Affiliate could drive $990,000 a year for your brand, all through PR.

Sharing the top 3 Affiliate mistakes brands made in 2024—things to consider that may help you achieve your 2025 goals

Hi all!

I posted on LinkedIn before the holidays about the surprising number of brands I’ve seen with unmanaged affiliate programs while their PR agencies pitch them to online publications. This is shocking because I’ve experienced first-hand how a strategically managed affiliate program can drive serious revenue for businesses and grow their visibility in top-tier media outlets (think Vogue, Architectural Digest, and theSkimm). I’m talking…

• Driving an average of $990,000 in annual revenue

• Securing 50+ high-quality press features per month

• Unlocking a profitable customer acquisition source at a maximum $17 customer acquisition cost

Here are some pieces we’ve secured for our clients through our Affiliate PR strategies.

Brands without a well-managed and strategized affiliate program alongside their PR strategy significantly disadvantage themselves. They miss opportunities for more meaningful press coverage, cannot track performance from PR coverage, and fail to build lasting relationships with publications.

Affiliate marketing done right uniquely drives awareness and conversions, transforming content into a top- and bottom-of-funnel asset for brands.

Since 2019, I’ve managed affiliate programs, gaining insights from in-house roles and agency experience at VaynerX before starting my business in 2021. I’ve witnessed brands excel and fail in this channel and observed varying levels of success from agencies integrating affiliate strategies.

Here are the top three mistakes I see brands make in affiliate marketing. I hope this helps you assess which levers to pull to meet your EOY goals and beyond :)

1. Get coupon affiliates out of your program!!

   1. Coupon sites like Honey and Coupon Cabin can hurt your affiliate program by taking credit for sales that should go to valuable content partners (like top-tier press, blogs, and Substacks).

   2. Additionally, if you have coupon affiliates in your program, you are likely paying extra to acquire customers who would purchase anyway. Coupon affiliates will publish unauthorized coupons on their sites regardless of whether they’re in your affiliate program. If you have them in your program without a strategic approach to managing them, you’re giving money away.

   3. We increased a client's affiliate revenue by 181% in six months after removing coupon partners and doubling down on press partnerships. Our client was experiencing a year-over-year decline in affiliate program revenue and wasn’t sure why. It turned out that coupon affiliates contributed little meaningful revenue and took attribution away from valuable press partners.

2. If you sell on online retailers, prioritize getting press coverage updated with your brand's website link. It will help boost Affiliate revenue!!

   1. If you sell on platforms like Amazon, Neiman Marcus, and Credo Beauty, I’m sure most of your press coverage is linked to these retailers instead of your DTC site. While it depends on your larger brand strategy, having press coverage link to your website helps boost affiliate revenue and track press performance. It enables you to determine the ROI of your PR strategy and helps you own your customers as well.

   2. In one week, we worked with five publications to update eight pieces of press coverage with our clients' affiliate links directing to their DTC website. The key to getting publications to update coverage with your DTC link is having strong relationships with Affiliate Managers.

   3. Also, a fun fact: Net-a-Porter has plans to shift its beauty vertical to an editorial-style affiliate model in 2025. Products will be listed on the site through editorial content linking to brands’ sites to purchase. They will no longer stock beauty products.

3. Assess Your PR Agency's Affiliate Expertise

   1. I’ve seen huge world-renowned brands not get coverage in prime digital publications like theSkimm, The Strategist, Popsugar, and Real Simple, which left me very confused. I then realized that the PR agencies working with these brands had affiliate in their scope but didn’t actually know which affiliate levers to pull to make affiliate marketing a revenue-driving, coverage-generating channel.

   2. If your PR agency includes affiliate marketing in its scope, ask these questions to ensure you’re maximizing your revenue potential. Doing Affiliate is more than just pitching to commerce editors and shopping writers.

      • Are they consistently reporting on overall affiliate program revenue and specific coverage performance?

      • What are your affiliate program's CPA, CAC, CPO, or ROAS?

      • Do they incorporate an SEO strategy in their affiliate approach?

      • How well do they understand relationships with Affiliate Managers, separate from commerce editors?

      • Are they consistently developing growth strategies for the affiliate channel?

      • How do they integrate high-quality loyalty partners into your affiliate program?

I know this is a lot of information, and it only scratches the surface of what we see in our day-to-day. If you have follow-up questions, feel free to reach out at emma@praize.studio.

We also have an Affiliate PR Masterclass to help you turn your affiliate program into a $990k-a-year channel through top-tier media coverage and other content pillars. No more wasting dollars in META in 2025!!