A Publisher’s Perspective to Affiliate Marketing & PR
One of the best things about growing Beauty Space over the last few years has been the opportunity to work with and write about the leading skincare and beauty brands Australia has to offer.
The PR relationships I have built have been integral to staying on top of the latest news, trends and product launches and getting the word out to my audience.
With so little time and so much opportunity, publishers understandably have to prioritise what they cover.
Affiliate marketing offers the opportunity to monetise what they do best; creating content about the products and brands their audience loves.
The Evolution of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing, traditionally seen as the domain of coupons and deal sites, has transformed. Don't get me wrong, that is still a major part of the industry, however, there has been an emergence of content publishers from microbloggers and influencers to major media giants investing in content commerce capabilities.
This presents more opportunities for brands to collaborate with premium content publishers and influencers than ever before.
Affiliate Marketing and PR: A Synergistic Relationship
At its core, both PR and affiliate marketing revolve around effective brand communication with the ultimate goal of driving awareness, conversion or both.
Modern PR can be most effective with a blend of traditional media outreach with affiliate strategies to capture publisher attention and track performance metrics.
Is Affiliate Marketing Right for Every Brand?
Unless your brand has absolute ‘cult status’, an affiliate program can be the difference between a publisher covering your pitch or not.
If your brand is new, it's important to first invest in top-of-funnel strategies like sponsored content to drive awareness and demand for your range or products.
There are alternative platforms to ‘dip your toes’ into the world of affiliates before committing to a program with one of the major networks.
Get Clear on Compensation
On the traditional CPA model (cost per action), the publisher only gets paid when someone purchases. This model makes sense when the publisher writes bottom-funnel content (10 of the best serums for dry skin) and their audience has a strong affinity for the brand.
Depending on the messaging of the campaign (Beauty brand X launches revolutionary new foundation), a publisher may request a different compensation model like CPC (cost per click) or a small flat fee upfront to fund their resources to create it.
Leveraging Affiliate Marketing in PR
For successful integration of affiliate marketing in PR, consider the following steps:
Anticipate Editors Needs: Provide necessary affiliate information upfront in pitches. Tell the editor what affiliate platform the brand is with, the rates and the compensation model.
Align with Affiliate Managers: If the brand has an established program and an affiliate manager, understand what key sales events and promotions they have planned for the year and see how you can align with their objectives.
Reporting and Evaluation: Don't be afraid to ask the publisher for any performance metrics that you can help feedback to the brand. Additionally, they may be able to share how they promoted the content or your brand either on social media or in a weekly edm.
About Tara Lusk
Tara has over five years of experience working in media and marketing with a specialisation in affiliate marketing. She launched Beauty Space in 2018 to bring together her love of beauty, writing and photography. It has since grown to be a go-to source for beauty lovers for reviews and recommendations, hair and skincare secrets, and beauty news and inspiration.
