Diversifying Your Partnership Strategy for Scale with Stephanie Harris, CEO of PartnerCentric

When it comes to trust, it can take years to build and seconds to break. While this might feel like common sense when it comes to consumer-brand relationships, it's possible to overlook how crucial trust is in the brand-creator relationship. With a passion for this topic backed by a deep understanding, Brianna Doe, founder of Verbatim, joins Dave to share her take on building brand-creator trust and how it’s shaping the broader creator economy. As someone who’s worked on the brand, agency, and creator side, she provides a unique perspective on the dynamic between these groups. The conversation begins with a look at content saturation and how promotional overload has amplified the need for authenticity. Dave and Brianna unpack the evolving balance of control in these partnerships as more brands begin to loosen their grip. They also explore how this shift in control is influencing compensation models, with creators now leveraging content control as a bargaining chip. With trust and control so tightly linked to performance, Brianna emphasizes the importance of aligning on KPIs before a campaign begins and why choosing a primary and secondary success metric is a great call. Finally, they close the loop with language. Brianna shares why the words we use can signal how much a brand truly respects its partners and why that distinction matters more than ever.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

Need to transform your performance partnerships channel, or more dauntingly, build it from the ground up? A certainly big task, but one Natasha Scholnick, Director of Global Partnerships & Influencers at VistaPrint knows incredibly well. In this episode, Todd sits down with Natasha, to explore how the brand has evolved its influencer marketing strategy and integrated it into its broader partnership ecosystem. Natasha shares how VistaPrint structured its program from the ground up, offering practical and unique incentives that kept influencers engaged for the long term. From managing leadership’s expectations to leveraging influencer-generated content across channels, Natasha provides her strategies for brands looking to scale their creator initiatives. Looking ahead, Natasha and Todd conclude with how VistaPrint plans to refine its program, tap into high-priority categories, and turn influencer marketing into a major revenue driver. If you're looking to build, optimize, or scale an influencer program, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

A one-dimensional partnership program won’t cut it anymore. In this episode, Todd sits down with Stephanie Harris, CEO of PartnerCentric, to explore how brands can build a stronger, more diverse partnership strategy by integrating affiliates, creators, and customer advocates. They discuss the opportunities of converging creators with affiliates, the impact of different commission models, and why your most authentic brand advocates might already be your customers. They also discuss how agencies can help optimize and scale these partnerships and why accurate attribution is key to proving ROI across different partner types. Tune in to learn how a diversified, well-attributed partnership mix can maximize growth!To read the survey created URLgenius & impact.com click HERE. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

Seamlessly integrating a service into the customer journey is the ultimate goal for most businesses, but finding the right way to do it is key. The best way to reach your audience might be through a partner already in their path, creating a win-win for both brands and the customer. In this episode, Dave sits down with Peter Orlowsky, Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships at Getty Images, to explore how the company has been creating successful partnerships. With nearly 27 years at Getty Images, Peter shares how the company has stayed ahead of digital transformation. He breaks down how Getty Images integrates into popular platforms like Squarespace, Canva, and TikTok, turning strategic partnerships into critical customer touchpoints. Dave and Peter discuss the evolving role of AI in the imagery space and how Getty Images is prioritizing responsible content use. With so much change on the horizon, this episode is a masterclass in building partnerships that keep your customers at the core.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

It’s time to kick off Season 6! In this episode, Dave and Todd sit down together for the first time ever to rewind and reflect on the standout themes from Season 5, after speaking with nine highly accomplished industry titans. Get ready to hear their biggest takeaways from Season 5 and dive into all the essential learnings from an action-packed season! Dave and Todd recap their most compelling conversations on the rise of the creator economy and the growing significance of B2B partnerships. They dive into which platforms are calling the shots and how brands may be losing the narrative control they once dominated so easily. Tackling some of the hottest issues in the partnership world, Dave and Todd also explore insights on creator compensation models and where brands need a clear road map to succeed. Finally, they reflect on the inspiring career journeys of their Season 5 guests, sharing their own valuable lessons for anyone looking to break into the industry. Want the best of the best from Season 5? Tune in for a recap that covers all the right topics! This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

In this episode, Adam Glazer, President of Partner Commerce—a leading affiliate and partner marketing agency specializing in B2B brands—joins host Todd Crawford to discuss the key differences between B2C and B2B affiliate marketing. They dive into the unique challenges of tracking the impact of B2B affiliate marketing and explore strategies to overcome them. Adam also shares insights on how B2B organizations can determine if affiliate marketing is the right fit for their business, emphasizing the importance of alignment with business development, sales, and other internal teams. Adam highlights the need for ongoing education to ensure success and maximize results, in addition to the opportunities for higher efficiency using partners. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

In this episode of the Partnership Economy podcast, Dave Yovanno interviews Jackie Pimentel, Senior Global Director of Core Ads Product Marketing at Meta, about her extensive 14-year career with the company. Jackie shares her journey from an entry-level position to leading a global team, along with tips for advancing your career. The conversation covers her involvement in the launch of Threads, the evolution of Meta’s advertising model, and the critical role partnerships play in building and scaling platforms. Jackie emphasizes the importance of adaptability, humility, and accountability in her career growth and discusses how Meta’s partnership strategies have evolved to engage creators and businesses in meaningful ways.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

Lacie Thompson is the Chief Growth Officer of New Engen, and in this episode, shares that brands are starting to plan for Q4 earlier than ever in an effort to get access to prime publisher placements and partnerships. Lacie and Todd explore how to approach Q4 planning – using data to your advantage, navigating the changes in Google SERP, and tackling Cyber Week strategically, despite the saturated holiday season. Lacie also shares her insights in working with content publishers and emphasizes the importance of transparency with partners; working with them to ensure you’re aligned on goals and KPIs to make the most of your partnerships heading into Q4 and beyond. This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

In this episode, host Dave Yovanno sits down with Vana Han, manager of global partnerships (SMB) at TikTok. As someone who has played a pivotal role in building TikTok’s monetization arm from the ground up, Vana offers unique insight into the strategic business planning behind the mega-successful social media app that we all know and love. TikTok for Business is focused on getting brands and advertisers to use the platform, and Vana’s main focus right now is on growing strategic partnerships at the company. She explains how partnerships with agencies, creators and strategic partners have proved to be most effective, whereas traditional partners don’t quite fit the TikTok model. Vana also shares her greatest takeaways and challenges from working at a company that has experienced rapid growth and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down soon.This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

The Partnership Economy by impact.com is going on a brief hiatus, but we’ll be back soon with new episodes. Stay tuned for more great conversations with the industry’s best and brightest partnership experts.