We spoke to Julia Stent — a seasoned affiliate professional with nearly two decades of experience across networks, brands, agencies and publishers — about why storytelling is such an underdeveloped but essential skill in the affiliate industry. Julia is a board advisor for the APMA and Genie Ventures, and works closely with companies like Edenred, Uniqodo and Mention Me on strategy and growth. She has launched a storytelling workshop tailored to affiliate teams, and APMA members can access an exclusive 20% discount.
Why do you believe storytelling skills need to level up?
Because I’ve seen how often this skill is overlooked — and how transformational it can be when people get it right.
A lot of people in our industry are thrown into creating presentations early in our careers, but we’re rarely taught how to structure a compelling story. We think in terms of slides rather than narratives, and that means we often miss the chance to really connect with the people we’re trying to influence. Whether it’s convincing a brand to invest more, explaining a complex product, or presenting results, the ability to tell a clear and persuasive story is absolutely critical.
Why is this especially important in affiliate marketing?
The affiliate channel is full of value, but we don’t always do a good job of communicating that value clearly, especially to budget holders and senior marketers. Our industry is complex and diverse, which makes it harder to package up into a story that resonates with brand-side decision-makers.
Other channels, like influencers or retail media, are often better at presenting themselves through narrative and brand impact. Affiliate, on the other hand, often leans into numbers -commission rates, sales volumes, ROAS – which are important, but don’t speak to marketers in the language that really resonates with the brand story they’re trying to tell. This course is about bridging that gap.
Why do you believe there’s room for affiliate investment to grow?
Affiliate consistently delivers strong ROI: typically 1:13, compared to 1:9 for Meta and 1:8 for Google*. But that can actually signal we’re undervalued. If brands get more back from us than other channels, yet still allocate less budget, we’re not telling our story well enough. There’s headroom – and storytelling is how we unlock it. It’s about making a case that truly resonates with decision-makers.
What’s a common mistake you see in affiliate storytelling?
Too many presentations focus on features instead of benefits. They explain what a publisher does, or list stats about a programme, but forget to answer the essential question: why should the brand care?
When a busy marketer is deciding where to put their budget, you need to tell a story that connects the dots. What outcome are you offering them? What change are you enabling? If you’re speaking to a busy marketing lead who’s juggling a dozen priorities, you need to give them a reason to care. That means understanding their perspective and telling a story that speaks to their goals, not just yours.
How does affiliate storytelling compare to other channels?
Affiliate sometimes lags behind when it comes to the creative side of selling itself. Other channels like influencer, brand, or retail media are brilliant at crafting narratives about impact, exposure, and emotional connection. They speak in the language of brand storytelling. Meanwhile, affiliate often leans heavily on stats: sales volume, discounts, commission rates. All important, but not always persuasive on their own. We need to start using stories to translate those numbers into meaning.
Can the APMA’s wider work help with great affiliate storytelling?
Absolutely. The APMA has done brilliant work in mapping out the value of our industry each year. From the State of the Nation report to the survey of brands and publishers, there’s a wealth of insight available.
But we need to go a step further and help account managers, client leads, and commercial teams learn how to use those stats to tell stories. Not just quoting the data, but turning it into a compelling narrative about why a brand should invest in affiliate. While the insight is there, many teams aren’t trained on how to turn it into compelling narratives that resonate with stakeholders. We’ve got the what – the data, the evidence – but not always the how of using it effectively in presentations and pitches.
Who in the affiliate space most needs to build this skill?
Anyone who needs to explain affiliate to someone who isn’t already deep in it. So that includes networks, agencies, publishers — especially client-facing teams — but also brand-side affiliate marketers who need to justify affiliate internally. If you’re talking to a CMO, a finance director, or a cross-channel peer, you need to be able to tell a story that shows why affiliate matters in the bigger picture.
What made you decide to run a workshop on this topic?
I’ve spent years working with commercial teams across the affiliate space, and I kept seeing the same challenges come up: amazing work, but underpowered storytelling. I want to give people a practical, confidence-boosting way to tell better stories that truly resonate with the people they need to influence.
When is the next workshop?
The next public course runs on Thursday 22nd January 2026 in London Bridge. It’s a small, in-person group (max 8 people), so we can dig into each person’s real-world story and give tailored feedback. APMA members get 20% off the ticket price with the code APMA20.
Want to join the next session? Head to Eventbrite to book, or drop Julia a line at hello@juliastent.com to chat about in-house options.
*Source: APMA State of the Nation 2025.
