One of my first big true milestones in my blogging career was the day I was accepted into RewardStyle. For months I had been writing blog posts, curating outfits, try-on hauls, and get ready with me hauls knowing that one day I could actually get paid for the items I was using. By no means does it mean you’ve made it once you are accepted, but you know you’ve got what it takes and a good starting point to get you there!
I wanted to talk about my experience appyling for RewardStyle and give a few tips and tricks that worked to help me get accepted on my first try!
My Experience
I started blogging in March 2019. I converted my personal Insta to my business Insta and started with around 1100 followers. I decided to apply for RewardStyle when I was first eligible, 4 months after I created my page in June.
I posted as consistently as I could every single day and posted 3 times on my blog each week. In each post I made sure to include a personal blurb, where all of the items came from, a link to each item, and any sizing details that needed to be made (like if I sized up/down).
For blog traffic I had been utilizing Tailwind to help me automatically schedule my pins and connect with other creators through Pinterest. It is a paid service but I HIGHLY recommend you invest in this as it has increased my exposure a lot with minimal effort! I had right above the 5000 monthly views/unique visitors for my blog traffic.
I also got a referral from one of my friends that was already established on RewardStyle and used that link to apply!
I definitely consider myself lucky because the next day I received an email stating that my application had been approved! This was shortly before the annual Nordstrom NSale so I dove into establishing my existing links and optimizing my website for all of the Liketoknow.it features and widgets!
Alright, enough about me, here’s the down low on what you really came here for – tips and tricks to help YOU get accepted into RewardStyle!!
How To Apply For Liketoknow.it and Reward Style
Criteria
Though the rules are not fully transparent, there are a few critical criteria points that you really should have prior to applying. It’s a common misconception that you need to have a large following to be accepted into RewardStyle, but that could not be further from the truth! I know tons of girls who were accepted with under 2.5K followers (I was one of them). Although I’m sure a larger audience could help you with your application, most importantly is your engagement with the audience that you currently have! After all, this is the audience you are trying to sell a product to.
You should have met AT MINIMUM the following criteria prior to applying:
- 4 Months of Consistent Content
- By consistent I mean posting daily on Instagram, at least 2-3 blog posts published a week, active on stories, etc.
- Actively Bringing Traffic to Social Media and Your Blog
- When applying you will have to enter your metrics – how many monthly blog views do you have, how many IG followers, how often you post – be sure to have these on hand and make sure to focus on improving them prior to submitting your application
Keep in mind, if you apply and are rejected you have to wait 3 months until you are eligibe to apply again so be careful not to rush things if you don’t meet the above criteria!
Ok, so you’ve been consistent for 4 months and have an active audience. Now let’s look into some tips that can help boost your chances of being accepted (and your business).
Providing Links and Feedback to Products
Your content should be full of valuable information for your followers. If you are showing a skirt you should link that exact skirt, tell your followers when it’s on sale, what size you got, other retailers. Even though you aren’t linking items through RewardStyle for a commission, you should already be acting as if you are by providing direct links to each product and providing relevant details. This shows that you are a good resource for your followers and may potentially lead to a sale!
Clear, Clean, Original Content
You want to make sure you are curating your own content to advertise products and that the imagery is clean and shows the products successfully. Images that have you or the product as the main focus to show off that content clearly is key! If you post a photo, it should be very clear to your followers what it is that you are advertizing.
Typically photos with a clear background and one main focus point do the best!
Metrics
Like I mentioned earlier, RewardStyle is not based on your follower count exclusively. High vanity metrics are not everything, you need an actively engaged audience to help boost your chances of being accepted.
If you do not already, start focusing on ways to organically grow your engagement. Start engaging on other accounts, tag brands, use relevant hashtags. Start focusing on increasing the traffic to your pages and the interactions on there to boost those metrics!
Another important metric is around monthly views on your blog and unique monthly users. You will be asked to fill in this information in bundles of thousands (0-5000, 5000-10000, and so on). If you are posting good content but just can’t seem to get people to see it, try using Pinterest to promote your blog or share your content on mulitple platforms!
Getting Referrals
One thing that I’ve heard definitely helps with getting accepted is a referral from a current member! Just like the corporate world it’s all about who you know, and the blogging world is no different! If you would ever like a referral, email me your Insta handle, blog website, and email address and I will take a look at your brand and provide a referral and any tips I think may be useful!
So there you have it! RewardStyle is definitely a game changer – it finally gives you that first bit of reassurance that you ARE doing the right things and you ARE on your way to acheiving your dreams! Hopefully some of these tips and tricks help you get accepted! Do you have any other advice that you would give someone applying to RewardStyle that I missed? Comment them down below!
XOXO,
Taylor Emery
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