Seeking Help Where are the actual media buyers hanging out in 2026?

[Alexandr_TraffKnights]

Hey everyone! Affiliate manager from the advertiser side here (iGaming Tier-1).

We’re trying to diversify our traffic sources right now and step away from the usual affiliate networks to work with media buyers directly. But finding solo guys or teams who actually run their own FB/PPC campaigns (and aren't just brokering traffic) is getting super hard.

Are forums like this basically the only place left for direct networking? Or are there specific private communities or groups you guys recommend for finding legit T1 traffic without wading through endless spam?

 

[T J Tutor]

Are forums like this basically the only place left for direct networking?

We have been migrating, as an industry, over the past ten years to a model closely resembling the brick and mortar established practice of relationship building. The networks will always be around, but some like you are adding direct relationships with media buyers. Most don't look to move away from the networks, but simply add a new department for developing and maintaining direct relationships with media buyers.

Developing those relationships is very hands on. Media buyers want responsible relationships as they spend big, very big, when they make financial commitments. My recommendation is to not move away from affiliate networks, but to keep them as strategic partners as you build the additional resources in the media buying community.

As for where are they, they are literally everywhere. LinkedIn, FB, X, forums, etc., etc. Anywhere you go, there will be certain restrictions with regards to soliciting and/or recruiting from members and you will need to learn and implement the policies of each platform before attempting to utilize them for recruiting. You are moving into a different area and it generally requires a very different approach and execution. For example, here we require all vendors of any kind to be registered as a member and registered as an approved vendor before having permission to solicit and/or recruit from the membership. Vetting is quickly becoming an international standard everywhere where registering as a platform member also requires registering as a business before promoting to the memberships. The affiliate networks everywhere have to do this wherever they recruit. We do it here, the other forums do it, the social platforms have their own sets of policies in this regard. None of it is difficult. It's just doing business responsibly.

So, I recommend making a list. A list of every social platform, forum, SaaS platform, etc. Then, start with one at a time understanding their individual requirements. Find a few media buyers on the platform(s) you start with and begin refining your approach, your pitch, etc. Remember this, and I have been at this for more than 50 years (yes, I am an old fart), "Sell the company, sell the proposal, sell yourself, and you won't have to sell the price!". Always start the relationship pitch with your being ready to get things done and that you are eager to work towards one another's growth.

I know many will read this and think, "man that's complicated". IT IS NOT! This is what true business people do and have done for many thousands of years. Know that when starting out of your driveway, you drive a little slower that when you ramp up onto the highway. It is the same in business. Every department, when started, needs to be "ramped up:" from it's starting position and the advice I have outlined above is how it gets done every time.

 

[Alexandr_TraffKnights]

We have been migrating, as an industry, over the past ten years to a model closely resembling the brick and mortar established practice of relationship building. The networks will always be around, but some like you are adding direct relationships with media buyers. Most don't look to move away from the networks, but simply add a new department for developing and maintaining direct relationships with media buyers.

Developing those relationships is very hands on. Media buyers want responsible relationships as they spend big, very big, when they make financial commitments. My recommendation is to not move away from affiliate networks, but to keep them as strategic partners as you build the additional resources in the media buying community.

As for where are they, they are literally everywhere. LinkedIn, FB, X, forums, etc., etc. Anywhere you go, there will be certain restrictions with regards to soliciting and/or recruiting from members and you will need to learn and implement the policies of each platform before attempting to utilize them for recruiting. You are moving into a different area and it generally requires a very different approach and execution. For example, here we require all vendors of any kind to be registered as a member and registered as an approved vendor before having permission to solicit and/or recruit from the membership. Vetting is quickly becoming an international standard everywhere where registering as a platform member also requires registering as a business before promoting to the memberships. The affiliate networks everywhere have to do this wherever they recruit. We do it here, the other forums do it, the social platforms have their own sets of policies in this regard. None of it is difficult. It's just doing business responsibly.

So, I recommend making a list. A list of every social platform, forum, SaaS platform, etc. Then, start with one at a time understanding their individual requirements. Find a few media buyers on the platform(s) you start with and begin refining your approach, your pitch, etc. Remember this, and I have been at this for more than 50 years (yes, I am an old fart), "Sell the company, sell the proposal, sell yourself, and you won't have to sell the price!". Always start the relationship pitch with your being ready to get things done and that you are eager to work towards one anothers growth.

I know many will read this and think, "man that's complicated". IT IS NOT! This is what true business people do and have done for many thousands of years. Know that when starting out of your driveway, you drive a little slower that when you ramp up onto the highway. It is the same in business. Every department, when started, needs to be "ramped up:" from it's starting position and the advice I have outlined above is how it gets dome every time.

Thanks, I really appreciate it!

 

[miketorres]

I run popup/push campaigns (PropellerAds/Adsterra mostly), Tier 1 geos. Here's where I actually spend time:

Forums I check regularly:
- AffiliateFix (obviously)
- STM Forum (paid, but worth it — lots of active media buyers there)

Networks' private Telegram groups — if you work with a network and you have active campaigns running, they'll usually add you to their media buyer groups. That's where I've met most of the direct partnerships I have now.

What makes me want to work direct:
- You actually understand the flow (not just passing through offers you don't know)
- Fast payouts (net-7 or better)
- You're responsive when I have questions about cap changes or geo performance
- You let me test without huge minimums

T.J.'s advice is solid. The media buyers you want aren't posting "looking for offers" threads — they're deep in their campaigns. If you want to pull them out of networks, you need to offer something better than what the network already gives them (speed, communication, flexibility, or higher payouts).

 

[Shree Cateres]

In 2026, real media buyers hang out in private Slack groups, Discord servers, paid masterminds, X inner circles, and WhatsApp communities, where trusted members share real strategies, data, and results privately.