Hi friendZ! Remember me? I have the thoughts. Zlata them, actually. I know. It’s been a minute.

Between client work and the beginning of the school year, my calendar developed a personality disorder. One minute I’m pitching media and managing affiliate programs. The next I’m reminding my child that “I didn’t know we had homework” is not an organizational system.

But I missed you! And I missed being here, translating marketing updates into things you can actually understand and USE. I’m back to educate, answer questions, and serve my people. So let’s catch up on Awin and Impact, because “we’ve introduced exciting new capabilities” tells me approximately nothing about what I should do on Monday morning.

Let’s Get Into It

Awin and Impact help brands run partnerships with publishers, creators, and other affiliates: tracking activity, managing commissions, and figuring out who gets paid. Here are the recent 2026 updates worth your attention, including Awin’s autumn release. A few features have regional, plan, or rollout restrictions, which I’ve called out below.

Awin: Less hunting, more doing

1. The platform got a makeover

Awin’s February upgrade introduced smarter partner recommendations, customizable campaign dashboards, and more centralized reporting. It also expanded product discovery and storefront options for publishers and creators. Now, more of the work can happen in one place.

My take: Use recommendations to build a shortlist. Then actually look at the partners. Does their audience fit? Is their content relevant? What would they contribute?

2. Finding partners and promotions got easier

Awin’s summer release added natural-language partner search, different rewards for partner groups within one campaign, and a publisher marketplace for discovering campaigns. Saved, enriched links in the app also make links easier to reuse.

Translation: Brands get more flexible recruiting and campaign tools. Publishers get more ways to find something worth promoting.

What I’d do: Build campaigns around a specific objective. “We want new customers for this product category” gives you something to work toward. “We would enjoy more money” is technically a goal, but let’s workshop it.

3. The autumn updates tackle the everyday annoyances

Awin’s latest release includes:

• Commission amendments within the commissions tool.

• Campaign Builder notifications to partners.

• A Referring URL Report showing which individual pages generate results, available on Accelerate and Advanced.

Why I care: Knowing that a publisher generates sales is useful. Knowing WHICH article generates those sales gives you a much better conversation about placements, updates, and future opportunities.

Publicists, this is where your knowledge of a publication’s content becomes especially valuable. Bring a relevant story angle and understand the commercial opportunity. Both can fit in the same brain. I promise.

4. Ava has more to say. And remember.

Ava, Awin’s assistant, now retains conversations. Its autumn release also introduces guided recommendations for advertisers and publisher activation help. An assistant that remembers what I said? Excellent. Can it remind my family?

5. You can bring Awin into your own AI assistant

Awin’s new MCP connection lets supported assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude retrieve permitted live Awin information and perform selected actions, including publisher tracking-link creation. Advertiser reporting requires Accelerate or Advanced access. It’s separate from Ava and doesn’t reproduce every platform function. Needless to say, this is huge for affiliate marketers who use AWIN for their clients.

Translation: Fewer exports and less copying information between windows.

My take: Asking a tool to retrieve performance data is useful. Asking it to decide your entire partnership strategy requires a much longer conversation.

You may remember my thoughts on AI managing affiliate programs. I haven’t suddenly handed the keys over because someone gave the chatbot a name.

Impact: Bringing more of the creator business together

Impact’s June iPX announcements focused on AI assistance, creator commerce, discovery, paid amplification, and payouts.

Here’s the digestible version.

1. “ask impact” does more inside the platform

The updated assistant can answer performance questions, retrieve partner profiles, draft outreach, and guide users into relevant workflows.

My take: Help me locate the information? Great. Give me a starting point? Fine. Send a generic pitch to someone whose work I haven’t read? Absolutely no thank you. Publicists should understand this better than anyone: access to an email address is not a relationship.

2. Recruitment agents are entering the chat

Impact announced a Recruitment Agent for identifying, qualifying, and onboarding prospective partners, with brand approval controls. It was in closed beta at announcement.

What I’d ask before using it: What qualifies someone as a good partner? What requires my approval? Can I see why a recommendation was made? “Because AI said so” remains a terrible answer in a client meeting.

3. Storefronts became generally available

Creators can curate ongoing shopping destinations, with brand controls and performance attribution.

Why that matters: A creator partnership can have a home beyond a disappearing Story. My suggestion? Start with a collection that makes sense for that creator’s audience. Give people a reason to shop beyond “these products were available to add.” We’ve all seen the influencer sharing 19 “absolute essentials” before breakfast. I respect the hustle. I have questions about the definition of essential.

4. Creator content and paid media are getting closer

Impact announced in-platform Instagram amplification, Instagram Creator Marketplace discovery integration, and creator benchmarking.

My take: Plan for the possibility that good creator content could become an ad. Discuss usage rights, permissions, compensation, and measurement before everyone falls in love with the video. “You can just boost it, right?” is how a simple question becomes six emails and a contract amendment.

What I’d actually do with all of this

You don’t need to spend tomorrow testing every button. Pick a problem first.

Managing a brand’s program? Review your partner mix, investigate the content driving results, and test one tool that addresses a real bottleneck.

Working in PR? Know your clients’ affiliate setup. Understand which products and partners are eligible before presenting an opportunity to an editor.

Creating content? Check available campaigns, organize your shopping links, and make sure you understand your earnings and payment status.

Doing all three? Hi. Welcome. Please hydrate. And call me. Let’s work together!

My position remains pretty simple: I want tools that help me do thoughtful work more efficiently. I still want a human deciding whether the partnership makes sense, whether the pitch is relevant, and whether the sales deserve the credit they’re receiving. A shinier dashboard cannot answer every important question for you. Fortunately, asking questions is kind of my thing.

What’s been confusing you on Awin or Impact lately? Reply and tell me. There’s a decent chance your question becomes a future post.

I’m back, friendZ. Let’s make some cents.

xo
Z.

Want to chat more? Work together?

Let’s go! Email me: z@zlatapr.com

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This past weekend, my family went with two other families to my favorite place: Amish Country in PA. I have a pretty dope itinerary of things to do and people to see, but without a doubt, my favorite experience happens in the evening, when we are invited into a home for home-cooked meal. On Friday, we visited the home of Emma King. It’s the fourth time I’ve been here, and she’s always so inquisitive about what I do for work. She knows all about “Googling” things, so I ended up trying to educate her about ChatGPT and how the act of a simple search has changed. Basically, explaining the difference between Googling something and ChatGPTing it.

I was SO into my lesson and Emma seemed genuinely intrigued and understanding of the whole concept. Leave it to my friend Allison to burst my bubble! When we got into the car to leave, she told me I made Emma’s head spin and there’s absolutely no way she understood one sentence of my lesson. Sigh.

Moral is: that’s why I have you guys! I think you appreciate all the lessons and knowledge I give, right? And despite what Allison said, I think Emma King did too!

We All Knew PR Wouldn’t Actually Die, Right?

The best publicists have always understood something that marketers often forget: people don’t trust brands to tell their own stories. They trust journalists, experts, creators, analysts, and the people who have nothing obvious to gain from saying something nice. That was true when newspapers ruled the world. It was true when blogs took over. It was true during the influencer boom. And it may be even more true in the age of artificial intelligence.

Large language models aren’t reading your carefully crafted “About Us” page and declaring you the market leader because you said so. They’re synthesizing information from thousands of trusted sources, looking for patterns, consensus, and credibility. They are, in many ways, acting like the world’s fastest researcher. If dozens of respected publications consistently describe your client as innovative, category-defining, dermatologist-approved, or the best value in its class, that narrative becomes part of the digital record AI uses to answer questions.

Suddenly, every earned media placement has a second life. It doesn’t just reach the readers who happen to see it on publication day. It becomes another signal in the ever-growing web of information that teaches AI systems who your client is and whether they deserve to be recommended.

That means the publicist’s job is no longer just to land coverage. It’s to shape the knowledge that artificial intelligence relies on.

The pitch itself has to evolve, too. Chasing splashy headlines for vanity’s sake feels increasingly outdated. A thoughtful review from a niche expert with genuine authority may carry more long-term value than a fleeting mention in a major publication. A detailed product comparison, an interview that demonstrates expertise, original research, or a bylined article answering the exact questions consumers ask. These aren’t just “nice wins” anymore. They’re durable digital assets that continue working long after the social media buzz fades.

You’re not simply creating publicity anymore. Nope, you’re also creating evidence. That’s the biggest mindset shift of all. PR has always been accused of being difficult to measure because influence rarely follows a straight line. AI may finally prove what good publicists have argued for years: not everything that matters can be tracked to a click, but everything that earns trust leaves a trail. This is what we’re historically known for. And how AWESOME is it that it’s back to being muy importante?

The brands that will dominate AI-generated recommendations won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest advertising budgets. They’ll be the ones with the richest ecosystem of credible voices saying essentially the same thing, over and over again, until that reputation becomes impossible for both humans and machines to ignore.

In other words, the future of PR isn’t about getting your client into the conversation. It’s about making sure they’re part of the knowledge base that creates the conversation.

Let’s start from the beginning:

The Shift Nobody Is Measuring

When consumers wanted information, they used to search Google. Today, they’re increasingly asking ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI assistants. Instead of scrolling through ten blue links, users receive a synthesized answer. A recommendation. A comparison. A shortlist.

The problem? The content influencing those answers often isn’t coming from the brand itself. It’s coming from publishers, creators, review sites, bloggers, newsletters, YouTubers, and affiliate partners. In other words: Your affiliate program may now be your most important Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategy. And most affiliate managers are still optimizing for clicks.

SEO Got You Into The Search Results

Traditional SEO was simple: Create content, rank for keywords, get clicks, measure traffic, optimize. AI search doesn’t work that way.

Large language models don’t simply rank pages. They synthesize information from multiple sources and present a single answer. That means visibility isn’t about ranking first anymore. It’s about being cited, referenced, summarized, or recommended. Think about it this way: SEO helps you appear on the menu. GEO helps you become the dish the waiter recommends. That’s a very different objective. And it changes who matters inside your marketing ecosystem.

The Most Valuable Affiliate Is No Longer The One Who Converts

Historically, affiliate programs rewarded the partner who closed the sale: Coupon sites, cashback partners, retargeting platforms, deal aggregators, etc. These partners often sit closest to the transaction. But AI doesn’t care about last-click attribution. AI cares about useful content and authentic experiences. They’re looking for detailed comparisons, expert recommendations, product testing, and real-world demonstrations.

The affiliate creating a 3,000-word review or a detailed YouTube comparison may influence an AI recommendation long before a shopper ever reaches your website. Yet that same creator may never receive credit under a traditional affiliate model. That’s a problem.

Why Last-Click Attribution Is Breaking

Affiliate marketing was built around a visible customer journey of publisher to click to website to purchase. AI removes that middle step. So when customers are asking what the best travel stroller is or which protein powder is best for women over 40, the recommendation happens inside the AI response, often before a click even occurs. As a result, the content influencing the buying decision becomes increasingly disconnected from the content receiving attribution. Many brands are still paying for conversions. Meanwhile, the publishers creating the content that shaped the recommendation receive nothing. The economics are becoming disconnected from reality.

PR Professionals: Welcome Back

This is where things get interesting. For years, PR teams have understood that influence matters even when attribution doesn’t. A journalist writes about a brand, an influencer mentions a product, a podcast host recommends a service…You can’t always trace the sale, but the influence exists.

AI search is creating a similar environment. The brands that win won’t be the ones chasing perfect attribution. They’ll be the ones creating enough authoritative third-party content that AI systems consistently trust and reference them.

That’s a PR mindset. Not a traditional performance marketing mindset.

The Rise Of The Content Authority Budget

One prediction that keeps surfacing across the industry is the emergence of a dedicated “content authority budget.” Not a paid media budget or an affiliate commission budget. This budget specifically designed to fund authoritative third-party content. Think:

• Expert reviews

• Product comparisons

• Long-form editorial content

• Creator partnerships

• Independent testing

• Industry thought leadership

The objective isn’t necessarily clicks, but it’s influence. Specifically, influence over AI-generated recommendations. The brands investing here early may build an enormous competitive advantage.

What PR and Affiliate Programs Should Do Next

If AI search continues growing at its current pace, affiliate recruitment strategies need to evolve. It’s not necessarily about who drives the conversions, but more about the content that AI is most likely to trust.

Look for:

• Subject matter experts

• Niche authorities

• Review publishers

• Comparison content creators

• YouTube educators

• Newsletter operators

• Industry analysts

Want to chat more? Work together?

Let’s go! Email me: z@zlatapr.com

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But first, a breakdown: IT’S FINE. WE’RE ALL FINE.

Little emotional over here, FriendZ. Little emotional. Somewhere between the chaos, the exhaustion, and the endless PTO/committee jobs, there are these little moments that stop me in my tracks. The fifth graders who suddenly look grown up. The last concerts, field trips, and celebrations. The realization that we’re witnessing chapters close in real time. It’s a season that feels both completely overwhelming and deeply meaningful. It’s a reminder that while we’re busy managing schedules and to-do lists, we’re also living through the years we’ll one day miss the most.

It’s been a wild May/June and we still have just a couple of weeks left. I’ve cried more times than I want to admit. I try to remain steadfast in my feelings of gratitude. I think less about how I have to do [insert school task here], and more about how I get to do it. I get to be a part of the memories. I get to see my son create these memories. And that to me, is priceless.

Okay … thanks for giving me the space to share. And now, what you’re really here for. Prime Day Fun!

I’m giving this one to you as a freebie, but please consider subscribing to support. I put a lot of time and effort into these posts and many times, give away some solid strategies to implement for your own clients and brand owners, for your own brands.

Read. Learn. Repeat.

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LFG!!!!

Prime Day isn’t just another promotional period

Every year, sometime around Prime Day, otherwise rational marketers begin acting like contestants on a reality survival show. Slack channels explode. Budgets mysteriously double. Last-minute creative requests appear at 11:47 PM. And everyone suddenly remembers they should have started planning six weeks ago. Oopsies!

Prime Day isn’t just another promotional period. It’s a unique commerce event with its own rules, its own media ecosystem, and its own winner-take-all mentality. Brands that approach Prime Day the same way they approach a regular DTC sale often find themselves disappointed, wondering why their carefully crafted pitches generated less excitement than a middle school bake sale.

The truth is that Prime Day pitching requires an entirely different strategy.

Let’s get into it with this verrrrrry long tutorial.

Prime Day Pitching Is Not DTC Pitching

When pitching a traditional DTC promotion, the story is usually about the brand.

You’re highlighting new product launches, brand storytelling, founder narratives, product innovation, customer loyalty, exclusive offers, etc. Prime Day audiences don’t care nearly as much about those things.

During Prime Day, consumers are hunting like a rabid beaver. They’re looking for the biggest discount, the best deal, the fastest decision-making shortcut, curated recommendations from trusted sources, etc. Media outlets and commerce editors are operating the same way. Instead of asking, “Why should someone buy this product?” They’re asking: “Is this one of the best Prime Day deals available?” That subtle difference changes everything.

Lead With the Deal, Not the Brand

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is sending a standard product pitch with “Prime Day” added to the subject line. Commerce editors receive hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of pitches leading up to Prime Day. What stands out Specificity. Instead of: “Brand X is participating in Prime Day.” Try: “Prime Day Exclusive: Best-Selling Air Purifier Reduced 40%, Lowest Price of 2026.”

Editors need immediate deal validation. Include:

• Exact discount percentage

• Sale price

• MSRP comparison

• Whether it’s an all-time low price

• Best-selling status

• Prime Day exclusivity

The faster an editor can understand the value proposition, the more likely they’ll cover it.

Build a Commerce-First Media List

This goes without saying and hopefully you all already have this? Many brands continue pitching their traditional lifestyle, parenting, wellness, or business contacts during Prime Day. That’s only half the opportunity. Prime Day coverage is largely driven by:

• Commerce editors

• Affiliate commerce teams

• Shopping newsletters

• Deal roundups

• Product recommendation sites

• Influencer deal curators

These teams often operate separately from editorial teams and have completely different priorities. A journalist who ignored your product launch six months ago may eagerly feature your Prime Day offer if the deal is compelling enough.

People: this should not be news!!

Give Publishers Time to Work

Prime Day content often goes live weeks before the event starts.

Many major publishers begin building their “Best Prime Day Deals” pages and category-specific roundups far earlier than brands realize. Waiting until the week before Prime Day is like showing up to the airport after the plane has already boarded. The strongest brands provide deal information, product assets, inventory expectations, and affiliate tracking well in advance.

Don’t Forget About Your DTC Store

Now for the uncomfortable truth. Less about Public Relations and more about being a smart brand owner, smart affiliate marketer, smart STRATEGER (making that word up) for the brand itself. Share this with your clients! Counsel them!

Many brands spend months preparing for Prime Day only to accidentally train their customers to shop exclusively on Amazon. Yes, Amazon can generate enormous revenue spikes. But it also increases marketplace dependency, reduce first-party customer data acquisition, limit customer data ownership, and compress margins. Read: Your own DTC store is competing with your Amazon store.

The smartest brands use Prime Day to drive both Amazon revenue and DTC growth.

Match or Beat Your Amazon Offer

Consumers are surprisingly flexible when presented with a compelling alternative. If your Amazon Prime Day promotion is 20% Off, then your website should not be offering 10% Off. Like, duh … right?

Instead consider:

• Matching the Prime Day discount

• Extending the promotion longer

• Adding exclusive bundles

• Including free gifts

• Offering loyalty rewards

• Providing subscription discounts

Customers who discover your brand through media coverage may choose your website if the value proposition is equal or better. Hey, maybe even media will offer two “buy now” button options: one that goes to Amazon and one that goes to your DTC, thankyouverymuch Skimlinks.

Extend Your DTC Promotion Beyond Prime Day

Amazon’s event has a fixed ending date. Your website doesn’t. One highly effective strategy is creating a “Prime Week” or “Summer Savings Event” that starts before Prime Day and continues afterward.

This allows brands to:

• Capture shoppers before Amazon traffic peaks

• Retarget visitors after Prime Day ends

• Extend revenue momentum

• Reduce dependence on Amazon’s timeline

Think of Prime Day as the attention driver, not necessarily the only conversion destination.

Give Affiliates a Better Story

Affiliate partners love exclusive angles. If your Amazon promotion is 25% Off, then your DTC affiliate offer could be 25% Off + Free Shipping + Free Gift + Bonus Loyalty Points + Personal Phone Call from CEO To Say Hi.

Now publishers have a reason to send traffic directly to your website. This becomes especially important for content creators and influencers who want to help audiences find the best overall value, not simply the Amazon listing.

Leverage Email and SMS Aggressively

Prime Day creates a massive surge in purchase intent. Don’t assume that intent belongs to Amazon. Use early-access email campaigns, VIP subscriber offers, SMS-exclusive promos, and loyalty member perks. Do it all!

Remind existing customers that shopping directly with the brand often provides benefits Amazon cannot. Customers already familiar with your brand frequently need only a small incentive to bypass the marketplace entirely.

Turn Prime Day Into a Customer Acquisition Event

The brands that win long-term aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest Amazon sales spike. They’re the ones that use Prime Day visibility to grow owned audiences. Every promotion should answer: “How does this help us acquire customers we can market to again?” That means focusing on email capture, SMS growth, loyalty enrollment, subscription acquisition, repeat purchase strategies, etc. Amazon revenue is valuable, yes. But you know what’s invaluable? Owned customer relationships.

The Real Goal

Prime Day isn’t simply about maximizing sales during a two-day shopping event. It’s about maximizing attention. Amazon owns the traffic. You don’t. But you can absolutely borrow that attention and redirect a portion of it toward your own ecosystem. The brands that approach Prime Day strategically don’t choose between Amazon and DTC. They use Amazon’s biggest shopping event of the year as a catalyst to strengthen both.

So what do you think?

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Yesterday, I received an email directly from Rakuten announcing something that could significantly change how affiliate, loyalty, and performance marketing campaigns operate for Self-Serve brands in 2026.

The announcement? Rakuten is officially expanding its Programmatic Loyalty platform to Self-Serve advertisers. If you work in PR, affiliate marketing, partnerships, ecomm, influencer, brand marketing or performance media, this is worth understanding because it signals a much broader shift happening across the affiliate industry: automation is replacing manual cashback and placement management.

And for many brands, especially leaner teams, this could fundamentally change how visibility and customer acquisition are managed through loyalty publishers.

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First: What Is “Programmatic Loyalty”?

At a high level, Programmatic Loyalty is Rakuten’s automated cashback optimization system. Instead of a brand manually deciding when to increase cashback offers, where those offers appear, which users receive them, and which placements to buy, Rakuten’s platform dynamically handles those decisions using shopper data and performance signals.

According to the email Rakuten sent, the system is designed to “target the right member, at the right time, with the right offer to drive conversions efficiently.”

In simpler terms: Brands set one commission rate. Rakuten’s algorithm handles the rest.

Here’s How the New Self-Serve Model Works

Traditionally, affiliate and loyalty campaigns often required brands to negotiate newsletter placements, homepage features, increased cashback events, promotional boosts, and seasonal visibility opportunities separately. Under this new structure, Rakuten says Self-Serve brands will instead provide one CPA (cost-per-acquisition) or commission rate through the affiliate network.

From there Rakuten dynamically adjusts cashback incentives, determines when and where brands appear, and distributes exposure across channels like email, push notifications, onsite placements, and promotional tiles.

Importantly, the email notes that many of these placements, like email and push notifications, were previously unavailable for Self-Serve brands to purchase directly. That means smaller brands may gain access to premium visibility opportunities they historically couldn’t access.

What Rakuten Says the Performance Looks Like

Rakuten shared performance data from Enterprise brands that have already been testing Programmatic Loyalty over the last 18 months.

According to the company, participating brands saw an average of 15%+ net sales lift and a 12% increase in AOV (!!!). The broader idea here is that dynamic cashback optimization may drive stronger conversion efficiency than static offers shown uniformly to all shoppers.

Rather than offering “10% cashback to everyone,” the system attempts to identify which shoppers actually need a stronger incentive, which are likely to convert organically, and where cashback spend can be used most efficiently.

The TL;DR for Self-Serve Brands

Here’s the new setup Rakuten is rolling out:

One commission rate rules them all

Brands provide a single CPA/commission rate through the affiliate network.

That’s it. No separate media buys. No piecemeal promo negotiations. No “2% base but 10% during the full moon if Mercury is in retrograde.”

Rakuten dynamically adjusts cashback offers behind the scenes depending on shopper behavior, purchase likelihood, seasonality, conversion pacing, and campaign performance.

The shopper sees the “right” cashback at the “right” time. The brand just sees the CPA. Simple on paper. Extremely sophisticated underneath.

The Bigger Story Here: Loyalty Is Becoming Media Infrastructure

This is the part that feels important. Rakuten isn’t positioning cashback as coupons, rebates, or “performance marketing lite.” They’re positioning it as predictive audience targeting infrastructure. That’s a very different thing.

The real asset isn’t the cashback itself. It’s the behavioral data. Rakuten has visibility into:

• purchase timing

• category intent

• promo responsiveness

• customer elasticity

• repeat shopping behavior

• and conversion likelihood across millions of members.

And now they’re automating decisions on top of that data layer. Which starts sounding less like traditional affiliate…and more like performance media buying. But hey, that’s a whole other topic.

The PR, media, Amazon, SEO, GEO, AEO, FOH, affiliate is consistently changing. All. Marketing. Channels. are consistently changing. I’m always here to help!

Let’s work together!

Feel free to email z@zlatapr.com to chat more!

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Last week, Google I/O, basically announced “Hey, remember the entire internet economy from the last 20 years? Yea…we’re changing that now.” This is probably the biggest shift in online discovery since Google first became Google.

If you work in affiliate marketing, PR, SEO, media, publishing, ecomm, creator partnerships, and/or brand marketing, then you should probably stop pretending this is business as usual. Because according to all the articles I’ve been reading, it’s not.

Let’s get into it. Get ready…it’s a long one today! Hopefully you’ll find it super valuable! This is one of those reads you’ll want to subscribe for :)

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Hi friendZ! Nice to see you :)

There’s a quiet but consequential flaw sitting at the heart of modern marketing measurement. If you work in PR, brand strategy, or affiliate marketing, it’s already shaping your budgets whether you realize it or not.

I read through a recent industry report so you don’t have to. Yay! The Next Frontier of Measurement: Fair Evaluation of Affiliates in Marketing Mix Models surfaces a core issue: our most trusted measurement framework, Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), is structurally misreading affiliate marketing.

This isn’t just a technical problem. It’s a strategic blind spot. That’s what we’re talking about today. After some good ol’ TV newZ.

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TV TimeZ

• "The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special," chronicling the fitness guru's rise to fame and cultural legacy, airs Tuesday, May 12 at 9 p.m. on CBS. After ten years out of the public eye, Simmons reached out personally to Diane Sawyer to tell his story. He sent her dozens of flowers with a note attached: "I Trust You." But before the two could sit down together, news broke of Simmons' sudden and unexplained death. The special now turns its lens on the mystery surrounding his final days.

• Amazon may be in early talks to bring back "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump Jr. stepping into his father's hosting role.

• FOX has set “Marriage Market” for its 2026–27 season. Hosted by Whitney Cummings, the dating series invites singles fed up with endless first dates into an actual Marriage Market, where they hand over control of their love lives to family members.

• “Love & Hip Hop” will wrap after 15 years with a six-part limited series premiering on VH1 the fall. In “Love & Hip Hop: The Final Chapter,” cast, creators, and cultural voices will look back at the impact and legacy of the reality show.

Back to Our Programming: What MMM Actually Does

Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) is widely used to answer one big question: what’s driving growth? It analyzes historical data across channels like TV, paid media, PR, affiliates and uses statistical models to estimate each channel’s contribution to sales and ROI. Think of it as a high-level, big-picture attribution system. Unlike granular digital tracking, MMM operates on aggregated data and is designed for long-term, cross-channel decision-making. That’s precisely where the problem begins.

The Core Problem: Affiliates Don’t “Fit” MMM

Affiliate marketing is performance-based, decentralized, and highly varied. It includes everything from content creators and loyalty programs to influencers and deal sites. MMM favors:

• Channels with large, variable spend patterns

• Channels with clear, time-bound exposure signals

• Channels with strong correlation to sales fluctuations

Affiliate marketing often looks like the opposite:

• Lower or stable spend

• Always-on presence

• Indirect or assistive influence in the customer journey

As a result, MMM can systematically underestimate or misattribute affiliate impact, not because it’s ineffective, but because it doesn’t behave like traditional media.

Why This Happens (In Plain Terms)

There are three structural biases at play:

1. Aggregation Bias: MMM works on aggregated data. It struggles to capture niche, segmented, or mid-funnel contributions, which is where affiliates often thrive.

2. Correlation Does Not Equal Causation: MMM relies heavily on correlation. Channels that don’t show obvious spend-to-sales patterns can look less impactful even if they are essential in the path to conversion.

3. Short-Term Signal Bias: MMM tends to favor channels that drive immediate, trackable sales spikes, while undervaluing channels that build influence over time or assist conversions indirectly.

Why This Matters (More Than You Think)

This isn’t just an analytics debate. It’s a budget allocation issue. If MMM undervalues affiliates, then brands may underinvest, PR and content-driven influence can appear less impactful than it actually is, and affiliate programs risk being treated as “last click only” rather than strategic growth drivers. Basically, measurement bias becomes investment bias. No bueno!

What This Means for Different Stakeholders

For Public Relations Professionals

PR has long faced a similar challenge, obviously. We know that impact is real but hard to quantify. Affiliate mis-

measurement reinforces a broader issue, which is that upper- and mid-funnel influence channels are systematically undervalued in data models.

So what do we have to do???

• Align PR efforts with incrementality and contribution narratives, not just impressions

• Advocate for hybrid measurement models that incorporate MMM and experimentation

• Partner more closely with affiliate and content teams to show full-funnel impact

For Brands and CMOs

If you’re relying heavily on MMM to guide spend, you may be optimizing toward what’s measurable, not what’s effective.

So what do we have to do???

• Treat MMM as directional, not definitive

• Incorporate incrementality testing, lift studies, and customer journey analysis

• Test assumptions: What channels might be undervalued simply because they’re harder to model?

For Affiliate Marketers

This is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that your value may be undercounted. The opportunity is that brands are starting to realize it.

So what do we have to do???

• Shift the conversation from last-click to incrementality

• Provide richer data signals (content type, audience, placement)

• Position affiliate as a diversified media channel, not just a conversion tool

The more affiliates can behave like measurable media, the better they’ll be reflected in MMM frameworks.

I Have Zlata Thoughts

Affiliate marketing isn’t broken (yet), but for sure the way we measure it is. Until brands modernize how they evaluate performance, they risk undervaluing some of the most efficient, scalable, and influence-driven channels in their mix. Sadly then, for PR, brand, and affiliate leaders, that creates both a risk and a strategic opening.

The next frontier of marketing isn’t just better channels. It’s better measurement of the ones we already have.

Let’s work together!

Feel free to email z@zlatapr.com to chat more!

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Welp! Here we are. It’s one of those weeks where your group chat is somehow debating three unrelated things with equal intensity: whether a random gadget is “actually life-changing,” why every app suddenly has a new feature no one asked for, and how it’s already somehow almost May. [Cue Justin Timberlake’s meme]

We’re diving in because there’s a lot to unpack and I’m the type that does exactly that when I first get home from a vacation versus leaving the suitcase in the corner for a week.

There are partnerships…and then there are “wait, they were competitors yesterday?” partnerships. Enter: Rakuten x impact.com, a freshly announced alliance that basically says: affiliate marketing, but make it one giant, data-powered organism.

Let’s unpack this like it’s a Substack you opened while pretending to work. I’m breaking down the partnership announcement: what it is, what it means, what the pros are, what the cons are, and what agencies definitely need to know.

LFG!!

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Hi friendZ! Welcome back to Extremely Online, where the vibes are curated, the lighting is golden hour, and now, apparently, every scroll is a shopping trip. Meta has decided that what your casual little doomscroll was really missing was 30 separate opportunities to buy things mid-video.

Apparently, Instagram and Facebook are rolling out affiliate links inside Reels. Not in bio. Not in comments. Not in that one Linktree you haven’t updated since 2022 (shame on you). Inside the content itself. Tap the lip gloss. Tap the chair. Tap the emotional support Stanley cup. Welcome to the FCKD future, where your feed isn’t just content, it’s a clickable catalog.

OMFG What Does This Mean?

For years, creators have been playing 4D chess with monetization options that included:

• “Link in bio!!!”

• “Comment ‘LINK’ and I’ll DM you”

• “It’s in my LTK but also my ShopMy but also my Amazon storefront but—”

• Totally outdated, but remember the “Swipe Up!!!!” ??

Meta looked at that chaos and said: absolutely not, we’ll take it from here. So now, creators can drop up to 30 products in a single Reel, viewers can tap and buy instantly, and there are no middlemen for miles around. There’s no friction. There’s no escape. We’re done for. The influencer funnel has been flattened into a single tap. RIP to link-in-bio startups. It was a good run.

But do you know what’s really sickkkk? [To be said in the voice of Bethenny Frankel] Meta isn’t even taking a cut (yet). Cute, right? Instead, they’re collecting something way more valuable: hyper-granular data on what you almost bought at 11:47pm. Every hesitation. Every hover. Every “wait do I need this?” Filed away for future you. You know, the one who actually will click. “ISN’T THIS SICKKKK?”

This is Meta going full TikTok Shop. Content (commerce), entertainment (storefront), your attention (monetizable). (Is that a word? I just made it one.) This is all quite dangerously convenient, no? Because the next time you open Instagram “just for five minutes,” you may leave with a ceramic lemon bowl, a $78 “clean” moisturizer, and a vague sense that you’ve been bamboozled gently optimized.

Next paid post will be all about how this affects PR and affiliate marketing and what types of pivots you’ll need to make. Make sure you subscribe! See you in the checkout line!

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Let’s Work Together!

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

xo

Z.

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Hi friendZ! Life has been doing that thing where it’s not busy in a dramatic way, but just really, really full in a dramatic way. You know? In a quiet, constant, tabs-open-in-your-brain kind of way. Lately it’s been a mix of:

• too much time on my phone (reading my Kindle, ahem), but somehow still missing texts

• long walks where I accidentally solve nothing but feel better anyway

• half-finished thoughts I swear I’ll come back to (I won’t)

The world, meanwhile, feels like it’s moving both very fast and not at all? Like every day there’s something new to react to, but also a weird sameness underneath it all. I can’t decide if I’m behind, caught up, or exactly where I’m supposed to be, which feels like a metaphor for everything lately.

Artificial Intelligence

Though I admit to being old school in many ways, I recently wrote about AI tools that can be helpful to a publicist and writer. When it comes to affiliate marketing management, I remain staunch in my conviction that a program should be cared for by hand and without any AI tools (at least in the present moment).

If you’re an affiliate marketing manager running programs on Impact or AWIN and treating AI like your co-pilot… we need to talk. Because right now, I’m watching people hand over their entire partner strategy to ChatGPT and call it “optimization.” And it’s… not that. It’s giving autopilot energy in a channel that absolutely requires taste, nuance, and actual human judgment.

Let’s break it down. I mean…LFG!

Where AI quietly ruins your affiliate program

1. “Write me a partner outreach email”
Sure. And now every creator, publisher, and media partner is getting the same beige, lifeless pitch. Affiliate is relationship-driven. If your outreach reads like it could’ve been sent to 1,000 people (because it was), your reply rate will reflect that. Publicists who “do affiliate marketing” should know this tenfold.

2. Partner vetting by vibes (aka AI summaries)
Prompting queries like “Summarize this site” or “Is this a good affiliate?” is a no-no. AI will tell you yes to almost anything that looks legit. It cannot smell shady traffic, fake audiences, or partners who will absolutely cannibalize your paid search. That’s your job. Do your job!

3. Commission strategy via prompt engineering
“Suggest commission tiers for my program.” Cmon!! AI doesn’t know your margins, your LTV, your incrementality goals, or your client’s/boss’s mood this quarter. This is how you end up overpaying coupon sites and underpaying the partners actually driving net-new customers.

4. Automated partner communication at scale
If you’re blasting AI-generated “personalized” updates through Impact or AWIN… people can tell. Affiliate partners are extremely good at detecting when they are part of a mail merge masquerading as a relationship. Again, PR 101, people!

Let’s Work Together!

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

xo

Z.

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There’s A LOT OF STUFFFFFS available on Amazon’s Spring Sale. Rather than provide some insanely exhaustive list, I just quickly put together some of my fave products and good deals. Happy Shopping!

Zlata Boughts: Let’s Go Shopping!

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (March 25-31) is one of the biggest shopping events before Prime Day, with up to 50 - 60% off across tech, home, beauty, and travel.

Here are the standout deals actually worth adding to cart, accordning to moi.

Home and Cleaning Upgrades

• Viral Mellanni microfiber sheets - 44% off (soft, lightweight, GH award winner)

• Bissell portable carpet cleaner - around $75 (perfect for spring cleaning)

• Robot vacuums (Dreame, Roborock, Deebot) - up to 45% off

• Le Creuset Dutch oven - under $300 (rare discount)

If you’re doing a seasonal reset, this is where the deepest discounts are.

Kitchen and Everyday Essentials

• Ninja and Vitamix appliances - up to 48% off

• KitchenAid tools and oven mitt (for those sourdough bakes!) - up to 57% off

• OBSESSED with these Anolon EverLast Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pans

• Ello Pop and Fill Stainless Steel Water Bottles - 25% off

Great time to upgrade basics you use daily.

Tech + Gadgets

• Kindle e-readers - up to 40% off

• Echo Show, Fire Stick, and smart home devices - major discounts

• Anker chargers - strong price drops

• Select Apple products (iPad, AirTag, Watch SE) at near all-time lows

Not quite Prime Day-level, but some of the best tech pricing of the year so far.

What’s Actually Worth Buying

If you only grab a few things, prioritize:

• Big-ticket home upgrades (robot vacuums, appliances)

• Tech at near “lowest-ever” pricing

• Repeat-use essentials (cookware, sheets, skincare)

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Hope everyone is doing just freaking dandily! I’ll start off with a rant about how my business software closed up shop and left me high and dry. I’m now having to learn the ins and outs of Honeybook and if there’s anyone here that’s an expert, holla atcha girl, please. Actually that’s it. No rant.

I don’t know who sped up the clock, but I’d like a word. One minute I was making New Year’s resolutions with a fresh planner and color-coded tabs, and now I’m knee-deep in snack requests, school emails, and wondering how it’s already this far into the year. Being a parent feels like living in fast-forward with occasional buffering. Like, why is everything happening all at once, and also why can’t I remember what day it is Honestly, I feel like I deserve a cameo in whatever chaotic ensemble cast is trending this week because if there’s one thing parenting has taught me, it’s that the plot twists never stop. And yet, here we are somehow keeping it all moving, even when it feels like we’re one group chat notification away from a full system reboot.

Deep breath!!! My hope is that your lives are filled with blessings and that your business is fruitful.

Today, we’re going to chat about the relationship between PR agencies and influencer agencies. The way I see it, there are two types of people at a brand launch party:

1. The PR agency, triple-checking the press list and whispering, “Did Vogue confirm?”

2. The influencer agency, refreshing Instagram stories and asking, “Did it trend?”

For years (and years and years), these two have circled each other like exes at a mutual friend’s wedding. They remain polite, slightly competitive, and absolutely convinced they’re each doing the real work.

But when PR agencies and influencer agencies actually fall in sync? It’s magic. Fireworks. A perfectly tagged Instagram post that also lands a feature in Forbes.

Let’s talk about how to make that romance not just work, but thrive.

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LFG!

The Meet-Cute: Shared Goals, Different Love Languages

PR agencies speak in:

• Narrative

• Credibility

• Long-term brand equity

Influencer agencies speak in:

• Reach

• Engagement

• Conversion

And here’s the twist: they’re both right. The secret isn’t choosing one over the other. It’s realizing they’re two halves of the same campaign. PR builds the why people should care. Influencers deliver the why people should click right now. When those two timelines align, you don’t just get awareness, you get momentum.

Now yes, there are times readers click on the trending “cute top” recco in the latest People article and buy it (ahem, convert). This is really where listicles shine. However, as a consumer yourself, you know that while your interest may be piqued from the People article, it’s probably because you’ve already heard about it multiple times from friends, fam, and yes - influencers.

One Story, Different Voices

Here’s where things get kitschy in the best way: consistency doesn’t mean sameness. PR crafts the narrative (founder story, innovation, cultural relevance), while influencers translate that into lived experience (“I used this for a week and…”). When aligned, the result feels like editorial validates the brand, creators humanize it, and audiences trust both. It’s less about duplication and more about amplification.

Enter: Affiliate Marketing (The Third Wheel That Saves the Relationship)

Affiliate marketing often shows up late to the party, slightly overdressed, asking “So… who’s tracking performance?” And honestly? It’s the glue.

When affiliate works beautifully:

• Influencers already love the product (authenticity check)

• PR has driven enough awareness that audiences recognize the brand

• There’s a clear path from content to click to purchase

When it feels off:

• It’s forced onto creators who don’t organically align

• It replaces storytelling instead of supporting it

• It’s introduced too early, before demand exists

Affiliate marketing is quite literally what brings everything and everyone together. It’s the star of the show, but in the background. Like moms. (HA!)

My husband says I always use too many analogies when I’m explaining things, but these visuals make me feel like I’m better explaining things. So with that in mind, if a campaign was a dinner party:

1. PR sets the table
   Press, buzz, credibility, anticipation

2. Influencers bring the energy
   Real-time content, social proof, cultural relevance

3. Affiliate clears the plates (and counts the receipts)
   Conversion, measurable ROI, sustained momentum

Skip step one, and nobody trusts the meal. Skip step two, and nobody shows up. Skip step three, and nobody knows if it worked.

When PR and influencer agencies collaborate seamlessly, media coverage boosts creator credibility, creator content makes press hits feel alive, and affiliate turns attention into action. That’s why it’s not three separate strategies, guys. It’s one very well-dressed ecosystem. All parties should be involved and talking about how to help and work together, not be separate with egos. As a dear friend once told me, “your ego is not your amigo.”

Zlata Thoughts

In a world obsessed with metrics, algorithms, and “performance,” it’s easy to forget that people don’t fall in love with tracking links. They fall in love with stories … and then they click.

So let PR tell the story. Let influencers make it relatable. Let affiliate quietly do its job in the background.

And let the campaign look effortless… even if it took a group chat, six decks, and one minor existential crisis to get there.

Cheers!

Let’s Work Together!

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

xo

Z.

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Hello, hello friendZ! I celebrated a birthday 12 days ago, and I find there’s no coincidence that this week, my neck and shoulders feel like I slept inside a suitcase. Quite literally, so.much. painnnn! Birthdays in your 20s come with cake (and I do mean cake). Birthdays in your… whatever-this-age-is come with Advil and a 20-minute debate about whether the pillow betrayed you. I happen to love my pillow very much, so this is very much indeed a betrayal. Sigh.

I’m also still unclear about my generational identity. Am I Gen X? A Millennial? An Elder Millennial who remembers dial-up but also knows how to make a decent TikTok? I’m in that strange demographic pocket where I owned a Discman, learned HTML on MySpace and Blogger, and now have the option to use AI to write emails faster than my coffee can kick in. (Am I the only one who still feels weird actually using AI to write?? I can’t do it!!!)

Which brings me to the real topic of today’s musings: public relations and the rapidly growing pile of AI tools that are making PR pros faster, sharper, and slightly more caffeinated.

Because if we’re going to age, we might as well age efficiently. That said, I am putting out a disclaimer: I cannot bring myself to use AI to write emails or do actual work that requires thinking and writing. I just can’t. I’ve used AI to decipher data and graphs, I used it to help create a study guide for my son’s word study test, I’ve used it for recipes, and generally just ‘everyday life’ things. I definitely don’t utilize it for all of its possibilities. For sure. I know that. And I don’t use it for work unless it’s research, which maybe I should? Don’t know what you guys all do. But I’m very into the topic, so I did some research and compiled my thoughts and all the things I’ll be looking into.

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LFG on this journey together!

1. AI Writing and Content Tools

PR teams write a lot: press releases, pitches, executive statements, blog posts, social captions, media briefs, and internal messaging. AI writing tools can help draft and refine this content quickly. We know this.

Instead of staring at a blank screen writing a press release intro, PR pros can prompt AI with “Write a 2-paragraph press release introduction announcing a sustainable coffee company launching a compostable pod.” Then refine it with brand tone and key messaging. Time saved: hours per week.

Do you or your teams use any of these?

• ChatGPT: Draft press releases, media pitches, talking points, FAQs, and messaging frameworks.

• Jasper AI: Marketing AI writing with templates for announcements and campaigns.

• Copy.ai: Useful for quick headlines, pitch angles, and social copy.

• Grammarly: AI editing that improves tone, clarity, and professionalism. This one surprised me as AI, since I didn’t really put it in this bucket. I’ve had Grammerly as a browser extension a long time ago (back in agency life!), so I didn’t realize they’re typical “AI,” though perhaps they have some new functionality. I need to dive in and see.

2. Media Monitoring and Social Listening

Tracking where your brand appears in the media used to require spreadsheets, Google alerts, and a lot of caffeine. Modern monitoring tools use AI to analyze coverage, sentiment, and trends across news and social media. Much like the above Grammerly, I’ve used these (and still do) for my career, and never thought about it as AI. Right??

• Meltwater

• Cision

• Brandwatch

• Talkwalker

• Google Alerts (still the scrappy free classic is what I use)

These tools help me montior brand mentions, track competitors, identify trends, measure campaign impact, compare with my affiliate marketing dashboards, etc. Though these are listed as AI tools, I don’t see them as such!

3. Journalist and Media Database Platforms

Finding the right journalist is half the battle in PR. Are these even AI? I’m almost annoyed that when I researched this topic, the below came up as AI tools. P.S. does anyone remember the days of BACON’S BOOKS?!?!?!

• Cision Media Database

• Muck Rack

• Prowly

• Roxhill

Personally, I use Cision to search journos by beat, track what reporters are writing, build lists, and monitor journalist activity on social. How is this AI though?

4. Research and Trend Discovery

PR professionals constantly need data, statistics, and trends to support stories, especially when there’s no expert on retainer. I understand that using research to find supporting facts is a thing of the past now that that there’s AI research tools that help gather insights and summarize information. I already subscribe to the Exploding Topics and Perplexity newsletters. Have you used any of these?

• Perplexity AI: Fast research summaries with sources

• Feedly AI: Tracks industry news and identifies emerging topics

• Exploding Topics: Finds rising trends before they go mainstream

• SparkToro Trending: Identifies popular marketing and tech content

These tools help PR teams develop newsworthy angles and position brands within larger cultural conversations. I use this for my journalism article writing as well.

5. Image, Video and Visual Content Tools

Modern PR often involves visual storytelling like social graphics, quick videos, and presentation decks. I’ve only used Canva from the below, and even that was just for social posts. What about you?

• Canva: Simple design platform with AI templates

• Midjourney / DALL-E: AI image generation

• Descript: AI video editing and transcription

• Runway ML: AI video creation tools

I Have Zlata Thoughts

Despite all the automation, PR remains a deeply human profession. AI can help write drafts, analyze trends, and track coverage. But it cannot replace relationships with journalists, strategic storytelling, crisis judgment, cultural intuition, and creative campaign ideas. In other words, I firmly believe that AI is the assistant, not the publicist. The best PR professionals will be the ones who use AI to eliminate busywork so they can spend more time doing what they do best: telling great stories and building meaningful connections.

My neck hurts. My shoulder is suspiciously tight. And I still don’t know which generation I belong to. But I do know that as technology continues to evolve, it may be worth looking into the tools that DON’T TAKE AWAY YOUR INTEGRITY, but help make your work easier. Just don’t forget to stretch first.

Let’s Work Together!

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

xo

Z.

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Hey friends, pull up a chair and cozy up with a piping hot take on the 2026 Creator Platform Buyer’s Guide from Martech Record, aka the annual brain dump on where creator tools really stand and where they’re going.

I’m going to jump right in and break it down without all the boring parts. Shall we? This episode is FREE FOR ALL because I’m feeling generous. However, if you’re looking to support lil ol’ me, I’d greatly appreciate if you’d subscribe. A lot of my paywalled content is helpful, informative, and educational (or so I hear!). I spend a ton of time putting these together, so thank you in advance for your love!

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Okay. Now LFG!

1. The Creator Ecosystem Is Maturing

Gone are the days of “one influencer post = magic.” The market is evolving into a sprawling ecosystem of tools, platforms, networks, and spaghetti-code workflows, and this guide tries (very bravely) to help you navigate that.

Here’s the deal: there are tons of creator platforms, all trying to do overlapping things. Some focus on discovery, some focus on workflow, some focus on tracking and measurement, and some are still stuck on likes, comments, and “reach.”

2. What Marketers Are Really Saying

According to the guide’s survey of 150+ brands, agencies, and publishers:

1. Creator spend is growing, but most brands still only spend a tiny slice of their overall budget here.

2. Brands know creators help revenue, but budgets haven’t fully caught up to that belief yet.

3. Affiliate and creator partnerships are now seen as second only to paid media in momentum.

3. What Budget-Strapped Brands Actually Do

Here’s where it gets fun (and real):

• Many brands still manage creator programs internally because they don’t want another vendor bill.

• But internal teams can only scale so much without dedicated tech.

• So budgets trickle in, but often too late in the funnel to make the biggest impact.

4. Tools Are Evolving, But in a Wild Way

The guide splits the universe into platform types:

1. Commerce-first platforms: tools that help you actually make money from creators

2. Advanced workflow systems: for teams that need process automation

3. Niche discovery tools: for when you just need creators who fit

4. Integrated analytics suites: for the data nerds among us

The best tools are becoming ecosystems that combine creator discovery, tracking, payments, and analytics instead of just being DIY spreadsheets on steroids. (Remember those?!)

5. Integration Is Table Stakes (Not Optional)

Platforms that don’t plug into affiliate networks (Impact, Awin, Rakuten), commerce systems (Shopify, Amazon), or analytics (GA4, Adobe, etc.) are basically handing you half a toolset. Brands, agencies, and publishers all said integrations, especially affiliate + commerce, are critical. Read that again.

6. But There’s a Gap Between Tools and Reality

Publishers (like bloggers, media sites, and content creators) feel like most creator tools are built for TikTok stars, not media businesses with audiences and revenue engines. Translation: creator tools need to get smarter about content-centric commerce, not just sponsorships.

7. Looking Ahead: Automation and Monetization

Across platform builders, three things showed up everywhere:

1. AI and automation: discovery, workflows, and reporting

2. Creator commerce everywhere: not just influencer shoutouts

3. Better revenue measurement: show me $$$, not just likes

4. Deeper analytics: track performance end-to-end

5. Creator-brand connectivity: easy communication tools

Yes, five things, haha, because trends refuse to stay in neat and OCD-friendly even i groups.

Top Creator Platforms by Strategic Focus

1. Creator Commerce and Revenue-Driven Platforms

These platforms are best when your goal is measurable revenue outcomes (not just awareness):

PartnerStack

• Ideal for B2B SaaS and recurring revenue models

• Connects creators/affiliates to actual revenue outcomes

• Strong tracking, payouts, and partner account management

• Excellent for referral programs and partner ecosystems

Best for: measurable partner revenue that integrates with sales pipelines.

Impact

• A powerful platform for affiliate, creator, and partner monetization

• Excellent attribution and partner segmentation

• Strong integrations with Shopify, GA, and enterprise stacks

Best for: brands that want visibility into revenue contribution and deep partner performance insights.

AWIN / Rakuten / CJ Affiliate

• Long-standing affiliate networks with global reach

• Great for coupon/deal traffic and large marketplace partners

• Not always ideal for creator content unless tied into affiliate tracking

Best for: broad affiliate reach and conversion scale.

2. Creator Discovery & Relationship Platforms

These help you find and build custom relationships with content creators, especially the long-tail ones that drive real brand affinity.

CreatorIQ

• Enterprise-grade creator discovery, relationship management, and analytics

• Seen as gold-standard for large influencer programs

• Strong identity resolution across social platforms

Best for: scaled influencer programs that need governance, performance reporting, and relationship workflows.

Aspire

• Great discovery + relationship + commerce tracking

• Works well for mid-market DTC brands

• Especially strong for creators tied into purchase and revenue

Best for: scaling influencer ROI with measurable outcomes.

Mavrck

• Combines discovery, advocacy, and affiliate

• Useful when creators and advocates overlap

• Integrated performance tracking

Best for: brands looking to blend advocacy with affiliate revenue.

3. Affiliate-First Platforms With Creator Extensions

These sit in the middle tracking affiliate relationships but also evolving into creator partnerships.

LeadDyno

• Simple affiliate tracking and creator payouts

• Easy Shopify integration

• Not as enterprise-grade but great for smaller teams

Best for: early stage brands wanting affiliate + creator tracking without complexity.

FirstPromoter

• Affiliate + referral + creator tracking

• Clean UX and solid automation

• Especially good for SaaS and membership

Best for: subscription or SaaS brands with tight community ties.

4. Creator Analytics and Performance Suites

These don’t manage payouts, but they help you understand impact.

CreatorDB

• Data-first discovery and analytics

• Great for benchmarking and creator match scoring

InfluencerDB / HYPR

• Deep audience insights

• Helps avoid fake reach and improves ROI predictions

Traackr

• Built for global brand programs

• Excellent for enterprise performance governance

So Which Platforms Work Together?

A modern performance stack often looks like this:

Discovery Layer
Example: CreatorIQ / Aspire / Mavrck

Tracking & Attribution
Example: Impact / PartnerStack / AWIN

Commerce Integration
Example: Shopify / Amazon / custom API flows

Analysis & Optimization
Example: GA4 / BI dashboards / third-party analytics

This lets you recruit smart creators, track revenue impact, blend the “affiliate + creator + commerce” data, and report on incrementality, not just clicks

I Have Zlata Thoughts

Ecom brands have historically leaned on affiliate networks and marketplaces for bottom-funnel demand capture. That still matters, but the real opportunity is to tie creator influence and PR hits directly to revenue, not just awareness.

And that means better tools, smarter attribution, and cross-channel thinking.

Let’s Work Together!

Know you need affiliate and not sure where to start? Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

xo

Z.

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It’s that magical time of year when there are still heroic piles of snow guarding the front door, sheets of black ice daring you to risk your dignity for the mail, and yet somehow Instagram is still in full chaotic bloom. While I’m penguin-sliding down the driveway, Bad Bunny (pronounced BAH-BUNEY with silent Bs) is thriving in my feed, smirking through 47 variations of the same meme format, each one funnier than the last. My boots are losing traction, my coffee is losing heat, but the memes? The memes are eternal. If you’re not following my Insta, where I am constantly posting memes to make you laugh, now’s the time. If winter insists on overstaying its welcome like a houseguest who “just needs one more night,” then at least we have Instagram serving up hilarity to keep our spirits defrosted.

If You “Do Affiliate Marketing,” Read This Carefully

Let me say something slightly controversial: If your PR agency isn’t integrating affiliate marketing into your media strategy in 2026, you’re leaving money and leverage on the table. If your client’s brand has at least 50 orders per month, you’re leaving money on the table. If your client is doing very well on Amazon, you’re leaving money on the table.

And not just a little money. I’m talking about measurable revenue, stronger publisher relationships, better client retention, and a seat at the grown-ups’ table when budget season rolls around. Performance PR isn’t a trend anymore. It’s an expectation. And if you didn’t already know this: affiliate marketing is the mechanism that makes it work.

I’m going to break down how smart PR agencies are using affiliate as a force multiplier and how you should be too. But first…

If you’re running a PR agency and haven’t integrated affiliate strategy into your pitch process, media lists, and reporting frameworks, now is the time. Not because it’s trendy, but because your clients are going to start asking a very simple question: “What did this coverage actually do for sales?” And when you can answer that confidently and with data, you don’t just increase your value, you become indispensable.

What’s more: what I am talking about above and below the jump is just “affiliate PR” or “performance PR.” If we’ve sat on a Zoom call together for new business or trainings, then you know I always say that there are three buckets to affiliate marketing. The first is the PR piece. There are two other buckets: influencer and ‘software/tech’, as I call it. That third bucket…that third bucket is very essential for the success of any affiliate marketing program. I want to be very clear: if you do not know how to maintain and grow that third bucket, DO NOT SAY that your agency “does affiliate marketing,” because you don’t. Not in full. THIS is where we can work together. THIS is where someone like me can be a partner to your agency. JUST. SAYINNNNN!

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

Okay, LFG.

First: A Reality Check About Modern Media

Major publishers are no longer “just editorial.” They are hybrid media-commerce machines.

• The New York Times owns Wirecutter.

• CNN has CNN Underscored.

• BuzzFeed built a commerce empire on product roundups.

• Forbes, Business Insider, and countless digital publishers run robust affiliate operations.

Commerce content isn’t a side hustle, baby. It’s a revenue line. So when a PR agency pitches a product without understanding a publisher’s affiliate ecosystem? That’s not strategic outreach. That’s incomplete outreach.

What Smart PR Agencies Are Doing Differently

The best agencies don’t just ask questions like, “Can we get coverage?” Instead, they ask “How does this story convert for the publisher?” That shift changes everything.

Here are 5 ways to operationalize it.

Please don’t forward this on. I can see that happening a lot. Please just subscribe and support me. It would mean a great deal. It’s valuable information that I spend a lot of time putting together. Appreciate you. <3

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Welcome to the future, baby! If you thought PR was just press releases, affiliate marketing was about links in bio, and influencers were… well… influencers, think again. 2026 is the year these worlds smash together, fall in love, and start a performance-driven powerhouse we’re calling the Distribution Dream Team.

We’re mixing distribution science with media zeitgeist to tell you one unified story: if you aren’t thinking like a newsletter, creator network, and trusted curator, you’re not playing the 2026 game, you’re simply spectating it.

I absolutely loved this article from Inc., so I’m summarizing it for you for some easy digestion. If you’re a long time listener, first time caller, a lot of this information won’t be new. You’ve for sure heard me say a lot of this before.

LFG!

Substack: The (Not So ) New Power Player in Town

Move over, dusty old media lists. Substack isn’t just for long-reads and hot takes anymore. These newsletter mavens are becoming true distribution hubs. Writers on Substack aren’t just influencers; they’re media outlets with audience trust, context, and money-making mojo. Affiliate links? Yep. Sponsored picks? Sure. Loyalty? Through the roof. 2026 is Substack’s party, and everyone’s invited.

Real talk: When creators turn into publishers, your brand wants that spotlight. It’s like getting breakfast cereal placement in the morning news instead of just a TikTok shout-out.

PR Is No Longer About Landing. It’s About Traveling

PR used to be a one-and-done game: snag a top-tier outlet and call it a win. Not anymore. In 2026, the savvy folks are tracking second-order impact (pun intended on the word ‘Impact’). How many times a story gets reshared, referenced on AI platforms, or echoes through creator feeds is suuuuuuper importante. If your message doesn’t spread farther than the initial post, did it even happen?

Affiliate Is Turning Into a Distribution Machine

Affiliate isn’t just about snagging a commission on a last-click sale anymore. The best affiliate programs are becoming media ecosystems where trusted voices turn into sales engines and discovery channels. Think niche blogs, trusted newsletter editors, and UGC stars all weaving affiliate links into stories people actually want to read. That’s not marketing. It’s content treasure hunting.

Influencers? More Like Curators with Taste

The Insta-post-and-ghost era is over. The market darlings in 2026 aren’t selling one item per reel. Nope, these peeps are curating lifestyle universes. These creators are stackers: Substack + TikTok + YouTube + Instagram all in one resume. They’re not your average club promoters, guys. They’re editors with opinions. So if an influencer pushes your product only once? Yeah… you just missed the memo.(And by the way, it’s all our fault. We created this world we’re living in. Congrats!!)

The Big Picture: One Narrative, Many Channels

The biggest theme of all? Integration. No more siloed PR teams, isolated affiliate networks, or influencer roles that don’t talk to each other. In 2026, smart brands play chess (not checkers) with their distribution. And I have been saying this for Y E A R S to anyone who’d listen!

• PR tells the story

• Affiliate amplifies it with performance

• Influencers live it in real life and online

When they sync, you don’t just reach people. Nope. You travel through the ecosystems, and that’s where magic (and revenue) happens.

Any questions?

If you’re reading this on Substack, consider yourself ahead of the curve. Want more breakdowns like this delivered with personality and context? Hit subscribe!

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Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

Cheers!

xo

Z.

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It’s the first month of the year, which means everyone is doing one of three things:

1. Talking about the weather like it personally wronged them

2. Pretending this is their year (again)

3. Gossiping about people they don’t actually know but feel spiritually connected to

Meanwhile, brands are coming off Q4, staring at spreadsheets, and saying things like, “We had so much buzz last month,” while quietly wondering why that buzz didn’t turn into more sales.

And that’s where this conversation gets uncomfortable.

Because while PR agencies are excellent at creating attention, very few are set up to actually catch it when it converts. Which is wild, considering how close the fix is.

Let’s talk about the money everyone’s accidentally leaving behind.

PR Agencies: You’re Great at Buzz. Not So Great at Capturing the Money.

Let’s get this out of the way: PR is powerful. PR builds brands. PR creates desire. But PR alone does not close the loop.

If you’re a PR agency in 2026 and you’re not offering affiliate marketing as part of your client strategy (not just influencer links, but true incremental revenue partnerships) you’re missing out. Your clients are missing out. And frankly? Your bottom line is missing out too.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the media room.

Affiliate Marketing Is Not Influencers With Discount Codes

Somewhere along the way, affiliate marketing got shoved into a very small box labeled “PR-adjacent, influencer discount codes, maybe Rakuten.” And guess what? That’s… not it. That’s just one tiny corner of it.

Real and modern affiliate marketing is:

• Editorial commerce (think: major publishers quietly driving 30–50% of DTC revenue)

• SEO-driven partners capturing high-intent shoppers

• Loyalty and cashback platforms that convert when ads fatigue

• Strategic deal, content, and comparison partners that customers already trust

It’s not just who is talking about the brand. It’s where customers are already shopping.

And here’s the part most PR agencies aren’t trained on (and that’s okay): Incrementality. Attribution. Partner vetting. Term structures. Fraud prevention. Revenue forecasting. Which is… fine. You’re not supposed to know everything. That’s a different muscle. One you don’t need to build alone.

Example Numero Uno: “We’re Getting So Much Press, But Sales Are Flat”

This is the most common sentence I hear from PR pros. The brand gets great press, big name features, we do influencer seeding, they get a pop of traffic, etc. etc. etc. BUT there is no structured affiliate program. The result? Customers Google the brand after seeing the article, land on a random coupon site, and the brand either:

1. Pays commission to a junk partner, or

2. Misses the conversion entirely

A properly built affiliate program would have:

• The right publishers ranking for those searches

• Clean attribution

• Controlled commissions

• Incremental revenue instead of leakage

PR created the demand. Affiliate should have caught it. No, let’s change that to active: Affiliate should be catching it. Those two things are supposed to work together.

Example Numero Dos: The Influencer-Only Trap

Another classic. A PR agency runs influencer affiliate links only. What happens?

• Top of funnel content

• Low intent traffic

• Inconsistent performance

• Confusion about whether affiliate “works”

Then affiliate gets blamed. But the missing piece was mid and bottom funnel partners:

• Review sites

• Editorial roundups

• Comparison content

• Deal partners that close the sale after PR and influencers do their job

Affiliate didn’t fail. It was never actually implemented. Again: we should be working together.

If Your Client Is Doing 50+ Orders a Month…

…they should already be in affiliate marketing. Full stop. No debate. No nuance. No “we’ll revisit later.” At 50+ monthly orders, a brand has enough conversion data, enough volume to test partners, enough demand to justify expansion beyond paid and PR. If you’re not recommending affiliate at that point, you’re essentially saying “Let’s keep driving attention without building infrastructure to monetize it.” That’s not strategy. That’s negligence (said with love).

DING DING DING Plot Twist: This Is a New Revenue Stream for You

Here’s where it gets interesting for PR agencies and professionals. You don’t need to:

• Hire an affiliate team

• Learn tracking platforms overnight

• Pretend you suddenly love spreadsheets

You can partner with someone like me. You keep:

• Your client relationships

• Your strategy seat

• Your PR expertise

You keep doing what you do best:

• Narrative

• Media

• Brand heat

• Influencer relationships

I bring:

• Full affiliate program setup and management

• Incremental revenue focus (not cannibalization chaos)

• Non obvious partnerships most agencies never pitch or think of

• The ability to confidently say, “Yes, affiliate is driving real money”

Suddenly, you get to say “Yes, we offer affiliate marketing.” And now, you’ve:

• Increased your value

• Extended retainers

• Stopped being seen as “just awareness”

• Added a performance-backed offering without the overhead

All without hiring a new team, without guessing, and without risking client trust.

And Yes, Referrals Are Financially Appreciated

Let’s be adults about it. Good referrals deserve good compensation. Any clients you send my way are appropriately met with financial appreciation. Because partnerships should work both ways, and because your insight and trust are worth something.

The Agencies That Win Will Be the Ones That Evolve

The PR agencies that win this year, next year (and the year after that) won’t just celebrate coverage. They’ll help clients make money from it. They’ll help clients make money from additional partners that drive true incremental revenue.

If your clients are already selling, allready converting, already getting attention…then affiliate marketing isn’t optional. It’s overdue. So let’s work together. You create the moment. I make sure it pays off. And we’ll both look very smart doing it.

Any questions?

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

Cheers!

xo

Z.

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It’s time. We’re back. Some of us didn’t take a break. Some of us breaked for 5 mins. But it’s the new year. 2026.

W H A T?!

New year. New goals. New Google Docs labeled “2026 STRATEGY FINAL FINAL (2)”. The champagne is flat, the gym is still crowded, and everyone from brands to publishers to your group chat is asking the same question: What’s actually worth doing this year to move the needle and retain clients?

From an affiliate marketing perspective, the answer isn’t more links or higher commission rates. It’s about how affiliate has quietly become one of the most credible extensions of modern PR and why brands that treat it like a dusty performance channel are going to miss the moment. Or quite possibly already HAVE missed the moment.

Let’s get into what’s new, what’s shifting, and what to keep an eye on as we head into this year with fresh energy and slightly unrealistic expectations.

Here’s what’s IN and what’s OUT in the affiliate/PR landscape.

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Ah yes. That strange, glitter-dusted Bermuda Triangle of the calendar: December 26–31. Your inbox is quiet… too quiet. Your clients are “offline but checking occasionally.” Your Slack is asleep. And somehow, you’re still working … just enough to feel productive, but not enough to ruin the holiday snacks.

If you’re a publicist or affiliate marketer, this week hits differently. It’s not a vacation. It’s not a work week. It’s a soft-launch of next year while wearing sweatpants and pretending you’re “just checking one thing.”

This, my friendZ, is reset season. I’m giving you a full roadmap for this in-between time and I hope so much that you love it!

What Work Even Is Right Now (and Why That’s a Gift)

Between Christmas and New Year’s, no one expects:

1. Pitching miracles

2. Instant approvals

3. Emergency calls (bless)

What is expected?

1. Reflection

2. Cleanup

3. Planning

4. Low-effort, high-impact moves

This is the week where future-you quietly thanks present-you.

The Physical Workspace Reset (Yes, It Matters)

You cannot manifest Q1 wins while staring at:

• That coffee mug from November

• A desk drawer full of mystery cords

• Notes from a campaign that emotionally scarred you

Do this instead:

• Clear your desk completely (everything off, then only put back what you love or use)

• Wipe down surfaces like you’re cleansing bad client energy

• Toss old notebooks, printed briefs, and random PR lists

• Create ONE designated spot for “incoming chaos” in January

Bonus points: add something new like a candle, plant, photo, or notebook that symbolizes fresh momentum.

The Digital Workspace Reset (Where the Real Magic Happens)

Your laptop has seen things this year. It deserves peace.

Inbox detox:

• Unsubscribe from anything that doesn’t serve your 2025 goals

• Create folders for:

  • Active Clients

  • Pitches Sent

  • Wins / Coverage / Conversions

• Archive anything you emotionally can’t look at anymore (LOL)

Files & folders:

• Rename messy files (no more “FINAL_FINAL_v7”)

• Create a clean 2025 folder system

• Delete screenshots you absolutely don’t need (be brave)

Tools & tabs:

• Review subscriptions and tools + cancel what you didn’t use.

• Bookmark only what you’ll actually need in Q1.

• Close. The. Tabs. All of them. This is quite possibly the hardest task in all the land.

Digital clarity = mental clarity.

What You Should Be Working On This Week (Without Overworking)

This is not hustle time. This is strategy time.

For Yourself:

• Review what actually worked this year (not what you hoped would)

• Identify your most profitable clients, partners, or channels

• Decide what you are not doing in Q1 (boundaries are goals too)

For Your Clients:

• Audit performance:

  • Top placements or partnerships

  • Best converting affiliates

  • Strongest messaging angles

• Note what to double down on vs. what to quietly retire

• Draft high-level Q1 roadmaps (not execution yet but just direction)

Q1 Goals Publicists Should Set

For you:

• Land better quality placements (for real)

• Improve media relationships (quality > quantity)

• Create repeatable pitching systems

• Protect your time with clearer client expectations

For clients:

• Thought leadership positioning

• Seasonal angles mapped in advance

• Stronger brand narratives (not just announcements)

• Measurable KPIs beyond just exposure

Q1 Goals Affiliate Marketers Should Set

For you:

• Streamline partner communication

• Build scalable recruitment processes

• Improve reporting clarity

• Focus on top-performing partners, not all partners

For clients:

• Increase conversion rates (not just traffic)

• Diversify affiliate mix (a good affiliate manager knows to do this, so make sure the brand’s affiliate manager IS DOING THIS ACTIVELY all year round)

• Strengthen content partnerships

• Align promotions with real consumer behavior

Any questions?

Email me: z@zlatapr.com. Always here for you!

Cheers!

xo

Z.

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Consider this your official invitation to step into the coziest corner of the internet. Pull up a fuzzy blanket. Pour something festive (peppermint latte? spiked? I support all choices). I’ve got news that’ll warm your heart faster than a December fireplace screensaver.

Drumroll Please… I’m Giving You 50% Off an Annual Subscription!

Yes, HALF OFF. Yes, for the entire year. Yes, because you deserve a treat that lasts longer than a 24-hour flash sale and doesn’t come with shipping issues.

From now through December 12, you can lock in 50% off an annual subscription! No secret codes, no scavenger hunts, no “sorry this only applies to customers who subscribed during a full moon.” Just a big warm THANK YOU for being here, reading, supporting, and laughing with me through this wonderful corner of the digital universe.

Get 50% off for 1 year

What You’ll Get With Your Sparkly New Subscription

• Weekly rambles, revelations, rants, and real-talk

• Behind-the-scenes chaos (the good kind)

• Guidance, insights, and questionable-but-enthusiastic wisdom

• The VIP feeling of being in on the fun

But really, you’ll get access to all my informative paid posts, including:

• What PR professionals should do through the end of Q4 for continued success

• Why affiliate marketing is essential for your clients (and how you can upsell to them!)

• No but seriously, what’s Amazon Creator Connections?

• Pitch templates galore!

Basically: if you like being entertained while also feeling like you’re doing something mildly productive, this is your moment.

So what are we doing here? What are we waiting for? WRITE ME OFF like you did your ex in 2004.

Get 50% off for 1 year

—> Share this link with your friends!

Enjoy!

xo

Z.

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Questions? Let’s chat! Email me: z@zlatapr.com

Well friends… we did it. We crawled through the trenches of Black Friday. We sprinted through Cyber Monday. We hit refresh 6,000 times, we slept never, we inhaled leftover pie for potassium (??), and some of us even negotiated with a brand at 2:14am like it was an international peace treaty.

But now it’s Q4: The Aftermath. It’s that magical period where everyone is exhausted, budgets are confused, and somehow there are still three major holidays left to plan for. If BFCM is the Super Bowl, December is the messy afterparty where someone can’t find their coat, someone is crying in the bathroom, and someone else is sending a frantic “just following up!!!” email.

But fear not. Here’s what to expect, what to do, and how to squeeze every last drop of success out of the quarter that never ends.

Need anything? Feel free to reach out! z@zlatapr.com.

LFG!

But first, a poll:

TV TimeZ and NewZ

• Hulu has renewed “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” for season four. No surprise there – season three of the reality show debuted as the #1 show on the Hulu Top 15.

• Docuseries “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” drops Tuesday, December 2 on Netflix. The four-parter from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is described in the logline as “a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender.”

• First Lady Melania Trump has launched a production company. Announcing the news on X, Trump also noted that an Amazon MGM Studios feature documentary about her, “Melania,” drops Friday, January 30 on Prime Video.

What To Expect In The BFCM Afterglow

What do you need to pitch to get coverage? How do you need to guide your client? I’m giving you tips, tricks, pitch angles to use, and straight up facts.

Editors Are Tired. So, So Tired.

It’s December, they’ve been writing gift guides since July, and they’re one peppermint mocha away from a full collapse. But, there are still placement opportunities! They still need:

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