CT Jones
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Photo Illustration by NICOLE THOMPSON. Images in Illustration by J. Crew and Bose. A new pair of sunglasses. A striking perfume. The perfect pair of jeans.
For most people, seeing influencers post about their favorite purchases might feel like everyday content. But behind these unassuming clips is a multibillion-dollar e-commerce ecosystem, one that’s made influencers some of the most powerful brokers in retail. It’s the world of affiliate marketing — and you’ve probably already bought in.
This referral-based system is deceptively easy. Content creators use platforms like ShopMy, LTK, TikTok Shop, and Amazon to create links for their favorite finds. When followers click those links and purchase something, creators get a cut of the sales — anywhere from five to 30 percent. Some operations rake in upward of five figures a month.
Kristal Heredia, a fashion and lifestyle creator, says that affiliate marketing has been “life-changing.” “It makes up between 30 and 40 percent of my income,” says Heredia, 30. “Once I realized the type of money I [could] make, I was all in.”
Since the cash creators earn from views on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook can fluctuate, affiliate links offer more consistent income. In fact, the links don’t even have to be particularly polished. Victoria Paris, a 27-year-old lifestyle influencer who calls herself a “passive linker,” says her bestselling products come from Instagram Stories, which disappear after 24 hours. She only started using affiliate links last fall, but her year-to-date revenue just crossed $50,000.
Paris learned about the affiliate process from Jaz Smith, a fashion and lifestyle creator, who sees it as a way for creators to get paid for product research. “We get so much stuff sent to us,” Smith says. “If we’re choosing to stand by a product, it speaks a lot to [the fact that] we’ve done the research.”
Heather Hurst, the author of fashion substack PIGPEN, doesn’t post as many affiliate links as other creators. Since her fans don’t expect a deluge of them, she says, the ones she posts are more likely to take off. “I like the things that I like, and then I ignore the rest,” she says, which builds “high trust.”
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While cash is nice, influencers say the most valuable aspect is insight. A successful product doesn’t just prove raffia is the texture of the summer or stripes are back in vogue. These purchases act as evidence of the relationship creators have built with their audiences, a bond strong enough to persuade people to spend their hard-earned money on one reassurance: Trust me.
Rolling Stone spoke to four creators about their relationship with affiliate links, and the biggest payouts they’ve experienced.
Maguire McManus J.Crew @pigg.jpeg PROFIT: $2,311, J.Crew Berkeley Bucket Bag
Hurst rarely posts affiliate links, but her TikTok about this $198 J.Crew purse took off, probably because of its similarity to a pricier version from the Row. “The video went viral in a subset of the internet that’s super into dupe culture,” she says.
Justin Alphonso FEELINGIRL @kristalheredia PROFIT: $4,010, Feelingirl Bodysuit
Heredia says links do best when followers can see the clothes in action — like this bodysuit from Feelingirl, which she posted as a before-and-after under a dress: “I don’t think people want to be sold to. They want to be a part of the story.”
