Get answers to every single nitty-gritty question you have about affiliates
Ask them in the comments on this post or email me!
Football season is back! I am so excited. I took my son on a mommy date to the Rams’ home opener against the Texans yesterday at So-Fi Stadium — my first in-person NFL game since before my kids were born! — and we had the absolute best time.
Now, onto today’s big headline: I’m super excited to announce that Sara Karger, affiliate expert and dear friend of this Substack, will do a dedicated post to answer all your most pressing affiliate questions (even the ones you were afraid to ask) — an especially valuable trove of knowledge for all of us as we get deeper into holiday gift guide season.
I’m opening the comment section up to all subscribers so you can ask your questions in the comment section on this post. Or, feel free to email them to me directly at info@alicedubin.com — and I’ll make sure we get them answered.
Stay tuned for an all-things-affiliate post to come with all the answers!
Recording: Ultimate HGG pitching workshop 2025
Thank you SO much to everyone who joined us on Zoom for our ultimate holiday gift guide pitching workshop! A capacity crowd representing the best in the business — all ready to hit the ground running this season.
We organized the session into six chunky, easy-to-digest sections on:
Timing/when to pitch
All things affiliate
Pitch formatting and subject lines
Product selection and positioning
Trends and editorial direction
Relationships and outreach etiquette
There’s just a ton of info here, organized (we hope) as efficiently as possible to answer all your questions and make your job easier. We went over our allocated hour, so this recording reflects our thoroughly deep dive in 71+ minutes, covering all things you need to know for HGG placement success in 2025. Click here to watch the recording. Enjoy — and happy pitching!
Tools of the trade
You already know my own press opportunities live right here in this Substack— but I’m also a media member of Press Hook. It’s built to fix what every publicist deals with: low open rates, ghosted pitches, and wasting hours chasing the wrong contacts. Instead, it gives us an efficient, trust-based system to find sources and products by topic or category— and now even by opportunity type (earned, affiliate, or paid), so you know exactly what you’re opting into. PR pros pitching through Press Hook are seeing an average media response rate of 15% or higher (compared to the industry average of ~3%) because it's built for genuine connection, not cold outreach. There’s also a growing network of newsletters and podcasts using it to source content, including folks like me! If you’re not on Press Hook yet, it’s for sure worth checking out. It’s not PR the old way, it’s a new model for media in this hybrid era. Explore Press Hook here.
Are you a publicist who needs help leveling up in the affiliate game? Affiliate expert Sara Karger has soft launched her new course, Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based PR for Publicists. It’s built specifically to help PR pros and agencies add affiliate management as a core capability. It’s an in-depth training that equips publicists with the exact strategies to set up affiliate programs for clients, pitch commerce editors with confidence, and deliver measurable ROI through performance-based PR. Check it out here.
Open press opportunities
For Good Housekeeping, I’m working on a story about morning habits doctors swear by. I am eager to hear input from primary care doctors.
For Southern Living, I’m working on a story with the working headline: Flight Attendants Say These Are the Things They Never Do at Airport Security.” As always, I love to hear from flight attendants — and readers can’t get enough of this POV.
Media job moves
Share your job change news with me to be included! Send to info@alicedubin.com.
Morgan Blanner is now an Account Supervisor at BON Communications. She leads key accounts, namely nationally recognized and award-winning independent restaurants.
Emily Maldonado has joined The Door / DISRPT as a Senior Account Supervisor, working across all culture accounts. Accounts include Adidas, CultureCon, and The Gathering Spot.
Olivia Pero is the new PR assistant at Spencer Lauren PR, with clients including Stakt, Aora, Marini SkinSolutions, Vollie, and Slate Flosser.
After a short break, Alyssa Rotunno is “excited to share” that she’s back with the IHG team, supporting its news bureau functions across all 19 brands globally.
Peyton Adzema has recently joined the team at Karla Otto as an account manager on the lifestyle team, working across lifestyle clients.
Boutique travel PR firm GO PR has appointed Mara Bitton as vice president. Bitton will service a large portfolio of the agency’s client roster including clients like Generator x Freehand and NATUROPATHICA Spas, in addition to new clients EYOS Expeditions and BARK Air.
Daylyn Weppner has moved to a new role as director at Small Girls PR. Clients in the lifestyle space include Hover (property visualization and design app), Gen Phoenix (recycled leather manufacturer supplying recycled leather to over 250 airline partners), Cleo (AI-driven money tech tool), and Stitch Fix (online personalized shopping platform).
Carla Tomillo has left Purple PR and joined PRC as associate director, fashion/culture. “In this role, I'll be working on brand strategy, PR and communications for adidas Originals, GapStudio, and Banana Republic.”
I'm really looking forward to continuing to collaborate with all of you in this new chapter,” she says.
Buy an ad and reach 6,200+ engaged publicists
Do you have a coaching program, online course, service, platform, or anything else that makes sense to get in front of my highly engaged PR and media readers? Reach out to me at alice@alicedubin.com to discuss sponsorship in this newsletter.
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Open jobs
Job posts in this newsletter are now a free perk for paying subscribers. Do you have an open opportunity you want me to promote? First, upgrade here if you need to. Then email me at info@alicedubin.com.
GO PR is seeking a senior account executive. This position requires at least three to four years’ experience, a passion for hospitality, experience leading initiatives forward to fruition and success as well as a rolodex of media contacts. “An ideal candidate will have extensive travel and lifestyle experience to comfortably lead daily client relations, execute day to day projects and support and lead teams to execute strategy. They will be a creative, out-of-the-box thinker who has a strong work ethic and is a self-starter. They must possess stellar oral and written communication skills. GO PR Senior Account Executives are an integral part in supporting the development and implementation of communications strategies across a portfolio of high-profile clients. A fun, fast paced environment, GO PR works on a hybrid model with two days in office. Current clients include everything from hotels [Freehand Hotels, Walker Hotels, Marram Montauk, RUSCHMEYERS, Dawn Ranch], to destinations [Visit Faroe Islands and Tourisme Montréal] and luxury expeditions [EYOS] to the truly dog-first airline and hospitality brand redefining pet travel [BARK Air].” Check out the posting on LinkedIn.
Comm Oddities is on the hunt for a junior-to-mid level publicist (around three years experience). “We’d like to contract on a project basis for a potential long-term opportunity for the right fit. This isn’t entry level — you should already know how to pitch and love media relations. Commerce and thought leadership-driven clients. Please email sarah@commodditiesinc.com if interested! Please make it easy for me to see why you’re a fit. Share a couple of recent wins, drop relationship names, areas of expertise, etc.”
Modern Currency PR is currently seeking an experienced and passionate PR account supervisor with 4-5 years of direct experience. This candidate should be a media relations pro with excellent media relationships, client service experience leading key accounts, and a proven track record of securing results. “Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to wear multiple hats!” The account supervisor will lead accounts autonomously, develop compelling strategy, engage in active pitching, strategic media relations, drive effective planning, creative partnerships and programming ideation, client relations, and support new business initiatives alongside a team of seasoned team of media industry professionals within an engaging boutique agency environment. This position is fully remote but must be based in Los Angeles with the ability to be mobile for on-site client meetings/shoots/influencer tours and meet-ups, etc. Interested candidates can send resumes directly to meghan@moderncurrencypr.com and jordan@moderncurrencypr.com.
829 Studios is a Boston-based, full-service digital marketing agency with B2B and B2C clients. The PR account director is a senior position within the public relations department with 7+ years of experience. “This individual will be responsible for driving the strategic direction and execution of integrated public relations and influencer marketing initiatives on behalf of our diverse client portfolio. This role entails leading key client relationships, providing senior-level counsel, and overseeing comprehensive campaign development and execution. You will be the definitive subject matter expert, shaping our approach to impactful storytelling and ensuring our clients achieve measurable results in both traditional media and the evolving influencer landscape.” Apply at this link.
Katalyst PR, a Southern California-based agency headquartered in San Diego, specializing in providing public relations and social media services to culinary, hospitality, lifestyle, CPG, and real estate brands is seeking a dynamic and creative Influencer manager and content creator. “This full-time hybrid role blends influencer relationship management with hands-on digital content creation tailored for restaurant, hotel and travel brands. You will lead influencer outreach campaigns, build lasting partnerships, and produce compelling visual and written content that aligns with client goals and brand identity. Must be San Diego-based, 2-4 years of experience with influencer marketing and content creation.” This is a hybrid position with one day per week in office. Interested candidates can send resumes directly to katherine@katalyst-pr.com or apply on LinkedIn.
Carli PR is looking to bring on two new contract positions for the hospitality, restaurant, and travel-focused PR agency. These are remote positions, with preference for regional candidates. Email interest for both jobs to cb@carlipr.com.
PR Account Director (New York City)/ approx 20 hrs/ wk: This role will support various NYC accounts and potentially also manage new accounts that come online (with commensurate compensation). This role requires restaurant and hospitality PR experience in the NYC market.
PR Administrative Officer (NYC or South Florida)/ approx 30 hrs pr/ wk: This role will support the agency with day-to-day administrative tasks, such as scheduling and coordinating, note taking and call recaps, shepherding communications/ keeping teams on task and on deadlines, etc. This is ideal for someone who is extremely organized and enjoys playing an essential support role for a team.
Modern Currency PR is currently seeking a dynamic, media-savvy PR account executive with a deep passion for luxury travel and hospitality. “We’re looking for a true media relations powerhouse with someone with 2-3 years of hands-on experience, strong media relations, and a proven track record of securing results. The ideal candidate brings a sharp strategic mind, fresh creative thinking, and an unwavering work ethic to the table each day. If you're energized by luxury travel, storytelling, and thrive in a collaborative, high-performance environment, we’d love to hear from you.” This position is fully remote but must be based in Los Angeles with the ability to be mobile for on-site client meetings/shoots/influencer tours and meet-ups, etc. Interested candidates can send resumes directly to meghan@moderncurrencypr.com and jordan@moderncurrencypr.com.
MMGY is hiring for a senior account executive based in the Los Angeles office. The role would entail storytelling via pitch and press release writing, creative development of packages, promotions, events and partnerships, arranging interviews and landing thought leadership pieces, coordinating and hosting amazing press trips (“you will rack up miles!”) and more. Candidates should have a BA/BS college degree in communications or journalism and 3-5+ years PR; related experience with direct travel and lifestyle client background preferred. MMGY Global provides a comprehensive PTO + benefits package that includes a hybrid telework policy. Full information, including how to apply, is available on LinkedIn or the MMGY website.
Work with me
I am available for project-based consulting. Please reach out to discuss your needs: info@alicedubin.com.
Feedback from a recent agency after a consulting session: “That was amazing!!! Thank you SO much, you really gave us so many valuable insights to think about, and I could tell what you were saying was really resonating with the team. Really appreciate your thoughtful answers to all our questions and feedback on our pitches.”
Here’s how to pitch: Simply respond to this email with a new subject line or pitch me at pitch@alicedubin.com.
Are you a writer hoping to reach my engaged audience of publicists? A publicist hoping to connect with brands? A digital media type with a product or service for the industry? Maybe you’d like to sponsor this newsletter with a featured ad. I’m also open to well-matched affiliate partnerships. Let’s chat: info@alicedubin.com.
How to help
Donate to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country for its Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, which, according to its website, will “support nonprofit organizations, first responder agencies, and local governments actively involved in response, relief, and recovery efforts.”
Immigrant Defenders Law Center is a nonprofit that provides deportation defense, legal representation, and social services for kids and adults. Support their work with a donation.
De Sol a Sol Collective, a mutual aid group for undocumented Indigenous immigrants has a list of GoFundMe pages to support.
Donate to the International Committee of the Red Cross and Save the Children.
Donate to the Anti-Defamation League to support the fight against hate.
Donate to Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety.
Donate to Planned Parenthood.
Donate to Pasadena Humane Society
Thanks so much for opening up affiliate questions! My question is - do you pitch an affiliate manager differently than a commerce editor? Pitches always include a timely hook and affiliate info, all available retailers, but is it more so about the overall brand, sales info, commission rates than a timely hook for coverage/inclusion? Thanks again and have a lovely day!!