How I Use ShopMy to Make Money as a Creator (And Why You Should, Too)
The affiliate platform I started using years ago that turned my everyday shopping habits into a potential income stream.
Let's talk about making money from the things you already love. If you know me, you know I love fashion, finding a good deal, discovering new brands, and sharing the pieces I'm genuinely excited about. I'm the girl sending links to friends, saving things to Pinterest, building wishlists, and researching whether a new bag is actually worth the price.
A few years ago, when ShopMy first came onto my radar, I had a thought: Why am I sharing all these products without making money when someone shops through my recommendations? At the time, I was already ordering things online and sharing my finds. I'd find a top I loved, order a new beauty product, buy something for my home, or discover a great pair of shoes. Naturally, I'd share the links with people who asked where something was from. Once I started using ShopMy, I realized I could do exactly what I was already doing, but earn commission when someone purchased through my links. And that changed how I approached content creation.
Instead of simply sharing a product, I could create a shoppable collection, build a digital storefront, organize my favorite finds, and make my recommendations accessible long after an Instagram story disappeared. Today, I use ShopMy alongside my other content platforms as part of Sweet Caroline Collection. And honestly? I think more creators should be taking advantage of affiliate marketing. You don't need to be a full-time influencer. You don't need millions of followers. You don't even need to show your face. You just need to start thinking about how to monetize the products you already recommend. Let's get into it.
First, What Exactly Is ShopMy?
If you've ever clicked a creator's link to shop their outfit, browsed someone's curated beauty recommendations, or purchased something from an influencer's wishlist, you've already seen affiliate marketing in action. ShopMy is a creator platform that allows you to build a personalized online storefront, share products through trackable affiliate links, earn commission on qualifying purchases, and connect with brands for potential gifting and paid partnerships. Think of it as your own little digital boutique.
You can organize products into collections, create gift guides, share your favorite fashion finds, recommend beauty products, link home decor, and curate almost anything your audience might be interested in shopping. And here's what makes it especially appealing: ShopMy's official creator site currently lists more than 47,000 commissionable brands, spanning categories like fashion, beauty, home, wellness, accessories, and more. That means your storefront doesn't have to be limited to one niche. You can share the things you genuinely love across different areas of your life.
For me, that includes fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and home finds. If I'm sharing a pair of jeans, a serum I'm loving, a coffee table I'm considering, or a gift idea, I can create a shoppable link and potentially earn commission if someone makes a qualifying purchase. The platform also offers brand partnership tools, so affiliate links aren't the only way to earn. And you don't have to build an entirely new business from scratch to get started. You're creating another way to monetize the recommendations you're already making.
How I Started: Linking Things I Was Already Buying
When I first started using ShopMy, my approach was incredibly simple. I would order something, love it, and share the link. That was it. I wasn't necessarily creating elaborate campaigns or planning an entire content calendar around every product. I was sharing things I was already buying and enjoying. If a friend asked where my shoes were from, I'd send the link. If I posted a new outfit, I'd link the pieces. If I found a great home decor item, I'd add it to my shop. Over time, I realized those everyday recommendations could become a small but meaningful part of my creator business.
Think about how many products you talk about in a typical week. Your favorite leggings. The mascara you repurchase. The bag you carry everywhere. The kitchen gadget you use every morning. The dress everyone asks you about. The skincare product you recommend to your friends. Now imagine creating a way to earn commission when someone purchases one of those products through your recommendation. That's the opportunity.
My biggest piece of advice is to start linking what you already love. You don't need to go out and buy products specifically to create affiliate content. You can start with products you own, use, recommend, and genuinely stand behind. Of course, not every brand or product will be commissionable, and not every link will generate a sale. But you can begin building the habit of making your recommendations shoppable. And please, don't assume that because you have a small audience, it isn't worth doing. A smaller audience that trusts your recommendations can still be valuable.
How Do You Actually Make Money on ShopMy?
There are several ways to earn, and understanding the difference is important.
1. Affiliate commissions: Get paid when people shop your links
This is the most straightforward place to start. You create a link to a product through ShopMy and share it wherever your audience finds you. If someone clicks your link and makes an eligible purchase under the program's tracking rules, you earn a commission. For example, imagine you share a $100 handbag and the applicable commission rate is 10%. If someone makes a qualifying purchase attributed to your link, your commission would be $10. If ten qualifying purchases are attributed to that link, that's $100 in commission.
These are just illustrative numbers, not a guarantee of earnings. Actual commission rates vary by brand and product, and returns, attribution rules, and other terms can affect what you ultimately receive. But this is the basic idea: one recommendation can generate earnings from multiple purchases. And unlike a story that disappears after 24 hours, a product link can continue working when you share it through your storefront, blog, Pinterest, or other evergreen content. My advice? Link products you already own and love, but also organize them so people can actually find them.
Create collections such as:
My Fall Wardrobe Favorites
Affordable Finds That Look Expensive
Beauty Products I Actually Use
Home Decor Wishlist
Gifts for the Girl Who Has Everything
The Best Pieces in My Closet
Things I Would Buy Again
Make your storefront easy to browse. Think of it as an extension of your personal brand rather than a random collection of links.
2. Paid brand partnerships: Get paid to create content
This is where things can become even more interesting. Affiliate commissions are performance-based: you earn when qualifying sales happen. Paid partnerships work differently. A brand pays you an agreed fee for specific deliverables, such as a Reel, TikTok, story sequence, product review, or other campaign content. ShopMy has a feature called Opportunities, which helps connect creators with participating brands for paid campaigns. Depending on your eligibility and the opportunities available to you, you may be able to receive invitations, review campaign requirements, and accept paid collaborations through the platform.
Here's how I'd approach it:
First, make your profile look like a real creator business.
Complete your bio, connect your social accounts, build a storefront that reflects your niche, and consistently share products that make sense for your audience.
Second, pay attention to the brands you're already linking.
If you're regularly sharing a particular beauty brand, clothing label, or home retailer, that helps establish a clear picture of your interests and content.
Third, check your brand opportunities regularly.
Look at the deliverables, payment, timeline, product requirements, and usage rights before accepting a campaign. Don't agree to create content without understanding exactly what the brand expects.
Fourth, remember that your content has value beyond your follower count.
Brands may care about your audience, but they can also care about your aesthetic, niche, ability to produce compelling content, and how naturally you communicate about products. You do not need to wait until you have a massive following to start treating your content like a business. One important distinction: receiving a product for free is not the same as being paid for a partnership. Gifting can be valuable, but always understand whether a collaboration includes a fee, commission, or simply a product.
And if a brand wants additional usage rights, exclusivity, or paid advertising rights, consider those terms separately when negotiating.
3. Spotlights: Let your existing content keep working for you
One ShopMy feature creators should understand is Spotlights. According to ShopMy's creator guide, Spotlights allow participating brands to request permission to amplify eligible content you've already posted as a paid partnership ad on Instagram/Facebook or TikTok. Here's why I find this concept interesting. Let's say you create an organic Reel featuring a handbag you genuinely love. The Reel performs well, people engage with it, and the brand notices. Through Spotlights, the brand may be able to promote that existing content to a broader audience, with your ShopMy affiliate link attached. You can earn commission on qualifying sales attributed to the promoted content. In other words, the content you've already created may have an opportunity to reach new shoppers and generate additional affiliate earnings.
You aren't necessarily creating an entirely new video for that promotion. Spotlights are different from a traditional fixed-fee campaign. With a standard paid partnership, you negotiate a fee for specified deliverables. With Spotlights, earnings are tied to attributed sales, so results can vary. This is why I think it's worth creating content that is useful, authentic, and shoppable even when you aren't working on a paid campaign. You never know which post a brand might want to amplify. Of course, not every post will qualify or receive a request, and you should review the terms before agreeing to have your content promoted.
4. The referral program: Grow beyond your own storefront
Another feature worth exploring is ShopMy's creator referral program. If you know other people who are interested in content creation, affiliate marketing, fashion, beauty, or lifestyle recommendations, you may be able to refer eligible creators to ShopMy. The platform's published tiering guidance explains that referrals can contribute toward creator-tier points when referred creators reach and maintain qualifying tiers. Referral bonuses, eligibility, and program terms can change, so check the current referral section in your ShopMy account before making plans around a specific reward.
My take? If you're sharing your experience with ShopMy anyway, you can help other creators discover a platform that may suit their goals, too. Just make sure you're recommending it because you believe it's useful, not promising that anyone who joins will automatically earn money.
Let's Talk About ShopMy's Creator Tiers
ShopMy has four creator tiers: Enthusiast, Ambassador, Trendsetter, and Icon. Your tier reflects several factors, including recent activity, profile completion, traffic, order volume, and qualifying referrals. Higher tiers can unlock additional visibility and brand-related opportunities. Here's the general breakdown based on ShopMy's published creator guide:
Enthusiast
Your starting point. This is where creators begin building their presence. Focus on setting up your storefront, completing your profile, creating links, sharing products, and learning what your audience responds to.
Ambassador
You're building momentum. At this stage, your recommendations are beginning to gain traction. ShopMy lists increased visibility with brands among the benefits associated with this tier.
Trendsetter
You're growing your presence with shoppers and brands. ShopMy identifies benefits such as the ability to initiate conversations with participating brands, request gifting and discount codes, and receive priority consideration for certain opportunities.
Icon
The highest creator tier. This tier recognizes creators with stronger performance and engagement across ShopMy's scoring criteria. Benefits include increased brand visibility and priority consideration for collaboration opportunities.
The important thing to understand is that your tier is not simply a follower-count ranking. ShopMy's published scoring system also considers traffic, order volume, activity, and profile completion. You can't control every factor, and moving up isn't guaranteed. But you can control how consistently you use the platform, how thoughtfully you curate your shop, and how actively you share your links. My advice is to focus on building a strong foundation rather than obsessing over your tier from day one. Complete your profile. Create useful collections. Add products regularly. Share your links. Learn which content drives clicks and sales. The rest is a process.
You Don't Even Have to Show Your Face
I really want to emphasize this because I think it stops people from trying affiliate marketing in the first place. You do not have to be a traditional influencer to create shoppable content. You don't necessarily need to film talking-head videos, post pictures of yourself every day, or share your entire personal life online. You can create faceless content and still build a product-focused creator business. For example, you could create:
Flat lays of clothing, accessories, and beauty products.
Outfit collages showing how to style different pieces.
Pinterest graphics featuring seasonal wishlists.
Product comparison posts, such as affordable finds versus splurges.
Home decor mood boards.
Videos showing your hands unboxing or demonstrating a product.
Screen-recorded tutorials or curated product roundups.
A blog post featuring your favorite products in a particular category.
You can even build a niche around a particular topic, such as affordable fashion, home organization, beauty favorites, travel essentials, or gift guides. You still need to create useful content, follow the relevant platform rules, and use properly attributed affiliate links. And faceless content isn't a shortcut to guaranteed earnings. But you absolutely do not need to make your face the centerpiece of your business. If you're someone who loves researching products, putting together mood boards, writing recommendations, or finding the best items in a particular niche, this could be a great way to explore affiliate marketing.
How I'd Use Pinterest to Grow Your ShopMy
If I were starting from scratch today, Pinterest would be one of the first platforms I'd take seriously. Why? Because Pinterest can help people discover content while they're actively searching for ideas. Someone might search for fall outfit inspiration, affordable living room decor, wedding guest dresses, or the best beauty products for a particular routine. You can create pins that answer those searches and direct interested shoppers to relevant content.
Here is the strategy I'd use.
Step 1: Create content around searchable topics.
Instead of only posting a product name, think about what someone would actually search.
Examples:
10 Affordable Fall Fashion Finds
How to Style Burgundy This Fall
Neutral Living Room Decor Ideas
Best Everyday Bags for Work
Fall Capsule Wardrobe Inspiration
Step 2: Make visually appealing pins.
Use clear titles, beautiful imagery, and a consistent aesthetic. You can create graphics in Canva, outfit collages, product roundups, or vertical images featuring items you've styled.
Step 3: Link to the most relevant destination.
Depending on Pinterest's current linking rules and the destination's requirements, direct people to your ShopMy collection, storefront, or a related blog post containing your recommendations. Make sure the destination matches the content of the pin and that your affiliate disclosures are clear.
Step 4: Create multiple pieces of content around the same theme.
One fall fashion roundup can become several pins: one for boots, one for bags, one for color combinations, and one for outfit formulas. You don't need to reinvent the wheel every day. You need to make your content discoverable. Pinterest is particularly interesting because a useful pin can continue attracting attention after you've moved on to creating something else. Results aren't guaranteed, but the potential for longer-term discovery makes it worth testing.
How I'd Use Instagram
Instagram is where I would focus on building trust, personality, and an engaged community. Your audience needs a reason to care about your recommendations. Show them how you use products, how you style them, and why you think they're worth considering.
Here are a few formats I'd prioritize:
Reels: Create short videos showing outfit formulas, favorite purchases, styling tips, or products you're genuinely using.
Stories: Share links to products people ask about, new arrivals, current favorites, and honest opinions. Use story highlights to organize your recommendations.
Carousels: Create useful posts such as “5 Ways to Style One Blazer,” “Affordable Finds That Look Expensive,” or “Things I'd Buy Again.”
Your storefront: When people ask where something is from, direct them to the relevant ShopMy link or collection so they can find it easily.
One of my favorite content approaches is to show the product in context instead of simply posting a shopping link. Don't just say, “Here's a bag I like.” Show how you style the bag with an everyday outfit. Explain why you love the color, shape, or functionality. Tell people what makes it useful. The goal isn't to make every post feel like an advertisement. It's to create content that someone would genuinely enjoy watching, even if they weren't planning to buy anything. When you do include affiliate links, disclose the relationship clearly.
How I'd Use TikTok
TikTok is a great place to experiment with short-form video and reach people who don't already follow you. And again, you can do this with or without showing your face. Here are some content ideas I'd test:
“Three things I'd buy again.”
“Affordable fashion finds that look more expensive.”
“Products I didn't realize I needed until I tried them.”
“Five home decor finds I'm saving for my next room refresh.”
“What I'd buy with a $100 budget.”
“The best pieces I've found for fall.”
“Things that make an outfit look more polished.”
“Products that are actually worth the hype.”
You can film outfit clips, create hands-only product demonstrations, show a flat lay, or narrate a screen recording or product roundup. The key is to make the content valuable before you ask anyone to shop. A strong opening hook helps. So does showing the product clearly, explaining why it matters, and giving viewers an easy next step. If you share a video featuring a product, you can direct interested viewers to the relevant ShopMy collection or link where the platform and destination rules permit. And don't assume every video needs to go viral. Pay attention to the posts that generate saves, questions, link clicks, and purchases. Those signals can help you understand what your audience actually wants.
The Strategy I'd Recommend: Stop Treating Every Platform Separately
This is where you can become much more efficient. You don't need to create entirely different content for Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, your blog, and ShopMy every single day. Instead, start with one useful idea and repurpose it. Let's say you find five fall handbags you love.
On Instagram: Create a Reel styling your favorite bag with an everyday outfit.
On TikTok: Post a short roundup of the five bags, explaining what you like about each one.
On Pinterest: Create pins for “Best Fall Bags,” “Burgundy Handbag Outfit Ideas,” and “Affordable Fall Accessories.”
On your blog or Substack: Write a post about the accessories you're reaching for this season.
On ShopMy: Create a collection containing the bags and any related outfit pieces.
One idea becomes multiple pieces of content, and each platform serves a slightly different purpose. Instagram and TikTok can help people discover you and connect with your personality. Pinterest can help people find your recommendations through searches. Your blog and Substack can provide more detailed context. ShopMy gives interested shoppers a convenient place to browse your curated products. That is a much more sustainable approach than constantly chasing new content ideas.
A Few Things I'd Do Every Week
If you're serious about building affiliate income, consistency matters more than occasionally posting a hundred links in one day.
Here's a simple routine I'd start with:
Every week:
Add new products and organize relevant collections in your ShopMy storefront.
Create a few pieces of content around products you genuinely use or recommend.
Share shoppable links on your social platforms where appropriate.
Create Pinterest pins for your strongest evergreen content.
Check your clicks, orders, and commissions to see what's working.
Review available brand opportunities and respond to relevant messages.
Look for products people repeatedly ask you about and make those easier to find.
You can start small. The goal is to develop a repeatable system that fits your schedule. And remember: more links do not automatically mean more earnings. Your audience's interests, the quality of your recommendations, commission rates, purchase behavior, and link attribution all matter.
A Few Things I Wish More Creators Understood
You don't need to buy everything you recommend. Start with products you already own, have used, or can honestly recommend. Never pretend to have tried something you haven't.
You don't need a massive audience. A smaller, engaged audience can be a good foundation. Still, there are no guaranteed earnings, and building consistent sales takes time.
You shouldn't link things just because the commission is high. Trust is the most valuable thing you have as a creator. If you recommend everything, your audience may stop trusting your recommendations.
You should pay attention to your data. Track what people click, save, and purchase. You may discover that a simple, practical recommendation performs better than a highly produced campaign.
You should understand affiliate disclosures. Clearly disclose when you may earn commission. If you receive gifted products or paid partnerships, disclose those relationships appropriately, too.
You should treat your content like an asset. A blog post, Pinterest pin, or helpful product roundup may continue attracting people after the day you publish it.
And finally, don't wait until you feel like a “real influencer” to start thinking like a creator with a business.
So, Should You Start Using ShopMy?
If you already share products, recommend brands to friends, create content, or enjoy curating finds, I think it's absolutely worth exploring. I started using ShopMy because I was already sharing links to things I ordered and loved. Affiliate marketing gave me a way to potentially earn from those recommendations instead of letting every shopping link be a missed opportunity. Since then, I've come to see it as more than just a place to put links. It's a storefront, a way to organize my content, a potential source of affiliate revenue, and a gateway to brand relationships and paid campaign opportunities.
But the biggest lesson is this: you don't need to wait until you have a huge platform or a perfectly polished business to begin. Start with what you already know. Share products you genuinely like. Make useful content. Learn what your audience responds to. Explore the features available to you. Build from there. You may start by linking your favorite pair of jeans. Eventually, you might be creating curated shopping guides, collaborating with brands, earning commissions, or building an entire content business around your interests. And if you want to do this without showing your face? You can explore that, too.
My final advice: If you're already influencing someone's shopping decisions, start learning how to monetize that influence thoughtfully. You don't have to turn every recommendation into a sales pitch. You just have to make it easier for the people who already trust your taste to find what you're sharing. And if you're anything like me, you'll probably have a lot of fun doing it.
♡ Sweet Caroline Collection
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