If you have been on Instagram for any amount of time, you’ve most likely seen photos tagged with a LikeToKnow.it link or tag. They have been rampant among fashion bloggers for a long time, but over the past 2 years, Reward Style (the affiliate program behind LikeToKnow.it) has started bringing on a lot more brands for home–which of course we’re excited about. That’s our niche!
Even still, I feel like there’s some underlying uneasiness, or maybe confusion, around those links, because every time I add them to our Instagram photos, I get a few comments, “I don’t get that like to know it, stuff.” or “It never works for me.” And a lot of people still asking where’s something is from, and I’ve noticed people on other accounts even complaining about them. So I think we should all just talk about it. Because LikeToKnow.it is actually an incredible tool for everyone involved.
First, here’s how LiketoKnow.it works. There’s a special Reward Style app for influencers where we can upload a photo we are going to post to Instagram. From here, we can add all the sources from all the buyable products seen in that photo. Then the app generates a link for us to add to our photos.
That link we add is more like a tracker, really. Anyone who likes the photo (or screenshots it) that has the LiketoKnow.it app, will have instant access to all the sources from that photo in the app. It looks like this on your end:
(Update! If you’d rather not have another app on your phone, you can also just sign up for a liketoknow.it account here to have the product sent to your email (you can choose instantly, once a day or even once a week).
Or this:
Each product is a clickable, buyable, direct source link. As someone who loves Instagram for all the inspiration I get from it, I use this tool all the time for all the fashion, beauty and home accounts I follow. Truthfully, I want EVERY photo to be LiketoKnow.it accessible, because even though I never want to ask, “Where is that amazing pillow from!?” I always want to know. And when they tag Wayfair or Etsy…well, that’s just the smallest pin in the biggest haystack.
Let’s talk about money for a second, because I keep wondering, Is that why people don’t like it? The LiketoKnow.it app is free. Doesn’t cost a penny. (Although I would TOTALLY pay to get access to source links instantly, don’t tell them that.) If you do end up buying something linked in the photo we provide, we get a small commission. But it, literally, cost nothing more for you. In fact, affiliate marketing (what Reward Style, LiketoKnow.it and a hundred other programs do) is just a form of marketing that large and small companies work into their budgets, just as they would a television or banner ad.
The reason I started off by saying “It’s an incredible tool for everyone involved,” is because everyone benefits. Users benefit by being able to see something they like and not only knowing where it’s from (needle in a haystack), but having a direct source link! Brands benefit because their product is being shared. Influencers benefit because they receive commissions and no longer have to field, “where is that from?” questions.
I have a ton of personal examples, but here are two recent ones where I used a LiketoKnow.it link on one photo:
And here’s one small snippet of the comments where I didn’t:
50% of comments are questions about sources, although I tagged all the brands seen. While our blog readers know that we always provide links here, as our Instagram audience grows, I see the benefit of attaching LiketoKnow.it links to every photo I can, even if it is more work and time for me initially. Because “the sources are in today’s post!” only applies to that day. Because no matter how long ago I posted a photo, if it has that tag, you can still know instantly by liking it. Because although I try to answer as many questions as possible, sometimes they get buried faster than I see them all. Because I want to connect with you in conversations about more than where something is from. Because those kinds of questions make me feel like a robot–so I’d really like to let an app take over that portion and leave more time and words to connect with you about the why’s and how’s and who’s of what inspires each of us.
I’ll, of course, keep sharing all of our sources here on the blog, but on Instagram, you can find the sources through the LiketoKnow.it app (you can even follow me on the app so you’ll never have to search for a photo from Instagram).
I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts about it. If you aren’t using it, why not? Let’s talk!
ps. If you’re an influencer that doesn’t use LiketoKnow.it or Reward Style, let me know if you’d like to start and I can send you an invitation. You have to apply to be a part of it, and having an invitation sometimes can make the process a little quicker.Â
I don’t mind the affiliate links at all and commissions going to whomever let me find out about a product, but I find Like to Know it incredibly difficult to use as a follower. I’d much prefer tags on sellable products, though I’m not sure if that is only for products actually sold by that account, not just referred. When I open the app and try to click on things, I often end up just opening up the photo in a new window. I am not sure if I am an idiot about this or what. I’m pretty technically savvy on most computer things. I tried to Google this, but most discussions revolving around Like to Know It are for the Instagrammers/influencers/bloggers, and not the followers/audience, so I can’t figure out if I’m alone in my bad user experience.
Hi there, love your blog – would you be able to send me an invitation?
Lilyhappymoon
Can you email us your website and email address as well? hello at chrislovesjulia.com
I would love to have an invitation to it.
You can send your email address and blog address to hello@chrislovesjulia.com. Thanks!
Hi! I’m new to the app and one thing I did notice is that I can’t link certain target items I buy. I was wondering how can I fix it or if you struggle with the same thing?
Hi there! I am just starting my public influencer page on Instagram. I have been on the gram for years with a private page where I share family photos. I wanted to share my design and fashion style and am just getting started with @almondmilkandcoffee. I want to be able to use the reward Style and LTKI sites to link products and make commissions. How do I go about doing this? I loved your post about this topic and would appreciate any insights you have for me getting started. Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!