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Sunday, October 18, 2026Updated 12 hours ago · 4 new stories this weekNewsletter Advertise

Affiliate case studies, fact-checked by our editors

Public cases of media buying teams and agencies, re-checked by our editors: what the numbers show and what the authors left out.

Illustrated desk on an orange background: one hand drops small sign-up cards with user icons into a paper funnel that empties into an empty piggy bank, the other hand holds a magnifying glass over it, next to a calculator showing 3.70, a receipt ending in $99.79, a calendar showing 13 to 15, an 18+ sticker, a stack of comic books, a badge with 4 of 5 stars and an aliencpa mug.

Case fact-check

Adult Comics Test Diary: $99.79 on HilltopAds and TrafficJunky, 27 Sign-ups, 0 Sales

I tested a CPAmatica adult comics offer paying $25 per first purchase in the US: $99.79 on HilltopAds popunders and TrafficJunky banners, 27 sign-ups at $3.70, 0 sales. With 3-5% of sign-ups paying, break-even needs $0.75-1.25 per sign-up, so I stopped.

Lu Discover· 15 min ·Approved Oct 17

Illustrated desk: an open quarterly report with a bar chart stepping down from tall bars to short ones, a hand highlighting only the last tiny bar that is slightly higher than the one before while the other holds a magnifying glass over the falling bars, with a football, stacks of coins, a calculator showing -17.6%, reading glasses and a fact-check badge showing 3 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

Raketech's Q2 2026: Revenue -17.6% Under an 'EBITDA Improvement' Headline, Fact-Checked

Lu Discover· 10 min

Illustrated desk: a metal rack of 8 identical phones all showing the same puzzle grid and plugged into tangled cables, a hand pulling the plug of the power strip while the other holds a magnifying glass over 1 phone where the puzzle is actually being played, with a CA$220 receipt, a calculator showing 59%, a game controller and a fact-check badge showing 3 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

59% of Installs Were Bots: An Indie Developer's Google App Campaign, Fact-Checked

Lu Discover· 10 min

Illustrated desk: a crystal ball on a brass stand with a chat bubble showing 4.90 euros inside it, a receipt spike holding a thick stack of invoices with empty checkboxes, a hand pinning another invoice while the other holds a magnifying glass over the stack, with a paper star chart, blank cards, a phone showing chat bubbles, a $300 receipt, a calculator showing 0 and a fact-check badge showing 3 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

An AI Astrology Bot on Facebook Ads: $300, 77 Unpaid Invoices and 0 Sales, Fact-Checked

Lu Discover· 11 min

Case fact-check

$30K a Month From Amazon Influencer Videos? Fact-Checking John Muscarello's Numbers

Lu Discover· 11 min

Illustrated desk: one hand lifts a big slice of a berry pie cut like a pie chart while the other holds a magnifying glass over 3 thin slices, with an open notebook, a camera, a train ticket, an hourglass, a €1,331 receipt, a calculator showing 1,175.97, a sticky note with a chart that climbs and drops, and a fact-check badge showing 3 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

Travel Blog Income Report, Fact-Checked: €1,176 Profit From 125K Pageviews

Lu Discover· 17 min

Illustrated desk: a hand presses a toggle on a panel of 14 switches with only 2 lit green while the other holds a magnifying glass over it, next to a $3,207 receipt, a calculator showing 72%, a $5 sticky note with scissors, a snapped payment card, an hourglass, casino chips and a fact-check badge showing 3 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

$3,207 a Month on Facebook Gambling in Tier-3: Fact-Checking a Solo Buyer's Record May

Lu Discover· 20 min

Illustrated desk: a hand cuts small dating banner thumbnails off a long paper ribbon into a wastebasket while the other holds a magnifying glass over a dart stuck at the edge of a bullseye flagged $39.91, next to a cash register receipt for $3,232.66, a calculator showing 81, a 14-day calendar and a fact-check badge showing 2 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

AI Dating on HilltopAds at a $39.91 CPA: Fact-Checking the Network's Own Case

Lu Discover· 15 min

Illustrated desk: a hand opens a row of identical nesting dolls, the smallest holding a toothbrush, while the other hand holds a magnifying glass over them, next to a jar of tooth powder, a tooth figurine, a $127,974 receipt, a calculator showing 104%, a falling line chart, a padlocked folder and a fact-check badge showing 2 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

$127,974 on Teeth Whitening Offers in 2 Months: Fact-Checking a Case Where the Affiliate Owns the Network

Lu Discover· 17 min

Illustrated desk: a hand pushes a wooden Trojan horse across a rising bar chart while the other holds a magnifying glass over its open hatch, full of blank cards, keys and $35 price tags, next to a $8,690 receipt, a calculator showing 121%, a carnival mask and a fact-check badge showing 1 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

$8,690 on Crypto in Google Ads at 121% ROI: Fact-Checking a Case That Sells Accounts

Lu Discover· 16 min

Illustrated desk: a hand pins a gold first-place rosette on row 1 of a ranking list on a clipboard while a magnifying glass on a stand focuses on row 3, with blinking string lights, speech-bubble cards and a fact-check badge showing 3 of 5 stars.

Case fact-check

Self-Promotional Content in AI Search: Ahrefs' 9,886-Answer Experiment, Fact-Checked

Lu Discover· 16 min