The short answer
Getting approved for ShopMy and LTK is mostly decided before you ever hit apply. Both platforms are looking for the same thing: a real, active creator who already posts product content in public. Run your profile through a short checklist first, apply through a referral link where you can (it changes your odds), and if you get waitlisted, treat it as homework rather than a verdict. Here is the checklist and the order I would do it in.
Some links in this post are affiliate and referral links. If you join a platform through my links, I may earn a referral bonus, at no cost to you.
What does approval actually look at?
Neither platform publishes its full checklist, so be suspicious of anyone who claims they have it. What is clear from the outside, and from my own experience joining both as a small creator, is the shape of it: your account is public, you post consistently, your content features products a follower could actually buy, and your profile makes it obvious what you post about. They are not counting followers nearly as much as they are checking whether you look like a working creator. That is good news for small accounts, if you set up for it.
The pre-application checklist
Run through this before you apply anywhere:
1. Your profile is public. A private account cannot be reviewed properly, and it is the simplest avoidable reason an application stalls.
2. Your bio says what you post. One plain line about your topics (home, outfits, baking, beauty) tells a reviewer, and a follower, what your links will be about.
3. Your recent posts look like creator content. The last several posts on your grid should be your real content, not reposts, giveaways, or a burst of posts from one day after months of silence.
4. Some of your content already features products. A recipe with the pan you used, an outfit you actually wore, a room you styled. It does not need links yet. It needs to show that product recommendations are a natural part of what you post.
5. Your links work. Profile photo on, bio link filled in, and any link page you point to actually loads. Small broken things read as an abandoned account.
6. You look findable outside one app. A second platform, a Pinterest profile, or a simple blog helps, because it shows this is a real presence and not a throwaway account.
None of this takes weeks. Most creators can honestly tick every box in one focused evening.
ShopMy: the queue, and the shortcut around it
ShopMy normally runs an application process, and plenty of creators sit in it. Joining through an existing creator's referral link skips that queue and gets you set up right away, which is exactly why creators share these links with each other. Once you are in, the setup itself is simple: I walk through it step by step in How to Join ShopMy as a Small Creator.
Join ShopMy through my link and skip the queue: shopmy.us/join/alyssaknightbc
LTK: treat the application like a tiny portfolio
LTK reviews applications more like a portfolio than a form. Your strongest move is to apply when your recent content already shows the kind of posts LTK runs on: outfits, rooms, and products, presented cleanly. A referral application helps your odds, and it comes with a reader bonus: $25 after approval and your first post. If fashion and home are your topics, this is the application worth preparing for properly instead of firing off on a whim.
Apply for LTK through my referral: creator.shopltk.com/apply
Not sure which one fits you first? My honest side by side is here: ShopMy vs LTK.
Waitlisted or turned down? Do this next
First, do not take it personally and do not stop. A waitlist usually means "not yet," and the fix is almost always more public proof, not a different personality. Keep posting the content from the checklist for a few weeks: regular posts, products featured naturally, bio and links tidy. Work whichever platform you do have in the meantime (affiliate income does not care which logo is on the dashboard), build a small track record of posting and linking, then apply again with a profile that shows the work. Creators get in on the second try all the time.
My honest starting point
I built my setup as a small creator, at around 12,000 followers, over roughly a year and a half. My last three paid brand deals landed between $2,000 and $2,500, and the affiliate side started with the same unglamorous step as everything else: a tidy profile and consistent posts. Those are my results, not a guarantee of yours. What I can promise is that approval is a setup problem, and setup problems can be fixed in an evening.
Once you are approved, this is your first week plan: How Small Creators Actually Make Money From Product Links.
Frequently asked questions
How long does ShopMy approval take?
It varies, and there is no fixed public timeline. The standard application can involve a wait. Joining through a creator referral link skips the queue and gets you set up right away.
Why do LTK applications get turned down?
The usual reasons are fixable ones: too little product content to judge, an inactive or private profile, or a niche that is not clear from the bio and recent posts. Build a few weeks of clean, on-topic posts and apply again, ideally through a referral, which helps your odds.
Do you need a lot of followers to get approved for ShopMy or LTK?
No set number is published, and small creators get approved on both platforms. What matters more is a public, active profile that already posts product content consistently. I built my own setup at around 12,000 followers.
Can you apply again if you were not approved?
Yes. Treat the first answer as feedback about your profile, not about you. Post consistently, feature products naturally, tidy your bio and links, and reapply once your profile shows that work.