Perseverance Pays Off: Getting Accepted to rewardStyle

Hey y’all-we’ve almost made it to Friday! Hope your week has been absolutely lovely! This week has been a big one for me in my blogging journey. I got accepted to rewardStyle, which is a goal that I have had ever since I started blogging nearly eight months ago! Getting accepted to rewardStyle is a huge milestone for fashion and lifestyle bloggers. It’s invitation-only and is considered the premier affiliate network for bloggers. In addition, it allows you to upload pictures to LIKEtoKNOW.it. This is a popular app that enables people to easily shop bloggers’ outfit details directly from their smartphones.

(Side note: Affiliate marketing enables bloggers to create unique links that lead directly to a retailer’s website. When someone buys through one of these links, the blogger earns a small commission, at no additional cost to the buyer. So from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for considering shopping through my affiliate links here on Palmettos & Pineapples.)

So I will share more details about how to shop my looks through the LIKEtoKNOW.it app soon. (For now you can follow me on LIKEtoKNOW.it here.) But the main point of this post is to share some thoughts on what I learned through the rewardStyle application process, as well as some tips and encouragement for others who might be working towards this goal.

(Photo by Emily Gardiner Photo)

If at First You Don’t Succeed

I vividly remember that my AP US History teacher in high school had a poster in her classroom that said the following: “If at first you don’t succeed, you’re in good company.” Back in May of this year, I applied to rewardStyle for the first time and got rejected. I honestly expected to get rejected, since at that point I hadn’t even been blogging for three full months yet. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to apply, because I was proud and confident in the content I had published so far. Even though it was somewhat expected, it definitely wasn’t fun to get that rejection email from rewardStyle.

Dust Yourself Off and Try Again

Okay, did anyone else start singing “Try Again” by Aaliyah? Brings me back to jamming out to my Now 4 CD in high school- I know I’m dating myself here. Anyways, after getting rejected from rewardStyle in May I could have gotten down on myself and given up. I could have doubted myself and my blog. However, I chose not to. Instead, I continued to work hard on creating content for my blog and my Instagram. I believed in myself and believed in my blog, even though I wasn’t initially accepted into a premier affiliate network I really wanted to be part of. Also, I didn’t lose sight of my passion. I reminded myself that I loved the creative outlet blogging gives me, as well as the connections and relationships it provides.

During the five months between when I was rejected from rewardStyle and when I applied again and was accepted, I also reached out to bloggers who were part of rewardStyle. I asked them for tips on getting accepted to rewardStyle, and they were so happy to give me advice. Incorporating other bloggers’ tips into the hard work I was already doing with creating content definitely helped me out this time around. I will share a little more about these things later on this post.

Perseverance Pays Off

Bottom line-getting accepted to rewardStyle five months after I was initially rejected taught me some valuable life lessons. I learned that perseverance pays off, and to continue to believe in the dreams and passions that God has placed on my heart. There are certain goals and dreams I have for my life that I have been desiring for wayyy longer than 5-8 months. In fact, I have yearned for certain things for years, sometimes so badly that it hurts. However, my acceptance to rewardStyle this week is such a sweet reminder to never give up. It reminded me that a “no” and a closed door at one point doesn’t necessarily mean a “no” and closed door forever.

[pullquote width=”700″ float=”center”]”Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” -Hebrews 12:1b-2a[/pullquote]

I absolutely love the above verse and how it reminds me to keep my focus on Christ as I go after my dreams, because His plan and timing is ultimately the best. I’m also thankful that my identity is in being a daughter of Christ. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited to achieve my goal of getting accepted to rewardStyle, However, have to remind myself that the most rewarding aspect of blogging isn’t how many Instagram followers or likes I get. It isn’t how many people actually read my blog posts or how many affiliate sales I make. Rather, it’s how the Lord can use me to positively impact the lives of others through this blog. Being able to encourage just one person in some way means more than all the Instagram likes in the world!

(Photo by Smith Hardy Photo)

Tips on Getting Accepted to rewardStyle

I’m going to end this post my sharing a few tips that other bloggers shared with me that I believe helped me with getting accepted to rewardStyle the second time around. Here we go!

1. Post consistently to your blog at least 3 times a week for at least three months.
When I first started, I thought I was consistent about posting on my blog. But when I look back, I can see that I have definitely been much more consistent in the past six months of blogging. Of course there were a few exceptions when life got busy and I only published 1-2 blog posts a particular week. For the most part though, I have been averaged three blog posts per week for the past six months.

Also, I highly recommend having a self-hosted WordPress.org blog, because it is more professional and visually appealing than one of the free WordPress.com blogs. I did have a self-hosted blog the first time I applied, so it doesn’t guarantee that you will get accepted. It will definitely work in your favor though! If you’re interested in switched to a self-hosted WordPress.org blog, I recommend SiteGround. It’s very affordable, and you get a discount for your first year. If you’re interested you can sign up here. (Note that is is an affiliate link, so I will earn a commission if you sign up through this link. But it won’t cost you any extra.)

2. Post high quality, original images to your Instagram 6-7 times a week.
So I felt like I was consistently posting quality images to Instagram from the beginning. However, I think having several additional months under my belt helped show rewardStyle the second time around that I was truly dedicated to my blog. Also, I have heard that rewardStyle doesn’t just look at number of Instagram followers, they look at how engaged your followers are with your content. Definitely work on building authentic relationships on Instagram, and be sure and reply when people comment on your posts.

3. Get a referral.
I had multiple bloggers tell me that having a blogger who was already part of rewardStyle refer them helped. And they in turn offered to refer me when I was ready to apply again. So, I am happy to refer any of y’all who aspire to be part of rewardStyle. Simply reach out to me and let me know. Do note that while a referral helps, it doesn’t guarantee getting accepted to rewardStyle. However, if you have been doing the two aforementioned things for at least three months, there’s a good chance you will get accepted with a referral. Also note that if you have previously applied to rewardStyle and been rejected, you must wait at least three months before applying again.

I’m so thrilled to be able to share my good news on getting accepted to rewardStyle with y’all! I hope that this post encouraged you to continue to persevere with whatever goals you’re working towards. And if you’re a blogger who has been rejected from rewardStyle in the past, don’t give up. Keep creating quality content for your blog and social channels, and try again! Getting rejected doesn’t mean your content isn’t good, it’s simply a reflection of the competition for getting into rewardStyle.

Hope that y’all have a great Friday and lovely weekend!

-xoxo Liz