Ivan Zayets is a bright representative of the event industry and affiliate community, a presenter and media personality. The audience recognizes him by his unique presentation and individual style of events. Lead Panda Media had an interview with Ivan, in which he shared his thoughts on arbitrage community parties, the specifics of working with different audiences, and… drum roll… his earnings. Read on to find out everything.
Ivan got into the world of arbitrage in 2017 when he first visited the space of Anatoly Winter’s Affiliate Embassy. People from the affiliate industry gathered there for poker, “What? Where? When?” and other events. At first, Ivan accidentally replaced a colleague at one of the events, and then became a regular at such parties.
According to him, it was not easy to become “your guy” in affiliate circles, as there is no unifying factor at traffic arbitrage parties, as at weddings or corporate events. He gradually gained the attention and respect of the participants due to his ability to remain silent at the right time and not to jump to conclusions.
Since joining the industry, Ivan says that traffic arbitrage has undergone significant changes. It has become “both more closed and more open”. On the one hand, the increased attention to traffic arbitrage due to the popularization of this area, thanks to bloggers like Sasha Slobozhenko, has opened the door to newcomers. On the other hand, many webmasters are now “staying in the shadows” and avoiding publicity. Ivan notes that a new wave of people often comes to the niche in order to make quick money, but this strategy does not work for long.
Humor in the traffic arbitrage industry is a separate world. “Inside jokes” or “truths” are jokes that are understandable only to those who know the subject. Humor often revolves around such topics as GEOs, sources or famous industry personalities. This is an important part of the presenter’s job at such events – to find an approach to the audience through topics that they are interested in and understand.
We also asked why Ivan Zayets enjoys being a presenter at affiliate events. “This is my job,” Ivan says. He has become a kind of litmus test for quality at traffic arbitrage conferences, and his presence at the event adds to its status.
However, the presenter also faces unpredictable and cringe situations. For example, Ivan recalls a time when he hosted an event for a person celebrating his release from a pre-trial detention center. It was a surprise for him, which he found out during the party. According to him, such situations are part of the presenter’s professional experience.
One of the challenges is also the budget, which is why agreements do not always happen. Despite the fact that a lot of money is involved in traffic arbitrage, this does not mean that all of it reaches the presenters. Ivan names the cost he charges for hosting the event, which is currently: “84,152 UAH + 6% of the EP”. And he does not fall for market dumpers.
Ivan is actively working on several YouTube projects, including “Kyiv Passenger”, “Not a webmaster”, and “Ivan Zayets”. The presenter also confesses:
“We are currently working on creative sessions, because sometimes it seems like we have “written off”.
However, his projects always have room for experimentation and search for new ideas. He works with a small team of 2-3 people, and considers his personal project “Ivan Zayets” to be a space for expressing all his thoughts and ideas.
What’s next? Ivan plans to continue developing his own event series, YouTube and media projects, but admits that in such a dynamic industry it is difficult to plan ahead. His main focus remains on personal development and further involvement in the event industry.
Ivan Zayets is a cool case study of how to combine professionalism, humor and creativity in event management, even in such a specific area as the traffic arbitrage business.
What do you think of Ivan Zayets? Would you invite him to your event?