Would like some insight on working with advertisers directly since everyone recommends to do so after you get things going.
How are payments handled? What do you usually try to negotiate for?
I assume they can legally not pay you if they don't feel like it. How do you minimize this risk? Send small traffic at first?
And anything else that is important to know when dealing with advertisers directly. Thank you.
Payments tend to be wicked slow in comparison to networks - 30 days or worse is usual. However, like all things it can be negotiated. (This also depends on vertical to some extent.)
They can't exactly decide not to pay you legally, assuming you have some kind of contract, but proving that they're cheating you can be really tough. When going direct it's a very good idea to ask around as to whether the advertiser has a good reputation for paying before you sign up.
Going direct can be a pain and I personally stopped doing it a lot. Payment terms usually simply suck, both the hold-back period and payment options offered. You have to deal with a lot of advertisers, some have multiple products, some just one, but never as much as any small aff network. They also usually have less AMs so it takes time to get something from them etc ...
I would recommend to go direct only when you find a really good offer that has lots of ground for scaling, then it makes a lot of sense.
But generally speaking, I prefer working with affiliate networks - they protect you in a way, pay fast, have tons of offers for testing and once you prove you can deliver solid volume, they will lower their margins a lot so you are not loosing all that much compared to going direct.