HelloZ
The hits just keep on coming! The night of my grandma’s funeral, my son developed a fever that didn’t go away for D A Y S. It was coupled by an unbelievably awful barky seal cough. Cut to yesterday when we got his lungs x-rayed and voila: pneumonia. Apparently, there’s a virus going around with kids that turns right into pneumonia with no other symptoms. From what I knew thanks to my Jewish mom, pneumonia is what you get when you “let a cough go” or venture outside after a shower with wet hair. Twas not the case here, so PSA for all the parents out there. Fun times!
Don’t forget about my AZA. More deets on that just below.
Today’s paid affiliate piece is all about your affiliate marketing funnel: Is it broken? Is it working? What are we doing here to make sure customers are converting? I took a lot of time to write this one in the format of “Problem,” “Solution,” and “My Thoughts,” where I give a lot of insightful information, so I really hope you enjoy! And please, be a good human and support/subscribe versus forwarding on to friends. That’s not really cool and I heard about a few people doing that. Shame :(
I still have the 20% off deal, which so many of you took advantage of! Makes me very happy and humbled to know you find the information I put together so valuable.
Thank you!
K, let’s do this!
Ask Z Anything
Mark your calendar for Monday, June 24 at 12:00 p.m. EST and bring your best questions. (You always do!)
If you’re in PR and looking to put some oomph in your affiliate results or have questions on how to pitch, this is for you!
If you’re a brand looking to manage your own affiliate program, this is for you!
These Q&A sessions are for paid subscribers (hello, perks!) and they offer a small group setting where we can dig into the details of affiliate marketing and PR. Not a paid subscriber yet? This is the perfect excuse! The annual subscription cost is less than my hourly rate at ZlataPR, giving you not only access to me for the AZA Q&A session, but ALSO ALL THE ARCHIVES!
🚨🚨Sign up here for the AZA and share your thoughts ahead of time!🚨🚨
NewZ and ShowZ
Instagram confirmed it is testing “unskippable” ads after several screenshots of the feature began circulating across the internet. The new ad breaks offer a countdown timer that stops users from browsing through additional content on the app until they view the ad. This for sure gives new meaning to the term Doom Scrolling.
“The Real Housewives of Orange County” returns to Bravo for season 18 on Thursday, July 11 at 9pm.
HBO doc “Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple” traces musician/actor/activist Van Zandt’s career from the clubs of Asbury Park, NJ to arenas and stadiums, to the Bada Bing Club and the Underground Garage, on Saturday, June 22 at 8p.
Nat Geo’s Sharkfest kicks off Sunday, June 30 at 9p with “Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast,” followed by “Shark vs. Ross Edgeley.” The specials will air across Nat Geo, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo and ESPN2.
“Kung Fu Panda 4” starts streaming on Peacock on Friday, June 21. Peacock is also offering “Kung Fu Panda” on the platform, and will add Kung Fu Panda 3 beginning June 26.
The Olympics will be screened in movie theaters. Select daytime live coverage from NBC of the 2024 Paris Summer Games will be screened in 160 IMAX theaters, starting with the opening ceremony on July 26. You can’t even get people to go to the movies for a Blockbuster film, and we’re trying to get them to watch Olympics there?
Is your funnel broken?
Is your buying funnel broken? Affiliate marketing can be a game-changer for PR, driving a new stream of revenue alongside awareness while elevating the brand and its products with engagement. But it only works if your funnel does too. If you/your client are losing potential customers somewhere between awareness and conversion, it's time to take a hard look at your funnel and see where things are going wrong.
Rakuten Advertising’s latest report explores common impediments in the sales funnel and key changes you can make to fix them. I read it all, so you don’t have to. (But you can if you want, of course! Holla if you want a copy!) OK, so let’s break it down. It’s lengthy, but worth the read!