Widgets, looks, cookies, and links…oh my! Is shopping on a blog another language? Let us decode the mystery of how blogs work by sharing some tips and insights on how to shop affiliate links on your favorite blogs. They all work pretty much the same way, but (of course) we’re partial to our blog so we’ll use Style Among Friends as the example.
Think of bloggers are small business owners, no matter which blog you’re browsing, we hope you’ll use their links when you see something you love.
Let’s explore how to shop smarter using your favorite Blogs’ affiliate links.
What’s Included In This Post
What are Affiliate Links?
Affiliate links are specialized URLs used by bloggers, influencers, or website owners to endorse products or services from external companies. These links include unique IDs to track referrals and sales. When readers click on affiliate links and buy something, the blogger earns a commission from the retailer or affiliate program, at no additional cost to the shopper. Typically, the commission is a very small percentage of the sale price. This is all tracked using “cookies.”
At Style Among Friends, we use a site called Collective Voice (formerly ShopStyle) for all of our links. Another popular affiliate link platform in the world of lifestyle blogs is LTK. Sites like Amazon have their own affiliate programs.
WHO EARNS FROM AN AFFILIATE LINK? Each retailer sets a specific time frame during which their cookie “window” remains active for generating commissions back to the original blogger. If you add items to your cart from a blog post but wait a few days to make the purchase, it’s likely that no one will earn a commission from your purchase. When you check out, the commission goes to the blogger whose link was last clicked. (This is why influencers often share a lot of links during major sales events, like Prime Day—they want to ensure their link is the last one clicked.) Additionally, any other items in your cart at checkout (not just the item from the affiliate link) will count towards the commission, and this is all at no additional charge to the customer.
Why You Should Use Affiliate Links When You’re Shopping
Shopping through affiliate links on a blog benefits both readers and bloggers.
- For readers, it offers easy access to recommended products from trusted sources (that’s us!), saving time on searching elsewhere.
- For bloggers, affiliate links can generate income, by earning very small a commission when readers make purchases through these links (without any extra cost to the reader).
This setup encourages bloggers to offer quality recommendations and valuable content, fostering a relationship where bloggers monetize their platforms (ie get paid a small commission for their work) while providing useful insights and reviews to their audience.
Using Affiliate Links with In-Store Shopping
Affiliate links only work when you’re shopping online, they don’t work in stores. But if you still prefer in-person shopping, here’s what to do. Use affiliate links when you see something you like on a blog and simply opt to pickup your order. When you use affiliate links on a blog and choose pickup/delivery, you’re still supporting the blogger AND still getting your in-store shopping experience. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Where to Find Affiliate Links on Style Among Friends
Affiliate links can be found anywhere a product is linked for you…which is basically everywhere…the blog, our Walk & Talk newsletter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Affiliate links for the products we recommend are often embedded within the text of our blog post, highlighted in pink. Clicking on an affiliate link for a specific product will take you to the retailer’s site in a new tab in your browser, ensuring you don’t lose your place on the blog.
Additionally, we like to include things called “widgets” in our posts; widgets visually represent all the links in a section. Simply click on an image within the widget to open the retailer’s site in a new tab in your browser.
An Example of a Widget
Other Ways to Shop from Style Among Friends
We’re all about making things easy for you. On the menu at the top of our blog, we have a convenient “Shop” section. There you can find links to all of our gift guide posts, Amazon posts, Nordstrom posts, and Best of the Month posts. Plus, you’ll find every outfit we’ve shared linked under “Shop Our Outfits.”
How to Shop from Instagram
Instagram is a little trickier for links, because it doesn’t allow us to put a direct link in a caption (like Facebook does). To find links to anything we’ve shared on Instagram, just click the link in our IG bio. From there you can explore the blog and Shop Our Instagram. Every Instagram post that is linkable will appear in that grid, just like the example below. Just click the image of the IG post you need a link for, and it will take you to what you need. It’s that easy! And, most blogs work just like this, so no matter who you’re following, you can shop them by visiting the link in the bio.
An IG link might take you to a “look” on our affiliate page. A look is a collection of links grouped together, like an outfit or items in a gift guide, so you can shop the items from one place. (Many of the links in our Walk & Talk newsletter work like this.)
We always try to link an exact item for you, but sometimes inventory changes by the time we post something. In that case, we’ll also try to post some similar options in the “look” to help you get started with your shopping.
This is an example of what you’ll get if you click on our IG post for mother of the bride/groom dresses using the Shop Our Instagram link in our bio.
Voila! It’s that easy to shop your favorite blogs!
What Can You Do To Support Your Favorite Content Creators?
Subscribe and follow them: Much of a blog’s growth opportunities are based the number of subscribers or followers they have. By following and subscribing you can help them grow and expand their business.
Engage with them: This includes commenting, DMing, answering surveys, liking posts and sharing content with others. We like to say, #friendssharethegoodstuff.
Shop their links: By shopping a blog’s affiliate links, it not only helps them financially, but it also lets them know what content you like. And remember, affiliate links do not cost you anything extra!
Some of the Blogs We Like to Follow
Bloggers follow blogs, too, and we follow several blogs regularly. Each one offers something unique. Here are a few of our top picks and why we think you’ll like them. Be sure to follow them!
- Hi Sugarplum! – we’ve both followed Cassie for years. Love her amazing ability to find so many cute finds on Amazon! She’s your girl if you need to add a little color to your style! Cassie also has some amazing travel guides that will inspire you (and her packing skills are enviable!).
- Caralyn Mirand Koch – Caralyn is your girl for plus size style, as well as all things undergarment related. Questions about the best bras or shape wear? She’s the one to ask! And Caralyn has the most adorable little boy and shares all her great baby finds. Check her out next time you need a baby shower gift or have a new grandbaby on the way.
- The Stripe – Grace Atwood writes a funny and relatable blog “for the stylish bookworm”. Amazing book recommendations (don’t you love it when you find someone that likes the same books as you?). Grace is a transplant from NYC to Charleston and watching her embrace her new found southern charm is, well, charming.
- The Small Things Blog – Kate Bryan is an OG blogger. Originally a hairstylist, Kate started her journey on the internet with hair tutorials. Many years later, she still shares hair tutorials and reviews, and make up, classic clothing and general fun lifestyle stuff. Kate’s reviews of products are always very thoughtful and spot on.
THANK YOU! We appreciate that you’re here. Thank you for trusting us to help you find the good stuff! Thank you for supporting our work by clicking our links. And thank you for sharing our blog and social media posts with your friends. If you’re not already a subscriber, we hope you’ll join us! xo, Megan & Christa
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We earn from your purchases made through Collective Voice affiliate links in this post, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work.
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