Differentiating yourself as a publisher can feel daunting, especially when hundreds—or sometimes thousands—of others are vying for the same brand partnerships.
Richa Dani, Director of Partner Growth at impact.com, joined us on The Publisher’s Playbook podcast to discuss how publishers can effectively connect with brands and carve out a niche in performance marketing.
With over seven years at impact.com and a background spanning agency, advertiser, and publisher roles, Dani brings a wealth of insights on how to shine in the impact.com Marketplace, enhance your brand value, and build stronger partnerships.
Key takeaways from this blog
- Your publisher profile is your storefront. A complete, professional, and optimized profile with relevant search terms stands out.
- Leverage first-party data. Brands want transparency, and showing clear audience insights can set you apart.
- Paid placements are an underutilized opportunity. Many brands are looking for guaranteed visibility beyond traditional CPA models.
- Create a strong pitch. Personalize your outreach by tailoring messages to showcase your unique value and alignment with a brand’s goals to stand out.
- Think long-term. Success in performance marketing isn’t about quick wins—it’s about building strong partnerships with brands.
Table of contents:
- The tough competition for performance marketing dollars
- 5 tactics for publishers to grow in the impact.com Marketplace
- Grow your publisher business and land more partnerships
Why the competition for performance marketing dollars is tougher than ever
Digital marketing has evolved dramatically, with performance marketing expanding beyond early affiliate models that often relied on coupons.
Today’s ecosystem encompasses a diverse range of partners, including influencers, commerce content publishers, and even major financial institutions. All leverage various performance-based strategies to drive measurable results.
Dani sees two major trends shaping the future.
- The convergence of creator and affiliate marketing
- Influencers are now integrating affiliate links into their content to monetize audience engagement beyond flat-fee sponsorships.
- Example: Quince’s month-long capsule wardrobe challenge, where fashion influencers used affiliate links and discount codes to track conversions while engaging their followers.
- The rise of retail and financial media networks
- Retailers like Walmart, Target, and financial institutions like Chase are leveraging first-party data to match consumers with relevant offers.
- The line between brands and publishers is blurring, with many companies now playing both roles.
It’s an exciting time for brands, as they now have more opportunities to collaborate with a wider range of partners to boost sales. However, this also increases competition among publishers, making Dani’s advice more valuable than ever.
Source: Digiday x PubMatic
5 tactics for publishers to grow in the impact.com Marketplace
The performance marketing ecosystem is thriving. How can you stand out with hundreds of thousands of publishers competing for brand partnerships?
With the right approach, you can effectively position yourself as a valuable partner and open new opportunities for sustained growth.
1. Optimize your Marketplace profile to get noticed
According to Dani, many publishers fail at the first step: setting up a well-optimized profile.
Think of it like a dating app—brands are looking for the right match. Your job is to make it easy for them to understand who you are and what value you provide.
“As a publisher, the question you need to ask yourself is, ‘Out of the thousands of profiles out there, how will mine stand out?’,” says Dani.
3 profile best practices you can do today
- Complete your profile
- Fill out all fields properly
- Include an active link to your website
- Avoid “coming soon” placeholders—brands want to see a complete picture of who you are
- Pro tip: Focus on the brands you want to partner with and highlight the aspects of your offerings that matter most to them.
- Use the right keywords
- Include multiple relevant terms to ensure you show up in brand searches
- Consider the keywords brands might look for, even if they’re not terms you’d use
- Pro tip: Add your competitors’ names as keywords so you appear in related searches
- Keep your media kit updated
- An up-to-date media kit shows brands the kind of exposure you can offer
- Pro tip: Update your media kit seasonally to reflect current offerings
2. Offer paid placement opportunities
Traditionally, cost-per-acquisition (CPA) models dominated performance marketing, but paid placements are gaining traction across major publishers—from Buzzfeed to CNN Underscored.
Paid placements allow brands to secure premium visibility on your platform for a fixed fee. These can include:
- Featured spots in newsletters
- Dedicated editorial placements
- Homepage banners or exclusive deals
Brands expect to pay for visibility, especially during high-demand seasons like Black Friday and Q4 holiday shopping.
You may leave money on the table if you don’t offer paid placements.
Target partnered with Buzzfeed to prominently feature a curated collection of must-have products on its Shopping page.
Even if paid placements are part of your services but not your main focus, include the information brands need in your media kit.
“If you have different tiers to your paid placements, ensure that they’re laid out in your media kit. Show the audience segmentation and who you’re reaching out to so brands have clarity on why you’re charging a fee and what they’re getting out of it,” says Dani.
3. Highlight any first-party data insights
With third-party cookies declining, brands are more interested than ever in publishers who can provide first-party audience insights.
Dani highlights that some innovative publishers are collecting first-party data through:
- On-site surveys to gather user intent data
- Transaction-based targeting (e.g., financial media networks using credit card data for personalized offers)
- Dynamic product recommendations based on browsing behavior
First-party data helps build trust by providing transparent, personalized information that no other source can replicate. Behavioral insights, such as browsing patterns or time spent on specific content, allow publishers to create tailored recommendations for brands.
Include any notable audience data and insights on your impact.com Marketplace Profile in your media kit. Highlighting top audience segments, behavioral data, and targeting capabilities demonstrates a strong understanding of your customers and users.
Source: Twilio Segment
4. Personalize your brand outreach
In addition to creating a strong profile and offering valuable marketing opportunities, make a strong impression during brand outreach efforts.
Start by creating a well-researched list of top prospects—this serves as your foundation for focused outreach.
When reaching out to these brands, include a tailored note with each application. Two key elements to include:
- Explain what unique value you bring to the table
- Talk about why you’re a perfect fit for their program, aligning your strengths with the brand’s goals
Combining a targeted strategy with personalized communication can significantly improve your chances of establishing successful partnerships.
5. Prioritize long-term partnerships over quick wins
Dani’s biggest piece of advice? Think beyond one-time deals. Trust, transparency, and communication should be at the core of every brand-publisher relationship.
“It’s not just a transaction. You need two invested parties for a partnership to grow sustainably,” says Dani.
Strong, long-term partnerships are the key to publisher success. These relationships begin by aligning on goals and ensuring a solid fit, but it may be challenging to maintain these connections when results aren’t immediate.
“Certain partnerships and publisher types need time to flourish. If you’re pulling out too quickly, you’re stalling growth before it can even gain momentum. Working toward those long-term relationships will give the partnership enough time to show results,” says Dani.
Encourage brands to stay committed by:
- Showcasing measurable results such as increased brand exposure, customer acquisition, or sales to prove the partnership’s value
- Share success stories from similar long-term partnerships as real-world examples of mutual success
Grow your publisher business and land more brand partnerships
The competition for performance marketing dollars is tougher than ever, making it essential for publishers to distinguish themselves as valuable partners. To capture brand attention, you must showcase your unique strengths, highlight opportunities that brands value, and build long-term partnerships.
Focusing on putting your best foot forward and aligning with brands can help you differentiate yourself while securing lasting success.
