Amazon Best Sellers and How Affiliate Links Work

2018 was a year full of change for me! I started the Instagram account for emjacquelyn in late August and launched my blog, emjacquelyn.com in September. In the same month, I got accepted into shopstyle collective and amazon associates, then a month later, got accepted into LiketoKnowit. Starting a blog up again (I had one back in 2015), was something I had been thinking of for a while now, and while it’s extremely challenging, I’m so glad I did! You can read more about my blogging journey here.

For all of you who aren’t familiar with LiketoKnowit, it’s part of RewardStyle, which is an invitation-only affiliate network. Liketoknowit makes shopping my outfits (and everything else I share on Instagram or emjacquelyn.com) super easy. It’s highly competitive, so getting accepted into Liketoknowit was an exciting milestone for me! If you want to know how to get accepted quickly into Liketoknowit / Rewardstyle I go into more depth in a blog post here.

Now as a newbie blogger, I’ve been getting the question “how do you make money?” a lot. As an influencer for rewardstyle, I make a small commission (usually 5-15%) from purchases made through my links. The commission varies per retailer. In fact, the same is true for most bloggers and influencers that you follow/ purchase from! While I do make a commission, it’s at no-cost to you. So whether you’re buying through my affiliate links, or directly on the retailer’s website, you’ll pay the same price for your purchase.

As an influencer for liketoknowit, I can only see what link you clicked on and made a purchase from. Say you purchased from my teddy bear coat link, but then purchased a pair of booties, foundation and a belt, I can only see that you purchased the teddy bear coat. I can’t see any other items purchased, or how much you spent on your order.

I use these insights and analytics from Liketoknowit to see what items and retailers’ you guys are loving, and what to look for when I’m purchasing more items. On the flip side, if I’m getting a bunch of clicks but no purchases, that also provides me with valuable information.

While this is true for rewardstyle, different information is showed to the blogger, depending on what affiliate programs that they are an influencer for. Before getting accepted into rewardstyle, I was part of the amazon associates program and shopstyle collective, two different affiliate programs. Regarding these and analytics, shopstyle is very similar to rewardstyle. With amazon associates, I was able to see a lot more into insights. You can see what other items the person purchased (even if they aren’t on your blog), and how much the order cost.

Unfortunately purchasing through affiliate links sometimes gets complicated. One thing to note is if you click on something from my blog, then click on a link from another bloggers site, that blogger automatically receives ALL the credit from your order. Or, if you see something I share and buy it in store, I don’t get credit because it’s not getting tracked through my links.

I’ve also gotten the question “do you get credit even if I’m not purchasing any of your amazon items but want to purchase other items off amazon?” The answer is yes! I get a small commission when you purchase through my links, no matter if you’re purchasing my items, or purchasing other items through the retailer. So say you’re in the market for a new Instapot, but I don’t have it on my website, you can just click on one of my items on my amazon page to purchase the Instapot. The same goes for any retailer I have listed on my website (Abercrombie, American Eagle, etc!).

I am so thankful when you guys purchase through my links! A lot goes on behind the scenes (ordering items, taking pictures, editing pictures, looking at analytics, try on sessions, writing/ editing blog posts, and so much more) and I am so grateful when you guys ask these questions and want me to get credit! It allows me to continue doing what I love to do.. share affordable finds and sales with you guys!

I go into depth on the best affiliate programs for new bloggers (what affiliate marketing is, how to make money with affiliate marketing, and the top 3 affiliate programs for fashion and lifestyle bloggers here.)

Now to the good stuff and the reason why you’re probably reading this blog post..amazon best sellers from 2018!

Teddy bear coat (wearing size small – size up if you want a more oversized fit)

2. Sweater dress (sized up to a medium for length – I’m 5’3”)

3. Tumi dupe backpack (I use for travel and work)

4. Cozy sherpa pullover (size small)

5. Sherpa Pullover (size small)

6. Spanx (size small)

7. Olive green paper bag pants (size small)

8. Ripped work out leggings (size small)

9. Blue light blocking glasses

10. High low sweater (color: beige, size xs-small)

11. Amazon prime Spanx dupe leggings (size small) + 12. Color-block poncho

13. Velvet tunic sweater (color: grey 952, size small)

14. $80 Sorel boots (size 7 – true size)

15. Initial necklace + 16. Lip sleeping mask

I hope you guys enjoyed reading my amazon best sellers from 2018 and how affiliate links work. I hope this was able to give you more insight into the blogging world! Comment below and let me know if these best sellers round ups are useful, and if it’s something you guys would like to see more often.

XO,

Emma