Affiliate Links & Me
A post breaking down how the sausage is made
As I sit here trying to write and re-write an introduction to this newsletter, I’ve realized that I’m going to jump great into the meat of the post because- frankly- an intro just isn’t coming to me.
What is the meat of this post? Well I thought I’d get real about my little newsletter and how it operates because I love transparency. Writers do not owe this to their readers, but I want to give what I love to receive!
Starting with; what even is this newsletter? If you’ve been reading for a while your answer is as good as mine. It’s my thoughts on styling tips/tricks, shopping, trends, personal style, etc. As a teenager I really wanted to write for a glossy pub (think Vogue, Elle, etc.) and while that didn’t pan out, this newsletter is me getting to put my writing out in the world. I both LOVE fashion and approach it with mindfulness and a budget. I LOVE style and feel deeply that it’s something everyone can learn to improve (some people start with more innate style than others just as some people are more athletic than others). And I am massively practical; give me an action item! Hopefully all of that comes out in my writing.
I have never felt confident enough to make my own image the subject of posts so I rely on images from Pinterest/Instagram and stylized flatlay images which allows me to play with graphic design (a component of my day job).
When I started this newsletter I had no vision for subscriptions or monetization but as anyone in the arts will tell you; there comes a time when you want to feel like the juice is worth the squeeze (meaning you get juice at all).
I genuinely did not know WHEN to offer paid subscriptions or HOW to put a number on my work.
QUICK INTERJECTION: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUBSCRIBES (PAID OR FREE)!! BECAUSE OF YOU, I GET TO HAVE THE CREATIVE PURSUIT I DREAMED OF SINCE I WAS YOUNG. AND THIS SPACE HAS ATTRACTED THE BEST, KINDEST, MOST INCREDIBLE READERS. THANK YOU!!!
So, when I did create paid subscriptions, I set the annual subscription of my newsletter to the lowest price Substack allows ($50 USD annually). Substack skims a portion of all subscriptions so I don’t get the full $50 when you subscribe but I’m, generally, happy to have SS take a portion because this platform works well for me. My monthly subscription is $8/month- $2 more than the minimum allowed by Substack ($6 USD monthly)- because I know (from personal experience) that I sometimes subscribe to someone and binge their content. Readers who do this, I see you, I love you, I don’t blame you at all. If you leave me a kind note when you change your subscription that means a lot to me. And, also, please stay subscribed, I want you here! And if you are here and WANT to read the archives but cannot afford a subscription please tell me, I’m happy to offer you a complimentary month.
I’ve always known that I couldn’t pick which of my pieces deserved to be behind a paywall and which didn’t so I decided to simply paywall my archive after 2 weeks. That means that if you’ve been following since the beginning you’ve been able to read all my work without any cost.
And soooooooooooo I started using affiliate links via ShopMy in Spring of 2024 to generate income.
Many long-time readers will actually recall that I REALLY struggle with the lifestyle creep that I see in influencers who use affiliate links. This post earned me quite a bit of attention (some of it quite negative).
But now here I was using affiliate links too! It’s confusing, huh? Well I guess now we are in the REAL meat of this post because I wanted to explain how I use affiliate links in a way that honors the feelings I had BEFORE I had a platform to use them. These guidelines are unique to me and I place NO judgement on anyone who chooses to utilize affiliates differently; but I do hope people have a guiding light when leveraging affiliates.
PRODUCTS I FEATURE
There are a few ways I source the products that I feature in my styling images;
Specific items I own and bought with my own money. You’ll see a whole lot of Levi’s in my posts because, guess what, I LOVE Levi’s and I use my own dollars to buy Levi’s denim.
image from this post featuring Levi’s 501 90s also shown on me! I wear mine constantly Items from brands I’ve bought from and love (again, with my own money).
Here’s where things get a little tricky; I own Leset pointelle tees because I bought them on The Real Real for less than retail but I am linking to the new, retail ones because the time to source from resale a broad size range would be an undertaking that I cannot energetically handle. If I’m looking for a pair of denim to include I’ll look at Cos and Madewell because I own their products and the price point is good. But I’ll also include Agolde because I own their denim and love it though it’s more expensive.
Flat lay from this post is based off the outfit pictured. I own the Jamie Haller mules because I scored them for $50 at a sample sale while they retail for $600. I swear I’m aware that price is HIGH! Items that are on my personal wishlist. Just like everyone, there are items that I really WANT to buy. So while the brand or item might be unproven to me I figure if it’s good enough to be on my Carted wishlist then they pass my personal test and can be included.
Image from this post; both of these pants were on my Carted wishlist the green pair have since been purchased but the brown ones remain a dream purchase Items that people I trust rave about. Maybe it’s a real life friend who loves a pair of shoes from a brand or if it’s an internet friend who bought the item with their own money; I could that endorsement as worthy!
Image from this post; I’ve heard amazing things about the Sezane loafers AND the La Ligne pants I featured from IRL and internet friends even though I haven’t bought shoes from Sezane or pants from La Ligne Resale! I know there are a good number of my readers who exclusively shop resale, or at least prioritize it. And I love shopping resale because it delivers items that are more unique. I usually only source accessories resale because, I said before, sourcing for a variety of sizes requires a lot of time (shout out to those who do this well like
and to name a few).
image from this post including a bag from Etsy; my favorite resale platform to find fun things on A brand with a discount. I’m still very much a small fish so I have only had one brand offer me something free and a discount code. I included items from the brand because, frankly, I really wanted all of you to have access to the discount.
image from this post featuring earrings and a necklace from the brand which gave me a discount code
Ground Rules
A few ground rules I’m following as it relates to transparency;
I try not to put the brand name in the description because I’m personally susceptible to Label Dickmization. If you like something then you’ll click through and it won’t matter if it’s from a mall brand or an aspirational brand.
On that note; I work really hard to include the price of items in the caption because it’s not fair to make you fall in love with a pair of shoes only for the jump scare of finding out they cost $500!
I ALWAYS build my collages first and then import items into ShopMy so I’m not the least tempted to pick something that has a higher commission. (As a very short introduction to affiliate linking; items often have a payout kickback for purchases made through a link. Payouts range from 0-15% (that’s the highest I’ve seen). If you are ever curious about the commission rate, I ALWAYS include them (as an extra step) on my ShopMy page).
If there are lots of retailers carrying an item I will prioritize sending you directly to the brand and then to a retailer that I shop at or the retailer with the lowest price. I’m a girl on a budget and I have learned that many of you are too!
I’m trying to reduce any links to Amazon because I don’t like supporting the founder of the company. I could probably add many more retailers to this list but this is top line for me.
I try not to link to too much fast fashion (specifically Zara, H&M, Forever 21). The list of what is considered Fast Fashion is broad and differs depending on who you ask. It’s hard for me to throw out brands like Gap or Mango because their price points are more approachable and fashion shouldn’t be exclusively for those with a large expendable income. Broadly speaking, I believe in voting with your dollar so please shop where it feels good for you.
Goals I’m Working Towards
I’m learning a lot from my internet friend,
, about how to be more size inclusive in my posts. That means sourcing items from brands that have a broader size range (which I’m still very much a work in progress at. As you can see my list of standards is already long and this doesn’t always make the cut, but I’m trying!). She has an amazing post about brands with more inclusive sizing here and here.However, I try to have images of real people showcasing the styling I’m writing about and I’m working hard at finding images that include body and race diversity. This is also still a work in progress so I’m asking for your patience as I grow in this.
Whew, if you have made it all the way to here, THANK YOU for sticking with me. For many people, the details of the newsletter don’t cross their mind but I know (because I’m one) there are other people who want to understand it. I hope you’ll see that by including affiliate links it allows me to keep my subscription costs low while still being paid for my hard work (eek, it’s sad to me that writing that made me cringe).
If you read my newsletter in email (which I know the majority of you do) you’ll notice that I also link to this great post as a primer to affiliate links. Emilia summed it up nicely when she said
“Ultimately, I think it comes down to: Do you trust the person or outlet writing about the thing?”
So…. I wanted to be transparent about how I work so you can continue to build trust with me. I love you all, thanks for being here.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments and I will answer honestly! Just try to be kind 🤍
Your level of transparency is admirable ♥️
As someone who also dreamt of writing for a fashion publication, I just want to say what you share on your substack is better than what I’ve read in many of those glossy pages 💯
As someone who recently started dabbling with affiliate links, a giant yes to all of this. I realized I was leaving money on the table for goods and products I would be recommending either way, so as I am starting to this of this more as a business, it just made sense. That said, I also always do my collages and selects first - if something I want to include in a post has a payout, cool, if not, I'm including it anyways. Don't get me wrong, I still have my issues both personally and professionally with my choice to use them - nothing is ever black or white, you know - but in the end, I realized the time I spend making this is valuable, and in order for me to keep going, I need to earn back that value somehow.