What Publicists Should Know About First & Last Touch Attribution
What Publicists Should Know About First & Last Touch Attribution
Plus Call for PitcheZ, NewZ to AmuZe, and my AZA!
HelloZ
Hello hello hello! Hope this week finds you in a place of productivity and gratitude. Here at ZlataPR, I am working on a bunch of new articles, building out my affiliate marketing course (stay tuned for more details!), prepping for my upcoming AZA (Ask Z Anything), and of course, pausing to find the best jokes on the internet. Today’s Affiliate ABZs takes a look at last-touch attribution and what it means for your affiliate marketing efforts. Like Teresa Giudice on Dancing With The Stars last week, let’s get going!
Housekeeping
Substack Update: There’s a new reading experience waiting for you at Substack.com. Now you can read all your Substack subscriptions—and more—in a clean, simple, and fast web reader. Everything stays in-sync with your Substack app for iOS. Have you tried it out yet?
PitcheZ: Want to pitch me? Here’s what I’m currently writing:
CafeMom: Fall Dresses that are versatile for school pickup or moms night out
Mom.com: Best Kids Multivitamins, tied to cold and flu season — Looking for an expert quote from a pediatrician for this one too.
Mom.com: Things to keep KIDS organized during the school year.
Little Things: Must-have elements/things for your tablescapes.
Little Things: Kitchen organization tools that are like none other.
How to pitch:
Email zlatapitches@gmail.com with the related subject line
Include product name, a description, link(s) where it can be purchased
Please create a new email for each pitch so that I can stay organized
Product should be a part of an affiliate network and/or available at a major retailer. If you’re not sure about your brand, feel free to ask me.
Ask Zlata Anything: Let’s Do This!
My AZA is scheduled for Monday, October 3 at 1:00 p.m. EST. It’s exclusively for annual subscribers and will cover all things affiliate marketing and PR. I’m still running my 20% sale—great time to get access!
NewZ to AmuZe
In news I would have cared a lot about 8 years ago, Adnan Syed, of Serial fame, has been released from prison.
The booming Florida real estate market is going to see just how much it likes the location location location, as a major hurricane approaches the state’s west coast.
Kelly Ripa is dishing on her long-rumored feud with the late Regis Philbin. We all knew this already, though, right?
To remind us how down-to-earth and just-like-us she is, Gwyneth Paltrow announced in a Goop press release that she celebrated her 50th birthday in a photoshoot wearing nothing but a thin layer of gold paint.
Affiliate ABZs: Understanding Affiliate Marketing & Last Touch Attribution
Whether you’re in PR, marketing or some combination of both, you’ve probably heard of the so-called “rule of 7.” The rule essentially asserts that there are an average of 7 interactions that take place before a purchase happens with a given brand. And this stands up to logic, right? It typically takes a few times to be exposed to something until we’re sold on the features and benefits enough to compel us to make a purchase. You want to see others using it. Maybe you read about it in a magazine. See a Tik-Tok. An ad… Each of these experiences shapes your consideration to buy. This is multi-touch attribution at work. It’s the marathon-not-a-sprint approach to brand engagement, and it works.
When it comes to affiliate marketing and PR, however, we have to wrap our heads around the opposite concept: last-touch attribution. With last touch attribution, we DGAF about what happened along the way. We literally only care about the LAST thing that happened. So, maybe you write an article that includes handy-dandy clickable Skimlinks. Someone clicks on one and is almost ready to purchase. But just then, their Honey extension kicks in. Guess what? Honey records that sale, not your link.
Is that shitty? Kinda. But it’s not problematic if you’re smart about it. So what do we do about this? We educate our clients. With affiliate marketing, we do get lots of specific ROI connected to our efforts. You’ll be able to see right in Skimlinks which sales came in from your links. But you want to make sure clients understand those are NOT the ONLY sales you’re bringing in — there is even more happening that’s impossible to capture because of last-touch attribution. You simply can’t always attribute it.
When you and your clients are marching to the beat of the same drum, your value will always be apparent, even if the full ROI cannot be connected directly to what you’re doing. There’s a lot more to be said on affiliate marketing and last touch versus multi-touch, but I wanted to address a few PR people who had reached out about this. Hopefully it helps you too!
FunnieZ
Tweets are here.
Wishing all my Jewish and Jew-ish friends a very happy new year. Health above all else. As my Rabbi said, “let it be truly be a NEW year, not just another year.”
THANK YOU ZLATA!!