In a recent Affiverse webinar, Lee-Ann Johnstone, founder of Affiverse, sat down with Simon Delaney, CEO of Databowl, to discuss lead generation strategies in 2025. The webinar looked at how brands can work smarter with lead generators to drive better sales and long-term value while avoiding common mistakes.
This session was packed with insights on how affiliate managers and performance marketers can use lead generation effectively to scale their businesses. Below is a summary of the key takeaways.
Why Lead Generation Matters More Than Ever
Lead generation has grown from being a simple traffic-driving method into a strategic growth channel for performance marketing. With brands increasingly shifting their focus from SEO and influencer-heavy strategies to a diversified affiliate mix, lead generation is playing an increasingly important role in driving targeted, high-value conversions.
Simon, for example, revealed that many brands mistake lead generation for a numbers game rather than a value-driven approach. He showed that a whopping 40% of companies buying leads don’t do anything with the data, and 45% of leads generated never end up converting anyway due to fraud or simply poor targeting.
The key to success? Building a structured, trackable, and transparent lead gen funnel that prioritises quality over quantity.
Key takeaways for running a successful lead generation program
1. The difference between successful and failing lead gen campaigns
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is not tracking or optimizing their lead generation sources. Many programs focus on cost-per-lead (CPL) rather than return on investment (ROI), leading to wasted budgets.
Instead of chasing volume, Simon recommends focusing on:
✔ Predictability in lead quality by diversifying sources
✔ Feedback loops that help refine lead sources
✔ Tracking sales conversions, not just lead submissions
By optimizing these elements, companies can increase their conversion rates and avoid overspending on low-value leads.
2. The importance of feedback and lead optimization
Data-driven feedback is incredibly important when it comes to lead generation. Simon shared real-world case studies showing that when brands provided feedback on lead quality, their conversion rates improved dramatically over time.
A key insight: Brands that don’t track lead-to-sale performance often see a continuous decline in lead quality, while those that actively optimize their sources see conversions improve over time.
3. Fraud prevention and quality control
Fraud is a major challenge in lead generation. Without proper verification measures, brands can end up paying for bot-driven, or duplicate leads. Simon shares some best practices for preventing fraud in lead gen campaigns, including:
✔ Using fraud detection tools on landing pages
✔ Implementing verification processes before accepting leads
✔ Tracking sub-sources individually to remove low-performing traffic
✔ Working with trusted, experienced lead gen partners
Simon emphasized that brands should be responsible for protecting themselves rather than assuming lead gen partners will handle fraud prevention alone.
4. Long sales cycles? Use data signals
For industries with long sales cycles, like B2B SaaS and finance, waiting months to track conversions simply isn’t feasible. Instead, Simon advised looking for predictive data signals, such as:
- Email open rates
- Click-through rates
- Engagement on follow-up sequences
If you’re able to identify early-stage indicators of intent, you can then optimise campaigns in real time—rather than waiting months to track, assess, and manage performance.
Case study: how HelloFresh saved $650,000 with lead generation
One key example from the webinar was HelloFresh, which runs global lead generation campaigns. When they started utilising better tracking, fraud prevention, and lead scoring, they were able to save over $650,000 per year by eliminating bad leads and prioritising high-quality sources.
One key metric? Their lowest-cost leads actually had the worst conversion rate. Instead of simply relying on cheap traffic, HelloFresh instead decided to focus on ROI-driven sources—showing that low CPL does not automatically mean high profitability.
Final thoughts: how to get lead generation right
If you’re thinking about adding lead generators to your affiliate program, here’s a quick overview of some of the top strategies you need to implement to succeed (watch the webinar here for a more comprehensive overview.)
- Automate tracking and segmentation to differentiate good leads from bad ones
- Work with reputable lead generators that understand compliance and fraud prevention
- Test, refine, and optimise lead sources based on real sales data
- Use lead gen strategically—not as a quick fix, but as a long-term performance growth tool
Don’t forget: lead generation isn’t a “set it and forget it” model—it requires constant optimising and data-driven decision-making to maximise its performance.
Click below to watch the full webinar and hear directly from Lee-Ann Johnstone and Simon Delaney on how to scale your lead generation program smartly in 2025.
