The affiliate marketing industry is in a period of rapid growth and editorial advertising is set to benefit from this momentum. According to Research and Markets, the Affiliate Marketing Platform Market grew from $13.94bn in 2024 to $16.26bn in 2025 and is expected to reach $33.93bn by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 15.96%. This increase shows that affiliate marketing platforms have rapidly evolved from basic referral networks into sophisticated ecosystems that power countless digital commerce initiatives.
In editorial advertising — a sector still dominated by manual outreach and fragmented workflows — affiliate programmes offer a way to scale brand-media collaborations. They enable professionals to monetise by connecting brands with targeted media opportunities, moving beyond reliance on direct sales or programmatic buying.
That’s the thinking behind Medialister’s new affiliate program. Designed for brand managers, media buyers, content marketers and PR professionals, the initiative allows participants to earn a 10% commission on each branded content placement generated through a referral. With tracking powered by Tapfiliate and a 30-day cookie window, affiliates can earn commissions on up to 100 transactions per referred client within a 12-month period.
The programme’s structure aligns with another key industry insight: 73% of affiliate marketers prefer joining in-house affiliate programmes over large affiliate networks, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. This approach provides closer relationships, greater transparency, and more control. Medialister’s program follows this model, operating in-house rather than through a third-party network.
With the affiliate industry expanding quickly and editorial advertising still underused, programmes like Medialister’s are changing how brands and media outlets work together. They create mutual benefits: partners are rewarded for amplifying brand awareness and driving customer acquisition, brands gain exposure through trusted networks, publishers access new revenue streams and the entire process becomes more transparent and trackable.
“We created Medialister to bring more structure and transparency to how brands buy media placements. With the affiliate program, we’re giving professionals a way to contribute to this shift, and earn from it,” says Alexander Storozhuk, founder of Medialister.
As competition for audience attention grows, combining affiliate marketing with editorial advertising offers brands and media a practical, performance-driven way to build partnerships and generate revenue.