If I got a dollar for every time a journalist asked me “are they on affiliates?” this year alone, I'd be a whole lot richer.
About 18 months ago, I was in the final interview round for a new role and when asked if I had any questions, I stared wide-eyed and asked the interviewer, “Could you please tell me more about the affiliates you mentioned earlier?” At the time it was something brand-new, relatively unknown and only a handful of brands were participating. But fast forward to today, and the conversation of affiliates comes up almost daily in both my conversations with brands and media.
So, what are affiliates?
Affiliates come from the broader term, “affiliate marketing”, a channel where publishers earn a commission each time a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. In simpler words, it’s more of a share-of-sale or revenue share marketing model (Marketplacer 2026).
Why are publishers asking for it?
For a number of years, consumers have been growing wary of paid ads and blatantly sponsored content. According to Ad Standards, more Australians distrust advertising than trust it. As Sydney marketer Laura Redman told the ABC, people are increasingly turning to websites and voices they trust for recommendations instead. The ABC notes affiliate marketing is partly a response to that need for trust, and partly the result of wider changes across the internet.
On the publisher’s side, the Australian media landscape is changing, and it has been for a while. As print titles quietly shut and publishers face fiercer competition with Google and Meta Ads in a battle of advertising revenue, more publications want brands to be affiliate-optimised before they’re included in a story – it lets them earn a share of every sale their content drives.
A good (but unfortunate) example would be Cosmopolitan Australia. Relaunched in 2024, it grew readership by about 25 per cent in 12 months to September 2025. Yet, publisher KK Press entered liquidation in January 2026, taking T Australia with it (Media Week 2026). Founder Katarina Kroslakova said advertising support hadn’t reached the level needed to stay viable. Despite their strong audience figures, the numbers alone are no longer sufficient to pay the bills. As such, commerce content like integrating affiliates into digital content provides an alternative income stream for publishers.
Where PR fits in
The way we see it and explain it to our clients: Joining an affiliate network doesn't immediately guarantee coverage. It isn’t an advertorial, so we’ll still need to pitch, but it’ll certainly give your brand a better shot at landing in a digital article to begin with.
There are networks aplenty, from Commission Factory to Refersion. But being on one is only half the work done. Many publishers rely on aggregators like Skimlinks, which work through brands’ existing network programs and pull them into one place. Essentially, rather than signing up to every network, a journalist can link to participating brands through a single platform (Media Prose 2022). And for brands, being on the right affiliate network matters as much as being on one to begin with.
But, that’s not to say that your brand will be excluded from all digital articles if you’re not on an affiliate network, which brings me to my next point.
Can brands cut through the noise without being on affiliates?
They can, but it's significantly harder. Part of our job as publicists is helping clients understand why affiliate readiness now sits alongside a strong pitch. Without it, some doors will simply stay shut. This is also not to say that brands no longer need PR, if anything, they need it more to stand out in a sea of brands vying for a journalist’s attention.
I’d like to preface this by saying the success that comes with being on an affiliate network is especially true for product-based brands, and we must not assume that this is a one-size-fits-all. For example, this share-of-sale model wouldn't work for a not-for-profit (and would be a little ironic if you ask me!).
Closing thought
Like any job, ours constantly evolves with the media around it. As publicists, a huge part of our role is advising clients on how to increase their chances of being seen by the public - and in 2026, that means being affiliate-optimised. But it's only the first step to cracking the Australian media landscape. It's still on us to spot the opportunities through targeted pitching and brand partnerships. That's my Why.
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