Are you a fashion blogger who loves shopping, posting about your outfits on social media or your blog/YouTube and looking to join the number one fashion influencer affiliate network? If so, this blog post is for you! In today’s post, I share my story of how I got accepted into the RewardStyle/LIKEtoKNOW.it (LTK) community, some awesome perks of joining the community, the not-so-great things and the struggles of becoming an LTK influencer, and more.
I officially became a RewardStyle/LTK influencer in June of 2019 and since then, blogging has become so much more fun than it already was because it really does feel rewarding now. Since becoming an LTK influencer in June, I’ve received a couple DMs from my followers on Instagram asking how to join LIKEtoKNOW.it, things to know about it, etc. and I felt that the best way to answer all of your questions was to write this post for you all to reference!
Let’s get started!
My Story
My process of joining the Reward Style community was not an easy one in any way. I hate to start my story off with my struggle of joining the community, but it is my story, and all I want to do here is be transparent and tell you all what exactly happened so you know that joining the LTK community is not easy and that I am here to help you all out so you avoid making the mistakes I had made.
The amount of time it took me to finally be accepted into the program honestly makes me feel a little embarrassed and, at the time, made me feel like a failure as a blogger, like I wasn’t good enough, all around it just made me feel awful. It really sucked. I applied about 5-6 times before finally being accepted a year and a half later.
And what truly helped me the most in getting accepted is another blogger actually referred me to the program which really boosted my chances of getting accepted.
I have to say one thing that I wish they would tell you on the website when you go to apply is a list of requirements, the max amount of time you can apply, what they’re looking for so you know, etc. but literally there is none of that. You just fill out your information and that’s it. It’s like applying for a job without knowing what qualifications are expected of the job applicant or what the responsibilities are and then you either get pleasantly surprised with an acceptance or unpleasantly surprised with a rejection.
As it took me 5-6 times to apply before getting accepted, with each rejection I got, I really studied what other LTK influencers were doing that had clearly gotten them into the program so I knew what to look out for, what I should be doing with my social media accounts and blog, etc. to boost my chances of getting accepted.
And the two most important things to be doing with your social media accounts and/or blog to boost your chances of being accepted into the LTK community is to one, be consistently posting fashion-related content through feed photos, stories, blog posts, YouTube try-on hauls, etc. and two, have an engaged audience.
After the struggle bus that was my process of joining LIKEtoKNOW.it, I now give this advice to everyone looking to join any affiliate networks: For whatever affiliate network you may be looking to join in whichever category, it’s always good to have an engaged audience beforehand and to already consistently be posting content related to whichever category you specialize in of said affiliate network.
What RewardStyle Doesn’t Tell You When You Apply
There are a couple important things to know about the application process that they don’t tell you and that I am here to share so you don’t make the same mistakes I had.
- There IS a maximum number of times you can apply
I can’t remember for sure but it’s either 5 or 6 times and then you are banned from ever applying again or joining the program.
2. It could take a couple of days, or even a couple of months before hearing back
From the last time I had applied and got referred to the program, I actually didn’t get accepted until about 8-9 months later.
What You Can Do in the Meantime To Boost Your Chances of Acceptance
While your end goal might be LIKEtoKNOW.it, consider using other affiliate networks first to help get in the habit of sharing your outfits and linking what you’re wearing. This is a great way to start off, especially if you’re new to blogging!
Some other great affiliate networks to join that do not reject anyone and which you are automatically accepted into are ShopStyle Collective and 21 Buttons. I actually used these two affiliate networks in the beginning as I was starting out and it really did help me get in the habit of linking my outfits, share what I was wearing, consistently post fashion-related content, engage more with my audience and build more of an engaged following, and eventually helped me out in getting accepted into RewardStyle!
Perks of Being a RewardStyle/LIKEtoKNOW.it Influencer
- It Pays Well
Of all the affiliate networks I am/have been a part of, RewardStyle by far pays the best out of all. They have great commission rates for the sales you make when someone buys from your links and each time someone buys from your link, it truly does feel rewarding and feels that your work really isn’t going unnoticed.
2. Exclusive
There’s a reason RewardStyle is the number one affiliate network for fashion bloggers out there. While harsh in the application process, LTK only chooses the best to join the community and really creates that exclusive group of LTK fashion influencers.
3. User-Friendly/Well-Designed/Smart Layout
RewardStyle really designed their applications well to make it as easy as possible for your followers to shop from your LTK profile. I’m sure most of you interested in joining LIKEtoKNOW.it knows by now that LTK offers the “Shop by Screenshot” method. And it really is a great idea to make it as easy as possible for your followers to shop your looks. No other affiliate network allows shoppers to screenshot an image of something an influencer might be wearing, sends that image straight to their email inbox and get all product info, to then purchase. It really is smart and well designed what they did. The easier it is to use for your followers/shoppers and the more consistently you post, the more sales you’ll make!
4. LIKEtoKNOW.it Has Great Managers/Provide Great Advice
There are influencer managers that work for RewardStyle that really help keep you on track and to help you succeed and make the most out of your profile by emailing you every week with good times to post on the app to reach more people, what kinds of photos to post, popular sales going on to post about and share with your followers, etc. They are not there to force you to do anything, but really just want to help you out!
How to Join RewardStyle/LIKEtoKNOW.it
The only way to apply to RewardStyle/LIKEtoKNOW.it is through their main website, which I have included the link to apply for below:
https://about.rewardstyle.com/
And as you may have read above, it really helps your chances of getting accepted if a blogger you know that is a part of LIKEtoKNOW.it gives you a referral!
How It Works
Once accepted into the program, it can honestly be a little confusing and overwhelming in the beginning. Here’s why:
RewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it work together because while they are two separate apps, they are overall the same thing. I know how confusing that sounds, but once you get the hang of it, it really is so simple.
LIKEtoKNOW.it is the shopping app that influencers and shoppers can download wherein you can follow influencers and easily shop their looks. While RewardStyle is more of the backend app where bloggers and influencers do all of their work to produce what those see on LIKEtoKNOW.it. Through the RewardStyle app and website, you can search for and link products, view your analytics, see how much money you have made in commission off your sales, and more.
For those that have made it all the way to the end of this post, thank you so much for reading and I hope this post was helpful if you’re new to blogging and looking to join RewardStyle/LIKEtoKNOW.it! Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or if you think I may have missed something in this post.
Shop today’s outfit below:
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Kelsie
Great post. Although I am not a fashion blogger, more of a cruise and travel blogger, I still enjoyed reading your story. It is always great when other bloggers, no matter their niche, share their experience. It is very uplifting and good for you that you did not give up!
Thanks so much Anna! So glad to hear you see it that way and definitely want to use my space to talk about things that not too many people will talk about.
Hey Kelsie! Thanks so much for sharing your story! I am a food blogger & I am looking to get more involved with affiliate marketing throughout the next year. Just curious if you could elaborate on how another blogger would go about recommending you? I didn’t see that on the application process, so I was curious if they recommend by email or another method?
Also curious if you know of any certain minimums they are looking for (i.e. followers, blog pageviews, etc.)? Or are they mainly looking at engagement of the content?
Thanks so much! This post is super helpful!! xoxo Jessica
Hi Jessica! So glad to hear you enjoyed this post and so exciting you’re looking into affiliate marketing! To answer your question, if you know of someone who is already in the rS/LTK program, they can actually refer you to the program as well to sort of boost your chances of acceptance. So when you go to apply, you won’t actually see that, it’s all on the end of your friend who is referring you! As for minimums, yes it can be so hard to figure out what they’re looking for! I’ve personally seen a very large variety in follower count of those who are in rS/LTK so I think when it comes down to it, they’re primarily looking at your engagement and how consistent you are in posting LTK related things (for instance, consistently posting home content, fashion/outfits, etc.) Always happy to help with any further questions as well!
Hey Kelsie! Thanks so much for sharing your story! I am a food blogger & I am looking to get more involved with affiliate marketing throughout the next year. Just curious if you could elaborate on how another blogger would go about recommending you? I didn’t see that on the application process, so I was curious if they recommend by email or another method?
Also curious if you know of any certain minimums they are looking for (i.e. followers, blog pageviews, etc.)? Or are they mainly looking at engagement of the content?
Thanks so much! This post is super helpful!! xoxo Jessica
Hi kels thanks for this.
So I’ve just applied and it only asked me for 3 social accounts so didn’t have chance to link my blog do you think that matters?
I just did Instagram tik tok and YouTube?
Also I don’t seem to have an email confirming they received my application. Did you get an email or anything to say you’ve applied? I’m a little worried?
Thanks for your help
Natasha
Yeah that shouldn’t be a problem, I know of people that actually don’t have blogs and are still a part of the program using strictly social platforms so should be ok. Maybe check your spam folder or wait a couple days to receive confirmation email? I remember receiving them the first 2-3 times I applied but the last time I applied I didn’t get a confirmation until about 9 months later when I got approved. Let me know if these work or if you have any further questions – happy to help!
Thank you so much this has been super helpful ! One question I did have and I may have missed you mentioning but do you first get accepted by certain fashion company’s to be their ambassador or does that happen after you’re hired at ltk / reward style ?
Thank you! So glad to hear this post was helpful for you. And it can totally vary! It can happen before or after. My recommendation is to have a contact page on your blog or section on your social profiles where brands can reach out to you from seeing your content.
While rewardStyle has a space through the platform where they can connect you to brands, this can absolutely happen off rewardStyle too!
Thank you so much for this post! I love how genuine you are to help others. I am just starting out and so appreciated this, because like you, I had no idea this was the process. Because of your help I won’t reach my limit and be banned! I am eternally grateful. – Dawn http://www.daydreamingofdecorating.com
Thank you so much, Dawn! I’m so glad to hear this post was helpful for you. Good luck!
Thank you for this very clear and complete description. And congratulations on your perseverance! Good luck!
Hello ! I am late to the party, but your article is great ! I’d love to ask you – what were the main benefits you have observed after you joined ? Did you see an increase in revenue from affiliate links, an increase in the number of partnerships with brands ? Thank you so much and have a wonderful day !
Hi Nastia! Thank you so much for the love on my post. I joined the LTK program as an additional source of income for my blogging business as it naturally fit into the content I was already sharing with my audience 🤍 when a purchase is made using my affiliate links, I make a small commission from that purchase. Aside from that, there are partnership opportunities with brands within the LTK program which is a great way to get connected with brands and build those relationships!