In the Nutra vertical, an offer with a lucrative rate has long ceased to be a solid enough reason to launch immediately.
For a media buying team, it’s now more important to understand who is on the other side of the chat: how they communicate, what they say about the terms, where the potential restrictions are, and what the specific traffic requirements will be.
In this context, a one-off test also carries little weight. It might show some numbers, but it won’t reveal how a partner will behave over the long haul or whether they can be trusted.
Because of this, offline networking is becoming effective once again. From May 25 to 27, Yerevan will host the MAC Affiliate & iGaming Conference, and for Nutra teams, this is exactly the format needed to quickly vet affiliate networks, direct advertisers, services, teams, and owners in person.
Nutra is growing, but working with it isn’t getting any easier
According to Grand View Research, the global dietary supplements market was valued at $209.52 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $393.56 billion by 2033. The same report highlights a growing interest in products for gut health, cognitive function, stress management, and hormonal balance.
This means the demand and the money are there. However, launching hasn’t become any easier. The more interest there is in products related to health, weight, sleep, appearance, and well-being, the more carefully one must look at the advertising angles, traffic sources, GEOs, and partner requirements.
Nutra comes with heavy restrictions on creatives, wording, GEOs, sources, and the products themselves. For instance, the FDA categorizes supplement claims into several types and specifies that claims regarding a product’s effect on the body’s structure or function must be truthful, non-misleading, and must not promise to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases.
There is no total freedom within traffic sources either. Meta classifies ads for weight loss and health products under a specific policy: such ads must target audiences aged 18+ only, and creatives must not exploit negative body image or promise idealized results. Google, meanwhile, maintains its own extensive list of prohibited pharmaceuticals and supplements.
This is where the problem with “random tests” begins. An offer card rarely shows how an affiliate network will view a specific angle, which wording is off-limits, where the source restrictions are, and who actually makes the decisions when a launch goes beyond the first few leads.
At MAC, these things can be verified much faster. According to the organizers, the conference expects 5,000+ participants from 62 countries, 200 speakers, and 170+ booths. For Nutra players, it’s an opportunity to compare several affiliate networks, advertisers, and services in just two days and secure contacts with international partners who, frankly, cannot be found online. The best approach is to come with specific questions: what can be scaled, where are the “hard stops,” which GEOs are performing best, what are the quality requirements, and what happens when we start to scale up. It’s much easier to understand what a partner is truly about through a face-to-face conversation.
The “Random Test” is no longer a sustainable model
A one-off test is useful, but it only answers a small set of questions: are there clicks, registrations, and leads? What does the initial approval rate look like? Do the starting unit economics make sense?
To be clear: the problem isn’t with the tests themselves. Nutra, like any vertical, cannot survive without testing. The problem lies in the cost of every new contact for that test. Even a small launch consumes budget, a buyer’s time, consumables/accounts, quality expectations, endless messaging, and a relatively short fuse of patience from all parties involved.
The initial numbers might look fine, but there are many more steps ahead. How quickly does the network provide feedback? Do quality concerns arise? Do terms change on the fly? Is the partner willing to discuss restrictions before the team has spent their budget? A one-off test rarely reveals these things.
In Nutra, this is felt critically due to the nature of the products. Many offers touch on health, weight, appearance, libido, pain, sleep, and aging. You cannot mindlessly push any angle and expect the platform, the advertiser, and the affiliate network to all remain equally calm.
The problem isn’t always a weak offer or bad traffic. Sometimes, the parties simply didn’t reach an agreement at the start: which source is suitable, which creatives are allowed, which GEOs to avoid, what volume the partner can handle, and how disputed leads will be resolved.
The market is looking more closely at the partner itself
In Nutra, a high payout rate easily grabs attention. It’s right there on the offer card; it’s easy to compare and easy to “sell” a launch to your internal team.
But the rate doesn’t show the most important thing: how the partner will behave during the actual work. As long as everything is going fine, almost any contact seems professional. The real test starts later—when questions arise about quality, terms, volumes, disputed leads, and accountability for the result.
A solid partner in any vertical is distinguished by operational specifics. They can tell you which GEOs fit right now, which sources they accept, where the risks lie in certain angles, which claims to avoid, what volumes are realistic, and where the product is already oversaturated.
Affiliate networks and advertisers are equally strict when vetting media buying teams. They don’t just want “any traffic at any cost.” A team must be able to explain which sources they work with, how they monitor quality, which GEOs they are active in, how they test approaches, and whether they are ready to discuss restrictions before the launch.
At events like MAC, this vetting process takes much less time. In a chat, you can exchange polite messages for weeks and still not know if there’s anything behind them. In person, a couple of direct questions are usually enough to make everything clear.
Additionally, MAC offers another vital element for Nutra: an international lineup. With participants from dozens of countries, it’s easier to connect not only with familiar CIS-based contacts but also with foreign affiliate networks, brands, services, and teams. For a vertical where GEO-specifics and local nuances are everything, this is a major reason not to limit yourself to your old Telegram chats.
Personal conversation is a working tool once again
During a meeting, it’s best to dive into things that affect work after the test: quality requirements, source restrictions, priority GEOs, acceptable angles, feedback speed, dispute resolution, and terms for scaling.
When talking to advertisers, focus on the product and expectations. Which audiences suit them? Which phrasings are undesirable? Which traffic types have caused issues before? How willing are they to discuss the test alongside the affiliate network and the media buying team?
When approaching services, come with a specific task. Tracking, analytics, creatives, anti-detect browsers, payments, quality control, and internal buying processes—all of these can be useful when a team understands exactly where their current bottleneck is. Otherwise, you’ll just leave the conference with another useless contact in your phone book.
Networking with owners and other media buying teams at MAC is also worth mentioning. You can share experiences or pick up insights: which GEOs they are running, where moderation is tougher, which partners are reliable, which services actually help, and where teams tend to waste the most time.
Another crucial venue for these talks is the afterparty. According to the MAC program, an afterparty is scheduled for May 27th. Often, it’s easier to wrap up a conversation there: return to the terms, discuss the next steps, agree on a test, or realize that the dialogue doesn’t need to go any further.
Most contacts will still drop off after MAC
After any conference, you will have more contacts than actual work. That’s normal. The point of the trip is to quickly narrow the circle: who followed up after the event, who is ready for specifics, who disappeared after the first talk, and who was only interesting while standing at their booth.
With a long-term partner, part of the vetting is already done. Both sides understand each other’s expectations, discuss restrictions faster, have a better feel for suitable traffic, and spend less time on basic approvals.
MAC acts as an excellent filter here. Don’t go just for random contacts and business cards. Go with a clear goal: which networks to test, which advertisers are open to dialogue, which services solve your current problems, and which teams are useful for exchanging experiences.
As the market has become more “expensive” in terms of time, the influence of face-to-face meetings has grown exponentially. MAC gives Nutra teams the chance to do in one trip what often drags on for weeks online: see people in person, sync expectations, and distinguish those ready for serious work from those who are only good at a “pretty” first pitch.
This is why MAC resonates with the Nutra vertical more than many others. Here, a connection passes its first test faster and gets a real chance to turn into a profitable partnership. For a team that doesn’t want to waste weeks on empty contacts, that is reason enough to be there.
