Affiliate Q&As, JobZ + OfferZ and FunnieZ Oh My!
Vol. 27
HelloZ
Happy Wednesday, friendZ! Not sure how it’s already today, but it is, we’re here, and we have lots to cover. I’ve got a hefty post lined up for today with jobZ, an amazing offer on some PR tech goodies, answers to your affiliate questions, and a few laughs to wash it all down.
As Kim K said Pete Davidson, this part is done now babes. Gotta keep moving.
Affiliate ABZs: Reader Q&A
You guys have been asking so many questions lately about affiliate and I absolutely love it! Thank you for being engaged, getting involved and reading what I have to say! I’m keeping today’s post open and dishing out an abbreviated Q&A with some of the most common Qs that have been popping up. Let’s get into the As. (That didn’t come out quite as I expected but you know what, we’re rolling with it.)
My brand/client doesn't currently do affiliate marketing. Why should I start now?
Short answer: It’s very low risk with scalable reward. Compared to advertising and traditional marketing, the monetary investment is relatively low. The biggest “risk” is your time (see #5 for more talk about risks). And the rewards are worth it in almost all cases. Your brand/client gets exposed to new audiences by way of publishers — who do the heavy lifting on campaign production and execution! Not only that, the platforms give you all the tools to manage your affiliate programs and payouts, even for returns and customer service. It does require effort from you (or someone you pay, like me!), especially for the setup and maintenance. But after that, you build a healthy new revenue stream that grows with modest support and management.
How do I know what my commission rate should be?
There isn’t a hard and fast rule on this one because it depends on a few different factors. One of the biggest is how well your site is at converting. The commission rate is a balancing act of attracting publishers while still keeping a high enough ceiling for your own profits. Remember, you’ll be paying this out on every sale. The bottom line has to work. Most brands pay anywhere from 5% to 30%, depending on industry, budget and conversion details. What you pay out also depends on who you’re paying. As you know (I hate when people say that because what if people don’t know…but I promise, you definitely know this!) media should be getting the highest commission, whereas lower funnel affiliates - like Honey or RetailMeNot - should get lower.
What is a super affiliate?
Super affiliates are people who are very, very good at affiliate marketing. They build their own brand and business around influence with a particular message, aesthetic, or content theme. They use this influence to drive a significant amount of business to other brands by promoting brand products. A super affiliate typically refers to someone (or sometimes another brand) that drives the majority of leads for a given product compared to other affiliates. Slay all day.
How can affiliate marketing help my business?
“Great question. I would love to tell you.” ALL THE WAYS! Listen. When I tell you there is an unbridled opportunity here, I’m talking about literal thouuuuuusands of dollars in new revenue. Every affiliate is essentially a salesperson for your business. Except you don’t have to hire them or pay them benefits or manage their day-to-day productivity. When they sell, they make money and so do you. If they don’t, you lose NOTHING! Obviously, your best partners will WANT to sell, and you should make it a point to attract and retain them. But the point here is that you are engaging people to go sell for you with very little risk to your business. And aside from the ROI, affiliate marketing also exposes the brand to new audiences and new opportunities. This post gets into a little more detail about how you can maximize your affiliate marketing program.
What are the downsides of affiliate marketing?
This is never the fun part of the convo, but it’s an important one. Risk management is part of every strategy. One of the downsides that’s not really a con but just more of a reality is the time investment. Yes, a lot of affiliate marketing is hands-off, but there is a minimum time investment. Most of it is upfront and deals with setup, but there is ongoing maintenance as well. Part of the reason for this is an actual downside: fraud. Affiliate fraud is a frustrating element, and you can read more about it here. Basically, you need to make sure everyone’s leads/sales are on the up and up and this requires regular maintenance. Sometimes you’ll have a case where it’s not fraud, but still doesn’t qualify as a paid lead (like an unauthorized coupon sale, for example). You’ll need to keep your finger on the pulse to make sure you don’t pay for that lead. So time investment and fraud are probably the biggest downsides in my book. Keep in mind that there are still some pitfalls where things can go awry (see this post!)… But having a good strategy in place can help you avoid most of them.
Have more questions? Ask away! Want to have a convo about your brand/client specifically? Book time with me on My Calendly.
Upcoming “Ask My Anything” with Aly Walansky & Alice Dubin
Supes fun newZ in the STD world! (Ahem, that’s Save The Date.) The wonderful Aly & Alice have asked me to join them on an AMA Zoom, currently scheduled for Wednesday, September 7 at 2 pm ET. They’ll be chatting all-things gift guides, pitching, mailers and I’ll be there to (support and) field any affiliate-related questions. I realize I cross the lines of journalist, publicist, and affiliate marketing expert, so I’m hoping I can be an asset to this great pair of entrepreneurs!
This Zoom will be open to those who are paid subscribers to any one of our Substacks. However, with limited spots available, we will be giving preference to people who subscribe to all three (free is fine). We'll be sharing a Zoom link and instructions on how to RSVP and register in a few days, but for now if you are interested, please save the date!
Please note: I got great feedback about hosting my own Affiliate AMA, so I will still be planning for that!
ProductZ
This is more in-depth than I typically do in our ProductZ section, but it deserves the real estate (and I have an excellent offer — keep reading!)! I recently learned about a fantastic PR software called Truescope and had to share with my fellow PR proZ. The integrated software gives you super comprehensive insights into everything you need to monitor — broadcast media, online, social, search intelligence and other data sources like podcasts and print. It’s very intuitive, and the dashboards are easy to read. Analyze trends, track benchmarks, measure performance, gauge sentiment, you get the idea!
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. Truscope’s typical trial is 1 month of free platform access, but they’re currently offering 2 additional months JUST FOR MY READERZ!
If you are ready to level up your media intel game, I highly recommend starting with Truecope! And — you can do it for 3 months free! Truescope Chief Revenue Officer George Felice is personally extending this offer and will approve the extension himself. To get your extended free trial, email him at george.felice@truescope.com with the subject: Trial Referral from ZlataPR. He also said he’s happy to do a Zoom overview for anyone who’d like a walkthrough!
Let me know if you give Truescope a spin! I am not getting any commission on this. I’m just a girl, living in a world, and believe that people should help people succeed!
JobZ
Looking to Hire
Yess Castillo: I'm looking for a PR Freelancer with media contacts that cover tech/entrepreneurs/startups stories. Thanks! info@getlinkedmedia.com
We need LA based freelance support for the month of September! A client is hosting an event that we need to fill with local media, so rich relationships with LA media is a must. allyson@allysonconklinpr.com
Amanda Keller: Hi Everyone! I am the SVP at Innovative PR in Los Angeles and we are growing! Currently looking for both a SAE and an Admin with room to grow. The positions are both full time in Studio City, LA. If you or someone you know may be interested please DM me for more details. Thanks!
Our team at Ink Link Marketing is expanding!! We are looking to hire an account executive that will work a hybrid schedule in our Miami office! We work mainly in food & beverage, health, tech and franchising. We are looking for someone that has strong PR knowledge and will work a hybrid schedule in our Miami office.Link to job post. Please email me any resumes at brianne@inklinkmarketing.com
Looking for Work
Carrol Van Stone: Starting mid-September I'll be available for agency support in B2B PR with a specialty on viewpoints, byline articles (thought-leadership) and media query response. If this is an area you can use more help, please reach out. carrol@vanstonepublicity.com
Theresa Bush: A 20 years+ PR vet in the game. Looking for new opportunities. I am currently in Columbus, Ohio but willing to work remotely and also travel for work. I specialize in crisis communication, branding/rebranding, event planning and media relations. My email is Theresaabush@gmail.com
Natalie Bickel: I'm still looking to chat with agencies about a fully remote, mid-level full-time position in the Lifestyle/Entrepreneur space. I'm currently a PR Specialist with a focus on writing pitches, creating media assets, and fostering media relations. I have almost two years under my belt in the industry, and I'm looking to connect with growing agencies in need of a Junior Publicist. I work remotely and am looking to grow with a team in the lifestyle space with an added interest in affiliate PR. Some of my placements for female founders include: Inc., HuffPost, Insider, Stylist, Martha Stewart, on the cover of local magazines, on top podcasts, and more. Feel free to reach out to me at bickel.nat@gmail.com.
FunnieZ
Working is great, but have you tried laughing at internet jokes instead?
I just want to THANK YOU all once again for the great feedback you give me about this newsletter. So many of you comment on how helpful it is, others absolutely LOVE my FunnieZ….I’m just really thankful for the support.
Please share with a friend or two or seven!
can't wait!!!