Tier-3 EPC out-earned Tier-1 by 1.7x in this sample

Tier-3 EPC out-earned Tier-1 by 1.7x in this sample

The advice: chase Tier-1 GEOs (US/UK/CA/AU) because the payouts are biggest. Payout per player is not payout per click.

EPC comparison, ~60 campaigns, equal ad spend, 30-day window (EPC = earnings per click):
— Tier-1: CPA $200, conversion click-to-FTD 0.9%, traffic cost high. EPC landed ~$1.80.
— Tier-3 (LatAm/SEA): CPA $45, conversion 3.4%, traffic cost a fraction. EPC landed ~$3.05.
— Ratio: ~1.7x in favor of Tier-3 on EPC, before factoring the cheaper creative testing.

The correction: optimize for EPC and margin, not headline CPA. Tier-1 is crowded, expensive, and conversion-suppressed by competition. Tier-3 has thinner per-head payouts but far higher conversion and ~3-5x cheaper clicks.

The catch to verify: Tier-3 LTV and retention run lower, so RevShare upside is weaker — these GEOs favor CPA/CPL volume plays. Match the GEO to the model.

Benchmark of the day: rank GEOs by EPC and click cost, not CPA size; cheap-click Tier-3 frequently beats Tier-1 on margin.