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Why Do Advertisers Scrub Leads? The Basics About Scrubbing!

Samrath Gupta

Active Member
Hey Ninja's,

So, You're working with a good network but your conversion rates have decreased ?

Are you no more making as much you used to make few days back ?

ARE you getting ROBBED?

ALERT! Maybe the "SCRUB" is behind it!

So What is SCRUB and Why you should care/know about it ?

Basically a SCRUB means: When an advertiser take's your info and compare it with his existing database, If the leads you're giving him is already in their database, then the advertiser won't give you credit for that lead. You don't get paid for that particular lead because advertiser already has that person/email in his database.

What you read above was a fair thing done by advertisers. BUT.. Its not the END!

Sometimes Advertisers scrub your leads without any specific reason!

Shocking eh? Yes, It's true!

Many Advertisers will scrub your leads because they love money so much that they dont feel like giving it away! Some Advertisers will tell you some sort of fairy tale making you look like you did all the Cr@p to them and you are responsible for that and lot more.....

How you can protect yourself from this?

Well, Honestly till now I have not found any concrete method to save myself from the "SCRUB". Tho, You can do a few basic things to protect yourself:

  • Always split test your offers
  • Maintain good relationship with your manager so that If you smell something suspicious you can talk with him/her and sometimes your manager will himself give you hints that you are being robbed :D
  • If you get $10 for an offer from "X" network and the same offer you see on "Y" network for $15 then there are high chances that you'll see scrub because Advertiser will maintain their budget by scrubbing your leads. So, If you see 10 conversions on "X" network then you will probably see 3-4 Conversions on "Y" network!
  • FINALLY! If you feel like you are being scrubbed without any proper REASON!... Then its time to MOVE ON!
 
Usually I finds networks scrub leads to make money (this is main way they stay business) or if lead is duplicates. Or to make up for bad traffics/low convertions of the traffic.
 
Good post. We had issues before with scrubbing...direct advertisers will do this too and it causes a lot of problems when they wait until the end of the month. I think it is all about being very selective about whom you work with and ramping volume up slowly as the relationship grows and gets stronger. I only work with those that are good communicators and your points are great and should be followed as well. There are a lot of shady things going on but if you don’t feed them, they usually die.
 
also to amend to this post. if you are having problems with conversions....contact your AM first. There are many times when it is simply a postback issue.
 
Usually I finds networks scrub leads to make money (this is main way they stay business) or if lead is duplicates. Or to make up for bad traffics/low convertions of the traffic.

Hey- Let me correct you, There is a difference between SCRUBBING and LEAD SHAVING!!

What you said is called Lead Shaving.. Not Scrubbing..

Networks dont scrub.They shave leads :)
 
Yes, some advertisers scrub leads and some networks shave leads but a lot of people use the terms shave and scrub interchangeably. That's totally understandable because both terms theoretically mean the same thing - affiliates aren't getting paid for leads. But I do have to say that it's the advertisers' prerogative to determine whether a lead should be paid or not - it's their advertising dollars that are paying for leads. But networks that shave leads and don't pay for the ones for which they're being paid is absolutely, completely unacceptable.
 
That's a great post thanks for sharing it!
Hey since you guy's are here the one thing that gets me pissed and is why I do not run email submits anymore is.

How can a network call a path offer a email submit?
Then need to cal it a path offer and pay it accordingly !
Here the poor affiliate is thinking all he need is a email and it converts mean while 7 offers in the path later and the visitor gives up
and no conversions.

How can I tell the difference between a legit email submit and a path offer on your network?
Or do you call them email submits?

I am not trying to put you on the chopping block just looking for some incite.
Thanks guys'
 
That's a great post thanks for sharing it!
Hey since you guy's are here the one thing that gets me pissed and is why I do not run email submits anymore is.

How can a network call a path offer a email submit?
Then need to cal it a path offer and pay it accordingly !
Here the poor affiliate is thinking all he need is a email and it converts mean while 7 offers in the path later and the visitor gives up
and no conversions.

How can I tell the difference between a legit email submit and a path offer on your network?
Or do you call them email submits?

I am not trying to put you on the chopping block just looking for some incite.
Thanks guys'

Believe me, I feel your pain. The truth is that there are no true email submit offers anymore. Why advertisers and networks still label them as such, I'll never know. We now put all of those types of offers under the Surveys category. I really think they've always been path offers but, in the beginning, a long time ago, the email addresses themselves were worth something so they were willing to pay for those with the hope that the users would also continue along the path and make money for the advertisers. When that didn't happen they stopped paying unless offers along the path were completed. This also means that there's a good possibility that they're rev share offers so the payouts aren't going to be high. Not all of them are rev share, but some are, definitely.
 
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