STRATEGY BREAKDOWN

In this post written by Molly Antos, our resident Performance PR and media relations expert, we’re answering some of the most common questions we get when we talk about affiliate platforms and PR e.g., What’s the difference between affiliate marketing and affiliate-driven PR? Do I need an affiliate platform? Is it expensive? And more!

For the past five years (or so), whenever we onboard a new client who is looking to PR to help drive e-commerce sales, one of our first questions is, “Do you have an affiliate platform in place?” This question elicits a variety of responses, from: “What in the name of Sam Hill are you talking about?” to “Yes, no problem, we have one in place!” Right now, I’d like to speak to the folks in Group A and provide some basic information as well as a little context to prepare you for affiliate-driven PR (sometimes referred to as Performance PR), affiliate marketing, affiliate-driven influencer marketing and beyond.

WHAT IS AN AFFILIATE PLATFORM?

Let’s start with the basics. An affiliate platform can take many shapes, from one that is built into your own website to a robust presence on a well-known entity, a la ShareASale, Rakuten or Impact Radius. Whichever you choose and wherever it’s hosted, the goal is to enable folks who promote your products e.g., media and influencers to make a commission when they convince someone to buy.

WHY ARE YOU, A PR PERSON, TELLING ME ABOUT AFFILIATE MARKETING? ISN’T EARNED MEDIA COVERAGE SUPPOSED TO BE FREE?

A lot has changed since the days of “free” product PR. Over the past few years, the media has lost A LOT of money in advertising revenue. Affiliate platforms to the rescue! When publishers churn out listicles, gift guides or product reviews that have YOUR affiliate platform integrated, they can make money off the sales they helped drive. That means that if you want to sell products as part of your PR mix and you’d like the media’s (or influencers!) help in doing so, you will need an affiliate platform to connect the dots.

THIS SEEMS LIKE TOO MUCH FOR MY SMALL BUSINESS. WHAT WILL I USE IT FOR?

Affiliate marketing efforts can really run the gamut in terms of scope. But suffice it to say, if you are a brand interested in having any media property, blogger, or influencer cover you (even if you are not proactively pitching the media but would still love to be featured in relevant roundups here and there!), you MUST have an affiliate platform in place that will reward their performance by paying a commission on each sale driven. BONUS: If your product does well e.g., generates lots of commission revenue for a publisher, chances are high you’ll see yourself popping up in more and more articles.

LET’S SAY I JUST WANT THE BARE MINIMUM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR COVERAGE. HOW DO I GET STARTED?

There are a couple of ways in here. The first is that you could simply sell your products on a third-party retailer that already takes care of this stuff for you. Amazon is a media darling, but depending on your industry, you could go with Sephora, Nordstrom, CVS, Chewy, Walmart, etc. Just don’t be surprised if any and all media hits link to those sites and not your own. 

The second option is to invest a little bit of time and money in an entry-level platform like ShareASale or Impact Radius’ new Starter Programs. For a small setup fee and a monthly payment, you can quickly enable Skimlinks, which is the holy grail of access points for most publishers (not as much for influencers, though, unfortunately, but we will cover that in a different post!). Once you are on Skimlinks (which unfortunately, you cannot access directly as a merchant: You MUST get in through ShareASale or another platform), publishers will easily be able to see that you are commissionable (AND what your commission is, so don’t forget to make it competitive for your industry!).

SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALL OF THIS AND AFFILIATE MARKETING?

For many brands we’ve worked with, activating an affiliate-powered PR program tends to be a bit of a “gateway drug.” You set up an affiliate platform simply because you know you need it in order to play the PR game, but then the money starts rolling in. Soon, you realize an affiliate program is a critical element for all parts of your marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion. In fact, we once worked with a brand where the media affiliate sales were SO lucrative they paid for our retainer and then some every year we worked with them! With that kind of success, you may decide to expand and explore all other kinds of possibilities. Depending on the brand and industry, this could mean influencers, coupon sites, lesser-known subaffiliate networks, rewards programs, cashback apps and more.

WHICH IS BETTER, A PR AGENCY THAT DOES AFFILIATE OR AN AFFILIATE AGENCY THAT DOES PR?

With all the buzz about affiliate marketing, marketing pros may wonder if it's time to add an affiliate agency to your ranks or lean on an existing affiliate agency to lead PR. While retaining a PR agency AND affiliate agency might be optimal for big brands, veteran commerce editor and industry expert Bryce Gruber doesn't recommend that approach for small to mid-sized brands. According to her, "PR wins every single time because they’ll tell the story and get the editor to understand exactly why the story should even be written/include said brands." Finding a PR agency with affiliate expertise will make the most of your marketing spend.

DOES AFFILIATE MARKETING FEEL CHEAP AND DIMINISH BRAND VALUE?

An affiliate program can be perfectly tailored to your brand’s preferences and values. More and more people have gotten wise to the opportunities of affiliate marketing, so there are plenty of industry-specific partners to pursue. For instance, a skincare brand might seek out a dermatologist who sells products on her site, or a dog apparel brand might look into pet insurance aggregators. It’s a great way to think outside the box in terms of where your brand might land with a motivated, targeted audience. You can choose to work with coupon sites or not, but remember these days, promotions and coupons are more common than not. Take a look at brands like Le Creuset - able to maintain an air of premium luxury while still offering sensible discounts and promotions to make their products more accessible to a wider audience (and more media-friendly, to boot!).

GIMME THE TLDR

If you’re a brand who wants to sell stuff on your website, you need to be playing the affiliate game in some capacity. If all of the above is too much for you to take on, we get it. We work with brands of all sizes and can help develop a performance strategy that fits your needs and budget. Our team can help with as much or as little of the process as you’d like! Additionally, if you’re currently on an affiliate program, but not doing much with it and would like to revamp or progress it, we can complete an affiliate audit with recommendations about how to move forward with or without us.

Please reach out to us to schedule a quick call to discuss your affiliate needs. Our team can help with as much or as little of the process as you’d like. Additionally, if you already have an affiliate program but are not doing much with it or just aren’t sure you’re making the most of it, we can help by providing an affiliate audit complete with recommendations about how to move forward — with or without us. Sign up here.