Linkby Is Blurring the Line Between PR and Affiliate—And That’s Exactly the Point

Vol: 205 - Breathe, PR teams. But educate yourselves.

HelloZ

Have you guys ever seen Severance? I just started, and while I’m not entirely sure what I’m watching, I also can’t look away. Speaking of looking away, Jeff Bezos is reportedly blew $11 million on a Venetian wedding that’s been trending harder than any Prime Day promo. Meanwhile, half the internet is debating whether Dua Lipa’s Paris couture looks are just album promo in disguise (spoiler: they are).

The lines between PR, performance, and pure spectacle have officially evaporated.

While the rich and famous turn life events into traffic drivers, a quieter revolution is happening behind the scenes of brand marketing: platforms like Linkby are giving your press hits a price tag—and your affiliate strategy a credibility makeover.

So if your idea of PR is still “sending samples and hoping for the best,” or your affiliate program lives on auto-pilot with last-click logic and zero story? You’re not just behind. You’re uninvited to the Bezos wedding.

Today, in this freeeeeebeeeeeee, we unpack:

• How Linkby is quietly disrupting both PR and affiliate teams

• Why top publishers are embracing performance editorial like it’s couture

• And what it means when your next “placement” comes with a CPM, CPC, and a headline like “12 Skincare Products That Saved My Sanity (and Paid My Rent)”

Let’s go!

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NewZ + ShowZ

• Michael Imperioli will star opposite Patrick Dempsey in upcoming FOX drama “Memory of a Killer,” from Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment. The thriller follows a hitman with a double life.

• “Drop” starts streaming exclusively on Peacock on Friday, July 11. The action film stars Meghann Fahy as a widowed mother whose blind date goes shockingly awry.

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Let’s Talk Linkby

If you're in PR or affiliate marketing and haven't heard of Linkby, it's time to step away from your spreadsheets and embargoed press releases—because the media game just changed.

Linkby is the lovechild of public relations, content marketing, and affiliate performance, and it's quietly turning editorial into a revenue channel—for everyone involved.

Let’s break it down.

What Is Linkby, Exactly?

Linkby is a platform that connects publishers with brands who want to be featured in editorial content—but only pay if it performs.

Here’s how it works:

1. A brand submits a brief for a product or promotion.

2. Publishers opt in to write content—often listicles or “roundup” style pieces.

3. The article goes live with tracked affiliate links.

4. The brand pays per click, not per placement or impression.

It’s not your typical affiliate model (no rev share or CPA). It’s also not your traditional PR model (no guaranteed placement with big retainers). It’s performance PR—and it’s growing.

Why PR Pros and Affiliate Managers Are Both a Little Uncomfortable

For PR teams, Linkby is disruptive. The idea of paying for editorial clicks might feel like the antithesis of earned media. But in a world where editors are judged by traffic and affiliate revenue, Linkby is just making the invisible handshake visible.

For affiliate managers, Linkby is confusing. It doesn’t live on traditional affiliate platforms (like AWIN or Impact), and the payout model isn’t based on conversion—but on interest (clicks). That makes it harder to measure ROAS in the traditional sense, but far easier to scale top-of-funnel brand awareness with high-intent audiences.

The Results Speak for Themselves

Brands love it because:

• They only pay for actual engagement (clicks).

• They get prestige media coverage without pitching.

• They can test multiple markets, creatives, and headlines fast.

Publishers love it because:

• They get paid for content they already want to create.

• It supports the commercial content teams that sit somewhere between editorial and ad sales.

• It’s a non-intrusive way to monetize content without ads.

And readers? They don’t really notice—they just see another “10 Best Summer Sandals Under $100” article on The Daily Beast. But this time, the click leads to real revenue and real reporting.

Does Linkby Have Competitors?

Sort of. But none doing exactly what Linkby does.

Here’s who’s circling the same space:

• Skimlinks / Sovrn / Amazon Associates: Great for affiliate link generation and passive monetization, but they don't facilitate campaign-based editorial briefs.

• Narrativ: Offers link optimization and top-funnel targeting, but with more focus on product feeds and conversion—not editorial.

• ShopMy / LTK / Collective Voice: More influencer and creator focused, not built for high-volume editorial partnerships.

Right now, Linkby owns this niche: performance editorial at scale.

TL;DR:

Linkby is:

• Turning editorial into scalable, trackable media

• Making PR pay-to-play—but in a smart, data-driven way

• Challenging traditional affiliate networks with a click-based model

• Forcing a reckoning between earned media and performance

And if you're still treating PR and affiliate as separate silos, you're already behind.

Hey Z - have you run campaigns on Linkby?

Yes, I have. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel dirty about it. As a publicist, I live to pitch editors and freelance writers story ideas and inclusion considerations. As an affiliate marketing arm for PR agencies (meaning, they handle PR and I do affiliate marketing), my recommendation is to keep practicing for earned media. I implement Linkby campaigns if it’s asked for directly by the brand or if the brand doesn’t have much PR.

I’ll be honest with you - as I always am - jury’s still out for me on how well the stories perform from an affiliate marketing perspective. So from a PR angle, sure it’s great, you got a story … but at what cost? Budgets should be at minimum $5k (though you can go lower) and pubs prefer at least $2 CPC (though you can go lower). There are publicists who would kill for that budget for a month and chances are they’d do more work to land more hits.

I also have negotiated deals outside of any platform - specifically with DDM, SHE, and a360 - and have found those campaigns to be more successful than a single Linkby one. Regardless, if you have the budget, there’s no harm in testing Linkby. It’s for sure one of those “in it to win it” situations. See if it’s right for you!

x

Z.