To tell you the truth, I gave up on most people in this industry back around 2000. All I ever saw was a bunch of "Sheep" just "Stampeding" after whatever the perceived Big Guys told them was the next best thing. 98% of the guys at the zoo still only promote the more visible programs, and these tend to be programs with the worse content for the niche they are offering websites in. They then talk about the amazing conversions and retentions they all get, when we all know it is pure bullshit.
We have quietly been promoting the smaller niche sites over the years, and doing a hell of a lot better than anything you can do with a large, over priced, and extremely saturated site. My typical rule is if a program or site becomes too popular, I drop it and move on to something else.
We have sites in our Network that really do convert well and still have amazing retention. A little site like
http://www.wifecrazy.com really hooks the surfers and her amazing personality really keeps them around. But because it isn't "slick" looking (ie. looks like every other site out there), affiliates won't touch it. We have a few making a killing from that site. We also have other sites in the mature and stocking niches that do really well. The difference is these are all real women running their own sites with their own personalities. That's what works, not overly Photoshopped images and slick graphics, but the connection between the woman and her fan.
The types of sites we have is what I also look at to promote as I know it sells well. Anyone who truly understands this Industry would understand that. Unfortunately, the majority of affiliates truly are idiots who just can't think for themselves. They have to be told what to do and will only listen to people who have huge post counts at the zoo. Most of the big posters over there actually do very little. After all, when you spend your day and night posting on everything, you aren't doing any work that will truly bring you money.