COD-nutra RIP? Figuring it out with experts

“We've completely shifted into gambling”, “No more promoting COD, only Trial/SS” – these are phrases that could be heard from some arbitrageurs in 2023. We don't possess market statistics, but there's a feeling that a certain conviction is in the air: “COD-nutra RIP”. In this article, we’ll dispel this belief and explain why it's worth promoting COD in 2024 and how to extract a lot of $$$ from the vertical.

 

Experts assisting us in this:

 

• CEO of ProfitPay;
• Private Profit team;
• Tony, the founder of Epic-Media;
• Leonid, team lead of TrafficGate.

 

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Nutra is considered an evergreen vertical. Is this relevant for COD-nutra in 2023?

CEO of ProfitPay: 

 

If you open any article or video about nutra, everywhere is written that it's an evergreen subject. And we agree with that. COD-nutra in Tier-2 will thrive in 2024. The older generation of residents in these countries still hasn't gotten used to paying for purchases online, and SS will be able to replace COD only in a few years when a generational shift occurs.

 

 

According to our sources:

 

• FB — 75%;
• Google — 15%;
• teasers — 10%.

 

As expected, Facebook turned out to be the most popular source. 

 

Tony, the founder of Epic-Media: Yes, it’s relevant now and will be relevant in 2024. People don't want to undergo lengthy and expensive treatments, so they will always opt for “natural” remedies. I believe that the volumes of nutra promotion will only increase, as advertisers are adding new GEOs.

 

Private Profit team: The nutra vertical has been and will remain relevant because arbitrageurs constantly find new approaches, affiliate programs launch new GEOs, and new advertisers enter the market.

 

One can consider this vertical irrelevant only due to a lack of expertise or insufficient knowledge in this area.

 

 

The target audience of the nutra vertical in one meme.

 

What issues are currently observed with COD-nutra?

CEO of ProfitPay. At ProfitPay, we identify external challenges faced by webmasters, as well as ourselves, serving as direct advertisers. For example:

 

• In October 2023, there were parliamentary elections in Poland, and 80% of advertising slots were allocated for pre-election campaigns. As a result, CPS for our partners skyrocketed;
• In November, Meta introduced a paid subscription, which also cut into the reach of our partners;
• Black Friday.

 

All these factors influenced CPS, which noticeably increased in November.
 

As for the approval rate. Here, from year to year, we maintain stability: if the traffic is of high quality, ProfitPay will pleasantly surprise with high approval rates that you won't find in other networks.

 

We can even brag that in 2023, the approval rate for Low Price offers, on the contrary, increased for us.

 

Leonid, team lead of TrafficGate. I'll start with a phrase that I'll remember for the rest of my life:

 

 

Nutra is really more challenging now. Most problems are solved with smart split tests, non-trivial approaches to creatives, and hooks on landing pages.

 

Currently, it's difficult to achieve high ROI without a team. In 2023, the market is overall clearing out solo players – I believe this trend will continue.

 

Private Profit team. The first and main problem with nutra is the rapid burnout of approaches due to intense competition in auctions. This primarily happens with creatives that can be found in spy services. They quickly lose relevance with potential customers, and importantly, uniqueness for Facebook.

 

What is the currently acceptable ROI in the traffic source you are working with? 

CEO of ProfitPay. ROI depends on the offer category. Adult typically yields around 110%, joints are somewhere around 40-50%, and cholesterol ranges from 60%.

 

Leonid, team lead of TrafficGate. We scale combinations that provide ROI of at least 60%, aiming to bring them to 100%+.

 

Private Profit team. We appreciate any figures.

 

Nevertheless, at the testing stage, it’s more than acceptable to have ROI from 20% to 40%. After refining the combination, we scale it if it's profitable. If it's not, we move on to testing a new combination.

 

Why is it worth running COD-nutra in 2023, without necessarily switching to SS and Trial? 

CEO of ProfitPay. There are several reasons for this:

 

• SS/Trial is primarily Tier-1, so be prepared for expensive clicks and high competition;
• Working with SS/Trial requires large budgets for testing;
• SS/Trial lacks the variety of landings that COD has because in this nutra category, the customer enters card details. Therefore, the landings need to be secure, and you can't simply download them;
• Trial offers have a long hold – on average 2 weeks, while in COD there is typically no hold.

 

Leonid, team lead of TrafficGate. In my opinion, it's foolish to let go of a direction that, with the right effort, brings in substantial income.

 

Also, COD has a favorable entry threshold for tests, making it psychologically easier to run. I won't provide specific figures: we run campaigns in various GEOs, and the entry threshold varies everywhere. It's lowest in Africa.

 

 

Tony, the founder of Epic-Media. COD is familiar to people. Ordered → delivered for free → picked up and paid upon receipt. In SS/Trial, you need to enter card information — and now, from every corner you hear that it's not something you should do, it's dangerous. So, in my opinion, trust in COD offers is higher.

 

It's higher for another reason as well. It's one thing when you read the landing page, and another when you talk to a person (operator). Customers are told what they want to hear. Knees hurting for several years, and doctors can't do anything? Well, here's an ointment for you, and your knees will stop hurting in a month.

 

Payment upon receipt is also a plus. People don't buy a cat in a bag. Yes, the arbitrageur depends on the call center, but if you collaborate with a reputable advertiser — everything will be okay.

 

 

Private Profit team. We aren’t advocates of working exclusively with COD-nutra.

 

It’s possible to have good profit and positive ROIs in SS/Trial offers as well. The question is only about expertise and the conditions you have.

 

Do you believe that 80% of the success in running COD campaigns is attributed to a good advertiser? What criteria define a good advertiser?

CEO of ProfitPay. No, I don't agree :) 90% of success comes from a reputable advertiser. We don't diminish the efforts of arbitrageurs in finding the right combination, etc., but if you drive traffic into an unscrupulous network or advertiser, you might end up with “nothing”.
 

After all, in COD, everything depends on the approval made by the call center. Therefore, choose networks where:

• native speakers work. This is especially relevant for Tier-2 countries: their residents can immediately recognize non-native speakers, even if they have a great accent;
• there is a high approval rate on offers. Don't rely solely on the payout amount — consider the approval rate as well.

I'll give you a straightforward case example. A webmaster approached us to clarify the conditions for the cholesterol offer. He said he’d accept a $37 rate with a 35% approval.

 

However, our rate for this offer is $30, but the approval rate is 55%. Let's calculate:

 

• 1000 total leads * 35% * $37 = 12 950 USD
• 1000 total leads * 55% * $30 = 16 500 USD

 

Therefore, always look for offers with high approval rates. The payout doesn't always play the leading role.

 

 

Tony, the founder of Epic-Media. Yes, I agree. 80% of success in running COD campaigns is attributed to the advertiser who takes a responsible approach to the work, namely:

 

1. Listens to webmasters. Introduces offers upon request. Allows testing an offer before it’s released to the public.
2. Shows pre-landers to operators so they are aware of the knowledge and attitudes the person will come with.
3. Ensures there is no traffic overflow. For example, a good advertiser will prevent a situation where the team generated 500 leads, but they could only process 250.

 

A good advertiser has a short shipping time – thanks to this, the buyout % is higher. If you send a package a week after the call, few will pick up the goods at the post office. Such practices of dishonest advertisers also affect arbitrageurs because they are later blamed for “the bad traffic”.

 

Moreover, a good advertiser calls customers not only during processing but also when the product is shipped and when it arrives at the post office.

 

A reliable advertiser consistently delivers high approval rates. They are worth the weight of gold.

 

 

Leonid, team lead of TrafficGate. My criteria for a good advertiser:

 

1. Always provides a selection of relevant offers.
2. Provides up-to-date statistics on approval rates.
3. Has its own call center that delivers the promised approvals.
4. Is prompt in resolving emerging questions and issues.
5. Pays consistently.

 

Private Profit team. Focus only on your improvement, on the quality and volume of your traffic.

 

We work with advertisers and affiliate programs that are beneficial for us. It may sound obvious, but sometimes arbitrageurs agree to conditions that are knowingly disadvantageous for them.

 

We pre-negotiate mutually beneficial conditions that both parties must adhere to.

 

What mistakes do arbitrageurs make when running COD nutra campaigns?

 

CEO of ProfitPay. The first mistake is the absence of tests before the launch. The webmaster started the advertising, drained the budget, but the offers bounced with the wrong GEO and didn't make it to the call. More precisely, they did make it but with a delay, and it wasn’t possible to achieve good approval.

 

Many arbitrageurs also take landings from SPY services in other GEOs. They launch advertising, and it doesn't convert. When we start investigating and ask for the landing to be checked, voila — part of the text in the middle is not translated, for example, from Russian. It looks like this: first, there is Polish text, then suddenly Russian, then Polish again.

Moreover, translations, even through tools like DeepL, still require verification from a native speaker. Therefore, clarify with the advertiser or affiliate network if there is an opportunity to have your landing page proofreaded.

 

Private Profit team. Arbitrageurs make several mistakes:

 

❌ Incorrect choice of GEO and its testing. If we consider working solo, we’d advise choosing GEOs with low CPM (managers of affiliate programs can provide guidance on such GEOs). This minimizes risks and preserves your turnover. If your turnover allows, you can choose more expensive GEOs, relying on the recommendations of experienced individuals or affiliate program managers, but all at your own risk. Each GEO has its peculiarities, and understanding them comes with experience.

 

And only after finding the optimal GEO do we proceed to scaling.

 

❌ Incorrect setup for launching. A non-functional setup can shift the focus from finding a combination to searching for problems with bans, for example. We recommend such a setup:

 

• test setup: USA autoregs + USA bins + USA proxies. After the ad is active, link the account to a king, messenger, or through a BM;
• scaling setup: PZRKing + BM.

 

❌ Lack of patience and emotional control. With each passing year, working with nutra becomes more challenging: approval rates drop, webmaster knowledge quickly loses relevance, and traffic sources tighten the screws.

 

In the arbitrage market, it's always essential to stay one step ahead of competitors and pay due attention to finding new solutions. For example, if mass rejections are occurring, powerful players are the first to find a solution to the problem.

 

Tony, the founder of Epic-Media. Let me list a few mistakes.

 

❌ Not customizing pre-landers. This mistake is most often made by beginners, but sometimes even experienced teams. They take a pre-lander from a spy tool and start running it.

 

Or they take a pre-lander from an affiliate network. But usually, affiliate networks provide landers that have either been found in a spy tool or have been run by other affiliates in the past.

 

Simply taking a pre-lander and running it as is isn’t acceptable.

 

❌ They don't specify who can be used in pre-landers and who cannot. For the sake of a good ROI, you can't step on people's toes.

 

❌ They don't listen to operator comments. If there's low approval, there's no need to rack your brains; just ask for feedback from the call center. Perhaps you just need to set the age target in the settings for 10 years older.

 

What relevant tips can you provide for running COD-nutra campaigns?

CEO of ProfitPay. There are several important fundamentals you need to know to run COD offers successfully.

 

Study the offer and target audience. It's essential to understand all the pros and cons of the chosen offer and have a good understanding of the target audience. This will help answer questions such as: 

 

• How will we promote the offer?
• What can make it resonate with the audience?

 

Imagine the ideal customer. What are his interests? What are his values? What are the main challenges he faces in life? How can your product help solve these problems?

 

Also, consider the peculiarities of the GEO. For example, in Poland, many people may place numerous orders over the weekend, but they might only answer the consultant's call on Monday.

 

Test. Based on the chosen offer and audience, we can start looking for an approach to run campaigns. It's important to conduct many tests and search for the best approaches. Test creatives, pre-landers, and landing pages. 

 

Sometimes even a small phrase can be crucial. If you have an idea of how to run the offer better, you can always reach out to your managers – they will help fulfill your request. For example, you can specify a different discount percentage or organize a promotion in tandem with another offer.

 

It's also essential to periodically change targeting and test the audience. If you don't hit the target audience, the approach won't work. 

 

Analyze. It's crucial to be able to analyze all the data you receive. You can focus on more effective strategies by understanding which traffic sources, creatives, and keywords yield the best results.

 

Monitor changes in the GEO you are targeting. It's important to keep track of all events in your target GEO. If you can adapt your advertising to a specific event or holiday, it can significantly improve your conversion.

 

Get ready to play the long game. COD may require patience. Develop long-term strategies and always stay in touch with your manager, who’s always ready to help you avoid losses. Our managers can directly contact the call center, send your lander for review, provide hints on possible errors, and advise on how to fix them.

 

We also recommend warming up the account and running on small spends until you find traction. In this case, there is a low probability that you’ll lose the audience you've hooked.

 

Keep an eye on the BM, clean up comments, and try to create all ads specifically for the target you're advertising to.

 

 

Tony, the founder of Epic-Media:A lot depends on the advertiser's call center, but not everything. 

 

✅ Take into account the situation in the country. Keep an eye on the news. 

 

✅ Consider seasonality. For example, before New Year, people spend money on gifts for their loved ones, they are not interested in enlargers or weight loss products. This can cause a drop in the ROI for arbitrageurs. 

 

✅ Invent new combinations. These days, one combination doesn't last more than six months, a longer lifespan is impossible. After spending around $20k, you already need to change the landing pages. Constant testing will allow you to run nutra profitably.

 

✅ Customize your pre-landers. Even if you don't know how or don't have the budget to create a pre-lander from scratch, start small. Take a pre-lander, upload it to Keitaro, and change the person's photo. Or slightly modify the story. For example, instead of “Chinese scientist invented a miracle remedy”, write “Student was expelled for developing a miraculous drug” and adjust the story accordingly.

 

✅ Keep learning. Look at the approaches of others. For this, there is AdHeart or the free FB* library. Study the GEO you are working with. 

 

In general, advice should be given by affiliate managers from affiliate networks.

 

We are profitable because we communicate well with our affiliate managers. They are the ones who know which offer currently has good statistics for other affiliates, which offer has promotions, and so on. 

 

Private Profit team. Here are some insights from Private Profit:

 

✅ Carefully study the cases and experiences of other webmasters. Of course, these should be real cases, not fictional ones. You can gain insights from the experiences of other arbitrageurs through communication, primarily at conferences. 

 

✅ Analyze the work done, identify mistakes, and work on correcting them. Keep track of records: how much money was spent, how much was earned. This way, you will understand precisely where the problem lies. 

 

✅ Don't take on all GEOs and offers you see, even if the conditions are attractive. Learn to work with one country / several countries with a similar mentality, let's say LatAm. Only then move on to Asia, CIS, Europe. 

 

✅ Focus on one thing to avoid defocusing. Trying to master Facebook* ads, Google PPC, and converting nutra with push traffic all at once is a recipe for failure.

 

 

Leonid, team lead of TrafficGate. FB* advice: don't skimp on consumables, build robust setups for testing, and scale them.

 

Don't be afraid to spend money on tests.

 

Before launching, study the GEO. We first look at the language spoken by local residents. After that, we examine whether locals use only Facebook or both Facebook and Instagram*. Next, we analyze the most common health issues in the country. 

 

Pay attention to the internet speed in the GEO. It’ll determine whether locals will load the video creative or just scroll past it in their feed. 

 

TOP ProfitPay offers 

 

At ProfitPay, you’ll find proprietary offers for Poland and the Czech Republic. We constantly create new products and update old ones through packaging redesign, for example. As a direct advertiser, we’re interested in ensuring that our products appeal to buyers.

 

Register in the affiliate program and start running campaigns. Here are several offers for Poland:

 

• Vigordic (Full price) —capsules for potency. AR: 54.3%. Rate: $26;
• A-cardin (Full price) —capsules for normalizing cholesterol levels. AR: 56.7%. Rate: $26;
• Glukofin (Low price) — capsules to help fight diabetes. AR: 21.7%. Rate: from $16.5;
• Reviten Forte (Low price) — capsules for relieving joint pain. AR: 19,4%. Rate: from $15.

 

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