
Ep. 66 | Lena Grotticelli (TAG24 News): The Future of Publisher Monetization, AI & Affiliate Marketing
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Performance Marketing Spotlight, Marshall Nyman sits down with Lena Grotticelli, VP of Partnerships at TAG24 News, to discuss the changing relationship between publishers, brands, and affiliate marketing. Lena shares her unconventional path from musical theater and cruise ships to publishing and performance marketing, and how she helped build TAG24's U.S. partnership and e-commerce operation. She explains how TAG24 approaches native content, brand partnerships, CPC and hybrid monetization models, and why publishers need to think beyond simply creating an article and waiting for traffic. The conversation also dives into one of the biggest challenges facing the affiliate industry today: AI-driven search and the decline of traditional last-click attribution. Lena discusses how publishers can strengthen their content for AI visibility, the importance of distribution across social and other channels, and why brands need to start thinking about publishers as partners higher up the funnel. Marshall and Lena also explore where affiliate marketing could be headed next, including alternative attribution models, publisher-hosted AI experiences, TikTok Shop, content syndication, and the need for the industry to rethink how publishers are compensated for influencing consumers before the final click. A great conversation for anyone working in affiliate marketing, publishing, e-commerce, content, or the rapidly evolving world of AI search. Support the show
















