A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service and software that provides a secure encrypted connection to a network, allowing users to bypass certain local restrictions. Essentially, when a VPN is activated, your IP address is replaced with a virtual address from the chosen network. For example, if a website is blocked in Russia, by obtaining a German IP, you can freely access it, circumventing the restriction.
Since June 1st, Roskomnadzor has once again started blocking popular VPN services (in fact, it did so back in 2021 as well). This means that the popularity of VPN offers will likely increase. Therefore, affiliate marketers and webmasters should pay attention to this trend in order to capitalize on the growing interest.
What models are common in VPN offers?
There are several models that advertisers of VPN services and affiliate programs commonly use. You can choose from:
- CPS (Cost Per Sale): In this model, you receive a payout when a user pays for a VPN subscription.
- CPI (Cost Per Install): Payout for app or software installations. To earn a payout, you need to attract users who install the mobile app, browser plugin, or standalone software.
- CC Submit (Credit Card Submit): In this model, the user needs to provide their credit card details after the trial period ends. It is a more challenging model to work with, but the payouts are higher.
- PIN Submit: This model is suitable for working with mobile devices. Payout occurs when the referred user sends an SMS to confirm the subscription purchase.
- Revenue Share: A common earning model where you receive a portion of the advertiser's revenue as long as the user keeps paying their monthly subscription. It's a profitable model for those seeking a steady income and are accustomed to long-term work.
Choosing a VPN offer
Choosing a VPN offer is no different from choosing an offer in any other vertical. The first question to decide is whether to work with a direct advertiser or a CPA network. In the former case, you might get higher rates, while in the latter, you'll receive support at every stage, access to creative development upon request, information about successful combinations, and experiences of other arbitrageurs. Moreover, by working with a CPA network, you can test multiple offers and select the most profitable one for you or work with several brands simultaneously.
What else should you consider when choosing an offer? First and foremost, assess the brand's popularity. To do this, you can check the number of product installations and user reviews in the app stores.
What else should you consider when choosing an offer? First and foremost, assess the brand's popularity. To do this, you can check the number of product installations and user reviews in the app stores.
- Payout Rate: A higher payout may seem better, but be prepared for more thorough traffic checks and stricter KPI requirements.
- Payment Model: CPA can bring money here and now, but RevShare can help you earn more. However, the latter option requires specific knowledge and working capital.
- Offer Conditions: Check the KPI requirements and prohibited traffic sources. It's possible that certain channels, such as social networks or contextual advertising, are not allowed. This means the advertiser is promoting their offer through those channels and doesn't want competition from you.
Sources and approaches
There are no restrictions on the choice of traffic sources for VPN offers. It is considered a white vertical and is accepted by moderation on platforms like Yandex, VK, Google (for SEO), and others.
Hence, there is no need to worry about account bans, site penalization, etc. Ultimately, the choice of traffic source will depend solely on the specific offer conditions. In any case, you need to determine where your target audience is located.
What sources can be used?
When working with international audiences, familiar and widely used advertising platforms like Google and Facebook can be utilized.
There can be multiple approaches. The most common ones include offering data protection, providing a functional VPN, or enabling access to blocked websites. An important condition for successful work is creating attractive creatives and testing them.
Therefore, it's essential to keep an eye on spy tools to see what other arbitrageurs are currently using. Another option is to create VPN review websites and promote them using low-frequency or mid-frequency keywords.
Hence, there is no need to worry about account bans, site penalization, etc. Ultimately, the choice of traffic source will depend solely on the specific offer conditions. In any case, you need to determine where your target audience is located.
What sources can be used?
- Social networks
- Contextual advertising
- SEO
- Messengers (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, etc.)
- Push notifications
- In-app advertising
When working with international audiences, familiar and widely used advertising platforms like Google and Facebook can be utilized.
There can be multiple approaches. The most common ones include offering data protection, providing a functional VPN, or enabling access to blocked websites. An important condition for successful work is creating attractive creatives and testing them.
Therefore, it's essential to keep an eye on spy tools to see what other arbitrageurs are currently using. Another option is to create VPN review websites and promote them using low-frequency or mid-frequency keywords.
Questions and answers
Bogdan, Junior Affiliate Manager at MyLead
What are VPN offers at the moment?
This is a great moment to earn through traffic arbitrage! By looking at the statistics of search queries, it's evident that people are interested in VPN, making it easier to drive traffic to VPN offers. Of course, the auction will be crowded, leading to increased competition, and attracting new users over time will become more challenging.
What does the funnel look like? What payment models do VPN offers work on?
The funnel in VPN offers is very promising. There are plenty of opportunities to earn!
Cost Per Install (CPI): The easiest way to earn from VPN offers. Suitable for beginners in arbitrage or those who have not worked with these offers before. The user only needs to download the application, and the money will be credited to you.
CC Submit (Credit Card Submit): After the trial period of the VPN service, the user will be asked to enter their credit card details. This allows you to earn even more.
PIN Submit (Phone Number Confirmation): The user sends an SMS confirmation to purchase the subscription. Payouts are similar to CC Submit. Suitable for mobile devices.
Cost Per Sale (CPS): The user must purchase a VPN service subscription. You receive a fixed payment for their action - the purchase. Payouts are more attractive in these offers.
Revenue Share: The arbitrageur will receive a percentage of the subscriptions purchased by the user. It can be said that this is one of the most popular payout methods in VPN offers. It's a long-term strategy. Find a successful combination → scale it up → forget about it and withdraw your hard-earned income every month!
How saturated is this niche at the moment? Perhaps, everyone who wanted a VPN has already installed one?
In my opinion, at the moment, I can't say that the niche is heavily saturated. Newcomers are unlikely to enter this niche as the "arbitrage gurus" suggest that one should focus on gambling, as that's where you can really earn money.
Guys who keep an eye on trends and understand what users need are running VPN offers, and that's precisely internet security and bypassing restrictions, especially when it comes to Russia.
And no, not everyone has installed VPNs yet. In the world, VPN services will always be in demand as long as the Internet exists, which is highly unlikely to disappear. However, each time, one needs to find the right approaches to achieve their desired conversions. Work smart, earn more.
Which sources and approaches show the best results in such offers?
VPN offers can be run using various advertising formats. However, based on my experience with push notifications (Push Ads), I would prefer this type of traffic.
Examples of creatives for VPN offers:
"Your old VPN got blocked? Not a problem. Get the new one, and we won't get blocked."
"Access to Blocked Resources in Your Country"
"Internet Security, as a Reminder"
Ulyana Moreva, CMO at Zeydoo
What are VPN offers at the moment? What does the funnel look like, and what are these products in general?
Currently, these are regular applications that have a built-in service for protecting your internet connection and ensuring privacy online. Like in most services, it needs to be activated to work. In the free version, there is usually only one country or a couple of less popular countries with a small set of IP addresses. In the paid versions, you can choose practically any country.
Speaking directly about the offer and funnel, it's a regular application placed on the App Store or Google Play. Yes, there are applications that can be downloaded from websites (and they have their advantages in terms of approach to driving traffic), but a significant portion strives to be listed in the official app stores to at least increase trust in the application. The funnel looks simple: ad campaign - pre-lander (if necessary) - transition to the app store or landing page for further action.
What payment models do VPN offers work on?
Such offers are most often paid based on CPI (Cost Per Install) with specific KPIs or CPA (Cost Per Action) for subscription purchase or trial sign-ups. It's essential to understand that if you work on a CPI basis, KPIs for the offer will be quite stringent in 90% of cases. Typically, this involves a specific percentage of Retention Rate on certain days or a minimum conversion of the audience to a subscription. Why are KPIs necessary for offers? When working with payment per install, there is a significant chance that the traffic may not be profitable for the advertiser. Like any businessperson, the advertiser tries to protect their investment, and KPIs are basic fraud detection patterns. On the other hand, if we talk about CPA, there are no strict KPIs. Advertisers often set indicators based on the percentage of rebills (subscription renewals).
How saturated is this niche at the moment? Perhaps, has everyone who wanted a VPN already installed it?
The niche is quite saturated, but there is always a chance to enter it if you know how to acquire cheap leads. Since the payouts on such offers are not significant, the cost per lead plays a crucial role. Currently, VPNs are popular in the following countries: USA, India, United Arab Emirates, Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Egypt. This is based on the statistics from the affiliate program and feedback from various advertisers. New VPN services are constantly emerging, and existing popular services experience some customer churn as they seek something new. Some VPNs may lack certain countries, have high subscription prices, or have inconvenient interfaces - there are many reasons for users to explore alternatives.
Which sources and approaches show the best results in such offers?
I can highlight two main sources that I am 100 percent confident in: push notifications and native ads.
If we are talking about push notifications, the best approach is using system creatives or so-called "scary + prelander" method with a recommendation to protect one's connection. System creatives are push notifications adapted to look like incoming messages on the user's phone, while "scary" creatives use small scare tactics, where the user receives a message that their internet connection is suspicious or unprotected, urging them to click a button to learn more. After clicking on the creative, the user is redirected to a prelander, where a strong recommendation to install a VPN service is presented. While such approaches can be used in creatives, they should not be employed on prelanders, as misleading content could result in the application being removed from the app store. This is essential to remember.
Unity is an excellent platform with in-app advertising. With a reach of 2.6 billion devices worldwide and 23 billion ad impressions monthly, it sounds promising, doesn't it? Here, the approach is similar to working with Google - no misleading or scary creatives. Ad content should be highly relevant, and the redirect goes directly to the app store with the application.
Speaking generally about the niche, it is one of the relatively older and not the most stable ones. There are ups and downs, but one thing is for sure - it won't be overcrowded or die out. Due to the diversity and vast size of the VPN provider market, it's challenging to pinpoint the exact number of VPN users worldwide. However, it is estimated that out of the 5 billion internet users globally, around 1.2 billion have been using VPNs since 2022. Currently, the combined consumer and corporate VPN market is estimated to be at least $43 billion worldwide, and the trend is upward. If no unforeseen events occur, the turnover is expected to grow to $96.2 billion by 2027.
Elena, Business Development Manager at AdCombo
What are VPN offers at the moment? What does the funnel look like, and what are these products in general?
Most often, VPN services are applications for phones, computers, or browser extensions. The most common model is the subscription-based approach, where significant discounts are offered for annual or semi-annual subscriptions. Currently, this is one of the few offers that all of us use without exception. It is likely that the same story applies to Titan Gel, but they prefer not to talk about it 🙂
What payment models do VPN offers work on?
Such offers are most often delivered on a CPI (Cost Per Install) basis with specific KPIs or on a CPA (Cost Per Action) model for subscription purchases or trial sign-ups. It's important to understand that when working on a CPI basis, the KPIs for the offer can be quite challenging in 90% of cases. These KPIs often include a certain percentage of Retention Rate on specific days or a minimum conversion of the audience to subscriptions. Why are KPIs necessary for an offer? When dealing with payment per installation, there's a high probability that the advertiser's traffic may not be profitable. Like any business owner, the advertiser tries to protect their investment, and setting KPIs helps identify fraudulent patterns. On the other hand, when working on a CPA basis, there are usually no strict KPIs, and advertisers often focus on the percentage of rebills (subscription renewals) as a key metric.
How saturated is this niche at the moment? Perhaps, has everyone who wanted a VPN already installed it?
This niche is growing every year. Any government restriction instantly gives birth to millions of new users who are willing to pay for VPN services for years ahead just to keep access to their favorite online platforms.
Which sources and approaches show the best results in such offers?
There are plenty of approaches for promotion, from data protection to accessing the hottest websites. Based on our experience, push notifications with pre-landers work excellently. The approach with mobile apps also performs well, utilizing in-app traffic, User Acquisition Campaigns (UAC), and TikTok marketing.
Utilities are much easier to promote on almost any traffic source. So, if you're tired of endlessly cloaking, VPN is something you must definitely try to run, at least once in your life.
Conclusion
VPN services are always attractive to users, especially now, with Roskomnadzor actively cracking down on them. Therefore, such offers can generate good income for virtually any affiliate marketer. Depending on your experience, available budget, and offer conditions, you can utilize almost any traffic source: the key is to capture the user's attention and motivate them to take the desired action.