Like To Know It Reviews

Let me start off that I wasn't going to write this post. I didn't think it was a big deal. I had done an Insta-story announcing to the Instagram world I wasn't going to use LTK anymore, and the influx of questions I received, mostly from bloggers, asking why was overwhelming. No one was upset. (Ex: "NOOO! Bring back LTK!! You're my favorite influencer that uses LTK!") But most said they were curious about the backend about my decision to do this for my business. So instead of writing the same thing back on my DMs, I figured I'd dedicate a post to it.

Why I Stopped Using LIKEtoKNOW.it

What is LIKEtoKNOW.it?

So let's backtrack a bit. What is LIKEtoKNOW.it? Basically, LTK is an extension of sorts of the affiliate platform rewardStyle. They were the first (or one of the first) to allow bloggers a way to monetize their Instagram photos and earn commission from sales they generate. It provides readers a link or the ability to use their LTK app or screenshot system to shop photos. There is an influencer app and rS dashboard backend aspect of it, but I'm sure you've seen the @liketoknow.it on lots of bloggers' Instagram photos. Here's a look back at my old LTK page where I used to direct people to shop for anyone who's still not sure what the heck I'm talking about.

I started using rewardStyle waaayyy back in the day.

We're talking like 2011…?? Don't quote me on that. But it's been a long damn time. I loved rewardStyle as an affiliate program. It's an easy way to link products to use on my site. These affiliate commissions are the foundation of how I earn make money for my bills! (Disclaimer: I have this listed on my policy page: that each clicks and/or purchase on my site from my links I earn a small commission.) Their influencer desktop dashboard allowed me to easily link items to share in blog posts and I've always had amazing rS reps so yeah, no huge complaints.

A few years after I started using rewardStyle they launched the previously mentioned LIKEtoKNOW.it. I resisted it for a long time. I felt like the links look spammy in my Instagram captions and I was adamant about wanting people to come to my BLOG to shop, not some other platform. But alas, I caved. And for a while, as LTK grew, so did my following! I was discovering new bloggers through their regrams and, if you were regrammed by them in the early days, you'd earn THOUSANDS of followers. It ruled.

Why I Stopped Using LIKEtoKNOW.it

Fast forward to 2016 and I felt like the mood shifted. Maybe not to everyone else, but certainly to me. LTK was all bloggers would talk about! In a super obsessive way that made me think.

Why are we putting all our eggs into the LTK basket to earn income?

That doesn't seem safe for our business and future. But I kept at it. I used LTK on every post, 3 times a day. I was determined that one more post with their link would earn me another regram, would earn me more money, and I'd be set. Clearly, that was way wrong.

As the months passed, it was apparent that LTK had shifted gears. Their feed was filled with women who fit the same mold. The same rotation of about 10 tall, thin, white women bloggers are regrammed again and again. No diversity in skin color, size, style…nothing. They were provided MULTIPLE takeovers where their numbers and sales were growing and growing. (Note: we call these girls "LTK famous girls".) And here I was sitting with my 60K followers and not budging in numbers. Not even when I begged my rep for a regram and finally got one. I felt like I was at the mercy of a freaking Instagram feed. How pathetic is that!?

The Final Straw

Finally, at the end of 2017, I had had enough. I was sick of comparing myself to these LTK famous girls. And after I saw one of them get her ANOTHER takeover Tuesday I had enough. I sent a scathing email to not just my rep but the entire LTK team demanding answers as to why the same girls were given opportunities over the rest of us. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy of, the more they featured someone, the richer/more LTK famous they got.

When I finally got a response from their team, they were like yeah, we feature bloggers that convert well…we're a business too! (Just like I mentioned before.) They went into more details and as I said, they were honest and open (I mean, as much as they could be) and I respected that. I didn't agree with it (hello, diversity is important here people!) but if their focus was on just making money and not supporting the entirety of the influencers on their platform, regardless of how they looked or what designer bag they carried, they were certainly succeeding.

But honestly, I had had ENOUGH. I was letting an Instagram platform make me so angry…why? Why was I supporting a platform that wasn't supporting me, but only a select few that all looked exactly the same? Why was I constantly bitching about it to my fellow blogging friends? That's not normal. All that time and energy could be used to make my OWN brand better rather than focusing on what they're doing with theirs. So I decided after that email, enough was enough.

Business after quitting LTK

If you're not a blogger I totally can hear you right now, "Why are you being so dramatic? It's just an Instagram feed/affiliate platform?" But if you're in the industry, then you know what I mean. SOME (emphasis on the word "some") bloggers are obsessive about it. They use it on EVERY photo, they talk about it all day every day, it's their entire livelihood. They strive every day to catch the eye of the LTK team in hopes they'll be that season's LTK famous girl and be set. (It's well known that LTK has taken unknown bloggers and skyrocketed them to fame through numerous regrams and email features.) At the time I left LTK I had been blogging for eight years and I didn't want to have that mindset of waiting for someone else to make me a success. I want to be a success because of me.

So how has my last few years of no LIKEtoKNOW.it been for me? In a word: glorious! It's been nice not obsessively checking their feed to see who was featured (update: still the same LTK famous tall, thin, white women mostly) and making sure I had my LTK linked images up on Instagram three times a day. I'm using my energy on my blog, not Instagram, and it's been amazing. Doing new things like lifestyle posts and more videos. It's been awesome.

How You Can Now Shop My Instagram Feed:

But for those that still love to shop via Instagram, do not fret. I haven't abandoned ship when it comes to offering that service. I've switched over to ShopStyle's Instagram shopping platform. (Note: I've always used rewardStyle and ShopStyle Collective simultaneously on my blog for affiliate links, but used rS only for Instagram). I have found this new way of sharing my favorite products easier and, based on all the feedback I've received from readers, much more user-friendly.

How does it work? Simple. There is a link in my Instagram profile, that's where you'll go to the shop. Click that link, and my Instagram images magically appear! Just click the image you want to shop (they're in order based on my Instagram feed) and ta-da, all the products are displayed! Just click and you can shop the post – that's it! I even have the ability to label if items I'm showing to you are the exact ones I'm wearing, not just a "similar style", so there's no confusion.

Also, if you're in a blog post you also click the heart icon in my Shopstyle widget that says "Get Sale Alert" you'll get an email notification when an item you like goes on sale. (You can check out an example of that in this blog post.) Pretty cool, huh?

Final Thoughts on Quitting LIKEtoKNOW.it

Ok, so clearly this post ended up being a LOT longer than I intended. But I hope any blogger reading it has found it helpful and it answers a lot of the questions I've been getting via DM and emails about why I've parted ways with LTK. I was to reiterate too that I'm not bashing or hating on any blogger that still uses/loves LIKEtoKNOW.it.

I get it, it can be lucrative and some women swear by it. (While I did earn money from my LTK posts, it wasn't where most of my rS money was being generated. My blog is always where most of my sales come from. That's why I appreciate it when you come to my BLOG to shop, it means the world to me thank you!) But at the end of the day, I just felt it was getting a bit toxic to my personal blog and branding. That's just me though! If it works for you, you do you girl! Yikes, this is a long post! Ok, if you have a comment or question about all this let me know below. I've got to stop typing. Ha!

Check out my unique Instagram link and shop my photos now!

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2017 AND HAS SINCE BEEN UPDATED AND RECIRCULATED FOR 2021.