Everything You Need to Know About LTK for Influencers

This post is all about what is LTK. This post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

If you follow social media influencers, chances are you’ve seen them mention LTK (formerly known as LiketoKnow.it and Rewardstyle.)

But what exactly is LTK?

LTK is an affiliate platform and app that bloggers, influencers, and other content creators use to earn affiliate income by sharing photos and videos in shoppable posts.

LTK influencers link products shown in those photos and videos for their audience to shop. Creators can earn a small commission through sales made from the products they link.

You can find my storefront here or search @mariamunoz

HOW DOES LTK WORK?

The LiketoKnow.it app (LTK) is a shopping affiliate platform created by RewardStyle to allow people to shop their favorite influencer’s Instagram outside of the IG app.

Not to be confused with the LTK Creator App, which is exclusively for content creators to upload shoppable photos and videos to their LTK storefront.

When a shopper clicks on one of your LTK links on a blog post, social channel, or visual widget link from a website tool (like a Shop The Post widget on a blog ), a tracking cookie is embedded into the shopper’s internet browser.

Once a tracking cookie is active, it allows you to earn a commission off of your LTK links for an extended period of time.

If a shopper places an order through your specific commissionable link, you will receive earnings from the total cart price of each reader’s purchase after clicking on your LTK links for the full cookie window time, per the retailer terms. 

If a shopper returns any of the items purchased after clicking your commissionable link, you will see those items deducted as returns on your earnings report.

HOW TO USE LTK TO SHOP

STEP 1: Download the LTK app from the App Store or Google Play. Once you have the app downloaded and you have created a username and password, you can start the fun part.

STEP 2: Start following your favorite influencers on LTK. You can use the search function and start searching by their name, Instagram handle, or blog name.

Once you find them, click the ‘Follow’ button. This will add them to your feed so any time they upload new content, you’ll see it on your LTK feed.

Many creators will add their LTK storefront handle in the link in the bio of their preferred social platforms. If you click the link they provide, you’ll be directed to their LTK storefront.

Be sure you’re logged in to take advantage of all the LTK app features like saves and browse inspiration.

STEP 3: Start shopping. Once you’ve started following your favorite LTK influencers, you can browse their storefronts for inspiration.

Click on an image and it will expand to reveal all the products the creator has linked. Don’t skip the image description. Many creators will add a sizing guide so you are better informed when shopping for a particular item.

You can also click the heart icon of a product and save it to your favorites. This will also prompt the app to send you an email with price drop alerts.

Step 4: Check out on the retailer’s site. When you click on a product that the creator has linked, you will be redirected to that retailer’s website.

From there, you can finalize your purchase just as you normally would.

HOW TO USE LTK AS A CREATOR

As mentioned above, you must first get accepted to become an LTK Creator in order to start using the LTK Creator App.

As an LTK Creator, you get access to the following:

• A personalized Shop on LTK, with visibility to 300K+ monthly shoppers in the LTK App.
• A network of over 5K brands, including collaboration opportunities.
• Retargeting capabilities to remind followers to return to your content.
• Easy tools that quickly create shoppable links and Collections.
• Small-business support and one-on-one growth consulting.

READY TO START? APPLY HERE

Once you have been accepted and created your profile on the LTK Creator App, you can start uploading your shoppable photos and videos to be shared on the LTK app.

Step 1: Create your content. Whether it’s a styled photo, product collage, or flat lay, you’ll have to upload it to the creator app to begin linking products eligible for commission.

MORE CONTENT IDEAS

• Carousel post
• Editorial images
• Mirror selfie
• Flat lay
• Personal content (wearing item or with product in the background, but general non-shoppable content)
• Videos (Instagram Reels and/or TikToks)
• Idea pins on Pinterest
• Instagram Stories

Step 2: Now that you have uploaded your photos or video, you will need to start grabbing links from the retailers you are featuring.

For example, if you are sharing a photo of yourself wearing a pair of Abercrombie jeans, you will need to click the link icon (at the bottom of the app next to the home icon.)

Search the retailer and click the name.

PRO TIP: Check out the commission rate on the right of the brand name. Suppose the product you are featuring can be found in multiple retailers, research which retailer pays out the most.

When you click the retailer’s name, you will be redirected to their brand website. Here, you will search for the item you are featuring.

Step 3: Link! Once you find the exact product, be sure to pull up the full product page so you can link that exact product.

At the bottom of your app, you will see another ‘link’ icon. Click the icon to add it to your saved links.

Step 4: Save to Folder. You will need to save this product to a folder. Try to stay organized as it can get a whole lot messy once you start linking a ton of items.

You can add as many folders as you want but try to be descriptive to make it easier to find that particular product.

Once it is saved, you can X out and click the ‘shop’ icon (it’s the center icon at the bottom of your app.)

Step 5: Create a Post. Click the large + icon in the lower right-hand corner. Add your photo or video.

Next, add a caption.

Try to be as descriptive as you can. Mention sizing information, any sale alerts, or how you would style a certain item.

The app reads captions for keywords so be as precise as possible.

Instead of writing ‘Wearing Abercrombie Jeans’ try ‘Wearing Ultra High Rise 90s Straight Jeans from Abercrombie in size 28.’

Once those two prompts are complete, you can start adding products.

You can also add your post to collections.

A collection is a group of LTK posts created by you. You can make it easier to shop by creating a collection of similar items or style trends.

Each collection may include up to 25 posts at a time.

You want to make it as easy as possible for your shopper to find the products you are sharing.

You can also add individual items to a ‘Products’ board. These boards allow you to group similar products or a collection of products for your followers to shop from.

Step 6: Publish. Hit ‘Publish‘ to instantly add the content to your LTK storefront. Or you can click ‘Schedule’ to schedule your posts in the future.

PRO TIP: Don’t forget to link similar styles from different retailers and price points to cater to a wider audience. Also, you can repurpose content even if the item is sold out. Just link similar styles so your audience can recreate a similar look.

Step 7: Share on social. According to LTK, social sharing can greatly increase your chances of converting sales.

Share your LTK posts on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and more! You can also entice your followers to visit your LTK storefront for exclusive content or information.

Maybe you share your favorite lipstick on stories. Tell your audience to visit your LTK post or storefront to learn what the shade of that lipstick you are wearing is.

NEW ON LTK

There is now an iOS LTK creator extension that will make linking to participating LTK brands so much easier. Here’s how it works:

1. Visit an LTK-eligible retailer site on your iOS device.
2. Find the product page item you want to link.
3. Tap the share drawer button at the bottom of the browser.
4. Find the LTK creator app in your option — you make need to scroll to the right.
5. Save the product to a folder or generate a link to share immediately.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LTK

DOES IT COST MONEY TO USE THE LIKETOKNOW.IT APP?

No. The LTK app is free to download and free to create an account. Both shoppers and creators can use the app and its functions free of charge.

HOW DO INFLUENCERS MAKE MONEY ON THE LTK APP?

There are several ways an LTK creator can make money.

1. Commissionable links provide a steady stream of revenue where an influencer shares a product link and makes a commission off the product purchased by the user. The most successful creators use their LTK storefront as their hub.
2. Sponsored content (or brand collaborations) occurs when a creator and brand mutually agree upon a shared promotional campaign to generate awareness or sales over a specific period. 
3. Brand ambassadors negotiate a long-term relationship with a brand in which they promote products together to build brand awareness.
4. Product lines like clothing, home decor and goods, jewelry, beauty products, and skincare can be significant revenue streams. For larger influencers, a brand may agree to jointly create and sell a shared product line. Other influencers may choose to design and sell their product line as a separate business.
5. Event appearances have become increasingly popular forms of marketing. Influencers attend marketing events for an agreed rate to promote product launches, brands, and services to generate a buzz before, during, and after these promotional events. 

HOW LONG DOES THE COOKIE WINDOW LAST?

According to LTK, the timeframe for each retailer’s active cookie window can vary, depending on each brand’s policies. Most of the LTK brand partners’ cookie windows fall between 7 and 30 days, generally between 7 – 14 days on average.

MORE LTK FAQS

HOW DOES LTK COMMISSION WORK?

According to LTK, If a shopper places an order through your specific commissionable link, you will receive earnings from the total cart price of each shopper’s purchase after clicking on your LTK links for the entire cookie window time, per the retailer terms.

However, there are circumstances that may keep you from getting credit for a potential sale. Read more about it here.

WHEN DOES LTK PAY THEIR CREATORS?

Rewardstyle/ LTK will payout closed commissions every 2 weeks on Fridays. Your closed commissions must be at a $25 minimum to qualify for payout which is done via Paypal.

LTK payment schedule 2023

IS IT BETTER TO LINK TO A PRODUCT DIRECTLY OR LINK TO MY LTK STOREFRONT?

The answer depends on where you are linking. If you link inside of Instagram and a customer clicks the link, it opens within the Instagram app browser window, not their primary device browse like Chrome or Safari.

Unless that follower makes the purchase right there and then inside the IG browser, LTK cannot record the sale.

Apple does not allow cross-browser tracking, therefore there is no way to track that sale if the follower returns back to IG to complete the sale, or if they open their mobile browser window later to go back and shop.

That is why you may experience a much lower conversion rate when providing direct links on Instagram.

Even if your link sticker or link in bio is linked to your blog, your link is still opening in Instagram’s app browser. This means any clicks they make on retail links on your blog are still through the IG app browser window which may result in a lower conversion.

WHY AM I NOT GETTING CREDIT FOR SOME OF MY SALES?

According to LTK, It’s possible that retailers will credit a source other than your commissionable link for a shopper’s purchase. It’s possible that your link will lose credit as the source of the sale if:

• The shopper clicks another commissionable link, either from another Creator or another affiliate before finalizing the purchase. 
• The shopper uses a one-time promo code, like a discount code after signing up for the retailer’s newsletter, when checking out
• The shopper clicks another tracking link from Google Shopping or another search engine that embeds a tracking cookie in the shopper’s browser

Also, if a shopper has a brand’s shopping app downloaded on their mobile device (Target, Nordstrom, Shopbop), often the shopping app will open following a click on one of your LTK commissionable links.

Instead of opening in a browser window where a tracking cookie will track their purchase, your followers may complete their purchase in the brand’s mobile app and this could cause orders to not track successfully.

LTK offers app-to-app tracking for some brands, allowing you to earn a commission even if the shopper makes a purchase within the shopping app vs. the brand’s website.

HOW DO I FIND WHO TO FOLLOW ON LTK?

The LTK app does a great job of sharing influencers who you may like. You can visit the ‘Home’ tab to see LTK posts from influencers that you already follow as well as browse suggested creators.

You can also visit the ‘Discover’ tab to search for new LTK creators to follow. Narrow down your search by beauty, family, home, shoppable video, sale alert, or popular today categories.

You can also enter a creator’s name or social handle on the search bar to search for your favorite creators that way.

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This post was all about what is LTK.