As a crucial component for business growth and development, affiliate marketing can be the difference between a brand thriving and surviving. With the welcome addition of PR, however, you can tap into the marketing potential of affiliate marketing and thrust your business to new heights. Continue reading to find out how you can integrate PR with your affiliate marketing program to expand your partner reach.
A match made in heaven
In recent years, a growing number of affiliate managers have discovered the wide-reaching benefits of PR and affiliate marketing. It is worth remembering, however, that affiliate marketing should be a supplement, not an alternative, to PR. When it comes to working with the media, earned media remains an integral component from the very onset and throughout. Affiliate marketing can, however, play an equally large role by allowing you to tap into the ever-growing popularity of digital media outlets and influencer marketing. You are also much more likely to be contacted by editors and writers on the hunt for relevant content during the process of curating new stories, product recommendations, and features by integrating PR with your affiliate marketing program.
Pitch your brand to relevant outlets
If you are looking to integrate PR with your affiliate marketing program to expand your partner reach, pitching your brand to relevant outlets should top your list of priorities. With the sole purpose of an affiliate marketing program to boost brand awareness and surge profits, you must ensure you are visible to the editors of relevant outlets that share a similar target audience and that have the potential to thrust your brand to new heights. A leading publication may benefit from a sizable audience but if your customers are unlikely to read it, reaching out to them could be a considerable waste of time and money for you and your business. If you have only recently established your affiliate marketing program, it can be tempting to pitch to a wide range of outlets. The most successful pitches, however, are those that are targeted and relevant to your brand.
Expand your affiliate marketing program
As important as media outlets are, you should expand your reach and get in touch with a wide range of contacts by opening up your affiliate marketing program. This includes reaching out and offering affiliate deals to bloggers, influencers, and content creators. This can allow you to generate buzz and gather valuable data on how your affiliate marketing program is performing across a number of social media channels which can, in turn, end up boosting brand awareness and surging profits. For example, in the event of an outlet requesting your affiliate earnings or data relevant to your affiliate marketing program as a whole, you will be equipped with the information needed to provide a suitable answer.
Explore the local market
Before you extend your reach and contact editors on a national or global scale, it may benefit you, and your brand, to explore the local market. Editors are exposed to an endless number of products, goods, and services on a daily basis. By targeting local outlets, you are more likely to generate buzz and build a positive reputation within the local community. This can also be a great opportunity to refine your affiliate marketing program from start to finish before you pitch to relevant outlets on a wider scale.
Get to know editors
When it comes to integrating PR with your affiliate marketing program, you must know that every media outlet is different. It can be helpful to familiarise yourself with the individual preferences of each editor, but you must also ensure you understand their affiliate policies and how they may impact your relationship going forward. For example, it may benefit you to find out whether or not they work exclusively with Amazon links and if they require a certain percentage of each sale as well as any other points that may streamline the entire process from start to finish. If you are aware of what each editor is looking for ahead of time, you can tailor your affiliate policies, final pitch, and affiliate marketing program in general, to secure as many features as you can.
If you are in the process of considering integrating PR with your affiliate marketing program, there are a number of factors you must familiarise yourself with beforehand. As a brand, you must give publishers as many reasons as possible to not only work with you but want to work with you on a long-term basis. This can benefit both parties involved and lead to greater brand awareness in the long run. For example, you should pitch your brand to relevant outlets, expand your affiliate marketing program, explore the local market, and get to know editors.
