LTK is an online platform used to shop for items promoted by influencers and content creators. This app allows people to browse beauty, fashion, clothes, and travel items, with access to limited-time sales. Influencers are able to earn commission from posting and also have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of brands. There are many ways to find content creators with shared interests and connect through their recommendations.

I asked our PR & growth experts: What marketing tactics drive people to use LTK instead of other online shopping platforms?

Here are the experts' insights:

• The in-app sales are an effective tool for capturing further market share
• The platform functions as a trusted filter in a noisy market
• A closed ecosystem that maximizes creator earnings per click
• LTK has found a way to concentrate authority, liking, and social proof
• A creator-driven discovery loop
• It's long-term brand relationships with creators, not influencer blasts.
• Seamless integration between consuming content and shopping
• LTK emphasises the trust established between a buyer and a creator
• It's a curated shortcut

The in-app sales are an effective tool for capturing further market share

Emily Reynolds-Bergh, Owner at R Public Relations

"First, ease of use. It’s simple to see something you like in a post and be immediately driven to the LTK app, where you can make another one- or two-click purchase. Second, widespread adoption of the app. It’s familiar; many users know the name and how to use the product. Third, the in-app sales are an effective tool for additional adoption and capturing further market share."

The platform functions as a trusted filter in a noisy market

Jay Yap, Founder at SimplyMedia

"I have spent the last decade building and selling affiliate businesses and now coach hundreds of creators on monetization. LTK’s primary tactic is not influencer marketing but curated authority which they have scaled effectively. The platform functions as a trusted filter in a noisy market, bundling the authority of thousands of niche experts into one ecosystem. This strategy builds a layer of trust that massive, open marketplaces cannot replicate, directly boosting conversion because the recommendations feel personal and vetted.

My affiliate coaching clients consistently see a 40% to 60% revenue lift when they focus traffic on curated platforms over generic Amazon links. LTK’s closed-loop system provides creators with precise attribution data showing exactly what converts. This feedback loop incentivizes them to refine their recommendations which directly improves the user experience and reduces purchase friction. The strategy is not just about showing products but about engineering a high-trust, low-hesitation path to checkout.

This model builds habit-forming behavior by training users to bypass the overwhelming choice on open marketplaces. Consumers learn the time saved and decision confidence gained on LTK is more valuable than endless scrolling on Amazon. The sustainable growth comes from this loyalty loop where better creator content reinforces user trust, driving repeat traffic back to the platform. Ultimately LTK is not selling products but selling trusted and efficient decision-making which is a more defensible asset."

A closed ecosystem that maximizes creator earnings per click

Jon Morgan, Co-Founder at Venture Smarter

"My work involves advising startups on monetization models, and I've analyzed dozens of platforms in the creator economy over my nine years in consulting. LTK's primary marketing tactic is not advertising but its business model itself. The company engineered a closed ecosystem that maximizes creator earnings per click, which is a key performance indicator where general affiliate platforms often underperform. This superior monetization becomes the most powerful acquisition tool because it creates authentic evangelism within the influencer community.

LTK's competitive advantage is not its consumer app but its creator-facing technology stack which Amazon cannot easily replicate. My analysis of monetization platforms shows that influencers using LTK's proprietary tools achieve conversion rates two to three times higher than with standard affiliate links. This happens because the platform provides creators with performance analytics and streamlined workflow tools that optimize their content for sales. The entire system is engineered to maximize creator revenue which directly fuels platform loyalty and organic promotion.

The Amazon affiliate program is a volume play but LTK offers a curated high-intent shopping experience that commands higher commissions. Brands pay a premium of up to 25 percent to access this curated creator network because the sales attribution is clear and the audience is primed to purchase. This dual-sided value proposition for both creators and brands is the core marketing engine that drives its market share and user growth without massive ad spend."

LTK has found a way to concentrate authority, liking, and social proof

John Raisor, Growth Director at Occam's Raisor

"LTK works because of two psychological reasons. First, the digital word of mouth marketing that comes from the authority of an influencer promotion pushes followers toward these purchases. Second, the social proof of knowing that other followers have purchased the product and enjoy it. All successful marketing is based in social cohesion, and LTK has found a way to concentrate authority, liking, and social proof into one platform. On the occasion that they also use scarcity, reciprocation, and consistency, I'm sure that those products do exceptionally well."

A creator-driven discovery loop

Ananya Varma, Editor at Trovia Magazine

"A creator once told me she checks LTK before checking Google when she wants outfit ideas, and that comment sums up why the platform works so well.

I see LTK succeeding because it blends curation, trust, and convenience in a way traditional shopping platforms don’t. People aren’t just browsing products, they’re browsing creators they already relate to. LTK’s biggest marketing advantage is its creator-driven discovery loop. Users follow creators with similar tastes, so every recommendation feels pre-filtered and personally relevant.

Another strong tactic is LTK’s use of micro-urgency, like limited-time deals and creator-exclusive finds. The platform positions shopping as an experience, not just a transaction. And for influencers, the commission structure keeps the ecosystem active and high quality.

LTK reduces decision fatigue. Instead of “search and compare,” it becomes “follow and trust.” That shortcut is what keeps shoppers loyal."

It's long-term brand relationships with creators, not influencer blasts.

Lexi Petersen, Founder at Cords Club

"1. Long-term creator ambassadorships produce compounding sales

The LTK flywheel isn't just paid influencer placement. It's brands using LTK to forge long-term relationships with creators. The most striking thing about LTK as a commerce platform is the halo effect you see when a brand works with creators on more than one sponcon. The example of Abercrombie is particularly striking: after they started running campaigns based on long-term creator ambassadorships on LTK, their sales went up 56% yoy ... and the number of creators talking about them organically went up 40% too. That's not just paid ambassadors talking about them, but more creators *liking* their clothes, and then talking about them. Scenes like that can be difficult to engineer on platforms where creators work with brands on a more transactional basis.

We saw this at Cords Club too. Creators would blast new styling shots of our stuff every week for months after a paid campaign, in their IG stories, where you can see add-to-carts from their story posts in the data, driving repeat sales. If you want to tip the flywheel of conversation on LTK in your favor, you need to structure your program around recruiting and managing long-term ambassador relationships with creators, not influencer blasts. The halo effect is real: the more creators like your brand, the more other creators will like it too.

2. Data-centric casting and closed loop attribution turn experimentation into predictable ROI

Specifically this means casting. The data you get from LTK allows you to cast much more efficiently than you could on prior influencer marketing platforms: media kits are live, and your budget is dynamically allocated to the creators who will perform best for the specific drop you're running. So you can test and learn super fast from a small initial budget, which is especially important for new brands. We shifted spend m to LTK away from channels which only measured vanity metrics when we realized how much better we could do. And closed loop attribution means you can not only measure returns on individual creators within drops, but also optimize drops themselves based on conversion data. When we post content on LTK, we see in the data stuff like "earrings sold out within 24 hours of Creator X posting a photo wearing them." You cannot get that level of visibility for measuring influencers off-platform.

It's a godsend for PR people trying to justify their budgets, and they consistently see about 3 to 4 times returns, according to their public reporting. Plus their social content messaging is simpler than competitors—more Instagram stories for go-to-market rollout phases, and no more bundles, meaning shorter purchase decision cycles.

If you want to push LTK flywheels for sustained traffic, long-term ambassadorship programs, get your PR and social people excited about them, and then use closed loop attribution to optimize your list of creators working with you."

Seamless integration between consuming content and shopping

Chris Kirksey, Founder & CEO at Direction.com

"LTK has now become a popular shopper's destination for discovering products that fit personal style, as well as for purchasing those products directly from trusted sources such as their favorite influencer. Compared to an average e-commerce website where you would browse and try to find the right product based on descriptions and images that is often taken by a professional photographer, LTK allows customers to view the products in real time, the way the influencer styled them, as well as how the item fits and works. This significantly reduces the amount of uncertainty when making an online purchase. The limited-time sales aspect creates a sense of urgency without feeling overly aggressive, and the ability to go from finding an idea to purchase within minutes, makes the platform very user-friendly.

Influencers on LTK benefit financially from the way they choose to utilize the platform, as their income is generated from genuine user engagement such as likes and comments rather than clicks alone, the shopping experience has a completely different feel compared to a typical advertisement or marketplace. There are many layers to the marketing strategies that are used to encourage users to visit and engage with LTK. Social proof is one of the primary reasons why social media platforms drive such a large number of consumers to websites and applications, as many consumers rely on what others think about something before deciding to try or buy it themselves.

In addition to social proof, the content on LTK is created to be conversational in nature, and not the typical advertising pitch, increasing the likelihood that users will click links and complete actions. There is also a natural sense of scarcity built-in, using limited time promotions and seasonal collections, encouraging users to continue to visit the platform. A community-driven aspect also exists, allowing users to find creators who align with their own lifestyle, creating a more relevant and trustworthy recommendation for products. Lastly, LTK provides seamless integration between consuming content and shopping, resulting in a smooth transition from discovery to purchase, and ultimately, allowing users to return to the platform daily."

LTK emphasises the trust established between a buyer and a creator

Šarūnas Bružas, CEO at Desktronic

"The best marketing strategy that makes people use LTK instead of other online shopping sites is the direct monetization of trust. While general shopping sites rely heavily on the use of algorithms to recommend products to consumers based solely on what has been viewed or purchased by others on the same site, LTK emphasises the personal relationships and the trust established between a buyer and a creator. A consumer follows an influencer not only because they have a genuine affinity for their content, but also because they respect that influencer's opinion when it comes to taste in products. Thus, a recommendation from an influencer carries much greater weight than any algorithm-based recommendation ever could.

The way LTK accomplishes this completely counteracts the traditional e-commerce model, where consumers have to continuously search through different product listings until they find a suitable product for sale. When a buyer comes to LTK, they already have a trusted source or influencer who has pre-approved that item or brand for purchase. For example, when Desktronic recently received a review from a tech influencer stating that their HomePro Desk had "completely elevated" their gaming setup, the personal endorsement provided by that influencer provided much greater value than seeing an indistinguishable advertisement. LTK is the website that serves to create the connection between entertainment-type content and retail transactions by allowing for immediate fulfillment of the transaction through a trusted source. Thus, the emphasis placed on consumer trust as opposed to sheer volume of products is the main reason that people choose to shop at LTK as opposed to any other location."

It's a curated shortcut

Kate Ross, PR Specialist at Irresistible Me

"The platform is basically a curated shortcut. Instead of hunting through 20 websites, everything the creator used is already linked, organized, and usually on sale. It removes friction, and that alone drives crazy conversion.

From a marketing perspective, three things make LTK stand out:

1. The platform rewards “real-life” creators, not just the ultra-polished ones. Shoppers love that they can follow people with the same body type, hair type, lifestyle, budget, whatever. That level of personalization is something big retailers can’t replicate.

2. LTK’s commission structure motivates creators to update constantly. Creators are quicker to post new outfits, hair routines, travel essentials, etc., because every link has potential income behind it. Publishers rarely have that urgency.

3. The app is built for impulse shopping. Limited-time sales, fast linking, “shop the whole look” buttons, all of it pushes the shopper from browsing to checkout in seconds. It’s extremely optimized for buying, not just scrolling."

#PRontheGO