How affiliate links work
You’ve probably seen this little disclaimer inside the Curated wardrobe, Joy Drops and seasonal guides, “Some links may be affiliate links.”
But what does that actually mean, and does it affect your experience inside Joyfully Dressed and what I post into the Curated Wardrobe.
This might not be the most interesting Joydrop to some of you, but I always like to be transparent and I realised I hadn’t properly explained what affiliate links are and when and how I use them.
What is an affiliate link?
Affiliate links mean that if you click on a link I share and then buy something, I may earn a small commission (usually between 2–7%) of the price of the item.
It doesn’t cost you anything extra, the commission comes from the retailer, not you and makes no difference to your shopping experience.
It also means if you buy something else after clicking that link, I may also earn money from that link (as long as you’re within their tracking window, usually 24 hours to 30 days depending on the shop).
(This is how fashion influencers on instagram earn their money, when they share links to clothes)
Does this change what I put in the Curated Wardrobe or in Joydrops?
Not at all. Some retailers like Next, Zara and lots of independent brands don’t use affiliate systems, and I still feature them all the time.
For me, it’s a small bonus (more about that later) if a link happens to be an affiliate link, but it’s not why I choose what to include. I pick items because they work for certain colour seasons, styles and I think you will all love them.
Some big brands I often feature that do use affiliate links include:
Boden
Mango
H&M
New Look
M&S
You have to legally add a disclaimer to each page where affiliate links are placed (and you’ll notice there is one on the Curated Wardrobe link page) which is why this is included in all pages which contain links.
Sometimes it might just be one item on that page which is an affiliate link, but i’ll still include a generic disclaimer.
How much do I actually make from affiliate links?
Here’s a look at how much I have made from affiliate links since the start of this year, and it kinda gives you an idea of how many items are bought from the Curated Wardrobe, Joy drops and guides.
For those of you that love stats:
It works out at about - £888 total since the start of the year, which is about £1.94 per item sold with an average of 65 items sold per month.
So every time you shop through one of my links, you’re giving Joyfully Dressed a little boost, and I’m so grateful for it. 💛
P.S. A little idea I’ve been toying with…
I’ve been wondering if it would be helpful to create a “JD Shopping Hub”, basically a page on the site with all my go-to brands in one place. If you ever want to support Joyfully Dressed for free, you could just start your online shop from there, and it would automatically use my affiliate links. No extra cost, no extra faff, just an easy way to browse and give JD a tiny boost in the process.
Would you use something like that?