How to Get Accepted to RewardStyle & LiketoKnow.It

Hi friends!! Today’s post is all about how to get accepted to RewardStyle and LiketoKnow.It. If you’re reading this, you’re probably either gearing up to apply, or have already applied but got rejected (been there).

Getting accepted to RewardStyle is a huge milestone for bloggers. This invitation-only affiliate network gets you access to a HUGE range of advertisers that most of us small creators would never be able to get a direct deal with.

It’s a great place to start monetizing your blog/Instagram. And let’s be real, it feels pretty freakin’ good to be recognized for your hard work — especially as part of a program that feels ~exclusive~ (when I see invitation-only, I want IN).

SO. Today I’m going to give you tons of tips for applying to RewardStyle and tell you exactly how to get approved on RewardStyle. If I did it as a total newbie blogger, you can do it too!

Is It Easy to Get Approved for RewardStyle?

It’s not “easy” to get into RewardStyle, but it’s not impossible, either. The program is known for being exclusive and has some steep criteria for getting in, BUT if you work on your account consistently, you have a great shot of getting in.

Straight from their own website, here are the recommended RewardStyle application requirements:

• Clean editorial design
• At least 4 months of consistent, quality, and original content
• An engaged and growing audience

We’ll get into the specifics of nailing all three of those below 🙂

How Long Does it Take to Get Approved on RewardStyle?

It’s highly variable when you’ll hear back from RewardStyle after applying. It took me about a week to get approved after I applied, but I know of people who had to wait a few weeks to hear back. If you haven’t heard back from them regarding your application after a few weeks, you can follow up via email for an update.

How I Got Accepted to RewardStyle

The first time I applied, I was instantly rejected – like, within a day. I was mad as hell lol because my content was good and I didn’t understand why I didn’t get in. But after I took a closer look at my blog and Instagram, I realized I was actually doing a ton of stuff wrong (basically, I was doing none of the things in this post).

I worked my *ss off to fix all the flaws with my first application, applied again about five months later, and my second got approved right away!

I got approved when I had about 5k Instagram followers and only about 2k blog views/month – definitely not amazing stats. And I’m a travel blogger, which means I mostly sell hotels & tours, not clothes or products. So I tried to be really strategic with my application and how I presented myself, and it paid off!

[Here’s my feed when I was rejected, left (top on mobile) – and approved, right. I didn’t even change my content too much! I just took a few steps to RewardStyle-ify my page.

PS if you like my pics make sure to add me on Instagram!]

When I got rejected, I had a nice-looking Instagram feed… but it wasn’t sellable. It was just pretty travel photos. You could barely see the clothes.

So before my next application, I made sure that I had more close-up photos where you could really see my outfits. I made sure brands were tagged in my pics and that my captions mentioned what I was wearing. I wanted the person who reviewed my application to see comments like “cute top!” and “I love your outfit!” instead of “omg what a beautiful hotel”. And it totally worked.

How to Get Approved for RewardStyle Step 1: Create a Cohesive, Editorial Feed

You don’t have to be the photographer of the century, but your photos should be bright, clear, and well-edited. Look into getting presets, and learn to edit photos (the free Lightroom app is AMAZING) to create a cohesive feed. You want your feed to look professional and polished – after all, you’re a business now!

I HIGHLY recommend downloading the app Preview for planning out your Instagram feed. Keep an eye on any photos that stand out – if one is way darker than the others, the colors are off in one pic, etc, you’ll know right away, and you can tweak it in Lightroom or another editing app before posting.

Always take photos in bright natural lighting for the best results. Your photos will turn out better and most importantly, this is also the best lighting to showcase clothing + accessories.

My best tip for creating cohesion with Lightroom/Preview fast is to choose a few key colors for your feed – as an example, a lot of people go with orange/teal. When you’re editing your pics, make sure that alll those colors are the same hue and the same saturation. Make sure all your white + black match and no photos are significantly lighter or darker.

How to Get Accepted to RewardStyle Step 2: Post Consistent Great Content & Sellable Products

As mentioned above, one of the requirements for applying to RewardStyle is at least four months of consistent content on your chosen platform(s). This doesn’t mean you need to post every day, but definitely post at least a few times a week. You want your account to look active and on the up-and-up. I think I was posting around 3 times a week when I was accepted.

RewardStyle wants to see that you’re committed enough to keep generating content, AND that your content is going to stay good. If you have a solid track record of posts, they know you aren’t going to suddenly start posting crap.

You could have an amazing Instagram but still get rejected from RewardStyle if you don’t look like you can sell products. No matter what niche you’re in, your posts need to be FULL of cute clothes, or beautiful home decor, or cool jewelry, or product recommendations – things that tell RewardStyle HEY, this girl’s followers like to shop!! Mention sales, your favorite stores, and that the top you’re wearing comes in 10 different colors. Post like you’re already earning money.

How to Get Into RewardStyle Step 3: Build an Engaged, Growing Audience

First things first, followers do not matter. Notice how the RewardStyle application requirements say “engaged, growing audience” and not “over 10,000 followers”. What matters most is engagement. I’ve seen girls get in with as little as 1k or 2k Instagram followers and barely any blog views.

Think of it like this — it’s way better to have a small group of ravenous fans who literally think you sh*t gold and who will buy anything you recommend, than to have 30k followers who barely glance at your posts. That handful of people is way more valuable (to you and to brands), I promise.

(My favorite real-world example of this: an influencer with 2.2 million Instagram followers launched a fashion line and it was canceled because she sold under 30 pieces… unbelievable)

So you shouldn’t focus on the numbers, but that obviously doesn’t mean follower count is irrelevant. You aren’t getting in with 300 followers, right? So what do you do?

It’s harder to grow on IG than ever, but not impossible. I suggest focusing on building connections with other bloggers around the same level as you. Like and comment tons of other photos, follow tons of similar accounts, and just work on building those relationships and consistently engaging with each other’s posts. Make friends and help each other grow.

And make sure you’re continuing to create AWESOME photos that people can’t just scroll past. A solid hashtag strategy will also help boost your engagement rate and make your account more appealing, so don’t forget to tag all your posts too. Even if you are a smaller blogger, RewardStyle will recognize the value in your account if you’ve managed to build a loyal, engaged following.

Bonus Tips for Getting into RewardStyle

Start a blog. Seriously. You don’t need a blog to get into RewardStyle, but it definitely helps. Having a professional-looking, self-hosted blog shows that you’re thinking of this as a business, not a hobby. They want people who are going to take it seriously and who want to work hard and sell a lot of merchandise.

Fun fact: most of the sales driven through RewardStyle come from blogs. Not from the LiketoKnow.It app. I’ve only posted a handful of times on the LTK app but have a consistent daily income from all the products I link on this website!

Since blogs are such a huge driver of traffic and sales, it will strengthen your application a lot to tick off that box. I’d seriously recommend having a blog with at least a few months of content before you apply.

Don’t Get Discouraged if Your First RewardStyle Application Isn’t Accepted

Like I mentioned, I got rejected the first time I applied, and I was SO PISSED lol. But I’m so glad I didn’t give up! Instead I learned from the experience and made sure it didn’t happen again.

If you don’t get in the first time, that’s totally ok! Most bloggers I know got rejected their first time, and some got rejected two, three, or more times before finally getting in! If you’re willing to put in the work to create beautiful, sellable content, you WILL get in eventually. I promise. Just keep at it.

The most important thing is to make a game plan. If you aren’t getting in, it’s because they think you aren’t going to be a lucrative partner – that’s what it comes down to. You just have to show that you CAN and WILL sell product!! This means taking great photos with awesome clothes or products, building an engaged following, and posting with a clear business mindset.

RewardStyle Referrals – Get a Referral From an Existing RewardStyle Member

I didn’t apply via referral and was accepted anyway, but it definitely helps your social proof to have an existing member nudge your application ahead for you.

If you think you’ve done all of the above and are ready to apply, feel free to reach out! Send me your deets (email, blog, & Instagram) to jalehmichelle@gmail.com and I’m happy to check out your account and send you a referral!

Hope this post gave you some great tips for applying to RewardStyle!! I’m sure you’ll get approved in no time. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions 🙂

PS Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and add me on LiketoKnow.It!