The Skinny on Affiliate Summit East + The Linkby Download You Didn't Know You Needed feat. Reid Webb
Plus, Kris and Sarah finally meet IRL!
So what is Affiliate Summit, anyway?
It’s where brands, networks, affiliate and brand managers alongside heavily caffeinated PR pros gather to connect, swap insights and plot their next big commission wins. Picture this: keynotes that don’t suck, panels that actually teach you something meaningful about the exact partners you’re hoping to work with, meeting rooms abuzz on how to best collaborate and expo floor bursting with shiny new partners (and of course, all the SWAG.)
If you're in the affiliate game and want to level up your strategy—or just finally put faces to the people who keep ghosting your emails (yes, I followed up, Jeremy)—this is your scene. Think of it as networking meets geeking out on how to reinvent your strategies and campaigns.
Okay, but how important is it really?
Can you be successful in PR or affiliate without face time? Yes, of course. But do you want to be successful, or do you want to build relationships? Because if it’s that latter, nothing beats one-on-one connections. We can all get stuck in remote WFH life, but forging those relationships IRL with media, publishers and influencers is what takes your relationships to the next level.
We’ve all probably done desksides in the city. Think of Affiliate Summit East (and West) as the affiliate speed networking equivalent with a healthy dose of continued education.
Within the app, you can connect directly with affiliate partners, browse an expo floor full of booths and brand offerings, and attend keynotes from publishers you actually care about. The content sessions are thoughtfully curated—like the one below, Commerce and Content: Striking the Perfect Balance Between Editorial & Commerce Partnerships—designed to help you understand how affiliate partners think, so you can pitch smarter and land more wins.
Kris and I also met for the first time, IRL!
Finally: Someone Explains Linkby in Plain English
If you've been in the PR industry for any length of time, you've probably heard about Linkby. You've also probably been confused by it.
What is it exactly? How does it actually work? And why should you care?
In our first-ever Affiliate Manager Q&A, (which will be a regular feature in the substack), we sat down with Reid Webb, one of our favorite affiliate managers to get real answers. Reid has worked on both sides—he was skeptical of Linkby when he was at The Daily Beast, then joined their team after seeing the results firsthand.
In this Q&A, Reid breaks down:
What Linkby actually is (beyond the buzzwords)
How their model differs from traditional affiliate programs
Why publishers prefer working with them over direct brand outreach
His best tips for selecting products that actually get coverage
No fluff, no hype—just straight talk from someone who knows the industry inside and out.
Read the full interview to finally understand what all the Linkby talk is about plus more insights from ASE.
