to continue the test, change the strategy, or stop the launch.

At the same time, it is still difficult to fully automate the work of an Affiliate Manager: the numbers show what happened, but the next steps often depend on context that cannot be captured by a single metric.

Advertising is changing as well: in Tier-1, native formats and content that builds audience trust are receiving more and more attention.

What part of an Affiliate Manager’s job happens “behind the scenes” and often goes unnoticed by others?

From the outside, the role of an Affiliate Manager may seem to be mostly about communication, meetings, and conferences. In reality, a significant part of the job involves numbers, coordination, and constantly managing expectations.

You are responsible for the outcome, but you do not have direct control over every part of it. It’s crucial to negotiate with affiliates, work with the internal team, check the details, and keep several areas in focus at the same time.

That is the part of the role that most often goes unnoticed from the outside.

What do you think the ideal partnership between an affiliate program and a webmaster will look like in a few years?

I think there will be fewer decisions based on intuition and more ones based on shared analytics.

The webmaster brings expertise, data, and an understanding of their audience, while the program brings product analytics and feedback.

The manager’s role, in turn, will focus on analyzing results and making decisions together.

Ultimately, the focus will gradually shift away from individual payouts and terms towards the overall effectiveness of the partnership.

TOP-3

Top 3 mistakes newcomers most often make in affiliate marketing

1. Waiting too long for the results to change on their own.
   If a launch is not profitable, it is important to reassess the strategy in time.

2. Not calculating the economics.
   A high CPA does not automatically make an offer profitable: LTV and traffic profitability also need to be taken into account.

3. Not documenting agreements and KPIs.
   From the very beginning, both sides should have a clear understanding of the terms and expectations.

Top 3 vital skills of a successful Affiliate Manager today

1. Analytics — to identify exactly where performance is being lost and spot successful cases.

2. Communication — to negotiate quickly and improve the effectiveness of the partnership.

3. Adaptability — to recognize when a solution is not working, move away from it in time, and test another approach.

Top 3 changes you expect to see in the affiliate industry in the coming years

1. AI and automation will be used more extensively.
   Less time will be spent on initial data analysis, identifying anomalies, and some creative-related tasks.

2. Traffic quality will become even more important than volume.
   Especially in Tier-1, where the cost of a mistake is higher.

3. There will be fewer one-size-fits-all strategies.
   Partners will take a deeper look at the specifics of GEOs, audiences, and formats.

Blitz

Start with small tests or scale right away?

Start with small tests. Scale only what has been validated.

Communication or analytics?

Analytics. But without proper communication, analytics does not turn into action.

High volume or LTV?

High LTV. Volume can be scaled, but there is no point in scaling an unprofitable setup.

Strict KPIs or flexibility?

Clear KPIs and flexibility. The goal should be clear, but the path to achieving it will not always be the same.

Cooperate with N1 Partners!

Want to scale your traffic, discuss terms, or test N1 Partners products? Discuss the details with Victoria. 

N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate platform and direct advertiser with more than 14 casino and betting brands. The company operates across Tier-1 markets and offers different partnership models, including CPA of up to €700 and RevShare of up to 55%. More than 14,000 partners worldwide choose N1 Partners for its transparency, flexibility, and open approach to partnerships.