Case: swapping one CTA cut payouts 40%

Case: swapping one CTA cut payouts 40%

Hot reminder: "more conversions" and "more money" are not the same sentence.

A productivity-tool affiliate switched their main link from a paid-plan deep link to a 14-day-free-trial link. Conversions on the page tripled — 90 signups/month became 270. The screenshot looked incredible.

Then payout day:

— Free-trial signups paid $0 up front (commission triggers on first charge).
— 71% never converted to paid after the trial.
— Of the 29% who did, the network's 30-day hold ate another slice via early cancels.
— Monthly commission: $1,980 → $1,210.

They 3x'd a vanity number and lost 40% of the actual money.

Trial links inflate your dashboard and deflate your bank. Track first charges, not signups, or you're optimizing for applause.