LTK for influencers: Everything you need to know to turn your content into cash using LikeToKnowIt

But, how does LTK work exactly? Do you already need to have a substantial audience? And how do you grow your LTK earnings to make considerable monthly income?

We aim to answer all your questions in our simple guide to LTK, with special insights from Pretty Pear Bride, Harm Free Fashion, and Trendy Tourist, 3 creators who are earning income through LTK.

How does LTK work?

LTK features over one million brands and allows over 200K creators to share shoppable content. The company has a presence in 140+ countries where millions of customers each month are helping them to reach $3 billion in annual sales.

Although the website states that “LTK is your personal guide to finding inspiration fast” for a number of niches, fashion, beauty, family, fitness and home tend to be the most common. Most creators share LTK affiliate links via social media, particularly Instagram, but you can also share them across your blog or website.

Since the recent introduction of LTK shops, LTK is considered a hybrid shopping and social media app. As well as being able to produce shoppable posts and share them within the LTK app, users can follow you and save their favorites. 

Are there requirements to join LTK as a creator?

LTK don’t have any official requirements for creators to join their affiliate program. There’s no set number of followers, views or likes that you need. However, you do have to apply and those who are familiar with LTK know that it can be notoriously difficult to be accepted.

“I got rejected the first time I applied to LTK,” says Katie Davies, Founder and Blogger at Trendy Tourist. “When the company was RewardStyle, it was famous for its exclusivity among the blogging community so bloggers applying to be affiliates were getting rejected left, right and center—even if they had big audiences. 

Shafonne Myers, Plus Size Blogger at Pretty Pear Bride and CEO of Aisle Society (a wedding media and digital marketing agency) adds: “I started my blog 12 years ago and plus size fashion wasn't as popular then, so accepting plus size outlets wasn't really on the radar of LTK. I applied twice and got accepted the second time.”

This wasn’t the case for everyone though. Michelle Rothenburger, Vegan Fashion Blogger at Harm Free Fashion clarifies: “While I’ve heard other bloggers needing to apply multiple times before being accepted, I was accepted the first time I applied.”

Why does she think this is? “I didn’t apply until I had more than 20K followers on Instagram and a fashion blog, so I would imagine that’s why I was accepted right away.”

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How to get accepted to LTK

There are a few things you can do to increase the likelihood of being accepted to LTK’s affiliate program.

1. Niche down

“When I first applied, my blog was a little all over the place,” explains Katie @ Trendy Tourist. 

“I didn’t really have a primary niche—it was more a bit of everything going on in my life. When I niched down to a core focus—fashion—and spent time posting helpful content in this niche for my audience (and consistently), my traffic grew. It was another eight months or so before I tried to apply again—and that time around, I got accepted.”

2. Be consistent

Katie tells us she was posting sporadically when she got rejected from LTK the first time. Before she applied again, she changed her publishing schedule to every Wednesday without fail. 

“I think knowing that they could expect a new article every Wednesday helped my audience grow. Being reliable counts for a lot in building trust and loyalty so your readers keep showing up to hear what you’ve got to say.”

3.Get a referral

Shafonne @ Pretty Pear Bride adds: “I was accepted because I was referred by another wedding blogger. I do think being referred makes a huge difference. It gives you a little more clout that you are a legitimate business.”

Not to mention—as the saying goes—it’s not often what you know, but who you know. The content marketing industry isn’t any different.

If you’re actively trying to get accepted to LTK, network with fellow influencers and content creators through social media. There are Facebook groups you can join and hashtags you can search via Instagram and Twitter to start engaging with like-minded people. Sometimes all you have to do is ask for a referral and someone will be only too happy to help.

How can you earn money on LTK?

We’ve covered the benefits of using LTK (quick recap: being able to monetize your content and earn money from recommending your favorite products!). That said, what about the technical side of LTK? Once you’re accepted into the program, what do you need to do to start earning? 

Well, allow us to break it down for you.

1. Link your PayPal account 

All LTK earnings are paid via PayPal, no matter where you’re based in the world.

Once you’ve logged in as a creator via Company.ShopLTK.com, head to the person icon in the top right corner. Select “Settings” and proceed to fill out your payment information. 

2. Download Link Ninja for your browser 

Find the “Tools” option on the top navigation bar and select “LTK Product Link.” Click and drag the link logo to your toolbar. 

When you’re on a retailer website and want to create a LTK affiliate link, simply click the toolbar link. A box will pop up where you can copy the generated link and paste it into the back-end of your blog. Or, you can save it to your favorites folder for later, which you can access from Creator.ShopLTK.com.

3. Download the mobile app

Head to Google Play or the App Store to download LTK on your Android or iPhone. From the LTK app, you can search for a specific brand or product and generate affiliate links which you can copy and paste into your social media apps.

You can also access your saved folders, earnings total and analytics on both your phone and desktop. “My Folders” is especially useful for keeping your product links organized across multiple devices.

4. Set up your LTK shop

Your LTK shop is the cornerstone of your affiliate marketing business. Here, app users can follow, search and shop your content.

Follow these instructions to set up your shop once you open the LTK app.

• On iPhone: Tap your profile icon in the top left corner and then “Edit” to change your profile photo, background and personal bio.
• On Android: Tap “View Profile” from the menu tab and then “Edit” to perform the same actions as above.

You can also organize your posts into Collections so users can shop similar-themed  content, encouraging add-on clicks and sales.

 Keep in mind that creators who schedule a minimum of three posts per month to their shop earn 35% more than creators who schedule less than this per month.

5. Start sharing links!

Sharing links across your online channels is straightforward once you know how. 

We’ve already covered how to use LTK links on your website (just by inserting them how you would usually insert a link in the back-end). Having said that, you can also use LTK widgets to showcase your favorite products in other ways (found under the “Tools” tab via Creator.ShopLTK.com).

Here’s how to share LTK affiliate links on certain social media platforms. 

• Instagram: Create a post through the LTK app to publish to Instagram where you attach shoppable products. LTK will generate a link to this post for you to share in your Instagram caption to drive your followers to the LTK app if they want to shop your content. You can also use the Link sticker in Stories or your link in bio for an affiliate link. But, we’d recommend using a link in bio tool so you can share multiple LTK affiliate links instead of just one. Alternatively, you can add your LTK shop link to your bio. It’s also a good idea to save all Story posts that feature LTK links to a designated highlight so that your followers can access them easily.
• TikTok: Share your LTK shop link through your link in bio.
• YouTube: Include LTK affiliate links in each video description.
• Facebook: Share one LTK affiliate link via standard posts or share multiple using shoppable Facebook posts. You can also use the “Swipe Up” link feature on Stories.
• Pinterest: Add your LTK shop link to your pins to drive your audience there. You can also include this in your link in bio.

Whatever platform(s) you’re using, remember to disclose when you’re sharing commissionable links as per FTC guidelines.

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Tips for growing your LTK income

Growing your LTK in terms of both followers and income won’t happen overnight. You have to put in the work to get results. Even so, we’ve gathered some top tips to help you get there faster.

Choose a niche

If you try to share every type of product for every type of person, you’re going to struggle to find success on LTK. The most popular LTK influencers picked a primary niche early on and stuck to it, honing it, becoming an expert and building a name for themselves as a “go-to” in that niche.

Even if you think your niche is too, well, niche, Michelle @ Harm Free Fashion advises not to let this put you off. “I’m in a very specialized area of fashion and yet there are still many associated companies that belong to the program, so even if you think LTK might not be a good fit, it’s definitely worth looking into.”

Know your audience

Shafonne @ Pretty Pear Bride says it’s important to know your audience and what they like. “I started out posting what I thought my audience liked. When I realized what they actually liked, it was a game changer.”

She continues: “Being such a niche demographic, I really had to hone in on what my audience wanted and make sure to share content that would resonate with them. For so long it was hard because there weren't many advertisers that had plus size options, but now it's so nice to be able to share a plethora of content.”

How do you find out what your audience likes? Ask them to drop a comment! Study how each post has performed engagement-wise. Regularly review your platform analytics.

Gaining audience feedback every once in a while is valuable for fine-tuning your content strategy in terms of what you post, how often and who for.

Be consistent

We mentioned it before but we’ll mention it again. The more you show up for your audience, the more they get used to seeing you and expecting to hear from you.

Shafonne clarifies: “I’ve been gaining traction since implementing a routine for how often I post and what I post. I was able to see what my audience liked and just do more of that.” 

Whether it’s Instagram carousels or TikToks, outfit collages versus “get ready with me” posts, find a formula that works for your account and stick to it as much as possible.

Cross-promote

Katie @ Trendy Tourist claims that a clever way to maximize your LTK income is to share the same affiliate links across multiple platforms. “Who says you have to generate a LTK link and only use it once? I share the same links several times across all my online channels for optimal exposure.”

According to the "rule of 7" in marketing, a potential customer must see a product at least seven times before they choose to make a purchase. In other words, don’t be shy in promoting the same links. Often, people are busy and need reminding how awesome a product is.

LTK themselves recommend posting exclusive content to your LTK shop and then teasing it on your other social media platforms. This will incentivize your followers to follow you on LTK too and never miss a shoppable post! 

Keep in mind that a large portion of your audience may have never used LTK before too. You could create a video tutorial to post to your Story and LTK highlight where you educate them on the app.

You could even host a giveaway on your Instagram for new LTK followers, i.e., anyone who follows you and likes a particular post has the chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card. This can significantly boost engagement and following numbers.

Stay authentic

Above all, Michelle @ Harm Free Fashion advises you to stay true to yourself when using LTK. “If you love a product that you’re advertising, this will come across in your content.

Being truthful and honest will also help you build a good rapport with your audience and when people trust you they feel good about buying products you’re recommending.”

Let’s be honest, once your followers are loyal to you, they won’t just buy once. They will keep engaging and buying for years to come.

The takeaway

There’s a reason why LTK is one of the top-performing affiliate programs for influencers. The platform is innovative, intuitive and has a creator’s best interests at heart.

If you focus on a core niche, consistently post affiliate links via your LTK shop and other online platforms and cross-promote, you can increase your income considerably and transform your content into an influencing empire.