Where Do Affiliates Hang Out? — A Piarsya Survey. Part 1

Attention! Piarcia is on the line — can you hear us?

Some time ago, in collaboration with Palai Media, we ran a survey across our social channels targeting media buyers, niche experts, and anyone else who follows the space — all to find out what the people we work and interact with daily are actually into and reading. That was back then, and now we've collected several hundred completed forms packed with your answers, jokes, memes, and genuine real-world insights that we simply can't keep to ourselves.

Who and whom?

First, let's clarify exactly who took part in the survey. We spotted plenty of familiar nicknames, and even a few well-known figures in the niche — team owners, blog authors, and respected speakers — though for certain reasons we won't be naming names. Instead, here's some stats to give you a general picture of the people whose answers form the backbone of our analysis:

The industry spends enormous amounts of money and effort on content — and we're not just talking about creatives and ad banners for campaign launches. We mean the entire information ecosystem: channels, blogs, news aggregators, guides, and countless meme groups. Today our goal is to analyze exactly what the groups mentioned above are reading, and what kind of content they prefer.

Now let's dig deeper.

Where and how?

Step onto any bus, train, or into any waiting room and you'll quickly confirm that up to 90% of our information diet is now consumed through a small smartphone screen. The real question is which channels people use to stay connected — and it's not just about consciously choosing a specific platform. Some prefer listening to podcasts in the background, others like to read carefully without missing a single detail, and some people's brains are already spo…spoiled by short-form video and won't accept anything else (no judgment).

The following ranking won't surprise anyone who reads media analytics more than once a month, but allow us to briefly break down the content preferences of our audience:

It's safe to assume that TG and IG are the undisputed leaders in this chart because the former is enormously popular in our region and extremely convenient for distributing all kinds of content, while the latter is the go-to platform for brand accounts and profiles of public-facing experts.

On the other hand, we were personally surprised by the popularity of LinkedIn, which — despite its relatively narrow target audience — is regularly used by as many as 40% of our readers. Worth noting: until recently, the platform's core mechanic was building a network of connections, where you could only message people already in your contacts list — which required considerable effort. Now, however, you can upgrade to Premium and message anyone… just like on dozens of other messengers. Perhaps that change is exactly what boosted LinkedIn's popularity in our community — so maybe it's time to dust off that old account of yours?

What exactly and why?

According to the data we collected, as many as 70% of readers browse and read work-related content every day, with another 25% doing so several times a week. We'll come back to the point that this also depends on the overall volume of content and the number of channels one follows — but the constant remains: the overwhelming majority of people in the niche keep a close eye on industry developments, or at least on the adjacent blogosphere.

Before we dive into the specifics of content, it's worth clarifying that materials for media buyers and arbitrage specialists don't fall into neat categories like "longread," "video," or "reels." Beyond the TOP 3 platforms — YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram — roughly a third of respondents also look for information on specialized websites, niche media outlets, and even forums, where content format is dictated not so much by the platform as by the vision of a particular editorial team or individual author.

As Casey Neistat once said — content matters more than format — and we largely agree. That's exactly why we analyzed hundreds of responses to identify the key topics that interest the audience from a professional content standpoint, as well as those they're already completely burned out on:

Our take on the matter

While analyzing the responses, we kept encountering the same ideas phrased in many different ways… most of which we'd rather not quote directly. But it perfectly illustrates the level of frustration generated by yet another AI-generated channel about nothing, or another info-marketing hype funnel — and the genuine hunger for fresh, engaging, and genuinely useful original content.

Nobody knows what a user wants better than the user themselves, so we won't be handing out advice on what content to consume. But here are a few tips for those who create content:

1. Define your core content positioning clearly

You can find your target audience among both beginners and seasoned practitioners — but mixing content for both groups in the same feed and generously seasoning it with memes is not the best strategy. If it's low-level content — don't just repeat what anyone can find on the first search result; instead, bring in some of your own expertise and use your own, preferably real-world examples. When it comes to high-level content, it's the opposite — don't waste time explaining terminology or writing lengthy intros. Share real cases, real numbers, and insights from people who actually uncover them, not those who just repost from other channels.

2. Content standards must match platform standards

We thought this one was obvious too, but audiences are unforgiving — so consider this a heads-up. Instagram, which tops most rankings and surveys, is focused on photos and short-form video despite its broad popularity — so trying to squeeze a heavy analytical post under a dull, uninspiring photo won't end well. Every platform, from YouTube to Threads, has its own standards and its own algorithms for audience engagement — and that's a non-negotiable reference point.

3. Authorial voice and style are the foundation of identity

Let's be honest: anyone can feed someone else's text and graphics into an AI and ask it to "make something similar, but make it look cool." Unfortunately, the information space is already overflowing with unoriginal content and completely forgettable personal and team brands. We strongly recommend allocating budget for a team of REAL professional designers, videographers, and writers who will build not just an image, but a genuine brand identity — one that stands out through multi-layered style, not aggressive headlines.

To give you time for a coffee break or some sleep, we've split this extensive analysis into several articles — and the first in the series has just wrapped up. A special shoutout is in order to our colleagues at Palai Media, whose collaboration made it possible for us to answer many more important questions. Has AI slop taken root in the niche? What kind of content is guaranteed to annoy your readers? What do you put in a partner gift box to actually be remembered? You'll find out sooner or later — so stay tuned for upcoming releases!

This piece was prepared by the Piarcia editorial team based on reliable data and firsthand experience — which is why we'll remind you that this experience can work for you. We develop personalized PR strategies and execute them with precision, regardless of the brief. Views, leads, or partners — the overarching approach is the same: we get attention — your clients come to you.

Big PR starts with a small message in our DMs.

Stay tuned — it's going to be interesting