Affiliate Interview Series: Matt | geegeez

[GPWA Aaron]

Age: 41
Hometown: Bournemouth, U.K.
Living in: London
Favorite Food: Curry
Sites:
geegeez.co.uk
onlinebettingexposed.com
onlineracingreview.com
horseracingman.com
horse-racing.ie

When did you launch your sites?
In 2006. Geegeez began in late 2008 and has been the flagship site since.

How did you become involved in the industry?
I was always interested in sports betting and wanted to combine my passion with business.

How long did it take for you to start earning money?
I started earning straightaway, by creating a betting product (eBook). But earning from gambling affiliate programs didn’t really kick in until 2011.

You’ve described yourself as being passionate about the sport of horse racing and have said that you also love betting. When did you attend your first race, and when did you place your first bet?
Because we can bet off course here in the U.K., my first bet was a long time before my first racetrack attendance. I placed my first bet – via my uncle – when I was about eight. My first racetrack attendance was at Sandown Park, which remains one of my favorite tracks.

While your stated goal in running your sites is to assist other punters in turning a profit, how often do you place your own bets based on tips and stats that appear on your sites?
Every day! I co-author Stat of the Day, which is an excellent daily insight that maybe can’t be easily discerned from the past performances. We’re always able to get a value price, which is why we’re showing over 100 points profit to one unit level stakes.

Have you considered targeting other gaming verticals? Or do you plan to keep to horse racing sites?
I have considered it, and will get to it, but for now there’s still plenty to do in making geegeez.co.uk a “go-to” site for U.K. horse racing.

One of the regular features of your site is "The Punting Confessional." Can you describe that feature of your site?
Punting Confessional is a way to learn from the mistakes of a professional gambler. Tony, the author, takes topical events/meets and highlights lessons he’s learned in relation to them. It’s always a candid, entertaining and compelling feature, and I’ve learned plenty from it myself!

What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate program?
I’m looking for an affiliate manager to understand what I’m interested in (horse racing), and to help me promote their product in relation to my audience. An affiliate program should have cross-vertical commission, and an ongoing array of topical and “hardy perennial” offers to promote.

What advice can you offer people who are just starting up in the industry?
Give value! Every site has a “review” of different bookies/programs. Offer content related to the vertical you’re in, and engage with your audience before asking them to open an account.

You joined the GPWA earlier this year. What prompted you to become a member? How has being a member helped you? Also, we appreciate the prominence you give the GPWA Seal on the geegeez home page!
I’m delighted to promote the GPWA Seal on my home page, because I believe our industry needs some degree of self-moderation. That’s what prompted me to join, and I believe that membership adds a further level of credibility to geegeez.co.uk.

What do you like about the industry?
I especially love the fact that there are so many passionate people – on both sides of the customer/vendor table – in our community. It makes working in it more of a pleasure than a chore most of the time.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
I would make it a legal requirement for all affiliates to be associated with a representative body such as GPWA. We as an industry need to be more transparent and responsible in our endeavors, and GPWA supports that.

What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate?
I think they’re proud of the way I manage my business, which has always been predicated on giving before asking to receive. I believe they also think it’s slightly weird what I do!

Do you gamble online? If so, what do you play?
Yes! I bet on horse racing mainly (every day, pretty much), and sports often. I occasionally play a bit of poker, but, in truth, I haven’t got the patience/discipline for it.

How long do you give yourself for answering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer?
I answer all urgent e-mail within 24 hours, even when I’m on holiday (as I am now!). Other e-mail gets dealt with either by myself or my assistant within 48-72 hours. As for e-mail tips, if you have questions which are commonly asked, create an FAQ page and link to it in an automated reply.

How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?
I was a software project manager in a past life and used MS Project and a raft of weekly reports to track things. These days, I tend to “wing it” more often, and have a lot of scraps of paper and notebooks about the place. Broadly speaking, that works, but I could do better.

How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social networking in order to drive more traffic to your sites?
Aside from on-page SEO (mostly through WordPress plugins), I don’t do much anymore, instead relying on the legacy of historical link-building activities. I use a great tool called dlvr.it to promote my posts on Twitter, Facebook and G+, and am seeing a growing amount of traction from that automated promotion.

What’s the most difficult thing about running your site?
Keeping up with the content, and trying to find an optimal promotion strategy around it.

What’s the best thing about running your site?
We’ve built a large and passionate community of horse racing fans. Comments are 95 percent positive, and we have a “no pitch/no bitch” policy which keeps the trolls out.

Based solely on the name you chose to give "The Punting Confessional," is it fair to say you're Catholic? If so, what are your impressions of the new Pope? And prior to his selection, did you place a wager on who the new Pope would be?
No, not at all. Tony, the author, is Irish, but I wouldn’t know if he’s Catholic or not. Ours is a racing site, and is open to all denominations if they enjoy a bet on racing!

If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see?
Goodwood racetrack during Glorious Goodwood. It’s one of the most beautiful in the world, with a very relaxed atmosphere and some high-class racing to boot.

When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go?
I’m never far away, but I like to head to the French countryside (where I am now) to remind myself that green stuff (trees, fields) is important, too.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?
The USA. (I love the) variety, food, hospitality, ease of communication.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
Slumdog Millionaire. Ultimate rags-to-riches story, and some fantastic color/scenery/culture as well.

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
Daley Thompson (superman, top bloke), Lance Armstrong (to ask him why), Amarillo Slim (storyteller extraordinaire), Margaret Thatcher (the epitome of strong leadership) and my dad (an inspiration with whom I’d like to share such an event).

If you were one of the last two people on the planet, who would you want the other person to be?
My missus!

What are three things that nobody knows about you?
I fell out of a second-story window when I was three; I was a proficient fencer in my teens; my dream is to have a Cheltenham Festival winner.

[muffincrumbs]

Nice to meet you Matt. It was an interesting interview. It is interesting how you really have to be a pro and an expert in the niche to be a success. I have always wondered how much the sports betting and horse racing guys make as affiliate since the odds are a lot better for the players than a slots and games based casino online simply because i do not know much about it.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation (holiday)

[louie.wilson]

Which part of French countryside?
Nice interview, interesting to "discover" another side of the plenty of type of gambling affiliates on this site.