I realize that a lot of my readers don’t look at blogs the same way I do.  I am obsessed with them and have been for going on 10 years or so.  My first blog (the now defunct Fountain of Fashion) was started way back in 2007!  I had a few other iterations, CC Style and my wedding planning blog, My Dallas Wedding (which still gets a good amount of traffic) but I didn’t really understand that you could blog for a living.  

Now that I’ve been blogging here at The Cocooners since November 2011, I know that I’m going to keep it up and continue my blogging journey for as long as I can and monetizing the blog is a must.  But do my readers even understand exactly what blogging is?  I recently went to brunch with a close girlfriend and after speaking with her, I realized that not a lot of my friends and family know what this all means for me or for them so I thought I would share some information with you today in case you don’t understand.  Today the topic is affiliate links and I’ll share more on followers, engagement and sponsored posts on other posts next week.

First off, I use affiliate links quite a bit on my blog and have for sometime but I do NOT make a lot of money with them.  Like, not at all.  I’m not sure that a lot of my readers know what these links mean to bloggers so here goes:   An affiliate link is a URL from which a blogger may receive a small commission from a click through or from a product that you purchase.  In affiliate programs, advertisers use affiliate links to record the traffic that is sent to the advertiser’s website. 

Clicking on an affiliate link does not cost you money.  Purchasing a product through an affiliate link does not cost you money.  The link just uses a cookie to track your visit or sale (equaling commission for me).  If you go to Nordstrom and shop online anyway, why not head over here to my blog and click through a Nordstrom link on my sidebar to help support this blog?  It’s a win win.  You have The Cocooners bookmarked, right?  😉  Keep in mind that if you click a commissionable link through this blog, but then click a link to the same retailer on another blog and then make a purchase, the last link (or the other blogger) will get the commission and not me.  Just telling you the facts.  Not trying to drop shade.  

Some links are pay per click, meaning, if you click through, I may get a small fee, usually five to ten cents or so.  Again, there is nothing extra for you to do when it comes to plain old shopping via affiliate links.  So please click away if you see a product you like!  I try to share coupon codes often as well but feel to email me or comment if you have any questions or want to know if a retailer has a promotion going on that I didn’t mention.  I really try to respond quickly.

Before I leave you today, I did want to specifically tell you more about LIKEtoKNOW.it.  It is a shopping discovery app that allows consumers to shop their likes and screenshots on Instagram. So if you ever come across an IG and you’re wondering where they purchased their outfit, bag or even home decor items, LIKEtoKNOW.it will tell you!  And you have choices on how to use the service.  

1) Downloaded the app (no email/registration required) and you can shop details direct from the app by taking a screenshot or liking a Liketoknow.it enabled image on Instagram, Instagram Stories, or SnapChat (most images will have a small heart in the bottom right hand corner that let’s you know you can take a screenshot – like this one!

2) You can register for Liketoknow.it and hop on Instagram. You can choose whether or not to get an email every time you like a picture or not. Easy peasy.  Then you can shop your favorite products right from your email!  

3) If you don’t want to do either of the above, be sure to check out my Liketoknow.it page here on the blog. You can discover and shop my Instagram feed and my favorite products without leaving my site. 

I hope this has been helpful for you and answered any questions you may have.  I’m just now learning that blogging can be a lucrative career and I’m so passionate about blogging that it makes sense to pursue it full time.   Here’s a quote my brother posted on Facebook the other day that resonated with me: 

You have to be consistent and really put out great content you believe in and that you think your readers will enjoy and respond to.  And that’s what I’m striving to do.  Please let me know what you may want more of from me!!

I know that was long but I really feel better about sharing this info with you guys.  So, cheers to the Labor Day weekend!!  Now, go forth, read blogs and get to clicking on those links to show those bloggers some love and support (especially this blog, lol)!