Sponsored Take of the Week:
I can admit that affiliate PR is one of my blind spots, but I have tried to learn more in this area by following Sarah Karger at Affiliate for Publicists. With that in mind, we have another Sponsored Take of the Week thanks to the collaboration with Meredith & The Media.

Sarah writes about how the biggest mistake PR agencies are making in 2026 is not whether or not to have an affiliate program (because that’s SO 2021), it’s letting an affiliate network sit unmanaged. She dives into how unmanaged is different than “inactive” and how brands can maximize their ROI.

It’s a must-read, check it out.

Resource of the Week:
We have a first-ever exclusive “Resource of the Week” from Supply Chain 24/7’s Editorial Director Andy Gray. It covers a hotly debated topic - pitching under embargo.

After receiving a “not so great” embargo pitch from a PR firm (which will remain nameless), Andy has asked for PR pros to not send him anything under embargo. In his own words, “Just please tell me what the news is; and if you’re not allowed to yet, just send me the news when you can.”

For those with supply chain clients or work at a supply chain-related company, please take note of Andy’s embargo request.

The Rest of the Takes:
Media Relations
- It’s clear that media is changing, we should all be thinking about newsletters, and Kelsey provided a great PR hack for navigating Substack to help us crack into this new medium.
- It’s not quite media relations per se, but Kyle provided a great take on the need to explain a company before thinking about something like pitching a reporter.
- Anastassia on how frustrating it is when execs say a lot of words, but none of them matter. It’s good food for thought, especially if we want reporters to speak with those execs again.

PR Misc.
- Rich has conducted hundreds, if not thousands, of broadcast interviews. He shared tips for going on camera, which I recommend we all save and share when clients/execs are going on broadcast.
- Ethan wrote a take that we should all remember, sometimes PR and journalists don’t necessarily have the same goals in mind.
- How do you know when to bring on an agency? Rachel has some great points to consider when asking this question.
- Jess with a thoughtful take on a Comms person’s most useful sentences, “I don’t understand this.”
- Joe wrote about the new rules of providing value in his Comms Confidential newsletter.
- Love this point from Josh about what to do after earned media hits.

That’s it for this week’s takes, thanks for reading.

-Brian
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkramer/