SMASH Q4 WITH GIDDYUP
Q4 = Your Super Bowl.
Every network in this industry is about to tell you that. Most of them will stop right there, because "Q4 is huge" is the easiest thing in the world to say and it costs nothing to say it.
So I'm going to do something different. I'm going to show you our actual numbers.
Same window last year against this year, January 1 through August 20, apples to apples. Where we've been, where we are right now, and where we're headed. You can look at the trajectory yourself and decide whether it's worth your time.
This kicks off Smash Q4 with GiddyUp. Roughly every other week through September, then weekly as the season peaks. There's no PDF to download and nothing to gate. This sequence is the playbook. Your regular offer updates keep coming as always, this runs alongside them.
Today is the network. Offers come next.
📊 Where We Stand Heading Into Q4
Pulled our current YTD numbers (Jan 1 through Aug 20) this year against last year. Same timeframe:
Avg EPC across the network is up 44% — $0.89 to $1.29
Network CVR is up 28% — 1.74% to 2.23%
Payout per sale is up 13%
More live offers than this time last year
Pacing above last year in every key metric — Sales, CVR, EPC, and Payout
Read the first one again though. The same click you sent us last year is worth about a third more THIS year.
Nothing about that is seasonal. That's the offer mix, rising tides, and the funnels getting sharper — and every bit of it compounds with whatever Q4 adds on top.
1 in 5 dollars spent online over the holidays came through our channel.
Last holiday season set a record: $257.8 billion in U.S. online sales, up 6.8%. And "affiliates and partners," revenue share hit 20.4%, up 15.9% year over year.
Our slice is growing faster than the pie.
🚀 The Run-Up
From where the network sits today to the December peak, we run about 6.5x more sales volume.
That's the opportunity. But it isn't one jump. It comes in six stages, and each one hands you something to act on:
NOW through August — the quietest stretch of the year. Cheapest clicks, thinnest competition. Test wide.
September — the first lift. Back to school pulls buyers online and volume climbs toward October. An offer that lifts with the September bump is telling you something about Oct–Nov–Dec. Best free signal you'll get all year.
October — steadies and holds at heightened volume. Your build window. Predictable traffic, reasonable clicks, and room to scale without bidding against every affiliate in the market. The last stretch where you can make changes calmly.
Nov 5 to 20 — the ramp up. Max budgets. Watch for caps.
Nov 27 & 30 — Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Roughly 2–3x. Big volume, but not the finish line.
Dec 1 to 18 — the peak. 4 to 6x, cresting around Dec 15. This is where the quarter pays.
Which is why the work happens now. Test in August and September and you've got about ten weeks to find winners, scale them, and fix what isn't working. Start in November and you're testing offers, placements, and creative while the ramp is already underway.
Timing is the whole game.
🗓️ Your Q4 Calendar (save this)
This comes straight from our own conversion curves, 2024 and 2025 side by side. The shape is nearly identical both years:
Oct 31 be at full strength → Nov 5 to 20 the ramp → Nov 27 & 30 Black Friday and Cyber Monday → Dec 15 the crest
October 31, be at full strength. In 2024 our ramp started around November 5. In 2025 it started around November 20. Two week variance, and you don't know which kind of year you're in until you're already in it. Being ready by Halloween means you catch it either way.
December 15 is the crest. Both years peaked mid-month, then shipping cutoffs pulled things back around the 20th. Put your heaviest spend in the first two weeks of December.
✅ Get Set Up This Week
Short list. All of it takes under an hour:
✅ Tracking confirmed in Everflow on anything new you're testing
✅ Creative library pulled: Canto
✅ Copy bank + advertorial swipe: Copy Doc
✅ Compliance + claim guidelines reviewed: Compliance Center
✅ My direct line saved: Evan@giddyup.io / @elconteo on Telegram
If you want in on available cap or a payout conversation for Q4, now is when to have it. Not in November when everyone else is asking.
👋 Before You Go
Almost everything about Q4 gets decided before Q4 starts.
The offers you're scaling in December are the ones you tested in August. The funnels converting on Black Friday are the ones you dialed in through September. The partners who look like they got lucky in Q4 were actually just early.
I showed you our numbers so you could judge this yourself instead of taking our word for it.
Here's what I need from you this week. Hit reply and tell us how we can help. What verticals are you focused on? Where are you running traffic? Gift guide or standalone campaigns?
I'll come back with the right offers for your traffic and the opportunities we're seeing right now.
🔜 Next Up
The Absolutely Must-Promote List. Every offer with a real Q4 track record, with the sales volume and performance metrics behind each one, plus the 2026 launches worth having live before Q4 hits.
Let's GiddyUp!
P.S. Circle October 31. That's the date to be at full strength, because the major ramp-up clearly starts in November and everything between now and Halloween is setup. Let's use it.