Separate publishing from earning
A page of product links can be useful even when none of those links earns commission. Affiliate income requires a suitable programme, acceptance where required, correctly attributed links and qualifying activity under its terms. A polished storefront is not evidence that those conditions have been met.
Write down your essential retailers and the countries your audience shops from. Then check the current availability of those retailers in each programme. A large headline network count tells you little about whether the specific UK shop, product category or delivery destination you need is covered.
Understand what LTK is offering before replacing it
LTK’s creator page describes a personalised shop, shoppable links and collections, retailer connections and brand collaboration opportunities. It invites creators to apply and describes the kind of public profile and regularly posted content it seeks. That is an application process, not automatic access for every account.
Use those functions as a comparison checklist for other creator platforms. Ask about UK retailer coverage, approval, reporting, payout conditions and support. Avoid choosing from unverified claims that one platform accepts everyone, always pays more or guarantees brand deals.
Consider your own site and direct affiliate programmes
If you already publish useful guides, an owned website can give you control over the explanation, layout and links. The trade-off is responsibility for keeping content accurate, maintaining the site and finding an audience. A link-in-bio page can direct people to that work, but is not a substitute for it.
Apply to programmes that fit the products you can recommend credibly. Network membership and approval by an individual advertiser can be separate steps. Read each programme’s permitted promotional methods and commission terms before planning around revenue. Do not assume that an ordinary retail link is already attributed to you.
Use a shared list when the main job is organisation
WantThis lets you collect product links, add notes and share gift ideas. It is useful when you need one place to explain a shortlist across shops. Review imported product information and fill in missing details manually; retailer pages do not all import in the same way.
Creating or sharing a WantThis list does not itself give you an approved creator commission arrangement. WantThis price tracking, price-history displays and price-drop alerts are currently unavailable. Check current terms for any commercial arrangement separately and verify prices at the retailer.
Build a small trial with clear disclosures
Try a guide with a few carefully chosen products. Explain who each suits, what evidence supports the recommendation and what a buyer should check. Test the links on a phone and keep a record of the programmes and tracking links you are authorised to use.
Make affiliate advertising and other commercial relationships clear to readers in the relevant context. ASA guidance covers the need for affiliate marketing to be obviously identifiable as advertising. Compare the quality of your recommendations and the experience of real readers before committing to a platform on the strength of an earnings promise.
Explore our gift ideas, buying guides or more wishlist advice.