“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
— Aesop
This week is one of the most chaotic of the year in affiliate and growth marketing.
Black Friday.
Cyber Monday.
Thanksgiving week.
The inbox flood.
The promotion flood.
The everything flood.
But before all of that lands — I want to slow down for a moment.
Because I’m genuinely thankful.
Thankful for affiliates working late into the night to prep content.
Thankful for partners who actually communicate what they need.
Thankful for clients who trust us to guide their growth.
And thankful that even in the chaos, this industry still rewards preparation, relationships, and real performance.
Today’s issue brings two things together:
gratitude… and truth.
Because while I’m thankful — I’m also practical.
And the practical truth is this:
If your affiliate program isn’t ready for Black Friday by now, there are only a handful of moves left.
But they’re important ones.
Let’s get into it.
What You’ll Get in Chaos to Grow
• The Thanksgiving gratitude list for affiliate and growth teams
• The only things you can realistically still do this week
• What not to touch right now
• And why December — not January — is when smart brands start planning 2026
What I’m Thankful For in This Industry
Thankful for the affiliates who hustle, adapt, and test.
Thankful for publishers who still take real pride in their audiences.
Thankful for creators who are building trust at scale.
Thankful for clients who want to grow, not just “do marketing.”
Thankful for partners who communicate expectations early.
Thankful for teams who survive the Q4 sprint together.
And honestly — thankful that affiliate is still one of the only channels where:
• CAC can stay predictable
• spend scales with performance
• brands and partners both win
• human relationships still matter
In a year where Google changed everything…
AI changed everything…
and consumer behavior changed everything…
Affiliate didn’t flinch.
If You’re Not Ready This Week, Here’s What’s Left
Let’s be honest.
There’s no time to build new funnels or recruit new partners.
But there are a few moves left that can protect revenue and keep partners engaged.
1. Confirm tracking. Again.
Broken tracking in Q4 is expensive.
Run a live test order.
Check device paths.
Validate attribution windows.
2. Communicate with your top partners.
A simple “Here’s what’s live, here’s what matters” message goes a long way.
3. Send final creative and deal confirmations.
Keep it clean, simple, and in one place.
Complexity kills conversions.
4. Stop changing things.
Don’t adjust commissions mid-flight.
Don’t tweak landing pages unless something is broken.
Don’t roll out new tech.
Stability beats creativity during Black Friday weekend.
5. Be available.
Partners need decisions fast.
Slow brands lose placement.
Fast ones win.
The Reality: December Is When 2026 Winners Are Built
Most brands make the mistake of “waiting until the new year.”
But by January, momentum is already decided.
December is where the smart brands:
• review their entire affiliate structure
• plan Q1 offers
• rebuild partner communication
• redesign their bonus tiers
• fix program leaks they ignored all year
• build 2026 playbooks
• evaluate agency partners (or get rid of underperforming ones)
• prepare budgets
• and organize their data for clean tracking
Waiting until January is how brands fall behind.
Starting in December is how brands lead.
And our team at Chief of Chaos would truly love to help brands get ahead — not play catch-up.
If you want a clean, focused, performance-driven plan for 2026, reach out now, not later.
We can have you fully ready for January while everyone else is still shaking off the holidays.
Your Weekly Chaos Challenge
Ask yourself:
“At this stage of Q4, what’s the single most valuable thing I can still do?”
Then do that — and nothing else.
Focus beats frenzy.
And once this week is over —
start preparing for 2026 before the industry wakes back up.
Final Thought
This is the week where chaos becomes clarity.
Where the prepared get rewarded.
Where partners earn trust.
And where leadership shows up.
I’m grateful for this industry, for this community, and for all of you who read this every week.
Now let’s finish strong — and let’s build something even stronger for 2026.
—Matt Frary
Chief of Chaos
