What the Heck is LikeToKnow.It + How To Use It.

     A few weeks ago on my Instagram Stories, I decided to run a couple of polls. (Who else is loving the new polls feature?!) I wanted to get some feedback from y'all about things that you like to see on my blog and Instagram stories, what's helpful content in relation to holiday shopping, and more. Something that became surprisingly very evident from running the polls is that a lot of y'all who aren't bloggers yourselves are super unfamilar with what LiketoKnow.it (LTK) is, and also how to use it! This is the way that myself (and hundreds of other) bloggers make our Instagram content shoppable for you to get information on and access right from your smartphone, so I want to make sure that everyone who follows me is able to easily understand what this is, how it helps you connect with your favorite bloggers, and how it can make your shopping experience easier! There are a few different ways that you can use LTK, and it can get confusing if you're new to using it, so I wanted to break it all down in today's blog post. If you still have a question about LTK that wasn't answered, please feel free to email me!!

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The Basics: 

     

      *Who made LiketoKnow.it? LiketoKnow.it is a technology that was developed by rewardStyle, which is the premiere affiliate linking platform for bloggers. To share a bit of insight into what LTK's parent company, rewardStyle, is first, rS is an invitation-only affiliate program for fashion bloggers, and allows bloggers to monetize their blogs and social media by linking the items that they're wearing or talking about. LTK is the social media, specifically Instagram, component of rewardStyle! I tried for a very long time to get my blog accepted to rS (it can be very hard to get in as a new blogger or someone with a smaller following), and after 2+ years of trying, I was finally accepted in February 2016, which meant that I had access as a publisher to both rS for my blog, and LTK on Instagram.

     *What is LiketoKnow.it? LiketoKnow.It is a free service from rewardStyle that allows bloggers to monetize their Instagram feeds, making it super easy for followers to obtain not only details about what they're wearing, but direct links to the exact items from the retailer! Sure- it might seem convenient when a blogger tags a brand in the photo. But if you love the dress that she is wearing in the picture, wouldn't you rather have an easy way to know in just a couple minutes exactly how to find that dress from the brand, and buy it for yourself? That's exactly what LTK does! 

      *Is it free to use? 100% free to use! You can make a free account with LTK here. 

The Three Ways to Shop Your Favorite Bloggers' Instagram Photos With LTK:

     After you've made your LTK account and signed up, there are three ways to shop and get product details about a blogger's outfit that you like through this service! I personally only use one of these ways with my Instagram feed. (Yes- as a blogger I still use LTK occasionally when I see something I like on another blogger!) That just goes to show that you can pick and choose which methods of using LTK work for you and your preferences!

     *The emails: This is the original LTK technology, which has been around since LTK launched a few years ago. After making an account with LTK, if you like any of my outfit photos on Instagram which say something like this in the caption "http://liketk.it/2tFSY #liketkit @liketoknow.it" (or any other blogger's photo on their account with a similar link in the photo caption!), you will then receive an email in just a few minutes to the address that you signed up on, which has the details of everything that the blogger is wearing in the picture that you liked! Or if it's not an outfit photo, the email will have the accessory or home decor details! And then you can shop whatever it is right from the email. 

      If you're not into getting email every time that you like a blogger's photo on Instagram (in which I totally feel you- I already get way too many emails each day so I'm not into it either!), you can update your settings on the desktop version of LTK and change your email preferences to weekly! Then you'll receive just one email a week with a big round-up of every blogger's photo that you've liked that week, and all of the details of the products for shopping. 

     *Shop your screenshots: If getting extra emails just isn't your thing at all, no worries! You can unsubscribe from LTK completely, and still use their amazing technology to shop your Instagram feed! This is actually the way that I use it. You take a screenshot of any Instagram photo from a blogger that has something like this in the caption "http://liketk.it/2tFSY #liketkit @liketoknow.it", and then upload the screenshot into the free LiketoKnow.it app, available for Iphone and now Android as well from both app stores! Then in the app you can also see the product details from the photo, and shop directly through there! How easy is that?! Again, this is the way that I prefer to use LiketoKnow.it. 

     *The LTK app feed: The latest way to shop from your favorite bloggers using LiketoKnow.it comes directly from their app! In addition to using screenshots of Instagram photos to shop in the app, you can also search for your favorite bloggers directly in the app, and search popular hashtags to see the top bloggers that come up. This can help you discover new bloggers and products. The LTK app is really awesome, I definitely recommend downloading it!

      I hope this post helped you to understand LiketoKnow.it a little bit better, especially in time as the holiday shopping season is still going on! Again- please feel free to reach out to me with any questions if you still have them.

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese