Vox Media, BuzzFeed Test Affiliate Strategy of Wirecutter

Bloomberg: Five years ago, Brian Lam created a website missing a key ingredient for running a media company: advertising. Now, big names in online publishing are following his lead and testing the strategy. Lam’s website, the Wirecutter, has become a Consumer Reports for the digital age, albeit with a unique model — it posts in-depth reviews of gadgets, embeds links to buy them on e-commerce sites like Amazon, and takes a cut of the sales. Last year, the Wirecutter drove $150 million in e-commerce transactions.